Often when I say I have three dogs at home, people are surprised that I don’t have a huge yard.
But does a big space really count for the dog?
Or another example that I frequently hear around me: “We waited until we had a house with a garden to take the dog”.
These remarks bother me for several reasons, because having a dog in an apartment is in no way a problem in my eyes.
A dog can live in a house or an apartment.
One is no better than the other as long as its needs as an individual are met (physical, mental and social).
HOUSE OR APARTMENT FOR OUR DOG
THE MYTH OF THE IDEAL HOUSE WITH A BIG GARDEN FOR THE DOG
Most dogs in homes with a garden (without wishing to make generalizations) NEVER leave their homes or hardly at all.
They only know the fences of their living space, no matter how big it is.
The obvious reason: “He’s got a garden to run around in.”
Except that this should only remain a temporary solution.
The garden is nothing more than an extra room… With grass and trees.
But by being in this same place every day, all day long, the dog will end up knowing it by heart.
This one will not have any more interest for Titou and the “stupidities” are likely to arrive at the great gallop by boredom: destruction, barking, running after cars, digging holes in the pretty flowers, running away, etc…
Even if it is very annoying for humans, I ask you to put yourself in your dog’s shoes for a minute.
Would you be able to stay six to eight hours a day, alone with no activity in the same room? How would you behave after several days of this kind of repetition?
You only have to think back to the confinement a few months ago and the mental impact it had on us to imagine what most dogs who never leave their homes go through.
Because a golden prison, as beautiful as it may be, is still a prison.
HOUSE OR APARTMENT FOR OUR DOG
A DOG IN AN APARTMENT ?
The apartment is often considered too small for a dog.
We all have this image of the dog, galloping, ears to the wind in a huge and green garden.
And yet I know a lot of dogs who live in an apartment and this does not pose any problem.
It is indeed much easier to open the door to Titou to put him in the garden if it rains or if it is cold when we are lazy to go for a walk! But dogs in apartments have a life generally more balanced than a dog in a house with garden.
Their needs for outings are automatically better fulfilled, because the outing for the needs is necessarily necessary several times during the day.
Ideally, you should take your dog on real outings if your schedule permits, not just ten minutes twice a day on a short leash of only one meter.
This will increase the amount of time spent and the dog will therefore be more active and in better physical and mental shape.
HOUSE OR APARTMENT FOR OUR DOG
WHICH HOUSE IS BEST FOR OUR DOG?
In the end, the conclusion is that there is no favorite between a dog in a house with a beautiful garden or a dog in an apartment of 40 square meters.
Whatever the home, take him out, meet other dogs for social contacts, do some activities with him, etc…
All this is necessary for his balance and can be put in place, whatever the number of square meters of your home.
Do not judge your neighbor if he has a German Shepherd in his apartment.
The most important thing is the quality of life of Titou. Not the size of the apartment.
It’s up to us to take time, to think about what will be best for our dog.
It is also possible to enrich his environment with mental stimulation activities or indoor games. We have this online training totally free: “Click here”.
The most important thing is the time spent with you, the interactions between you and all the things you will do together, because he is waiting for that.
You are everything to your dog, so give it back to him properly.
