Thinking about adding a fur baby to your family? Those wagging tails and puppy eyes can quickly make you forget about the logistics of owning a dog; logistics that get even more complicated when your home is an apartment. If your dog were to bite or otherwise injure someone, you would be legally responsible for that person’s medical costs. Luckily, renters insurance would cover those costs for you. These scenarios can become more likely depending on the breed of dog, and when certain dogs are trapped in confined spaces with strangers, like elevators and stairwells, the risk is even higher. Many apartment complexes and insurance companies have breed restrictions for this reason, the most common of which are the pit bull, Rottweiler, German shepherd, and mastiff. It is essential to make sure that your policy and your apartment complex are in alignment with the dog that you choose. So make sure to review both your renters insurance policy and your lease to be sure that you select the right dog to begin with.
Breed Classes
Unlike other species, dogs have been selectively bred by humans all over the world for centuries in order to perform specific utilitarian tasks. Most of the breeds that remain today have widely varying shapes, sizes, nutritional needs, personality traits, and exercise requirements.
Although many ‘classes’ of dog exist, the most prominent are the Sporting class, the Working class, the Hound class, the Terrier class, and the Toy class. It is important to note that these classes are somewhat disputed and some breeds fall outside of these classes, but the breeds contained by these classes all share certain characteristics.
The Sporting class includes spaniels, pointers, retrievers and setters. Known for agility in the water and in the woods, these dogs were bred to work with hunters to retrieve wild game. Most sporting dogs require regular, intense exercise and therefore most do not make good apartment dogs.
The Working class includes the more domineering breeds like the mastiff and the husky. Dogs in this class are very intelligent and strong, but because of their protective instincts can become easily threatened and subsequently dangerous if not trained properly. Therefore, none of the breeds in the working class are featured on our list.
The dogs in the Hound class share a common ancestry in hunting and include hallmark breeds like the beagle and the basset hound. Notoriously stubborn to train, many of these dogs were bred to follow their nose above all else, and are liable to take off if they catch a scent.
Bred to hunt and defend the home, the dogs of the Terrier class are intelligent and highly energetic. Although they were not bred to hunt with their noses as hounds do, they will often chase anything that moves, and will sometimes follow small rodents into their burrows.
And lastly, many of the dogs that appear on our list belong to the Toy class. These dogs are unique in that they were not bred for utilitarian purposes but rather for the pleasure and companionship of humans. For this reason they tend to be small, agreeable, and easy to train, making them perfect apartment dogs!
We’ve listed below the top ten breeds that we believe will do best in apartments based on their American Kennel Club rankings in exercise needs (1 being low, 10 being high), trainability (1 being hard to train, 10 being easy), and sociability (1 being antisocial and 10 being very friendly). The dogs on this list rank no more than a 6 in exercise requirements, no less than a 4 in trainability and no less than a 6 in sociability. For more information about dog breeds, you can visit the American Kennel Club website.
1. Boston Terrier
- Exercise: 6 Trainability: 10 Sociability: 10
This dog’s name does it justice – the Boston terrier thrives in urban environments. These cuties are actually nicknamed ‘The American Gentlemen,’ because of their agreeable nature and polite manners. Weighing no more than 25lbs, they are very easily trained and quite sociable with strangers and other dogs. They can be somewhat active but since they’re relatively small they should be ok with a brisk walk once a day. The Boston terrier ranks at the top of our list due to its friendly nature and trainability.
2. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
- Exercise: 4 Trainability: 10 Sociability: 8
Bred specifically to be a lapdog, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is the proper princess of the dog world. These dogs, although they are spaniels, actually belong to the toy class, and not bred for a utilitarian purpose but rather for companionship and likeability. They are eager to please their humans and therefore easy to train. They’re patient and sociable and do very well with children. It is good to remember, however, that they are descended from hunting dogs and should not be allowed off leash – they are bound to take off in pursuit of an interesting scent!
3. Bulldog
- Exercise: 6 Trainability: 6 Sociability: 8
These dogs are notorious couch potatoes! They are perfectly happy to take it easy, but since they are prone to becoming overweight, regular exercise is a necessity to keep them healthy. Bulldogs can become overly-protective of their food and toys, so it’s important that during puppyhood, you remove food from their bowl while they’re eating and freely take toys from their mouths. This way, they won’t grow into adults who snap or bite anyone who tries to take something from them. Bulldogs tend to be quiet, loyal, and easygoing, although it is important to note that they do not do well in hot weather because of their short respiratory tracts.
4. Pug
- Exercise: 6 Trainability: 6 Sociability: 8
Another one of the Toy class, the pug was bred simply to be a companion to his humans. He is eager to please and very emotionally sensitive, so training is easy but leaving them for long periods of time is not recommended. He is even-tempered and does well with strangers and other dogs. This dog is happy to spend all day on the couch but due to their propensity to gain weight, should not be allowed to do so. As with bulldogs, their short muzzles make them intolerant of hot weather.
5. Bichon Frise
- Exercise: 6 Trainability: 6 Sociability: 10
These little cotton balls have comedic, charming personalities. They are agreeable, easy to train, and very friendly to strangers. As for exercise, they’re prone to brief bursts of high activity but otherwise tend to lounge around. Although they’re notoriously hard to housebreak, they are otherwise considered easy to train. A bichon frise also tends to have some separation anxiety, and likes to be surrounded by their people more often than not.
6. Basset Hound
- Exercise: 3 Trainability: 4 Sociability: 8
These dogs are famous for being easy-going and patient. They tend to be pretty lazy in adulthood; a daily walk should suffice their activity needs. Training can be somewhat difficult – as with many hounds, they were bred to follow their nose above all else. But as far as hounds go, the basset hound is about as agreeable as they come. They can be somewhat aloof to strangers but are not known to be overly protective or aggressive.
7. West Highland White Terrier
- Exercise: 6 Trainability: 6 Sociability: 8
This dog’s adorable appearance and entertaining personality has kept it thriving for 300 years! ‘Westies’ are smart, confident and very adaptable to apartment environments. It is important to note that since they were bred to work alone, they do have a strong sense of independence, making them somewhat challenging to train. They were bred to catch small vermin and therefore have a tendency to dig or burrow into the ground. Don’t be surprised if he comes back up with a chipmunk – this is a hard instinct for him to fight!
8. Dachshund
- Exercise: 6 Trainability: 6 Sociability: 6
Yep, the ‘hot-dog’ dog! This little cutie pie should come as no surprise on this list! Although they’re not considered lazy dogs, their short legs make them easy to exercise. It is important however, not to let them become overweight as this can put tremendous strain on their long backs causing herniated disks. As with all hounds, they were bred to hone-in on scents, so it can be hard to keep their attention during outdoor training. It’s also good to note that they’re very emotionally sensitive, so it is important to use positive reinforcement during training.
9. Chihuahua
- Exercise: 6 Trainability: 4 Sociability: 6
Full of personality, Chihuahuas are famous for their small stature and sassy attitude. Like the dachshund, they are not considered lazy but tire themselves quite easily in a small space. Chihuahuas have a terrier-like mindset, which means a firm hand when training is imperative so that they don’t grow up to be pompous and demanding. They are highly intelligent and seemingly aware of how cute they are. Besides the fact that they can be quite vocal, they are the perfect apartment dog for the human who can assert a dominant vibe.
10. Pomeranian
- Exercise: 6 Trainability: 6 Sociability: 6
Alert and intelligent, these dogs make great watchdogs and are easily trained. They can achieve their full exercise requirements with short walks or indoor play. Although somewhat notorious for being difficult to housebreak, they are not as stubborn as the Bichon Frise. It’s important to note that they are quite fragile and can injure themselves jumping off of tall beds or furniture. It’s also important to remember that with their thick coat, they are prone to overheat in hot weather.
