What kind of

What kind of dog can I get that is small, quite(quite as a dog could be),cheap and can live in an apartment?

 

HI, if your refereing to 'cheap' as in not paying tons of money for a full breed then a local rescue or shelter could help you, they charge for adoptions but not what you would pay from a breeder or pet store. (wouldnt advise buying one from a pet store), also most shelters that I know of will already have the dog spayed or neutered and 'usually' had one set of vaccines. Also if you gt an adult dog as opposed to a puppy your less likely to be in for any unexpected medical expenses within the first couple of weeks, (with things like parvo, corona etc)
If its referring to living and medical expenses thats different, you have to take into account that vaccines are necessary, medical costs in case of sudden emergencies, food, there are some really inexpensive 'store brand' foods around that are not nutritious...some of them I wouldnt feed to the pigeons that sit on my roof!!!! but then again you dont have to pay a fortune for food either and with a small dog that shouldnt be too bad. But ideally you will need a crate, food and water bowls, toys etc. Used crates are often for sale in newspapers, again the smaller the dog the smaller the crate you will need and the less expense.
Now for the barking, that will really depend on the individual dog and you.
There are a couple that dont seem bark so much but generally it will depend on how you handle it, a dog that is left on its own for extended periods of time will probably spend a lot of time barking. Italian Greyhounds, Whippets and Shelties have pretty mellow, easy going personalities, (in my opinion).
I would be careful of some breeds that have high maintanece coats, Poodles and Matese Terriers for example if you dont have the time or know how to groom them you would have to pay regular grooming fees.
And keep in mind if your living in an apartment you will need to spend more time exercising the dog whatever the size than a dog that has access to a back yard. Ive spent most of my life living in apartments and Ive had a variety of dogs, Ive never had a problem with any of them barking excessively although I expect them to bark if someone is hanging around outside my door or windows.
You will most likely have to spend some time working on house-training and basic 'manners'.
What I usually advise is for people to go to a rescue, volunteer to walk or spend some time with a couple of different dogs, ask the staff wat they know about the dogs personalities and make sure they have a 'return policy' so that if you do adopt a dog from them and it doesnt work out you can bring the dog back to them, that way you dont feel that you have to keep the dog if problems come up and the dog doesnt end up in the shelter on 'death row.'

*edited to add something*
Its not uncommon for dogs that come from a shelter or other facility where there are a lot of dogs to come down with kennel cough about 3-14 days after being adopted. But if you have it taken care of straight away its pretty inexpensive to treat, usually requiring an exam (a lot of rescues/shelters will give a voucher to a vet of their choice to have a one time free exam but its usually within a certain time period, in that case the exam would be free but any meds needed you would have to pay for).
There are books available at most good pet stores that have some basic information in having a dog, they are usually only a couple of dollars and are well worth investing in.

 

if you see a small dog at a shelter that appears to bark a lot this doesn't necessarily mean they'll be barkers when they get a home.
Dogs in shelters tend to get an adrenaline rush when people are constantly walking by their cages, which become their territory.
Imagine being a dog in a cage, at a shelter on display all the time - and what life must be like with strangers constantly invading your perceived space.
Lots of dogs gets passed by in shelters cause upon first glance people think they are barkers or not nice dogs...the shelter environment makes it difficult to see what the true nature of a dog is.

 

I got my dog from the pound and he was barking and jumping around and acting like crazy dog when I first saw him, but once he is at home he was super shy timid dog. So you definetely need to ask the people there about their "other" personality. I think on petfinder and things like that (I'll try to remember to look up some tomorrow) they have a quwstioanire type thing to fill our and it can reccommend different breeds.

 

Shelties are usually not terribly laid back. They are typically quite high energy dogs, being a herding breed and all. Many are also barkers. But they are wonderful dogs for the right family!

 

I also have a bird and fish, so I need to get along or atleast not go after the animals, and do shelties shed alot?

 

Sorry Jamiya, I wasnt meaning Shelties 'energy levels', they love and need a good run around, as do Whippets, I just meant personality wise, the experience I have with them they are easy going, very stable, they just kind of 'take things in their stride'.

Fish probably wont create much interest but the bird will and to be honest you could have a problem with any breed there, and Shelties do shed, daily brushing would be needed with a Sheltie.

 

I would nix the sheltie idea, they are known to bark a lot. and they have to be groomed a lot too. I agree about teh barking at shelters. the poor dogs are in tehse cages with people walking by and they just want attention so they bark

 

I fence in my bird cage using an ex pen. In fact, we actually have a double barrier up. The dogs mostly leave them alone now, but we had a week or two of pacing and crying and trying to figure ways to leap over the fences.

 

Some questions for you. What do you want in a dog? Do you want a quiet lap dog? A playful dog that you can do something like agility with? A dog to teach tricks to?

What do you mean by "cheap?" No dog is cheap. Even a "free" puppy is not cheap, once you get all the supplies and food and provide ongoing care. At least a small dog doesn't eat as much, though.

I think a chihuahua is a lovely little dog. They are typically one person dogs and love to cuddle in your lap. Some are more playful than others. Some people find them to be really yappy and sometimes mean, but if they are bred and socialized properly these traits are not present.

A Yorkie is a nice little dog, but requires more grooming. I have always loved Pomeranians. Papillons are fun little dogs. Toy poodles are very nice also, but you do have to groom them. A miniature dachshund can be a lovely dog. Any of the terriers will have a strong prey drive for your birds.

It all depends on what you are looking for. The yappiness and ankle-biting can be overcome with good breeding and even more importantly - good training! Many small dog owners spoil the dogs rotten. They pick them up and carry them everywhere and let them get away with murder because it is "cute." A small dog is still a dog, and should be trained as much as a larger dog would be.

If you are willing to put in the time and energy, you will have a wonderful companion! If you are looking for cheap and easy, you might consider a stuffed dog. Or perhaps a cat, which is much easier than a dog as far as time commitment goes.

Also, a rescue is a wonderful place to look for an adult dog. The foster home can tell you exactly what the dog is like, and they won't lie to you about any bad habits, etc.

 

Yea,I also really want to stress, no animal is really cheap, not even a cat, although some can be. (bc some cats get UTI, stones, etc.) dogs can equally have as many health problems, you can never really know what will happen, even if you get a top of the line dog with no known health problems in its lines, bc what happens if the dog gets hit or gets parvo or bites someone and they sue you, a million things can go wrong, so just remeber that when (if) you get a dog. Maybe you could help a shelter or volunteer to foster.
If I think about my dog he is a "cheap" dog, he came from the pound, so he was free, but I had to pay for his tags and shots, he got desexed from anegels of assissi, which is free/low cost. I got him 3 levels of obdience classes. At the first place I lived, I had to pay an extra $20/month for him (some apts. vary on price or may not even allow pets) plus I also had to pay a pet deposit, which was $200 or so (I forget) But every time I went out of town, I had to pay for kenneling. Then I moved far away, so I had to pay for his travel and more shots. I also give him flea/tick meds, bc where I lived, he would get a million ticks on him.
And then there is also everyday costs, like a kennel, bowls, water, food, collars an toys. And it doesn't seem like that much, but overall it really adds up, even with a small dog. I have an 18lb dog and I probabyl spend $10 a week on him for his basic food, so that is already $520/year.
Just something to think about, bc I don't really know what you mean by cheap.
Good Luck!

 

As much as I love my chihuahuas...I wouldn't recommend them!
Incredibly difficult to potty train (Chloe STILL isn't...) and cry/howl/scream at an ear piercing magnitude constantly whenever their owners are not around, which could get you evicted very quickly. Maybe if you can find an adult one who isn't a barker, but I wouldn't recommend a young chi, or a puppy of any breed actually.
I think shelters are definetly your way to go though, they need love too :y_the_best:

 

This is the annual Budget sheet the shelter in my city has on their website. In my opinion it seems pretty accurate and gives you a good idea of what to expect.

Also, as for the breed, you can do searches online or get books from the library that go into the breeds of dogs and what to expect from them. It is just a general idea.

As for Chiuaua (sp?), I personally have only encountered very yappy and barky ones. My friend has a Pekingese and he has the BEST temperment I have ever seen in a small dog. He makes me fear small dogs less and is great with all other animals. Cuddles with the cat and all.

I will try to insert a pic but it has been a while so I doubt it will work.



The Dog Budget
For a spayed female, mixed breed, medium sized dog:

One Year Minimum Cost (Approximate):

Food and Treats 12 bags dog food (18kg) @ $45.00 $540.00
2 boxes biscuit treats per month @ $3.99 95.76
8 cans dog food (397g) per month @ $1.99 191.04
4 rawhide chews per month @ $6.00 288.00


Veterinary Care Yearly visit - exam and vaccinations 71.00


Grooming Spring bath and brush out 40.00
6 trips to vet for nail clipping @ $15.00 90.00


License City of Calgary license fee 28.50


Vacation 2 weeks dog care @ $10.00 per day 140.00


Subtotal $1484.30
GST $103.90



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TOTAL $1588.20

 

oh that baby looks so soft!!!