Puppies need to relieve themselves every few hours. If you work long hours, reliable neighbors and professional dog walkers are two options, as are dog doors leading to fenced yards. Very small breeds may be trained to eliminate indoors on newspaper. A dog should complement and enhance your lifestyle, but there are some ways of living that are incompatible with a dog's basic need to be a fully integrated member of the family. Caring for almost any kind of dog is pretty physical.
Tiny dogs weigh next to nothing, but there's a tremendous amount of bending down involved.
Even medium-size dogs are remarkably strong and fast, and large and giant dogs, no matter how calm, cannot be physically controlled by a frail person. Every dog owner needs to be able to participate in training classes with the dog. Finally, as a responsible owner, you will want to have a contingency plan in place from the outset in the event that you become temporarily or permanently unable to care for your dog. The Humane Society of the United States. All rights reserved.