Huskies in Apartments

[Sakutama]

I am sure this has been covered many times so I apologize. I understand with adequate exercise and stimulation, a Husky can live quite happily in any size house or apartment. We live in an apartment that is owned by my husband family. From a legal standpoint to my knowledge, we can have a dog here. Kids are also allowed here as well (and I know kids can be NOISY sometimes!). However, my Japanese family is worried about having a dog here. They are worried it will upset the neighbors with noise. Noise is always the #1 concern. We were told by the man who introduced us to this apartment that pets are allowed, which is why we decided to live here. But after we moved in we later came across a booklet that said pets aren't allowed, so either that is an old community-type of rule or we got duped! I was heartbroken but sense this is an owned apartment, i'm wondering where we stand on that. At the end of the day though, no one cares as long as there's no noise to be bothered by.

From my understanding, a Husky who gets enough exercise and stimulation will hardly bark, but this also depends on individual personalities of course. I am wondering sense I plan to adopt an adult/senior Husky first, and with ample exercise and stimulation, if we could have one here without issues.

We are making every effort to save as much money as we can to buy a house in 5 years or so, but life hits you with curve balls and while the house may or may not happen in 5 years, I really don't want to wait longer then that to adopt my Husky. I think waiting 5 years is amazing enough, considering i've already waited all my life at this point! I am saving my pocket money during this waiting period so I can buy the Husky everything he/she needs. I even plan to look for a used treadmill to keep exercise up to par even when the weather isn't good. Kind of hard to walk a dog during a typhoon.

So what do you think? Adult/Senior Husky, plenty of exercise and toys - could we make it work without bothering the neighbors? Or is it just luck of the draw and we would just need to take a chance?

[mydiamond]

Well huskies are generally quiet dogs, but as you have already said---it is down to each dog's personality. Some is just as talkative as a parrot and there's no way you can stop them since that is just the way they are! O_O More exercise equals less noise, of course, but there's always a day when you can't give him/her enough exercise due to bad weather or crazy pile of work right? What would you do then? =\ IMO it's either moving out of this apartment or convince people around you to allow dog ownership. Anyways, in five years, lots of changes will happen and who knows that your Japanese family might change their minds

[lovemysiberian]

I think it may definetly depend on the dog, but I have owned 2 Huskies in an apartment with complete success. First was Taz, who was 12 years old when I first moved into an apartment with him, from living in a house. With excercise and having toys all day, he did very well and was not loud when left alone, and if anything, I'm pretty sure he slept most of the time he was alone. He was quite a vocal Husky when I would come home or if he wanted something, but it was never so out of hand to become a disturbance. My downstairs neighbor even said he could barely tell there was a dog here. Sadly, Taz passed in May '11 at almost 15 years old, and since then, I brought home a 5 month old female, Echo. I was worried about her possibly being a nuisance in an apartment, being so young, so I started off fostering her, not getting my hopes up, but she's been wonderful (and of course, I adopted her after a 3 month trial!). She even does great out of a crate when no one's home. I have had no complaints from my downstairs neighbor. She gets a lot of excercise and mental stimulation, and when I go to work, I leave her toys (different everyday, to switch it up and keep her interested) and also a Kong that I freeze overnight with goodies in it to keep her busy. I'm surprised at how good of an apartment dog she is, considering she just turned a year old last week. The only time she can be a ruckus is when she gets into play mode and starts running around the house and playing.. luckily, she is responsive when it comes to stopping (and usually I'll take her out when I see that kind of energy brewing), but luckily I know when my neighbor is and isn't home, so I use the times he's not around for the loud stuff. It definetly is a challege though, to keep this breed happy in an apartment, however, very possible!

My experiences may not be the case with all Huskies though, I may have just gotten very lucky! But I do know without the excercise, toys and mental stimulation, she would be absolutely off the wall!

[Sakutama]

I think after 5 years of hearing me ramble on about wanting a Husky, they are bound to be sympathetic! My mother-in-law waited 10 YEARS before she finally got her first dog, and she LOVES dogs. I think she must have a very strong will to wait that long. I think as long as we are close to getting a house, a little shortcut might be okay. And after 5 years of saving my pocket money, I should have more then enough money to buy everything the dog needs, and cover a vet bill or two if needed.

Maybe I can keep an eye out for Husky that the shelter staff say is relatively quiet and low-energy. Of course the Husky could bounce back and be the opposite, but that's part of having dogs, you have to accept those curve balls! As long as I know it is possible, that gives me some hope. I really don't mind noise, howling, energy, etc...it's always the people around me that do! But when we own a house at some point we won't have to worry about those things so much.

I definitely plan to invest in a treadmill as well and train our husky to use it when we can't go walking/biking. I'm sure it will help out tremendously keeping the energy down and I know people often want to get rid of theirs because they never use it. Could be some good deals out there!

[mydiamond]

I like the treadmill idea good luck to you Evyn

[RoseWillow&Dexter]

your plan to adopt an adult/senior husky could work to your advantage, especially if the shelter can give you a good insight into their personality, if hes older hes probably more happy to sleep all day without howling and won't need huge amounts of exercise

[Sakutama]

your plan to adopt an adult/senior husky could work to your advantage, especially if the shelter can give you a good insight into their personality, if hes older hes probably more happy to sleep all day without howling and won't need huge amounts of exercise

That's what i'm hoping for! Plus in 5 years will have young children, so an older dog might be better for them as well with the lower energy. I might have to stick to a middle-aged Husky if we are adopting while still living here though. Our apartment is on the 4th floor, and there is no elevator, so i'm worried it might be too much for a senior. It's really not bad, the stairs are spaced out comfortably, but I wouldn't want to make any existing conditions worse. Hopefully the shelter staff will be able to help me find a good match.

[Synphny]

I think its great that you have decided to go with a senior husky since most here in the states will never have that chance. Many people want a young one to mold and train their way until they figure out its way harder then it really is especially with a husky. But go with the idea of fostering a senior husky to see how it turns out for you not just adopt right away.

With the financial means of taking care of the dog which is great by the way, the time needed to bond with them when they are first brought home is important as well. Because it is during these times that behavior problems can arise when left along after the first day while you are off to work. Also it might help if you can befriend your neighbors and approach the subject of possible dog ownership to get an idea of how they feel.

From my experience when I talked to my neighbors of dog ownership their only concerns were the possible of noises. But when I explain to them the behaviors of a husky I was able to convince them of me owning one in the complex. Later on one of my elderly neighbors was happily hanging out with my 2 at my place while I go to work and it worked out great my huskies were never along and the elderly gentlemen didn't need his high blood pressure meds anymore.

But good luck in your search for companion.

[Jerome Collins]

My big fella has lived in an apartment with me all of his life. It was a hassle when he was younger but I was fortunate enough to have two closets in my bedroom, one was a storage closet big enough to house his cage so in a sense he had his own room and he loved it. As he got older I put him in his crate less and less, at first I would just leave him in my bedroom and shut the door and he would lay on the bed until I got home from class or work and eventually got him to the point of leaving him out to run about throughout the whole apartment while I was gone. The only time he ever makes noise is when I put him in the cage now because he is not used to it.

Just remember, a bored husky is a destructive husky. There were many days I thought I "didn't have time" to give him the attention he needed between working two jobs and going to college, but it's easier to take him for a 20 - 30 minute walk in the morning than spend an hour cleaning up whatever he has chewed up or more time replacing carpet, furniture, etc.

[EllyDee]

We've got a '6 year old' Husky whom we adopted back in January. She's great and we live in a condo. The shelter staff weren't able to give us much background on her because she was a stray. We just took the chance because we fell in love with her right away. We left a webcam on the first week when she was left alone and all she did was sleep and walk around waiting for us to come back. She is pretty quiet...compared to her being in the kennel at the shelter she was howling non-stop. The only time she will vocalize is when I make faces at her It's most definitely up to the personality of the dog! My condo is on the 7th floor with an elevator but Na'vi loves to take the stairs and so do I. Just wait until you find yourself the right dog. You'll know when it comes!

[Sid&BellaNTX]

There's no problem with having a husky/huskies in an apartment so long as they get their exercise, which it sounds like you can provide. I have 2 of my own and foster a third in my apartment(it's tiny!). I can't WAIT to get into a house...so I can foster a second.:yahoo:I have one that is quiet and one that talks it up any chance she gets. Thanks for adopting!

[Calin]

Heya, I have Aries in a 2 bed apartment in central London and so far it's worked out alright. Like Jackie said, it's very doable as long as you put the time and effort into it to keep them occupied and happy. Huskies don't generally bark, and Aries only really gets talkative when he's really excited (say during tug of war he'll growl and jump around or "talk at you" when we play hide and seek but its never louder than the tv normally is for instance), so on the noise front I've never really had an issue except for when a fox or cat decided to walk slowly past the window. That usually results in a few whines or a loudish woo-woo-woo and some running from window to window, but it's nothing I've had neighbours complain about. I also moved after a year, and in both places no one said anything about those kinds of noises.

In all fairness you're never going to keep yours quiet all the time, but from my experience the issue will be bigger when they're younger. Another thing to consider is separation anxiety. Aries used to have separation anxiety when he was really young and would howl and cry for about 10 mins straight at times when he was left alone. It didn't last particularly long, maybe about 1.5-2 months, but it's something to consider. I was also in part responsible, as we hardly left him alone for the first month since we got him and he got too used to us around . If you adopt, all I can say is make sure you get to know the dog first! Additionally, older dogs are also a bit more docile than the younger ones, so adopting an adult/senior puts you at a bit of an advantage.

Other than that, if your husband's family owns the flat and they're fine with it, even if he is loud from time to time, there is not much the neighbours can do about it. If you were renting, you'd risk breaking the terms and conditions of your contact on social consideration, so if you own the worst they can do is complain to a building general manager if there is one. Even in that case, I'm not sure exactly how much they can do considering the flat isn't rented. I'm not advocating being a bad neighbour, but its worth assessing your situation for a "what's the worst the could happen if they weren't happy" perspective.

All in all, its possible

[Sakutama]

Thanks again everyone! I'm really enjoying reading your stories and suggestions about Huskies in apartments.

Fostering has been suggested several times, and I am strongly considering it now. The only reason I didn't consider it faster is because I figured I would get attached to my foster dog anyway, so it wouldn't make much of a difference fostering or adopting! But it might be reassuring for my inlaws (as much as the LOVE dogs) that the dog is a foster, and if it causes problems I can look for another person to foster him/her. Of course, I hope that never happens, but that might be a lot better then officially adopting then having problems. And it's a good way to check if the dog is right for us too.

In all fairness you're never going to keep yours quiet all the time, but from my experience the issue will be bigger when they're younger. Another thing to consider is separation anxiety.

*nods* I completely agree, I would never expect any animal to be 100% quiet. They're not robots! I honestly think our future kids will make more noise then the Husky will, but that's just my thoughts on it. Dogs have such a strong reputation for being loud, so I don't blame my family for being worried. I wish I could get to know my neighbors, but it's kind of like wack-a-mole right now. They randomly appear, and usually they are in a rush to go somewhere or do something so I try to at least say a quick "Konnichiwa!!" or something friendly before they disappear. Fortunately they say Konnichiwa back most of the time. I've even done this accidentally to people who don't live here, just in case, haha. It's going to take some time before I can be conversational with Japanese, but when I can I will certainly try. Our wall-to-wall neighbor uses a completely different stairway to get to his apartment and besides a quick glance from the balcony, I haven't met him and I don't think he has seen me yet. I don't think he is Japanese actually, he looks like a fellow "foreigner" so it's a shame we haven't met yet. It's like, one side of the building is a community and the other side is another, or something to that extend. We only gave out towels on our side when we moved here I remember.

Most people love dogs in Japan, every time I go outside someone is walking their dog somewhere. So as long as the dog in question never bothers anyone noise-wise, I don't think they will mind or cause any fuss. Unless they aren't familiar with Huskies because most of our neighbors are elderly and they think we adopted a wolf or something...that would be...interesting...

[Johnny]

The most important thing isn't the dog in this case, it's your living situation. Since you say its owned, that makes it similar to a condo? If it actually is in the housing rules that you can't have dogs (due to the fact that you have 2 answers to that) they may force you to get rid of it. Would be terrible if you found a perfect dog for the family and environment only to run into some stick in the mud who reports it to whatever housing government body you have.

[xxchristine]

I think if you own the complex and don't pay rent, then you're not bound by lease rules? Definitely don't quote me on that, though. If you have a lease, that would answer you better than any of us could. But if there is no lease, I'm assuming you are under no such conditions?

And as many have already said, it definitely is possible and depends on the husky. Kota's mom (my neighbor's husky, Snowfox) is an absolute doll in her apartment (which is a 1-bed 1-bath). Granted, she was rehomed from a neglecting family that kept her in her crate ALL day in the garage alone so, from what I was told, it took a month or so before she stopped howling when my neighbor left for work or anything. So when Kota was born and came to my apartment 10 weeks later, he had the apartment to himself (as opposed to sharing with his siblings) AND mine is a 2-bed 2-bath. Unfortunately my roommates and I all had difficult schedules this semester and there were points in the day when no one was home and he wreaked havoc! We exercised him, loved him, played with him but he couldn't handle the separation anxiety. He's now at my parent's home loving life and being well-mannered

It seems an older husky would be best and fostering sounds like an excellent idea. It sounds like you have done your research so best of luck finding your future addition! Can't wait to hear all about it.

[EllyDee]

I think if you own the complex and don't pay rent, then you're not bound by lease rules? Definitely don't quote me on that, though. If you have a lease, that would answer you better than any of us could. But if there is no lease, I'm assuming you are under no such conditions?

.

I own my condo, and there are still restrictions as to the amount of animals you can have and also weight They aren't really strict about it though... then again I live in Canada so the rules here may be and probably are much different.

[Sakutama]

Hmmm...

Well, I would never want to put the Husky in any kind of jeopardy of having to be re-homed, the point is to give him/her a forever home. I guess the best thing we can do is really try to accomplish getting a house in the next 5 years. I honestly have never bought a house, especially in Japan, so there is a lot of unknown territory in that area. We are taking a stab at trying to save about $50,000 in the next 5 years if we can, and seeing what kind of house we can get with that kind of down payment. It will also depend on my husband's job stability as well i'm sure. I would really love to have a house, I know buying a house in Japan is more like buying a car then a good investment, but it would be great for our future kids as well as the Husky. If they stay here they won't have those sweet memories like digging in the garden and playing in the sandbox like I did. And since I grew up with dogs, I really want our kids to have those beautiful memories too. I feel sad when I see kids who don't grow up with a dog, I feel like they are really missing out on something great. But I guess you can't miss it if you have never had one.

[Sidharta]

My husky is 5 months old and have been living in apartment with me since she was 40 days old. We only had complain once, in the first week, and it was from a very weird lady who lived next door and actualy saw when the dog arrived drom the breeder, so she was beforehand inclined to complain.

Mandy cried in the first night, a lot less in the second and that was all. Others neighbors didn't even noticed I had a dog.

One think that really helped was crate trainning her. I created a thread here and got some very useful input:

http://www.husky-owners.com/forum/threads/crate-trainning-in-an-apartment.34684/

I am glad I did that! I was worried that she would cry in the crate, so I took really smal steps, and in the first nights I put her early, like 08:00p.m. It wa good to me too, to sleep early for a change.

One think to keep in mind, as you like me rent your place, is to be aware of chewing in furniture from the place. She ruinned one wardrobe that was actually the wall that separated the living room and the bedroom, and was too expensive to replace, so I had to fix it the best I could. That was before crating her, and was the strongest reason to do that.

Last week we moved to another apartment, but a lot bigger. I am planning acquire a second husky soon, another pup, so wish me lucky lol

[Sakutama]

Good luck!! Sounds like you are doing great now. I definitely plan to do crate training, I think it's good to give dogs their own "room" in the house where they can feel safe and relax too. I'm going to do my best to be on boredom control to protect furniture and other chewables. I will also try to keep things I don't want chewed out of their reach so they aren't temped, kind of dog-proofing. I know I won't be perfect but I am going to do my best. Regular walks, a treadmill, a large assortment of toys that get rotated 3 times a year, obedience training, giving him/her a "job" to do, bikejoring training or running with a bike attachment, and whatever else I can think of to keep them busy and challenged.

I am trying to set things up so when I do adopt a Husky, that will be pretty much be my everything in the hobby/freetime/pocket money area. Going to make working with my dog and helping him/her be happy and thrive my "hobby" per-se, instead of him/her just hanging out as a pet around the house. I want to stay active and really enjoy everything that comes with having a dog...something I think I really missed out on with my childhood dog (different breed but blew his coat twice a year just the same!). I hope he is watching and seeing me try to do better.