Common Weim wisdom says that Weimaraners and apartments don’t go together. A fenced yard is a MUST for an active breed like the Weimaraner. Right? Well yes, this is the perfect scenario. But don’t be so quick to dismiss the apartment dweller.
The whole thing about Weims needing a huge yard to run in because they need SO much exercise? If you think that you can put a Weim in a yard and he will run around exercising himself, think again. Your yard cannot exercise your Weimaraner for you.
An unexercised Weim is a bored Weim, and he isn’t going to exercise himself, he is going to dig holes, terrorize and bark at whatever passes him by, jump the fence and generally be a nuisance.
Repeat after me: Weims are time intensive not space intensive.
Yard or not, they need physical exercise and mental stimulation. And sorry, your yard can’t give your Weim those things. Only YOU can — whether you live in a home with a yard or an apartment.
This is not to say that there aren’t issues to think about when living in an apartment with a Weim (especially a puppy!):
- Crate training can be noisy for a few weeks even longer if it isn’t done properly.
- Potty training can be stressful if you aren’t on the ground floor (lots of us have done it, but it means many midnight mad pajama dashes!)
- More planning needed for dog walking and exercise.
- Weims aren’t that BIG but they sure can thump around!
- Make sure about size requirements and try to gauge the size of your future dog. The size variance of Weims is pretty huge, from medium to horse.
- Find out about security deposits! Your dog will probably damage your apartment/condo in some way. You need to puppy proof like you’re expecting a toddler on steroids.
- If you are in an apartment now and contemplating a Weim pup, will the breeder take your puppy back if anything happens or there are extenuating circumstances? Hopefully this doesn’t happen, but you never know!
It is about understanding the breed and meeting your Weimaraner’s needs, not really about where you live!
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Thank you for this note of encouragement (and realism!) on the subject of Weims in apartments. Even with my very realistic expectations regarding time and exercise, I still feel like there’s so little helpful information out there encouraging people (who want to put the time and effort in) on how to go about Weim-raising well in apartments
Thank you! So many people say we are crazy for having a Weim in our apartment — but she’s the perfect apartment dog, in my mind. Someone once told me “there are no ‘starter’ pets” and I completely agree. Lilly Belle is a delightful companion, she just wants love all the time. If you can provide love and attention, visits to a dog park or frequent walks, Weims are great in apartments!
I live in an apartment with my 18 month Weimaraner. I completely agree with the above and feel that not having a garden is no problem at all. The only annoyance at the beginning was the panic rush onto the street during potty training but that was quickly sorted. Perhaps the fact that I work from home makes things that much easier though. As you so accurately put it, Weimaraners are particularly time-intensive and even though Juno does patiently wait for me to finish work before we head out to the open country for our daily walk, I do punctuate our day together with small exercise and play sessions. All she wants is me and LURVE… how great is that?
My Weim use to love going for a drive. But lately when we go outside and get ready to get in the car, he turns around and does not want to get in. Are trips are to the doggie park or for a walk in the park. What do I to get him to automatically get in the car again?
It sounds like something spooked him? I would try to positively associate the car again with treats and praise. Good luck
Our weimaraner hated to ride in cars, I never figured out why. She was the smartest, cutest, loveable, and could be stubborn but we adored her! She lost her battle to cancer last week, May 21st, and our hearts are broken. If we ever get another pup it will definitely be another weim.
So sorry about your loss. They aren’t with us long enough!
I take our semi on one mile weak in morning, than frequent short walks throughout the day, midmorning, afternoon, and evening. I get to exercise to! So, she is happy as long as there is no other dog outside
My 3 yr old Weimeraner
I am sorry but I am going to have to disagree with this article. I have two sibling female Weimaraners and I could not imagine ever living even with one in an apartment or a home that does not have at least a 1 acre yard. While I do agree that they will not run around on their own and do need mental stimulation, merely being outside with them is sometimes enough. They love to hunt, forage, and flush out small animals for fun, and when they dig they are digging for gophers, rats, or other creature that they could kill to impress you with (especially if you are the alpha pack leader which I happen to be). They are Velcro dogs and do stick around where I work in the yard, but they go off and forage around and occasionally come back to inspect my handy work or to lick my face. I do have a treadmill for them and I do use it when I feel that they have not had their daily take of about 3 hours. As far as the Apartment dwellers are concerned, think twice about getting this dog and plan on them sticking their nose in your business 24/7! 🙂