Am I being unrealistic? (ACD in Apartment)

[kendawg]

@thanushpoulsen My ACD/Aussie mix has been fine in the apartment in terms of exercise and happiness. He was always kind of chill though even as a puppy. He actually seems to burn a lot of energy through watching things (when we were in a house, it was birds and people on the greenbelt, now it is me usually lol, and I take him on short errands or if I am only going to be in the car because he loves car rides!)

I haven't been running because of an injury, but we are still walking several miles a day, plus play time inside/dog park. I actually don't think runs wore him out the same, because it is his brain that needs the work, so I would suggest a good mix of both!

As I am writing this he is curled up for his morning nap lol, but we will go walk in about an hour for probably 2 miles depending on weather.

I also do hikes, doggy playdates, etc with mine and he seems to be super happy. I am looking forward to moving and having a huge fenced in soccer complex nearby where we can make use of it for play.

The only thing I can say about apartments is the other dogs - especially with a rescue. I've seen a lot of people with the herding breeds who have somewhat reactive dogs, and other people in apartments can be really stupid frankly (dog off leash, let their dogs bark at everyone going by like crazy). Just keep that in mind - I have found that more of the issue than getting energy out with my own pup (he has some leash reactivity that increased with the triggers in the complex)

 

[de2105]

@kendawg Sniffy walks sometimes wear my girl out better than long off-leash hikes!

She loves catching up on the pee-mail gossip in the neighbourhood. Who’s been where and when

 

[kendawg]

@de2105 Yes! I also make sure we get a good sniffy walk in every day, though that walk shifts in time if I have weird meetings during the afternoon!

 

[twobysmum]

@thanushpoulsen I am so glad the rescue we got our ACD did not view apartments as a dealbreaker. They said that they are more concerned with people who view having a backyard as “good enough” as far as exercise. We lived in a 700sq ft apartment in downtown Denver (before off leash areas at apartments were really a thing), but within walking distance of a dog park. He never got more exercise than he did when we were apt living! And this was before remote work so we were gone during the day. Every weekend we were in the foothills hiking with him. Once a week he’d go to doggy daycare for an extra bit of energy burn and socializing.

Your plan sounds completely reasonable and adequate for an active ACD.

The shelters are trying to balance ensuring the dogs are adopted to families that match their energy needs in an efficient way with these blanket rules, but so often miss the mark. I echo previous comments to look into rescues. They are able to take more time to assess living situations, personalities, etc…

Good luck to you! I hope you find your ACD!

 

[paulusdei]

@thanushpoulsen depending on how willing you are to travel, Arizona shelters are fulllll of ACD’s (where i got mine for free, took him home after filling out minimal paperwork and a short interview) and it’s an easy process. still rescues, some still purebreds or mixed with other herding/working dogs like GSD or Australian shepherd.

 

[obadimu]

@paulusdei Yep. You could have a decent pick in Tucson. Our shelter is putting out desperate announcements daily as they are having to euthanize for space lately despite being mostly a “no-kill.” They aren’t checking if you have a house, the main question would be “do you want a dog? Great! Please take 3 if possible.”

 

[tehila]

@thanushpoulsen I got Ilsa from a private foster program who advertised the litter as Australian shepherds... Worst part was I think they believed that. Rescues wouldn't even look at my applications. I was in an apartment. I had just said goodbye to a dog I had kept healthy and happy for 15.5 years. Didn't matter. I was in an apartment.

It depends on the dog, of course, but being in an apartment does not mean they can't be active and cared for! They'll get more exercise going runs and hikes and to the bark park with you then they would being let out to saunter around the backyard alone (which is what a lot of those people with houses will do). You're not being unrealistic about your ability to give your dog a good life, maybe unrealistic about your ability to get a dog from a public shelter.

Look, people can say what they want about "fly by night" rescues, but at the end of the day I will always say that a loved dog is better than a euthanized dog. Keep an eye out on Petfinder (or Facebook) for private foster groups, and be ready to jump when something comes available. The good news is there's way less competition for young adult dogs than puppies, the "you don't know how they were trained before you got them" notwithstanding (but on that point, old ACDs can be taught new tricks with enough (a lot of) persistence on your part. And refer to my point about loved and alive dogs, above).

Good luck! Sounds like the pup will be lucky to have you.

 

[thanushpoulsen]

@tehila Thank you for your response, it really is frustrating because even with a couple of rejected applications, there have been more that haven't even gotten a response. I try to tell myself that they are probably flooded with apps - but a part of me will think it's because of my lack of home/yard. I will join some groups on Facebook and keep my eye out, thank you.

 

[talitha1]

@thanushpoulsen Are you apping for dogs you didn't meet? Maybe it's because I'm out in the country and it's different there but we met our dog first and it mattered a lot to them that he liked me immediately since he's shy.

 

[de2105]

@tehila I think a lot of people get confused with the ‘Australian’ part of Heelers/Shepards and think they are the same breed. The spotted coats don’t help either!

I think it’s funny that Australian Shepards are an American dog breed. Wouldn’t surprise me if there was some ACD in the heritage though.

 

[valentin]

@thanushpoulsen My dog Kal and I have only been in apartments. Granted now I have a much larger apartment (1800 sq ft). Also I have one of the laziest cattle dogs lol. I got him when he was 2 and it's been great.

Just make sure you stay consistent on exercise and stimulation. Mine turns into a destroyer when we don't. I stress consistent over amount for exercise. Him knowing when he gets his time makes him utilize the time best.

 

[dobrotolubiye]

@thanushpoulsen A yard is a very dumb thing to have as a prerequisite, as I have personally seen more dogs completely neglected in a yard that I have in appartments. A neglected (no walks, no mental stimulation) ACD in yard will be much worse off than one in an appartment with his needs met.

However, ACDs are, on average, much more of a dog than most people can handle. They can get wild, they are very rough, they express a lot of emotions with their teeth so they are a bomb waiting to go off for anyone that has not had an ACD before imo.

There will always be the exceptional couch potato, but generally they're a pretty wild bunch that I would recommend to people that know very well what they're getting into.

I did not listen to advice like this, and after the wild ride I'm (still) having at my girl being 10 years old, I get where the people that were warning me were coming from. I am not sorry for my choice and she will be the dog that I will remember until the end of my life but my next dog will absolutely not be an ACD.

 

[mickiel]

@thanushpoulsen Mine was rescued from a local humane society, and spent the first 2 years with us in an apartment, with daily multiple walks. Sometimes we would skip the walk if it was raining. He was fine. We’ve since moved into a SFH rental and he now thinks it’s his place to protect, has got very protective of the front door and windows. I’m not sure if we could move back to an apartment at this point. I think you’ll be fine!

 

[ams59]

@thanushpoulsen I live in a major city with my ACD mix, in a spacious apartment with a park right across the street. Exercise and stimulation are not an issue. I see other ACDs and ACD mixes in the city everyday.

I agree with other people saying some rescues are too strict. I'm assuming this is to lessen the rate of dogs being returned to rescue for behavior issues. My pup was NOT listed as an ACD mix, they thought he was a chihuahua mix (lmao), so they had no qualms adopting him and his brothers out to people in the city. I wonder if the requirements would have been different if they knew? Either way, it's definitely a bit of extra work but very possible to have a happy and healthy heeler in an apartment.

 

[detrimony]

@thanushpoulsen Nobody vetted me as an owner when I got him, but I have a 7 month old ACD in a one bedroom apartment that's probably 500 sq ft. We take him out for multiple hours of exercise(dog park or running) 3-7 times a week. He gets stir crazy on the days we don't go out, but we use a flirt pole inside and he loves it. Flirt poles are an excellent way to get lots of exercise in a small space and I think every ACD or active dog owner should have one. When he's not being a psycho he just sleeps and cuddles with us. You sound like you'd be a great dog owner.

 

[thanushpoulsen]

@detrimony Thank you, I will look into a flirt pole.

 

[superjjjosh24]

@thanushpoulsen Pacific NW Cattle dog has a lot of courtesy postings that they list for owners looking to rehome pups, and you directly message the owner vs going through the rescue. Could possibly try them too!

 

[lee102]

@thanushpoulsen One of the reasons is that you don’t own your house. The other reason is because you don’t have a backyard.

You can look on rescueme.org if you want to go that route.

 

[judes001]

@thanushpoulsen My apartment is smaller than yours and my girl seems pretty happy.

We run 2 miles in the morning, 30 min walk before I go to work and 30 min walk when I get home. I don’t leave her alone for longer than 8 hours at a time and she’s knocked out when I get home.

She’s got a ton of cardboard, puzzles and toys in her room whenever I’m away and she has pee pads so she can use the bathroom at her discretion.

She goes to daycare once a week and we run a total of 14 miles on my two days off and do a 10 mile hike twice a month.

Whenever I’m home she literally sleeps all day and is super chill.

The only odd thing about my situation is I can bring her to work a day or two a week and she runs around the office with free rein.

I think what really helps is that we have a very strict routine. She wakes me up and is fed at the same time every morning, we excercise at the same time every day and she can tell when I’m winding down.

She’s super smart and I think the routine calms her down because she has a sense of when to expect food, play time and chill time.

 

[de2105]

@judes001 Heelers routine for sure!