Are German Shepherds Good Apartment Dogs?

My German Shepherd is my soulmate, so I was crushed when I was transferred to a downtown office in the city for my job. Are German Shepherds good apartment dogs…because everybody knows you can’t have a big dog in an apartment…right? My pet is my pet for life, so it was time to find a way to make this work.

So, are German Shepherds good apartment dogs? Yes. Apartment living with large dogs is not as difficult as people are led to believe. German Shepherds are actually very good dogs to have in an apartment as long as all their physical needs are met.

Whether you’re looking into getting a German Shepherd of your own, or you already have one and are apartment hunting, here’s what you need to consider.

Consideration #1 – The Apartment

The first thing you need to take into account is the type of apartment you have or will be living in.

Most apartments have a pet policy that includes a weight limit for the dogs, especially if you’re living above someone else.

Another issue with finding the right apartment for a German Shepherd is that many apartments put shepherds on the restricted breed list, meaning:

The apartment owners forbid the renters from having German Shepherds on the property because they are believed to be an aggressive breed of dog.

It’s best to find a dog-friendly building, but in the chance that you aren’t able to find a building that allows your German Shepherd, you may be able to work it out with the building manager.

If you express to the manager how friendly your dog is, or even take the time to let the manager meet the German Shepherd and get to know them before moving into the apartment, the manager may vouch for your dog and allow a pass.

The size of the apartment might play a part in whether you want to get a German Shepherd or not as well.

A larger apartment would obviously give your dog more space to roam around and stretch their legs, so to speak.

But most larger apartments are more expensive, so you can get around this by making sure to leave space in rooms such as a large dog bed for your German Shepherd to lounge out on or a large empty space on the floor for playtime with toys and the like.

Just because a larger apartment would be best for the dog, doesn’t mean that you cannot make allowances in a smaller apartment either!

Consideration #2 – Activity

German Shepherds are working dogs.

Read another way:

German Shepherd Dogs were bred to work and work hard. Their physical and psychological well-being is dependent on enough exercise and mental stimulation.

So don’t kid yourself…

If you want to have your German Shepherd in an apartment, you have to be intentional about exercising him.

Your apartment likely won’t have a backyard, so you can’t just throw him back there and tell him to run around.

These dogs are very energetic and need all the exercise they can get. German Shepherds need lots of physical stimulation to keep them from getting bored and getting riled up enough to bother the neighbors (bored dogs tend to chew on things they shouldn’t, too!).

A good rule of thumb for any GSD is 1-2 hours of physical stimulation per day.

While you probably won’t have a backyard, a lot of dog-friendly apartments have their own fenced-in dog parks available to tenants to use as they please. There are a TON of positives here:

• Exercise.
• Socialization. If you’re living in an apartment, your GSD needs to get used to being around other people and dogs. Side bonus: dog parks are a great way to meet your new neighbors.
• Convenience.

If your apartment doesn’t have its own dog park, dust off your Google Maps skills and cross your fingers that you can find one nearby.

Speaking of Google Maps, check for water close to your apartment. If you’re lucky enough to have a lake or man-made body of water close by, swimming is a great exercise for German Shepherds!

Here are a couple of added bonuses to having a swimming hole close to your apartment:

• Additional exercise walking to and from the water.
• Your GSD can dry off on the walk back to your apartment.

Consideration #3 – Mental Stimulation

German Shepherds are very intelligent dogs.

(They’re not most commonly used for police and military dogs for nothing, after all.)

They’re trained to follow various commands and love to keep busy. As a matter of fact, these dogs get bored easily, so in addition to exercise, you’ll also have to give them lots of love and attention at home.

One way to keep your German Shepherd entertained is by providing them with a lot of toys.

Interactive toys like squeaky toys and dog puzzles are a good way to keep your furry friend busy.

You could also try hiding treats around the apartment and letting your German Shepherd search for them on their own. This would also be a good way to keep them busy while you’re away and to keep them from getting anxious without you.

Though watch out! If your four-legged friend is known to wreak havoc on your furniture, maybe this isn’t the best solution for you.

Consideration #4 – Training

This goes for any dog living in an apartment but especially so for German Shepherds:

Their bark is almost as large as they are!

You’ll have to look into obedience training if your dog has the tendency to bark when someone walks by the door or when they spot a stray cat or wild bird out on the balcony.

Toys will keep them occupied but if your dog stares out the window while you’re gone as mine does, you’ll want to make sure they use their manners, lest you have your neighbors complaining.

This doesn’t mean that your dog can never bark.

In a community with lots of dog owners, your neighbors would likely be quite used to dogs barking off and on, as long as it isn’t a consistent issue. This goes double for making sure they don’t bark after curfew!

Some German Shepherd owners train their dogs to stay in a crate or a certain room when they’re away a lot.

It keeps the dog from escaping the apartment (as I’ve seen some do!). If you choose to go this route, just make sure that the crate is large and spacious so your dog has enough room to move around.

As for locking the German Shepherd in a room on their own, you need to make sure that there is nothing that can be destroyed and that the door can’t be knocked down.

Related Questions