Living in a 600 Square Foot Apartment With a Great Dane

The most common question I get at the dog park is: "Where do you live?"

People see Atlas — 140 pounds of gray Great Dane, who stands at counter height and once startled a UPS driver into dropping a package — and assume I must have a house. A yard. Acreage, maybe.

I live in a 600 square foot apartment on the fourth floor of a walk-up building. Atlas has lived there for a year. He has opinions about this arrangement that are roughly as follows: zero. He has no complaints.

Great Danes are classified as a giant breed. What most people don't know: they are also classified, by every behaviorist I've spoken to, as low-to-moderate energy dogs. They are not Labs. They are not Border Collies. They are animals who were bred to sprint in short bursts and then rest, bred for size and intimidation, not endurance.

Atlas wants two walks per day, approximately 25 minutes each. He wants to be near me. He wants to sleep — which he does for 16 to 18 hours daily, in whatever position his body has decided is structurally interesting, usually taking up approximately 70% of available floor space.

The elevator. Atlas has decided the elevator is suspicious. Every day is a fresh negotiation.

The narrow hallways, where he misjudges his own width and clips doorframes. Low coffee tables. The fact that his tail, at full speed, is a structural hazard for anything on a surface below waist height.

These are inconveniences. They are not reasons a giant dog can't thrive in a small space.

Consistency. Atlas gets his walks at the same times daily. He gets a training session most mornings — Great Danes are smart and benefit from having a job. He gets access to the dog-friendly rooftop three evenings a week for off-leash time.

The apartment is his den. He doesn't need it to be large. He needs it to be safe, warm, and occupied by me.

At 600 square feet, he occupies a large percentage of it. I consider that fair.

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*Thinking about a large breed in an urban home? The key variables are energy level and exercise commitment — not square footage.*