Where You Live With Your Dog Matters Less Than What You Do With Your Dog

Since I adopted her seven years ago, my Blue Heeler has found home in four different apartments, one house with a fenced yard, and now a yellow campervan. Many pet lovers hold strict ideas about how dogs should live — consider the still-common rescue requirement that adopters have a fence, for example, or at minimum a yard of their own — but my experience with Scout’s training, exercise, and enrichment suggests environment isn’t everything.

Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s not something. Certain living arrangements can be tough for domestic dogs to handle. (Many modern situations are tough for us people to handle, too.) This shows in the data. Homeowners are more likely to have dogs than renters, and so are Americans in rural areas compared to suburban and urban dwellers.

The real question is how much of a difference does environment make? Would most dogs be happier roaming a farm’s couple-hundred acres — or can dedicated pet parents give our companions the best life ever, wherever?

I talked with dog guardians in suburbs, cities, and the middle of nowhere; a veterinary technician who now lives in a renovated school bus; a professional trainer whose personal dogs have moved between apartments, a college dorm room, and even a brief stint in her Subaru; and a rescue organization in the United States’ largest metropolis to find out. By looking at the pros and cons of various living situations, we hone in on what our dogs need most. (Spoiler: It’s not a farm. It’s not even a yard.)

Some environmental factors make pet parenting easier.

It’s no use trying to rank which environments are always better for dogs, because each individual animal, home, and lifestyle is different. That said, our immediate living situations affect the exact ways we’re able to care for our pets.

“Any environment that makes it difficult for guardians to fulfill their dog or directly goes against a dog’s personality can be tough,” says Emily McLean, an adventure dog trainer and Assistance Dog Instructor at an Assistance Dog International Member organization who currently shares a Denver duplex with her two dogs. McLean most often sees pets struggle in suburbs and cities. “Dogs who need meaningful social connection and novelty can have a tough time in the suburbs, where it’s easy to fall into a routine. And any dog who struggles to regulate their arousal or anxiety can have difficulty in cities.”

How convenient are bathroom breaks?

One of the best things about a yard is how little effort it takes to let your dog outside to potty. “Having a puppy, it’s been amazing to have easy access to take her out every hour,” says Danielle Palko, guardian to two dogs in the suburbs of Central Florida. “It’s not like living in an apartment where you have to go through this getting-ready process each time.”

I relate. When we lived in a house with a private backyard, we fostered several young dogs through the local SPCA. It was a rewarding but challenging experience — and it would have stressed everyone out more if we had to corral the puppies down narrow staircases and through shared hallways every time they needed to relieve themselves. That apartment-complex maze is something we navigated with Scout for three years prior. Although we made it work, it wasn’t exactly a relaxing way to prepare ourselves for bedtime each evening.

Potty convenience matters most for dogs with specific medical or behavioral needs. “If a dog struggles with stairs due to their age, a six-story walkup wouldn’t be ideal,” says Jenna Bonarrigo, CPDT-KA and Animal Pathways Director at Muddy Paws Rescue in New York City. “Or if they have a condition that requires them to use the bathroom more frequently, living on the 35th floor of a high-rise might not be the best fit.”

McLean brings the perspective of a professional trainer who routinely helps guardians work through their pets’ behavioral problems. A common issue is dog reactivity: growling, barking, and lunging at other dogs, especially on leash. “If you have a yard, you don’t have to worry about running into your neighbors and their dogs when you’re bleary-eyed in the morning,” she explains. “Tight situations can be a problem even for otherwise social dogs.”

Does your dog get enough quiet time?

The environments our dogs’ ancestors evolved for are quite different from the places many of us now call home. It’s no wonder that can cause a few problems. “Situations that don’t allow dogs to decompress can contribute to behavioral issues,” cautions McLean. If there’s always something going on — whether our pets find the stimulation interesting or frightening — it can be hard for them to relax. And when our dogs don’t get enough rest? They have less capacity to handle tomorrow’s joys and challenges.

Bonarrigo says she sometimes sees dogs struggling in loud, high-traffic areas. “Some of our dogs are overwhelmed by the city. They might not want to go outside on walks, pancaking and refusing to move. They might jump and bark every time they see a person or bicycle, or cower if a bus zooms by.” 

Most of the time, Muddy Paws foster homes are able to slowly expose their rescue dogs to more challenging situations, building positive associations over time. “If our staff believes a dog truly cannot be successful in a certain area, we find them a home in a quieter environment,” Bonarrigo tells me — but she makes sure to note that this happens more rarely than you might think.

Are there easy chances for enrichment?

Canine enrichment means activities that allow dogs to engage in natural behaviors. Think running, sniffing, digging, and chasing. Some living situations come with built-in enrichment opportunities. If you live near a sprawling county park, odds are your dog will enjoy calmer — and more frequent — morning walks than if you have to traverse several city blocks to find a patch of grass large enough for a game of fetch or tug.

Don’t go thinking enrichment is all about access to expansive green spaces or hiking trails, though. “Exercise and bonding do not require a fenced grassy area,” Bonarrigo insists. “Those things can happen on engaging walks, in short indoor training sessions, or sitting on a bench in Central Park learning how to be neutral in a chaotic environment.”

Is there room for your dog to have a safe space?

Once in a while, interior space is a real constraint. “You can physically move a dog away from a stressful situation like new houseguests or maintenance workers if you live in an environment with enough room,” McLean says. 

For most dogs, this is a pretty small (I’m not above asking you to see what I did there) consideration. “The size of your home is not as important as what goes on within and outside of it,” notes Bonarrigo. She speaks from experience. Muddy Paws Rescue adopted out more than 1,000 dogs — and registered nearly 4,000 new adopters — in a huge variety of living situations last year.

According to McLean, interior space matters most when dogs struggle with behavioral problems like anxiety. It’s also more of a factor if the place we call home actually doesn’t provide room to maneuver (like, in my personal experience, a 70-square-foot campervan). The good news is that we shouldn’t spend the majority of our pets’ lives stuck inside the house, anyway. And when we do, during inevitable sick bouts or periods of pulling-your-hair-out work stress, many dogs choose to nap away the day’s lazy hours in one or two favorite spots. You don’t need much more square footage than a dog bed for that.

Can you find veterinary care nearby?

If you’re not in a consistent, developed environment, veterinary care can be a challenge, says veterinary technician Francesca Solda. She knows the struggle firsthand. For the last three years, Solda has lived on the road in a converted bus with her partner and two dogs. “Emergencies or health concerns can be stressful, as some places don’t accept new patients. Or we might be in an area that doesn’t have a vet for many many miles.”

This seemingly niche concern applies even if you aren’t traveling full time. The Journal of Shelter Medicine and Community Animal Health noted that “research indicates spatial disparities in the distribution of veterinary staff.” In plain English? Some rural environments — or even corners of cities, particularly those without accessible public transportation — are located far from affordable veterinary care. “Rural or remote areas may be ‘care deserts’ where there are few to no veterinary services available,” The Canadian Veterinary Journal confirmed.

If you have a dog who only needs a routine wellness exam each year, this might not be a big deal. If you have a dog with a chronic condition (my Blue Heeler takes twice-daily medication to keep her idiopathic epilepsy under control — one of Solda’s pups, Steve, is also on daily meds for a heart murmur and collapsing trachea) access to veterinary care can suck up significantly more financial and emotional resources.

Dedicated guardians can fulfill their dogs anywhere.

There’s no denying that environment matters, and some dogs have stronger preferences than others. Our living situations affect everything from how long it takes to drive to the vet or training classes to how much commotion we have to pass on each late-night potty trip to how easy it is to let our dogs explore.

But everyone I talked to vehemently agreed. Environment — whether you live in a suburban house or on a rural property or in the heart of a city center — isn’t the most important thing. While some situations make pet parenting easier than others, dedicated guardians can give their dogs a full life in apartments, houses, campers, and more. “Each dog is an individual, with their own unique needs, preferences, and fears,” Bonarrigo reminds me. “Most dogs can acclimate to the environment they end up in when they are given time to decompress and adjust.” Because of this, it’s rare for Muddy Paws Rescue to turn away interested adopters. “Our staff and volunteers are trained to recognize significant red-flags, of course, but we are always looking for all the reasons to say yes as opposed to one detail resulting in a rejection.”

McLean has similarly seen training clients find ways to fulfill their dogs in a huge range of homes. “My service dog clients live all over the country, from apartments in downtown Denver to rural farms in New England,” she says. “Most of my pet dog clients live in apartments, townhomes, and suburban homes.”

With true dedication and a strong support network, we can make most environments work for us and our dogs. And we might even be surprised by the unexpected benefits we glean from navigating less-than-ideal situations with our companions.

Crowded environments have socialization benefits

Although McLean says it’s usually easier to avoid potential behavioral problems in a house — “you don't have the logistics of taking dogs down flights of stairs, you have easy chances to explore, and if there is tension between resident dogs, you have more space to separate them” — she doesn’t sleep on the unique opportunities of city living. Pet parents just have to see them that way: as opportunities.

“Suburbia can be isolating,” McLean says. “It’s easy to trap yourself in a small social circle and avoid exposing your dog to novel people and experiences. But as a city dweller, you have to seek out shared spaces for training and fulfillment. Because of this, you also have to get used to advocating for your dog’s needs.”

This exposure can be wonderful for our pets — and for us. McLean raised her newest companion, a working-line German Shepherd named Blue, on a bustling college campus in Los Angeles. Daily access to socialization opportunities coupled with McLean’s thoughtfulness in structuring each experience helped Blue grow into a remarkably adaptable dog.

Yards aren’t a magic cure-all

According to a Forbes Advisor survey, 14 percent of dog parents have moved from an apartment to a house primarily so their pups could have a yard. If you’re willing to make sacrifices for your four-legged family members, I already know we’re going to get along. But thankfully, this particular lifestyle change isn’t necessary.

“A yard is not and never will be a requirement of ours,” says Bonarrigo. This is both due to Muddy Paws Rescue’s commitment to inclusivity and because fenced yards can make it easy to fall into a rut with your dog’s fulfillment.

“The most difficult thing about living in a house is finding motivation to go outside of the yard,” Palko admits. I experienced this firsthand when we moved to the suburbs ourselves after years of apartment life. Our Blue Heeler’s new backyard had a secure wooden fence. Wasn’t that the dream? It was so easy to simply open the door and let her outside. While I sometimes miss that bathroom break convenience now that we live on the road — especially on demanding work days when we’re parked in a busy environment — I also realize that our old yard encouraged me to grow complacent with Scout’s training and exercise. Sunbathing in a safe, private space was wonderful for my dog. But it wasn’t enough. I had to be intentional about not allowing “yard time” to become the only fulfillment she got in a day.

“It’s just too easy to get home from work and let the dogs run in the backyard instead of going for a walk or some kind of outing,” Palko agrees. “We notice a huge difference with the dogs’ energy levels when we take them off our property.”

Plus McLean cautions that unsupervised yard time can lead to bad habits like barking incessantly at passerby or digging under your fence. If you’re forced to stay engaged with your dog every time they’re outside, you avoid those risks altogether.

In short, yards don’t automatically fulfill dogs. Enrichment is still on us, their people, to provide.

Dogs are social creatures

Canis familiaris coevolved with Homo sapiens for thousands of generations to build the deep bond we experience with our pets today. Did you know domestic dog puppies automatically pay attention to human gestures? Take a minute to realize how impressive this is. Young wolves — and even our closest relatives, chimpanzees — don’t watch us the same way.

“The happiest outcomes always come from adopters who engage with their dog as a teammate,” Bonarrigo says. I can’t think of a better word to describe the ideal dog-person relationship.

Solda has only grown closer with both of her dogs since moving into their converted school bus. “The best thing about life on the road is more quality time with our pups,” she says. A large part of this is thanks to more flexible work schedules. “I work remotely for veterinary clinics now, but I used to work long days taking care of other people’s pets and coming home with little time for my own,” she explains. “I’m happy to be able to spend almost every waking hour with my dogs now.”

What a dog most needs in their forever home has less to do with where they live and more to do with how they’re treated — as sentient, individual beings. “The biggest factor in a dog being happy is how well their people pay attention to who that dog is,” Bonarrigo says. “Every dog has their own temperament, needs, and preferences. When adopters really pay attention to their dog and respond to what they’re telling them, they build trust. That relationship ultimately sets them up to thrive.”

For better and for worse, dogs live where we do

Human’s best friend has followed us across the globe for more than 15,000 years. As we’ve flocked to urban areas, so have they. There are now more pets in the average apartment building than children, and cities like San Francisco might have more dogs than kids altogether. (This is in part because San Francisco has a smaller percentage of children than comparably sized cities, but the stat still speaks to the ubiquity of canines sniffing about the Bay Area.)

People aren’t going to stop sharing our lives with canines simply because we live in urban environments they might find overwhelming. We’re going to keep bringing them along — and hopefully we’re going to provide the support they need to adapt successfully.

It’s worth asking if our companions are suited to the situations we keep them in. If not, we can make adjustments toward a compromise everyone is happy with. (More on that next.) But unless a pup is a village dog evolved for the outskirts of human society — and currently living there happily — domestic dogs are better off with us in an imperfect environment than without us at all.

No matter where you live, here’s how to give your dog what they deserve.

“It’s quite possible to give dogs great lives without having your own farm,” McLean promises. “You might just have to get creative!”

Bonarrigo wants pet parents to know there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to caring for a dog. “A healthy, happy, fulfilled dog isn’t about checking off a long list,” she says. “It’s about noticing how your individual pet responds to their routine and environment.”

Spend time out of your home

Scout and I share a measly 70-square-feet with my partner. Our reality doesn’t feel like “three creatures crammed into one small space,” though, because we prioritize opportunities to get out and explore. (Living in a van creates oodles of those chances.) Although I’m pretty confident my dog would rank her favorite homes as van first, then house, followed by various apartments, she’s never gotten the majority of her enrichment on our own property.

McLean agrees that your apartment or house shouldn’t be the only space your dog explores. “Dogs are hardwired to explore and take in new sensory experiences,” she says, citing novelty as one key for a healthy, happy pet. “Lack of routine is the best thing for dogs and the worst thing for humans. I try to rotate the parks I go to with my dogs. If there's a different walking route you can take, or ways to change up the games you play, that’s my cheat code to activate curiosity anywhere you live.”

“Since adopting a new puppy, we’ve made it a priority to socialize her to new situations and bring our older dog along, too,” says Palko. “When we do this, they’re more tired at home and more focused outside.”

If regular walks stress you out, you’re in good company. It’s easy to feel like “walking the dog” is a chore among the rest of our modern responsibilities. Check out this piece for alternate fulfillment ideas.

Prioritize mental stimulation, play, and rest

“I wish more people understood that mental stimulation is often more effective than hours and hours of exercise,” Solda told me. “If your dog still isn’t tired after a long walk, chances are they need something to satisfy them mentally.”

McLeans top recommendations include breed-inspired enrichment and play. Because she works at a service dog organization that has its own breeding program, she’s acutely aware of genetics. She cautions guardians not to fixate on their dog’s breed traits but instead use them as a starting point. “I wish there was a greater understanding that we can’t generalize behavioral problems in breeds,” she says. “But I do see breed as a way to identify possible areas for fulfillment.” 

“Ultimately, you want to identify the highest priority things that, first, contribute to your dog’s welfare and, second, you can do in your environment,” McLean goes on to explain. When I think about this for my Blue Heeler, my list starts with interactive play like tug-of-war.  (Regular play promotes our pups’ brain health!)

McLean also advocates for safe off-leash time, especially if you and your dog spend the bulk of your time in a stressful environment. The chance for your pup to move their body freely can rejuvenate both of you, whether at a private dog park, on an off-leash legal hiking trail, or — if your dog is a good fit for them — traditional dog parks. When fully untethered time isn’t possible, McLean recommends a sturdy retractable leash (not the thin ones that aren’t much more than a piece of string) or a long line to give your dog more freedom to explore.

Finally, don’t forget about that all-important decompression we touched on earlier. “Include plenty of sleep and downtime in your dog’s routine,” reminds Bonarrigo. “Dogs need far more rest than most people realize.”

Keep health top of mind

Finding a veterinarian you trust with your dog’s health is worth the effort regardless of where you call home. “I’m a huge advocate for preventative care,” Solda says. She recommends a yearly exam with bloodwork — even if your pet seems healthy. “The right tests can find heart murmurs, masses, kidney or liver disease, and so many other issues before symptoms present.”

Where you live with your dog matters less than what you do with your dog.

Unless your dog is the happiest-go-luckiest creature you’ve ever met, then yes, they care where you live. At least a little. But it’s not what they care about most.

When we get so caught up in living environments, we forget that what really counts is lifestyle. A dog cared for by an engaged guardian who provides regular fulfillment — regardless of the size of their home space or its exact location — will be happier than one who’s simply tossed in a backyard on their own.

Plus, welcoming a dog into our lives isn’t about perfection. It’s about meeting their needs in the ways we’re able. “An imperfect life out of a shelter is still light years better than being without a home,” McLean emphasizes.

“If you build a consistent relationship where you pay attention to your dog’s body language and adjust based on what they’re telling you, you end up meeting almost all of their needs — appropriate exercise, structure and routine, mental enrichment, and a sense of safety — naturally,” encourages Bonarrigo. “It’s less about doing everything and more about being responsive to the dog in front of you.”

Worry less about where you live with your dog. Worry more about what you do to make their life worthwhile.