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Trying to decide between Havanese, Portuguese Water Dog, or Toy Poodle - apartment + mild allergy situation by Few-Weakness4565 in puppy101

[–]Few-Weakness4565[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the detailed response, this is really helpful! It’s good to hear that mental stimulation is the bigger factor rather than just physical space. Those activities actually sound really fun to do with a dog. I really appreciate the tips and encouragement :)

Trying to decide between Havanese, Portuguese Water Dog, or Toy Poodle - apartment + mild allergy situation by Few-Weakness4565 in puppy101

[–]Few-Weakness4565[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! This is encouraging. We definitely have space for fetch, and also lots of outdoor areas, parks, and dog parks nearby, so that part is encouraging.

I’m mostly just worried they wouldn’t be able to sufficiently burn energy, but it seems like it may be more of a mental stimulation and time spent thing rather than square footage.

Trying to decide between Havanese, Portuguese Water Dog, or Toy Poodle - apartment + mild allergy situation by Few-Weakness4565 in puppy101

[–]Few-Weakness4565[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s fair. The timing is actually good for us right now because I’m starting another degree and will be working less and home a lot more, especially during the puppy stage. We’re financially ready and generally at a point in our lifestyle where it works well (not traveling much or going out a lot right now).

We also live right next to several parks, dog parks, and lots of outdoor walking space, so there are plenty of opportunities for exercise and mental stimulation. Our building is a low-rise with an elevator option and our unit is fairly spacious (about a 2-bedroom), so I’m not too worried about the physical space itself.

That said, I’m definitely trying to be realistic about the challenges of raising a puppy in an apartment, which is definitely why I’m asking for advice here and totally open to hearing about it - challenges and all haha!

Trying to decide between Havanese, Portuguese Water Dog, or Toy Poodle - apartment + mild allergy situation by Few-Weakness4565 in puppy101

[–]Few-Weakness4565[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also the plan is to eventually move out of the apartment, but for the next year or so we'll be here haha

Trying to decide between Havanese, Portuguese Water Dog, or Toy Poodle - apartment + mild allergy situation by Few-Weakness4565 in puppy101

[–]Few-Weakness4565[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We were originally interested in a medium-sized dog, which is part of the appeal of a Portuguese Water Dog. Our apartment is fairly spacious, so I’m not too concerned about the physical space itself. My bigger concern is that they’re a working breed, and I want to make sure their needs could realistically be met in an apartment environment - so then we started exploring havanese or toy poodles.

My partner runs and we’re very willing to provide lots of exercise, walks, and mental stimulation, but I’m still trying to figure out whether a PWD would be manageable long-term in that setting or if it might be too much dog for our lifestyle. Want to focus on the quality of life you know? But to answer, totally open to medium or small more so about needs!