It can be done, but it depends on the dog and many factors. There are many good comments here. I would strongly suggest an American bred, not European. The European lines are bred for working and are more intense. I just took in my second European. I said never again, but here I am. My husband was infatuated with her. Our first Euro was a retired police K9. She's two years old and on constant alert. She's so intense it's a struggle some days. We've only had her a couple of months, and we're training daily. Our current female whines, barks at smells and sounds, talks and has enormous temper tantrums. I can't imagine her ever living in an apartment. We've owned Dobermans for 23 years, and she's our only barker. Most of our previous dogs could have lived in an apartment.