Need to hear opinions about my situation with my dog

[Hmm]

Am I a bad owner for my dog?

Currently my dog is an outside dog, she has lived like that for around 5years except for when she was a puppy. We have moved around several times to houses with yards but it is the first time in a apartment. So she is out on the balcony. The balcony is big as it covers our whole unit and there are shaded areas. I have bought real grass for her to do her business and am cleaning it eveyaay. She still has her house and flea bed with blankets. Her toys are still with her and the water bowl is always filled. I go out to pet her in the morning before school and walk her after school. Pet and play when I feed her. But she sometimes whines during the first week of our move so it normal for us to hear her whine and it was around a few days after we moved that she whined. But a neighbor yelled at us saying we weren't taking care of our dog properly. Like my dog was whining for a minute and we have moved into the apartment for a few days now she starts telling us when our dog is whining that we aren't looking after her well. I mean dogs are vocal animals they have to make a sound. Personally I don't understand how I am not taking care of her any answers?

[Rascalmyshadow]

Sorry but that sounds like a very lonely life, not fair on the dog, they are a pack animal and confining them on their own for hours at a time every day IMO is not ok.

Why can't she come inside with the family? How many hours out of every 24 does she have company and mental stimulation.

[_PL_]

As above. That sounds like a lonely dog.

What breed is your dog? Is there any particular reason she can't be allowed inside?

[Hmm]

Firstly she is a staff x sharpei and she can't come in because my mum and little sister developed allergies, they can touch but not for a long time. She does come in at extreme weathers and have around 1 or more hour walks. Truthfully my mum works irregular hours and my sister and I are still underage so we have school. The time we aren't out I am always with my dog out on the balcony or walks

[persephone]

 that sounds a description of a very lonely and sad dog .

What breed is your dog ? 
I hope the balcony is well fenced - often dogs will try & climb over the wall.... to a bad ending .
Where do you walk your dog, and for how long every day ? Does she enjoy her walks ? 

dogs are not people ..but think of this .

YOU are living  in a suburb which is interesting , has shops, a yard for you, good internet , and lots to see. 

YOU  are moved to a  suburb with NO internet , only office buildings, no shops, no public transport, and you can only see & smell car parks and bare walls. 

I think your family are maybe not BAD owners, but owners who don't understand what dogs really need to keep them happy and  settled .

have a think about if it's fair to everyone , this dog in the apartment ?
Is it fair to neighbours, the noise?
is it fair to the dog , the isolation, the lack of company and the lack of stimulation ..?

[Hmm]

56 minutes ago, Rascalmyshadow said:

Sorry but that sounds like a very lonely life, not fair on the dog, they are a pack animal and confining them on their own for hours at a time every day IMO is not ok.

Why can't she come inside with the family? How many hours out of every 24 does she have company and mental stimulation.

 

41 minutes ago, Powerlegs said:

As above. That sounds like a lonely dog.

What breed is your dog? Is there any particular reason she can't be allowed inside?

 

3 minutes ago, persephone said:

 that sounds a description of a very lonely and sad dog .

What breed is your dog ? 
I hope the balcony is well fenced - often dogs will try & climb over the wall.... to a bad ending .
Where do you walk your dog, and for how long every day ? Does she enjoy her walks ? 

dogs are not people ..but think of this .

YOU are living  in a suburb which is interesting , has shops, a yard for you, good internet , and lots to see. 

YOU  are moved to a  suburb with NO internet , only office buildings, no shops, no public transport, and you can only see & smell car parks and bare walls. 

I think your family are maybe not BAD owners, but owners who don't understand what dogs really need to keep them happy and  settled .

have a think about if it's fair to everyone , this dog in the apartment ?
Is it fair to neighbours, the noise?
is it fair to the dog , the isolation, the lack of company and the lack of stimulation ..?

Firstly she is a staff x sharpei and she can't come in because my mum and little sister developed allergies, they can touch but not for a long time. She does come in at extreme weathers and have around 1 or more hour walks. Truthfully my mum works irregular hours and my sister and I are still underage so we have school. The time we aren't out I am always with my dog out on the balcony or walks

[Hmm]

4 minutes ago, persephone said:

 that sounds a description of a very lonely and sad dog .

What breed is your dog ? 
I hope the balcony is well fenced - often dogs will try & climb over the wall.... to a bad ending .
Where do you walk your dog, and for how long every day ? Does she enjoy her walks ? 

dogs are not people ..but think of this .

YOU are living  in a suburb which is interesting , has shops, a yard for you, good internet , and lots to see. 

YOU  are moved to a  suburb with NO internet , only office buildings, no shops, no public transport, and you can only see & smell car parks and bare walls. 

I think your family are maybe not BAD owners, but owners who don't understand what dogs really need to keep them happy and  settled .

have a think about if it's fair to everyone , this dog in the apartment ?
Is it fair to neighbours, the noise?
is it fair to the dog , the isolation, the lack of company and the lack of stimulation ..?

We live on the first floor and are surrounded by the back of other apartments. Also when she is inside all she does is sleep. 

[Maddy]

Agree with Rascal and Powerlegs, it sounds like a sad, lonely life for any animal, but even more so for a social animal.

Providing the bare basics for welfare (food/water/shelter/limited exercise) is not the same as being a good owner. 

That said, judging from your responses so far, I don't think you actually want other peoples' opinions, I think you want to hear that you are a good, responsible dog owner, despite your neighbour's complaints. To be honest, I think some situations just aren't right for dog ownership and yours would definitely be one of them.

Edited August 9, 2017 by Maddy

[Dogsfevr]

A balcony is a very boring & shut off space .often cold with no visual enjoyment .

This dog needs to be walk am/pm daily no matter what the weather is & the dog will most likely whine more if you don't .

Keeping dogs in an apartment life comes with more work because you have closer neighbours & the dog has no yard ,it needs enrichment & variety especially given its not allowed to be part of the family .

Neighbours will complain & they have every right if the noise impacts them & people will have opinions if its just living outside & walked once a day ,its not the typical apartment life many dogs live ,generally they come with owners fully aware of the impact there dog will have on others & understand the effort is way more .

 

The reality is if people complain you have issues so you are either willing to minimize the impact your dog has on others & deal with it or you don't care & will get complaints

[Little Gifts]

And another perspective for you is the breed (or mix of breeds). Staffies can be very social dogs who love, love, love people! Having human company can be the highlight of their day. They can also be talkers (the whining to let you know they want/need attention). Shar pei are known to bond very closely with their humans so being restricted in access to their humans is difficult for them to understand. They can also take their guard dog duties seriously so will map out their new environment and assess it. That can be a little scary I guess when you change environments. I have a pei who hates leaving the property so we do things together at home to tire her mentally and physically otherwise she misbehaves and seeks attention very negatively. Long walks would mean nothing to her. Being confined or moved to a new property would cause her a lot of anxiety. She doesn't like to be touched a lot and likes to sleep alone. My other dog is a stafford and fairly bullet proof. She still looks to me for guidance in new situations though and going for a walk is her idea of heaven but that doesn't mean she doesn't also want to play and hang out with her pack (human and dog) whenever she can.  She wants to cuddle and smooch and she has to sleep touching me. So both my dogs have different needs but both my dogs (the other is a stafford) are also very routine orientated. They find comfort in getting their meals at the same time and having the same instructions for the same things.

 

We do what works for us and you need to do what works for you, your dog and family. I don't think the lifestyle you are explaining is terrible but is it right for your particular dog? All I can suggest is thinking about your particular dog's likes and needs - are you meeting them? Could you make some changes to meet them better? Is she able to interact with other dogs (perhaps a local obedience club, agility or noseworks class)on a regular basis? Can you take her walking to different places to stimulate her senses? Can you leave her enrichment toys with treats when you go to school? Can you try sleeping with her on the verandah one night to make sure she really is as warm and cosy as you think? Same in summer - try staying out there with her and assessing how comfortable it really is. Get down on her level and see what she is seeing and see what you think about it from a fear and stimulation perspective.

 

Most of us could change or improve our dog's lives with a bit more insight but make any change ones that meet their needs more, not your own, where possible. And you don't need to spend a lot of money on treats, toys, enrichment aides, bedding, protection, etc. The internet is full of ways to create all these things on a budget.

[~Anne~]

I'm not a fan of any dog of any size, breed or age, living outside by itself. I don't subscribe to the pack animal concept, but dogs do like companionship of the human or animal variety. 

 

In having said that, I don't believe that all dogs are totally miserable living like that. I think some adapt to their solitary lifestyle. 

 

What you need need to do is see the situation from your dog's viewpoint. Visually - what's does your dog see? Get down on your hands and knees and take a look at the view from your dog's perspective. What are they looking at from that angle? Can you improve it? 

 

How much energy do they have? Are you giving them enough physical exercise? What about mental stimulation? In what kind of ways are they stimulated mentally? Do they play by themselves? Are there things you can do to make life interesting for them when you're not there? Things like working for their treats with kongs, or a tug rope tied securely that they can pull. 

[Scrappi&Monty]

I agree with @Little Gifts  on that. 

No, by the sounds of it you aren't a terrible dog owner, but still the situation is not ideal. 

For some dogs that would be a nightmare but for some dogs that would be nearly sufficient. 

I've PMed you btw. 

It would be a bit different if you had a yard, but since you only have a balcony you need to put in a load of extra effort, even though of course it isn't your fault, you don't get to choose where your family lives. Even though your Mum & Sister have allergies, could they work around this to try and better the life of the dog? (Like could they help you do some things that won't trigger their allergies? Or could they get medicine to stop their allergies?) Do you have any other people living with you that could help? Could you hire a dog walker once or twice a fortnight to take your dog on a big day out while you're at school?

You will need to just give your dog a tonne of mental enrichment wherever possible. Feed her meals in food puzzles or kongs and switch them up. Leave her things to do/play with/chew up (safely). You could maybe get up a bit earlier for school and go for a smaller walk in the morning (maybe 15-30mins) and then one long (1hr+ walk) in the afternoon after school. Switch up your routes & if possible (depending on the nature & obedience of your dog) take her to dog parks/beaches sometimes too. Go to weekend obedience classes or dog sports & go on adventures to dog friendly places on the weekends.

Make sure the balcony is dog friendly, that she has a dry and warm kennel with blankets/beds and that the railing is high enough that she couldn't possibly jump over it. 

[persephone]

16 minutes ago, Scrappi&Monty said:

Make sure the balcony is dog friendly, that she has a dry and warm kennel with blankets/beds and that the railing is high enough that she couldn't possibly jump over it. 

That bolded bit terrifies me .. balcony walls I know are only around 4 ft high ...even 5 ft .. still way too low . A dog may well hear owners , or another dog ... & clamber up to have a look ...  *shiver* 

[Scrappi&Monty]

33 minutes ago, persephone said:

That bolded bit terrifies me .. balcony walls I know are only around 4 ft high ...even 5 ft .. still way too low . A dog may well hear owners , or another dog ... & clamber up to have a look ...  *shiver* 

Yep... it's happened before 

A little too curious/territorial towards passers by... 

you need to know if you can trust your dog before leaving it on a balcony