any one live in apartment with great dane?

[slightlyhuman]

looking into a studio apartment for six months. i have a 2 year old GD. he's a couch potato when indoors and usually resides on a futon. he doesn't drool(except after a nice gulp of water). the studio is only a mile+ away from the house so i can go home at lunch or afternoon to let him out for a bit(my work is pretty cool about things like that fortunately).

my only worry really is training him not to piss and shit right off the bat. He's pretty good about potty breaks when he stays inside at night during the winter but have not had to leave him indoors for extended periods of time(5 hours).

just looking to see if any one has been done this road before and can offer advice.

thanks

 

[mmntech]

I wouldn't do it. It's a big dog that needs space. Studio apartment is way too small.

 

[Ns1]

Knew a guy who had a siberian husky in his apartment with a tiny patio. He made it work by taking the dog to the dog park everyday.

Me and the GF got 3 corgis in a small ass apartment (600sf). We make it work by taking them on several walks (3-6 walks per day) on top of whatever daily activity they get (going to a park, going to the mall, running errands, w/e). I would argue that the corgis require more daily physical activity than the great dane...

if he's not crate trained then you're probably 50/50 odds in terms of him shitting inside the house. The corgi we just rescued has never seen the inside of a house, so she's all weirded out by the carpet. She WANTS to go on grass, so there has been relatively few accidents inside the house.

GD's are surprisingly lazy lap dogs so I think you'll be fine if you give them enough activity when you're home/when you can.

 

[edro]

That sounds depressing.

 

[pelov]

Danes make pretty good apartment dogs, from what I've heard/read. Generally a good apartment dog is one who isn't active indoors, not one who's small. An example of a poor apartment dog despite the small size is a Jack Russell. Most of them are batshit crazy and far too hyper to be left alone for long periods of time in a confined space...they'll wreak havoc. Big lazy dogs might take up a lot of space, but they don't mind being left alone in a small apartment so long as they go outside 2-3 times a day.

What matters is a low energy/drive dog, not a small dog.

- my neighbors had a Great Dane. He made a great apartment dog. The two issues you might have is if he barks real loud or freaks the neighbors out. That has less to do with the dog and more to do with the neighbors, though

 

[Ns1]

Danes make pretty good apartment dogs, from what I've heard/read. Generally a good apartment dog is one who isn't active indoors, not one who's small. An example of a poor apartment dog despite the small size is a Jack Russell. Most of them are batshit crazy and far too hyper to be left alone for long periods of time in a confined space...they'll wreak havoc. Big lazy dogs might take up a lot of space, but they don't mind being left alone in a small apartment so long as they go outside 2-3 times a day.

What matters is a low energy/drive dog, not a small dog.

- my neighbors had a Great Dane. He made a great apartment dog. The two issues you might have is if he barks real loud or freaks the neighbors out. That has less to do with the dog and more to do with the neighbors, though

+100

 

[AreaCode707]

Not an apartment, no, but my Danes have all been house dogs and pretty content to lounge around indoors when I'm at work. It helped having roommates, everyone would let her out as they arrived or left the house throughout the day, but she was ok by herself for 6 hours or so if she had to be. She was also older though. Having a two year old might be different.

Seems like the only way to know this is to start training him a bit longer each day and see how he does. You might adjust his feeding schedule (feed earlier, take for a walk before you leave, etc.)

 

[GasX]

Great Danes can do fine in an apartment as they are pretty fucking lazy. They do, however, need a good amount of exercise and will need to go out often or for a long time every day.

 

[pelov]

Anyone who's had a big lazy dog knows that they'll sleep...all fucking day long. They hibernate 24/7 for 4 seasons a year. It doesn't matter how big or small a room they live in, they're going to be sleeping.

So long as your dog isn't a sentry barker, doesn't suffer from separation anxiety, and the neighbors don't mind you having a Great Dane, it should be no problem, OP.

 

[slightlyhuman]

exercise won't be a problem. he's used to the country life(doing whatever the hell he wants). i run almost every day and he goes with me(except in extreme heat as he's black). it's a mile from my work(i'm 20 miles atm). he would be let out in the am/lunch/after work.

might step up to the one bedroom that is 673sq ft. going to look at them this week. this will only be 6months min, 12 months max.

 

[KeithTalent]

I've heard they are pretty much the best apartment dogs you can have. We were considering getting one back when we lived in an apartment, but now that we have stairs, not so sure; would feel bad making those long legs walk up and down the stairs every day.

KT

 

[AreaCode707]

I've heard they are pretty much the best apartment dogs you can have. We were considering getting one back when we lived in an apartment, but now that we have stairs, not so sure; would feel bad making those long legs walk up and down the stairs every day.

KT

They can handle stairs just fine as long as they were taught young (my parents' Dane wasn't and she regards stairs as a mystical wizard trap sent to eat her feet) and as long as they aren't old and having hip problems. They're too big to pick up and carry if they can't make it on their own.

 

[uclaLabrat]

Had 2 pugs and a ridgeback in manhattan for two years, they did just fine. GD's are great apartment dogs

 

[slightlyhuman]

thanks guys, great posts.

 

[KeithTalent]

They can handle stairs just fine as long as they were taught young (my parents' Dane wasn't and she regards stairs as a mystical wizard trap sent to eat her feet) and as long as they aren't old and having hip problems. They're too big to pick up and carry if they can't make it on their own.

That's more what I am concerned about. I know they are prone to those issues anyway and making them trudge up multiple sets of stairs multiple times a day does not seem like a nice thing to do. We'll see though.

KT

 

[slightlyhuman]

going to look today at the studio and 1 bedroom apartment today.