What breed dog would be suitable for indoor living, and be ok left home alone a full workday a few times a wee?

aquitaine2004: What breed dog would be suitable for indoor living, and be ok left home alone a full workday a few times a wee?
I want to adopt a dog but I’m not sure which kind would be best to get…I live in an apartment so I would want a relatively small dog and I work full time so the dog/dogs would be left at home for eight hours at a time for possibly three times a week.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Rachel-Pit Police-DSMG
A small breed wouldn’t be suitable. Small breeds have small bladdars and need to go out often. Larger breeds are more capable of holding their water for the duration of your workday. In any case, a puppy wouldn’t be right for this type of lifestyle. I would recommend an adult of juvenile dog, and ideally, I would recommend coming home on lunch breaks to let the dog out.

Answer by chancelynn2002
Do NOT get a puppy, whatever you do. It is like having a small child in your apartment that can’t watch television or play on the computer – your apartment will be wreaked, and both you and your dog will be miserable.

Go take a peek at the old dogs waiting to die in your local shelter/humane society. Old dogs are generally past the stage of tearing everything up and wanting to be underfoot, and will happily sleep the day away. Most dogs are given up after they leave the cute puppy stage, or for selfish family reasons. Most know basic commands and manners around humans and just need a chance.

Good luck!

Answer by kitty
believe it or not, but great danes are actually very good apartment dogs…
I don’t have any personally, but I know people who do have them and they don’t require a whole lot of exercise and tend to be a little on the lazy side… you could adopt a rescued adult great dane that already comes house trained and everything.. or you could even get one on a trial basis from a rescue.. some will let you take the dog home for a 2 week trial to see how it’s going to fit into your household
I personally have 2, 4 year old female dobermans (rescues) that live in my house and do very well left alone all day if necessary
they do require a lot of exercise, though and need to be taken to a field or a park to run several times a week to keep them happy and from being destructive
where are you located? I can help you find a rescue in your area, if you would like

Answer by Agility Man
First, no puppy would handle such a situation well.

Second, the vast majority of dogs, regardless of breed, would do terrible in that setting. Oh, there will be people who post here saying “well, my BC/Lab/Sheltie/JRT handles being in a crate for 8 hours a day all week just fine.” But trust me, those dogs are the exceptions to the rule.

Third, the ONLY breed of dog that I think would adjust to being indoor all or most of the time with 8 hours a day in the crate is a bulldog. They tend to be very sedentary, sleep a lot and would do okay given the proper stimulation outside of the crate.

Fourth, if you refuse to look at a bulldog, than I have three other suggestions for you:
–get a dog that you run with in the morning (2-3 miles) so it’s worked the edge off before going into the crate. Then be prepared to spend time playing with it a lot when you get home.
–look at an older rescue greyhound. They’re big dogs with a small footprint. They mostly nap or lounge in the sun, will be comfortable in a crate and don’t require much exercise (a 30 minute walk once a day will do it).
–look at a rescue for an older small dog that has been given up by perhaps a couple that went into assisted living or had health problems. These kinds of dogs are often house-trained, obedient, low-energy and looking for someone to love them again. You’re likely getting a dog that won’t live long depending on the breed. But it could be a good fit for your situation.

Fifth, here are the breeds to cross right off your list and not consider:
–herding breeds: they demand exercise and stimulation, don’t work well indoors (they tend to shed a lot) and won’t handle being crated for 8 hours.
–working breeds: too much activity demands, especially outdoors.
–most toys and terriers: terriers will generally speaking, have high energy levels. Some adjust to indoor life well but they require that you engage them a lot. Toy dogs technically speaking aren’t designed to live well in apartments and be great indoor dogs. They’re designed to fit well on people’s laps and be easy to life. Most toy dogs are very yappy. And while they don’t require 60 minute walks, most toy dogs are always bouncing off the walls and require far more activity than a greyhound or bulldog.

Answer by cnw002
There are many other factors that can affect which breed you should get.

Take one or all of these tests, personally I like the first one best. After you get the results compare the lists and see which breed you like best. Good luck, I hope you find the dog that’s right for you

https://www.dogbreedinfo.com/search.htm

https://www.selectsmart.com/dog/

Answer by amanda8867
First of all, most apartments that do allow dogs only allow up to 25 pounds. So check the pet policy of your apartment building. As far as adopting, I would recommend going to a shelter and see what you can find there. Many of the dogs are already potty-trained so you won’t have to worry about that, plus you’ll be giving them a second chance! The down side to having small dogs is that many breeds have very high-pitched barks so it may bother the neighbors. I personally have a pug and she is extremely well-behaved while I’m gone at work, not to mention her bark isn’t very loud either.

Answer by Doglovers
you can go to an animal shelter and tell them what dog you want. they will help you for sure

good luck!