Can I keep a Puppy in an Apartment?

The answer is yes, if you give him lots of attention and are willing to exercise him often.

We have a Hungarian Puli in an apartment, and he is the most enthusiastic and happy fellow I've ever met of any species!

We brought him home when he was just seven weeks old, and our flat is on the sixth floor of a very large block.

Before he can go to the bathroom, he has to walk through our large flat, across a large corridor, get into an elevator, go down 6 floors, cross another large foyer and walk through the extensive communal gardens.

We did our research carefully before buying the dog, and chose the breed after a lot of research.

Our particular puppy has had very few mishaps, and only two of those were poops. He was fully house-trained in four weeks and can now be left for six hours without a potty break.

Step 1 : Check with the freeholders that you may have a dog if you keep him responsibly, don't allow him to "go" in the communal grounds and keep him on a lead. Most will say yes, but may warn you that permission will be revoked if there are any complaints. In practice they can't make you get rid of your dog, once you have one, but it is good neighbourly practice not to let him "go" on communal grounds and to train him not to bark.

Step 2 : Select an intelligent breed of dog and order your puppy. Follow the next stages a few days before the puppy arrives. If possible try to order your puppy to arrive when the weather is warm and dry.

Step 3 : Put plastic covering on all your carpets. This may sound extreme but it saves YOU anguish and will therefore save the puppy distress. Pups will pick up on your anxiety. If you're getting him straight from the breeder, there is just no way you will avoid any accidents at all, and you want to minimise the puppy's stress when he is just away from his Mom.

Step 4 : Use a dog crate - puppies won't soil their beds, so keep him in there until he is fully trained. It will only be a short time, if you take him out regularly.

Step 5 : Buy lots of poop bags and some pet stain and odour remover. Make sure to completely clean where any accidents occur and use plenty of odour remover. Dogs will automatically re-use an area that smells of their previous evacuations.

Step 6 : I f necessary, book four weeks of holiday from work. In our case my partner and I booked 2 weeks each but if you're doing it this way, make sure you both follow the same schedule so as not to confuse the dog.

Keypoint : What goes in on schedule, comes OUT on schedule, so feed your puppy at the same times each day and take him out within ten minutes of finishing his meal.

Take the pup to the same spot each day, at his allocated times, and say the word you wish him to associate with his toileting. We use the word ZEK, because it won't mean anything to anyone else.

For the first week, take the puppy out every hour on the hour. Put him down in his required spot and say your keyword. if he doesn't do anything, bring him straight back in. Puppies this young shouldn't be out without injections so keep him out for the minimum amount of time.

These tiny walks will help him get used to his lead.

If he "goes" anywhere other than his required spot, don't reward him and say "no" firmly. We said "No ZEK."

When he goes in his required spot, cuddle him, hyper-praise him (we said "Good ZEK!") and give him a food reward.

In the second to fourth week, you can probably take him every two hours, although we increased ours by 10 minutes per day to avoid a sudden swing from every hour to every two hours.

By the third week our puppy was lasting two and a half hours and only three times did he "leak" in the communal areas of our flats. Each time we cleaned it thoroughly, of course.

Our neighbours adore our dog and many of them give him toys and treats. All of them have said "I wish I could have a dog, but I live in a flat!"

Our puppy is now six months old and I still walk him every four hours just for his comfort, although I am sure he would last six hours at a push. If I were working outside my home, I would easily get away with just coming home once in my lunch hour.

If we can do it, so can you, but make sure your dog gets PLENTY of exercise and love.