Are you someone who prefers living in an apartment over residing in a massive home? Well, as a solo apartment dweller, you must be able to enjoy the best things in life, including peaceful mornings and calm evenings. You have the freedom to roam around the house as per your own liking and preferences.
Did you know that adding a pet dog to your apartment will not disrupt your apartment living lifestyle? Rather, you can easily create a cosy, loving living space with your pet by your side. Some dog breeds are truly low-maintenance and don’t really create a mess around the living space with their fur spread across the apartment.
These dogs are adaptable to small living spaces and understand the emotions of their pet parents. They are not excited about spending time outdoors. Rather, they would always prefer having a nice, peaceful nap indoors rather than burning off their energy while running around in the backyard.
No matter you are a busy professional and someone who values independence while living alone, choosing a suitable dog will add a lot of love to your home. In this article, we shall talk about the dog breeds perfect for solo apartment dwellers.
Dog Breeds Perfect For Solo Apartment Dwellers
1. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Size: 13–18 pounds
Temperament: Gentle and easygoing
These dogs are so small that you wouldn’t have any issue keeping them in a small apartment.
They are super-loving! In an apartment living lifestyle, they would love being close to you and spending most of their time lounging with you.
Oh, and don’t worry about taking them out for long walks every day, as they have low energy needs, and a small walk around the corner would be more than enough to satisfy their mental stimulation.
Being natural lap dogs, PetMD says their favorite way to pass the time is to sit in your lap and watch a Netflix season rather than running around the house.
For individuals living in apartment buildings, these dogs are a great option as they are generally quiet! They don’t really yap and disturb your neighbors.
Just like you, they also love house parties. Whenever you have your friends and colleagues invited to your home, they’ll socialize with them enthusiastically!
2. Greyhound
Size: 50-80 pounds
Temperament: Gentle giant
Though it’s not your typical small dog breed, it still is a great choice if you want a dog in the apartment while living alone.
Why?
Well, because they are absolute couch potatoes. They prefer staying indoors in a calm and cosy environment, rather than running around under the sun in the backyard.
Also, if you are a clean freak, having this dog would be a good idea. They are clean themselves and don’t make a mess around the house.
When you get an assignment that requires working from home, these mellow and laid-back dogs will not really bother you while you are taking your office meetings. Being really quiet, they are a good addition to the home where you practice peaceful living.
The Italian Greyhounds wear short coats with extremely low oil levels, which means they have very little odor.
3. French Bulldog
Size: 16 to 28 pounds
Temperament: Laid-back
Solo apartment developers have their homes so well-maintained that they hardly want to leave them. If you are one of them and own a French Bulldog, you won’t even have to go out too often to take this dog for outdoor walks!
These dogs have very little energy, which often gets exhausted during indoor play.
Once they have taken a few strolls around the house, they will be too tired and take a nap!
However, they love human contact! They’ll soon make good friends of your colleagues or friends visiting the house once in a while.
If you want to give them some activity at home, provide them with a crate for their physical stimulation and some puzzles for mental enrichment.
Remember: The French Bulldog Club mentions that these dogs can’t really tolerate high temperatures. Hence, they are more relaxed in an indoor environment where the temperature levels are as per their liking!
4. Basset Hound
Size: 40 pounds
Temperament: Sweet-tempered and gentle
These small dogs are a perfect match for a solo apartment dweller who prefers sleeping over running around the house like high-energy breeds.
Basset Hounds are extremely laid-back companions that would rarely make a mess around the house. Being gentle and patient, they are also easy to train as they really want to please you.
Unlike many dog breeds of this size that get bored really quickly and chew off your shoes and furniture out of frustration, these ones are well-behaved.
Emotionally, they are devoted. However, they won’t be too clingy to you, coming after you wherever you go!
Despite having deep voices, they don’t bark much. Rather, they stay quiet and prefer speaking up only when there is a need to do so!
5. Chihuahua
Size: 2–6 pounds
Temperament: Easy-going watchdogs
Well, a Chihuahua is one of the most sought-after and preferred dogs amongst the apartment developers in urban areas. This dog breed for apartments adjusts well to metropolitan living and molds itself according to its fast life!
The best part? It doesn’t even ask you for long walks every day. Rather, trotting around the apartment and moving from one room to the other would be enough exercise for it.
Despite being tiny, they make great watchdogs. They are always alert and let the pet parents know whenever there is an inconvenience.
This Reddit Thread vouches for the fact that these dogs are phenomenal apartment dogs.
Being content living in a small space, these apartment dogs are bold in attitude and showcase great confidence whenever there is a new guest in the house.
Train them early and appropriately to make them well-behaved.
6. Chinese Crested
Size: 8–12 pounds
Temperament: Sweet-tempered and alert
These small dogs love living spaces that have sunny windowsills! If you have one in your apartment, you’ll notice this dog sitting close to it most of the time.
The Chinese Crested dog not only comes with a suitable size that is easy to manage in an apartment, but also a gentle and calm demeanor.
Yes, Hills Pet mentions they love to bark, but they won’t really annoy you with constant yapping.
They thrive on human companionship! They’ll get super-attached to you and may even end up feeling separation anxiety when you spend too much time outside the home.
For their mental stimulation, take them out for a short walk, and that will suffice.
Are you an allergy sufferer? Well, good news for you is that these dogs come with hypoallergenic coats and make sure you don’t sneeze too much!
7. Bichon Frise
Size: 12–18 pounds
Temperament: Sensitive and gentle
Talking about hypoallergenic coats, another dog that comes with such a coat is the Bichon Frise. It wears a wool-like coat, hence it produces very minimal dander. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, it is a good idea to get this dog as a pet.
Oh, and the Bichon Frise is not a demanding dog! It won’t ask you for a massive backyard to run around. Rather, your small apartment would be enough of a space for it to live comfortably.
For neat freaks, this dog is a gem! It doesn’t shed, and you won’t really see a pile of fur on the rug this dog sleeps on. Also, your vacumme clear would be thankful for you as it has minimal dog hair to suck.
These dogs are naturally clean and prefer activities that don’t lead to any mess!
8. Maltese
Size: 4–7 pounds
Temperament: Playful, gentle, responsive
If you want a dog that would respond to all your questions rather than throwing multiple tantrums a day, the Maltese is the right dog for you!
This dog loves a calm home and showcases a playful personality in a predictable environment.
What makes them the best apartment dogs out there is their ability to learn commands quickly! You’ll be able to train them how to live in the apartment pretty quickly, without having any emotional breakdowns.
Just like a typical Gen Z pet owner, they prefer staying indoors rather than stepping outside without any solid reason. The calm indoor environment suits them more than the chaotic outdoors!
Best for the apartment life, PetMD suggests giving them daily exercise sessions indoors, and they’ll be good to go.
9. Shih Tzu
Size: 9–16 pounds
Temperament: Not Yappy
If you want a dog that won’t wake you up by barking in the morning, get yourself a Shih Tzu!
These dogs are really suitable for apartment living as they are quiet, calm, and non-demanding. They will require just a short stroll around the street, and that would be enough for their physical and mental stimulation.
Oh, but they need some grooming! But these grooming sessions can surely become good bonding time for you and the pet, which will surely make your connection stronger than ever!
In case you have other pets in the house and are scared of bringing a Shih Tzu, don’t worry, as this dog gets along really well with other pets.
Conclusion
The best dog breeds for pet owners who are solo apartment dwellers are small in size, bark very less, and have very minimal exercise needs. Dogs like the Yorkshire terrier, Boston terrier, Biewer terrier, and American Eskimo dog also make great apartment dogs. They are phenomenal human companions and fill the home with a lot of love and affection!
