I know that the chocolate lab puppy in my building would pee in the elevator on the way down, so they carried him until they got outside. You probably have to get really good at knowing when the pup needs to pee, and taking him out twice as often. It's definitely a pain. We were 12 floors up and had to wait on slow elevators, too, so Koda was a trooper.

I def like having the yard for Koda to go nuts in, though, now that I've had both, too. We still do walks but the ability to just let her steam lose first is wonderful.

The other thing is find a park and a long line, and HAVE AT IT. Fetch was the most energy draining but a flirt pole out there just took coordination. Snowballs are not to be topped. Once you wander around enough you'll know which parks are best for this type of thing, even with a reactive dog. Be careful to not visit the dog parks during peak hours (right after work, right before work).

 

I always used to have some sort of yard, even if it was just a very small potty yard attached to my deck, to let my dogs out in. Now that I'm in an apartment and do not have a yard I find myself missing having a yard.

I don't mind taking him for walks, but I do not like having to do so first thing in the morning or after dark, I'd give a lot to be able to open my door and just let him out to potty or sun bathe, but now I have to leash him up and go out with him. Today I was sitting outside with him and I think I must have looked like I was either locked out, or on some type of weird neighborhood watch duty, but hey he really wanted to lay out there and sunbathe.

 

Ugg...I feel your pain...I just can't imagine not having a fenced in yard where my back door opens into it...esp. in the winter. Keep your eyes open for a different place to live????

 

Well first off, I think that not much can be skipped walking-wise simply by having a yard. If we pulled that stunt on Toby and just kicked him out back rather than walking... he'd just stand there and make a nuisance of himself yapping. In fact, that is pretty much his main thing that he wants to go outside for D:

For potty training... some people train to pee pads but with large dogs this sometimes becomes unfeasible. there are a fair number of apartments in our area (full of dogs) and most dogs seem to be pottying on daily or twice-daily walks without much issue. In some cases, their owners even put the dog in the car and drive down to a park-- that's the dog's bathroom break! So long as they are doing this 2-3 times a day the dogs are all good. It's only really #2 that requires much time spent outside. #1 can be done just outside the door on an as-needed basis.

 

Our two houlas play and run like crazy in the back yard, playing with jolly balls, sticks and each other. We have too many untrained dogs being walked in the neighborhood and they always charge other dogs being walked, yikes. Did I mention the 6 yr old who "walks" the boxer and then drops the leash in fear when her dog pulls...and the pitt bull who killed the dog down the street when he got out...I think walking is wonderful and it is a necessity when living in an apartment...but it makes me really anxious to have to continually be on alert for other dogs. I would see if there was another opportunity for living...or even doggy daycare for a few hours nearby if it's reputable and safe.

 

Both our dogs are small and we have cats so we just use pee-pads in the litterbox area.

We do have a yard but it's not fenced and there are coyotes in the area so we don't let the little gals out by themselves at all.

For exercise, we'll go on walks in our neighborhood or a nearby park.

 

Honestly, walks are a treat for my dogs, as are trips to the park. It works for us because of the other stuff we do every day and the fact that the squirrels running the fence keep Champ and Elsie pretty darn occupied.

We will do more this Fall/Winter, since we have to join the real world with work/work schedules and because they are not as busy/active in the yard when the weather is rainy.

When Elsie first got here and couldn't use the yard because the fence was too low for her, I did do multiple daily walks for her. It was OK but not something I would want to be doing long term out of necessity.

 

I'm moving into a rental house soon with a partially fenced back yard that I have permission to finish fencing with some cattle paneling. I'm very much looking forward to it. Using walking as a sole form of exercise can make on-leash training that much more difficult, as a dog with excess energy is much more likely to be unfocused on walks and pick up bad habits like jumping or pulling on lead.

Running the dog on a long line helps with the exercise, but you still need a safe enough space to do it, which for me means... walking on lead to get to a safe enough space. (Others might have good places for this nearby.)

Having a safe space for exercise and training right out back is going to make my life much easier. Although the dog will nonetheless be walked and (as he's still a pup, slowly, carefully, and briefly) biked on a regular basis as well. The activities serve two different purposes; having the yard helps walking to serve its purpose more effectively.

That said, I haven't found house training difficult. I'd just be very careful about supervision when home/crating when away, and recommend acquiring any new pups in spring or summer so they (or you) are not resistant to spending the time outdoors while learning to mess there. Carrying the pup until you're where you want them to go is a good idea, too.

 

I'm in a tricky situation in that I have one dog that WILL NOT POTTY in my yard. I think the issue is that it's a very small yard (8x20' maybe?) with no grass and various outdoor things and that the only entrance is through the back door. He'll pee immediately and poop within one lap of the building, but not in the yard. The puppy caught on almost immediately at 8 weeks that the yard is the place to pee, but I still have to walk the older dog even though I have a yard I love the informality of not having to think about throwing a leash, grabbing poop bags, and just being able to open the back door and stand there with the pup.

As far as exercise goes, I wish I had a larger yard. My dogs love to bounce around and play rough, but there's only so much they can do in my house. Many dogs are fine with leash walking and a very occasional off leash run, but I notice a big difference in mine when I don't take them to run. A big yard would mean fewer trips to the dog park, out to the farm, family's house, etc. A certain level of activity just can't be reached in an hour long leash walk. I would highly recommend looking into finding some sort of area where the dogs can just let loose. Our dog park has a 1/4 mile walking trail, and I always try to get at least four laps in. During the course of one mile the dogs at least triple the distance I walk by running enormous circles around me while I enjoy the view. If you can find some sort of off leash area then you'll get way more bang for your buck time/exercise wise and come home with tired dogs. Ours also has a doggy swimming pool and that takes a lot of energy out of the puppy.

I do understand the frustration. Getting up an extra two hours before work/school to drive out there is a drag, but it means that the dogs get put up happy!

 

Life would be a lot harder for my household if we didn't live on land. There are even parts of our fence the dogs could probably squeeze through if they tried hard enough, but we always keep an eye on them when we know they're out there and with acres of land to run they don't go far. Our "walks" are almost always off-leash strolls around the property as well. We have no sidewalks, etcetera out here so any off-property walking would be on the side of a highway with loose dogs, crazy drivers and whatnot. So we go to the park for walks as a special weekly activity.

I think it's especially hard when you have a dog used to a yard that then must transition solely to walks. Quenya wouldn't do well at all in a walk-only lifestyle, but she's brilliant now because she can run for thirty minutes straight beforehand if I know we're going out. On the human level, I could deal with walks-and-no-yard but I wouldn't like it.

For a puppy, you could consider growing a small tray garden of pet grass indoors--it wouldn't be as hard to transfer the idea of going outdoors in the grass (vs if you trained with paper/pads) when you moved to a home with a yard or the puppy got old enough to hold it for a long enough period it makes more sense to go outdoors.

 

I know a lot of people here are not the biggest advocates of doggy parks-but mine has been my saving grace. I live in a second story walk up with a large courtyard and Sam has been reliably potty trained for months-but he's an 11 month old terrier. He's in the thick of his adolescence and has the energy of a two year old toddler after a gallon of Kool-Aid.

I can only really take Sam on a long leash walk late at night. I live in Fort Lauderdale and even though it's late September, it's 88 degrees and miserably hot in the middle of the day. We can walk several miles once the sun goes down (and often do) but also the monsoon like rain will often come mid afternoon which is a super pain because he gets cabin fever.

My dog park was rated one of the best on the east coast or something like that and I never have had a problem. We go almost every day and he has his favorite playmates and I take my schoolwork and read under the pavilion. There is no way I could get things done after an 8 hour clinic day when he's cranky and biting my ankles. Days/mornings like today I'm on my balcony and he's chewing a stick happily just liking being outside for now.

I do wish I had a yard. I kind of wish I was even on the first floor so I could stick him on a long line on a stake so he could just lay in the grass since a lot of the time that's why he wants to be outside. Not even to be walked. But then when we go to play at the park he goes and runs his fool head off. I come home with a sleepy happy pup and all is well.

 

I know a lot of people here are not the biggest advocates of doggy parks-but mine has been my saving grace. I live in a second story walk up with a large courtyard and Sam has been reliably potty trained for months-but he's an 11 month old terrier. He's in the thick of his adolescence and has the energy of a two year old toddler after a gallon of Kool-Aid.

I can only really take Sam on a long leash walk late at night. I live in Fort Lauderdale and even though it's late September, it's 88 degrees and miserably hot in the middle of the day. We can walk several miles once the sun goes down (and often do) but also the monsoon like rain will often come mid afternoon which is a super pain because he gets cabin fever.

My dog park was rated one of the best on the east coast or something like that and I never have had a problem. We go almost every day and he has his favorite playmates and I take my schoolwork and read under the pavilion. There is no way I could get things done after an 8 hour clinic day when he's cranky and biting my ankles. Days/mornings like today I'm on my balcony and he's chewing a stick happily just liking being outside for now.

I do wish I had a yard. I kind of wish I was even on the first floor so I could stick him on a long line on a stake so he could just lay in the grass since a lot of the time that's why he wants to be outside. Not even to be walked. But then when we go to play at the park he goes and runs his fool head off. I come home with a sleepy happy pup and all is well.

I love my dog park and I'm not trying to start an argument, but this is one of the biggest problems that I see at our park. It has a huge open area with a fairly large pavilion at the front with picnic tables and stuff. Lots of folks like to sit and chat/talk on the phone/read/whatever while their dog is doing no one knows what. IMO the dog park is not a place for humans to sit and relax at their leisure, but a place for dogs to have well supervised off leash play around their own kind. Most of the dogs with owners like these are actually fairly well behaved, but it still makes me uncomfortable that their dogs are just roaming around with little supervision. Even if they are sitting and watching their dog at a distance, it's a big park. There's no way that they could race across the park in event of an incident before serious damage is done. Even if your dog wouldn't dream of instigating a fight, make sure you think about the other guy and keep a close eye on your dog all the time.

I'm not passing judgement on you at all as I don't know the layout of your park, how far from you your dog travels or anything of the sort, but just pointing out something I consider a problem that many owners around here do not!

 

I love my yard. I think having Archer without a yard would be REALLY hard. My dogs don't get walks daily because we play a LOT in the backyard. We play fetch, frisbee, backyard "agility", and do lots of training outside. Chasing the frisbee is his favorite reward, probably more than food even. He's extremely high energy and gets bored quickly, and walks don't cut it for him. They probably go for adventures 1-3 times a week to parks, out to eat, and to see dog friends.

 

I never used my yard as an substitute for walking, so I don't miss it. I really don't miss maintaining the stupid thing, to be honest. Love me some apartment living.

Going for walks is so vital for a dog's health and mental well being. Socialization is a lifelong affair, and it can't be accomplished in your back yard. Most dogs don't exercise themselves in a yard, they might walk the perimeter or occasionally chase a squirrel, but they're not generally running laps to make up for exercising.

Where I used to live, yards were the norm and dog walking was a rarity. People used to look at my like I was an alien for walking for my dog. "Don't you have a yard ...?" The vast majority of dogs in my old neighborhood were barrier aggressive, unsocialized, and spent a lot of time barking furiously at everything.

Where I live now is described as "Oh yeah, five million dogs and they're all nice!" Dogs in my neighborhood may start out reactive and unsocialized, but it doesn't last long. It can't. They have to be walked and be able to deal with lots of people, bikes, runners and other dogs. You see a lot of treats being given out during a lot of BAT/LAT training if you know what you're looking at. It's been really cool to watch a couple of new rescues in my building going from "crap! we can't meet at a choke point like the door, turn around before she sees the other dog" to "calmly pass by, keep walking, we're okay, done".

 

I never used my yard as an substitute for walking, so I don't miss it.

Going for walks is so vital for a dog's health and mental well being. Socialization is a lifelong affair, and it can't be accomplished in your back yard.

Most dogs don't exercise themselves in a yard, they might walk the perimeter or occasionally chase a squirrel, but they're not generally running laps to make up for exercising.

I don't think of the two as substitutes for one or another. It's more a supplement--for some, walks may supplement yard time (like mine) and others, yard (or park or loose play) time may supplement walks. What works best for one, may not work best for another. I do agree that walks AND off leash exercise/play are both useful for enrichment AND exercise. I'd also go ahead and say, many American dogs don't get enough of either, so any way that owners can try to increase some sort of engagement or exercise would probably be beneficial.

I'd also disagree that walks are "vital." Even if socialization is a lifelong endeavor, it does not have to occur everyday for a dog to be well-adjusted, happy, or trained. Sure, they may not be getting socialized in a backyard, but that doesn't mean that they aren't getting mental stimulation or healthy exercise back there. It also doesn't mean the dogs aren't doing other activities with their owners. Plus, in my experience, walks are not actually the most efficient or effective way to exercise for many active dogs. Ten minutes with the flirt pole, and Elsie would be both more emotionally satisfied (strong prey drive) and tired than after a ten minute walk.

As far as the last sentence goes, meh. I agree that's true for some dogs, and as a general rule, for JoeBlow, I might even still suggest the same thing (as I have in the past). I don't think that applies to all dogs, though, especially by watching our own dogs. They do actually run laps, and if we had a bigger place, like my parents', that is what they do all.day.long. (No human provided walk or run could match that exercise.)

My two cents anyways, in sum: do something with your dog, but that something doesn't HAVE to be a walk everyday. There's no ONE right way to care for a dog.

 

When I got Cobber last year, I had a yard but no fence. So for his first 3.5 months living with me, he was used to walks only. At some point, I got sort of tired of all the battles (he's very leash reactive - better every day, we're always working on it, but it's still something of an ordeal if everyone else in the 'hood is walking their dog at the same time), so I put in a fence. What I've found is that he loves to play in the yard, and he will pee and poop there if we're out in the yard long enough that he can't hold it any longer. But because he grew up doing the walking thing only, that still seems to be his preference for bathrooming. As a result, last winter -- the year of the Polar Vortex -- found us out walking quite often in VERY treacherous conditions because he didn't want to go out into the part of the yard I'd shoveled out for him.

We're about to move into a new house and (please, gods) the fence is supposed to be installed before we move. I'm hoping that if I start out by taking him to the yard every time we go out, from wake up to just before bed, it may become the new bathroom solution as part of a whole new routine. I will still happily walk him (I love the new 'hood much more than the current one) every day, but would like him to get more used to being in the yard than depending on lots of walks each day. We'll see how it goes

 

a yard does not replace walks for us but it does make late night and early morning potty times a lot easier.
We spent the last week replacing a part of the house so the yard was unusable due to wood with nails and all that stuff
We can live without it.

 

This is something I`ve thought about quite often. We currently have a yard but we`re young and will probably move alot during the coming years. I`m going to miss yard big time. Ella is half LGD - not super hyper but she`s 75 lbs and needs a decent amount of exercise. She`s dog reactive so besides our yard there are only a handful of places I feel comfortable enough to let her loose (as in some deep forests and such). She gets a rather short 20-30min walk daily to satisfy her curiosity. But we go on "adventures" quite often. Visiting friends and family and on some weekends we just drive out of the city and hike.

She also enjoys "guarding" - not something I could provide her with in an apartment.

ANYWAYS ... thinking about taking her for a walk in a cold dark February morning at 6 am makes me weep Yards are comfortable. I put on my robe, put on the kettle and let my dog out. No more hassle, I love it.

I have no supporting words except obviously some people manage it and usually things do get easier with time. Also it takes about 3 weeks to form new habbits so maybe in time you`ll be fine with it