Can Golden Retrievers Live in Apartments?
One of the things that you might be looking into is whether you have the space to take care of a golden retriever.
Energy
Golden retrievers are one of the most energetic dogs out there. This isn’t to say that they’re mean or dangerous, but they have a lot of energy, and they are extremely playful.
You could run with a golden retriever for hours and the dog will outrun you. As such, golden retrievers tend to need a lot of space to roam around and burn off all their excess energy.
If you’re living in a really small apartment, it might not be the best place for letting your golden retriever try to stretch their legs.
And, if they don’t get the proper exercise they need – and if you haven’t trained them well enough – you may find that they might start to destroy your stuff, assuming it’s a way for them to burn off their energy.
Size
Golden retrievers don’t tend to be very small dogs. They can grow upwards of two feet, and they can weigh between 60 and 70 pounds.
This is a lot of girth and size for an animal!
If you’re living in an extremely small apartment, you might not even be able to fit your dog inside, let alone give them the life they deserve, full of energetic runs and lots of playing.
However, if you live in a small apartment, but you live near a park or something of the like, all is not lost. The most important thing for your golden retriever is that you’re caring for them and making sure they’re as healthy as possible.
What Does This Mean?
All of this together may make you think that you should not get a golden retriever if you live in an apartment. This is the simplest answer you could get from this article, but it’s not entirely true.
Golden retrievers are extremely intelligent dogs and they do well with commands and obedience training. This is one of the reasons that they tend to make very good service animals.
If, when the golden retriever is a puppy, you spend dedicated hours with them to train them to live in the apartment, it’s doable, despite how much energy golden retrievers tend to have and how large they’re going to get.
However, obedience training needs to work alongside proper exercise and other care. Make sure that you’re also spending long afternoons with your golden retriever at the dog park and on walks so that they can get all their energy out.
Takeaway
All this to say that, ultimately, it’s entirely up to your schedule and how much time you would like to dedicate to your pet that will determine if you should get a golden retriever for your apartment.
Golden retrievers are extremely energetic dogs, and they don’t tend to do great in small spaces. However, if you’re willing to make sure they get lots of exercise and care – and so long as you make sure you’re training them well from the time they’re a puppy – it is possible to have a golden retriever in your apartment.
You just have to give the dog the time they deserve.