Quote: Alyssa Myracle

.... and tons of Resolve are a pet owners best friend.

Oh, I thought I was keeping Resolve in business!

I order a giant size from the cleaning-supplies department of a large office-supply chain.

That stuff is a must-have in my house.

oh yes.. !! the furminator is great !!

 Quote: Angela Burrell

If you rent, and you want to have the dog in the house with you, (which I think is a good idea) be prepared to have the carpet replaced when you move out, or pay a security deposit.

I've always rented, often with a small pack of large dogs, and never did any damage to a carpet or home that a rug shampooer couldn't fix. It's all about the management. Now that I only have one dog in my apartment, you'd never know a dog lives here except for the dog-bed and the ginormous crate in my bedroom.

Maybe I'm a tad compulsive about cleaning, but I've never lost a security deposit because of dog damage, and I have always been given good references. I didn't have to work that hard at it either. I'm all for keeping the dog inside. I don't believe that damage is inevitable.

 Quote: kristel smart

I'm all for keeping the dog inside. I don't believe that damage is inevitable.

Oh, I don't either!

And I don't consider frequent carpet-spot-cleaning to be in the "damage" category.

I do believe that I am happier without pale carpets with multiple dogs, but I'd manage.

I fostered many dogs in a small living space like what you describe. If the dog is crated while in the house, the size of the place is a non issue. Just prepare yourself for lots of trips outside.

 Quote: kristel smart

Maybe I'm a tad compulsive about cleaning, but I've never lost a security deposit because of dog damage, and I have always been given good references. I didn't have to work that hard at it either. I'm all for keeping the dog inside. I don't believe that damage is inevitable.

Amen!! I'm right with you Kristel. Granted, we've never lived in an apartment with carpeting (that was a standard of mine before we even got a dog), but we've never had any issues related to the dog that we couldn't easily clean-up ourselves - and I do clean, a lot, but well within reason. The vacuum is my friend (and Oscar is thankfully totally desensitized from it) and the mop comes out in the winter and spring, when salty wet or muddy paws STILL end up all over the place, despite diligent wiping off the feet.

We always keep a towel near the door for wiping off dirty/wet feet/bellies/etc. - there's actually a gizmo called the Paw Plunger that's supposed to cleanly wash off paws before coming inside, but I prefer a simple towel (and Oscar would probably hate me for making him dunk his feet in that contraption). Then again, I have a history of my dogs hating me for messing with their feet - years ago I happened to be part of a Martha Stewart photo shoot for a piece about "winter paw care" - our old Pom, Eddie, was the star. Of course, in order to get his feet visibly frosty I had to douse them in cold water then toss the poor boy into a snowbank a few times , he was SO not lovin that - I think you can see that quite clearly all over his face here:

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/paw-care?autonomy_kw=pet%20winter&rsc=header_5

(RIP little Ed, love you always...)

~Natalya

He does look like he wants to bite someone's eyeball.

That's so cool Natalya! ....though his enjoyment at stardom is less than obvious

Natalya - that is a great photo and very cool experience although he does look miserable.

To the OP's question - I live in an apartment. My pup is crate trained and fortunately my entire place is hardwood floors. I vacuum about twice a week and mop almost weekly. When she is in season, the rugs are all rolled up. To date, she has not damaged a single thing (i.e., no chewed up shoes, crate, doors, etc.), but then again, she is usually quite exhausted at home. She also gets Furminated weekly.

Adorable Pom, even with the not-so-thrilled expression, and understandably so . I keep a bucket and towel by the door for when we return from walks, in addition to having an industrial-type, rubber backed rug right inside the door. My dog likes to spin, so I turned it into a "wipe your feet" command on the entrance rug . The paw plunger is hysterical! I watched the video .

Unfortunately, with the exception of my current place and one other house that I've rented, all my rental homes have had light beige, wall to wall carpet. It's just as impractical as it is boring. Still, I found that as long as I cleaned up any messes immediately, no harm was done. I vacuum a lot too. I have always used faux-Persian-type rugs just to break up the beige monotony, and since they can be sent out to be cleaned they are kind of nice to have around for practical reasons too.

Still, if possible, I agree with Connie and Natalya about avoiding carpet because it's so much easier, but even with it, it can be done. If I had my druthers, I would have Pergo EVERYWHERE, then I could draw and paint and make a huge mess without giving it a thought. Some day!