5 Tips for Creating a Dog Friendly Apartment

The first thing you should do before you bring home a canine friend is to create a dog friendly apartment. Make sure, of course, that you signed a lease to a pet friendly apartment and that a dog qualifies as one of the allowed pets, and then work on prepping your apartment.

1. Find Him Some Space

You may not have a lot of space to spare in an apartment, but it’s essential that you make a dog friendly area where your new pet can relax. Putting a dog bed in the corner of a quiet room or even, if you have the space, giving your dog rooms of his own to store his bed and all of his toys can make a nice retreat for your pet.

2. Consider a Dog Cage

Medium to large dogs, particularly those that are difficult to train, are often housed in comfortable dog cages in the kitchen or in dog rooms when the owners are gone (Make sure the cage leaves the dog enough room to stand and turn in place). Nobody likes to cage their dogs, but sometimes it’s the safest option for both the pet and the apartment. The dog will be unable to stick his curious nose into anything he shouldn’t and he won’t cause damage while you’re away. However, be sure to come home at lunch to let him relieve himself outside and stretch his muscles.

3. Write Up a Schedule

You, as well as everyone you live with, must be prepared for the amount of work the dog will require. Before you bring the dog home, draw up a list of all of the chores the dog will require, particularly feeding, walking and taking outside at regular intervals for him to relieve himself. Schedule each dog chore at regular intervals and assign everyone involved a different chore on each day.

4. Make the Apartment Dog Friendly

There’s more to making a pet friendly apartment than cleaning out a corner of the apartment and calling it the pet’s space. Remember that dogs are a curious lot by nature and your dog will probably spend a lot of time poking his nose in places he shouldn’t be. Keep all foods that are harmful to dogs, such as chocolate, onions and baking powder locked away in a high cupboard or a cupboard with a child-proof lock. You may want to child-proof all of your cupboards so your dog isn’t tempted to have a snack. Keep all detergents and poisons out of reach and remove any poisonous weeds that may grow in the yard where you’ll take your dog to relieve himself.

5. Sign Up for Training

The best way to make an apartment dog friendly is to make sure your dog is friendly to the apartment. Sign up your dog for obedience classes before you even bring him home so you can teach him to control his barking and destructive urges.

Family friendly dogs can make a wonderful addition to families and individuals alike who live in an apartment, but they’re a lot of work, too. Be prepared to offer your new dog the most comfortable and loving dog friendly home you can.