Ranking · 20 breeds
Best dog breeds for an apartment
In short Calm, quiet and compact breeds that are happy with short walks suit an apartment best. By our home-adaptability score the leaders are the Chihuahua, Pug and French Bulldog — a small space and indoor activity are enough for them.
How we rated
Scored by indoor activity level, tendency to bark, size and space needs. A high score = the dog is comfortable in an apartment.
All breeds in this ranking have the same score on the main axis, so the order was decided by the additional ones:
Barking · Energy · Shedding
1
English Greyhound
Barking 1.0 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
2
English Bulldog
Barking 1.5 ↓
Energy 2.0 ↓
Shedding 3.0 ↓
5.0
3
Mi-Ki
Barking 1.5 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
4
French Bulldog
Barking 1.5 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 3.0 ↓
5.0
5
Japanese Chin
Barking 2.0 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 2.5 ↓
5.0
6
Moscow Dragon
Barking 2.0 ↓
Energy 3.0 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
7
Kai Leo
Barking 2.5 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
8
King Charles Spaniel
Barking 2.5 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 2.5 ↓
5.0
9
American Lo-Sze Pug
Barking 2.5 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 3.0 ↓
5.0
10
Pug
Barking 2.5 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 4.0 ↓
5.0
11
Cavapoo
Barking 2.5 ↓
Energy 3.0 ↓
Shedding 1.5 ↓
5.0
12
Bichon Frise
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.0 ↓
Shedding 1.5 ↓
5.0
13
Chinese Crested (Powderpuff)
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.0 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
14
Havanese
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.0 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
15
Toy Poodle
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 1.0 ↓
5.0
16
Odis
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 1.5 ↓
5.0
17
English Toy Terrier
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
18
Little Lion Dog
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
19
Continental Toy Spaniel (Phalène)
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 2.5 ↓
5.0
20
Biewer Terrier
Barking 3.5 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 1.0 ↓
5.0
English Greyhound
Barking 1.0 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
2
English Bulldog
Barking 1.5 ↓
Energy 2.0 ↓
Shedding 3.0 ↓
5.0
3
Mi-Ki
Barking 1.5 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
4
French Bulldog
Barking 1.5 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 3.0 ↓
5.0
5
Japanese Chin
Barking 2.0 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 2.5 ↓
5.0
6
Moscow Dragon
Barking 2.0 ↓
Energy 3.0 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
7
Kai Leo
Barking 2.5 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
8
King Charles Spaniel
Barking 2.5 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 2.5 ↓
5.0
9
American Lo-Sze Pug
Barking 2.5 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 3.0 ↓
5.0
10
Pug
Barking 2.5 ↓
Energy 2.5 ↓
Shedding 4.0 ↓
5.0
11
Cavapoo
Barking 2.5 ↓
Energy 3.0 ↓
Shedding 1.5 ↓
5.0
12
Bichon Frise
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.0 ↓
Shedding 1.5 ↓
5.0
13
Chinese Crested (Powderpuff)
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.0 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
14
Havanese
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.0 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
15
Toy Poodle
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 1.0 ↓
5.0
16
Odis
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 1.5 ↓
5.0
17
English Toy Terrier
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
18
Little Lion Dog
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 2.0 ↓
5.0
19
Continental Toy Spaniel (Phalène)
Barking 3.0 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 2.5 ↓
5.0
20
Biewer Terrier
Barking 3.5 ↓
Energy 3.5 ↓
Shedding 1.0 ↓
5.0
How the ranking is built
order: Apartment → Barking → Energy → Shedding → breed · list composition as on the site, order by this rule
FAQ
Can a large breed be kept in an apartment?
Yes — some large breeds (e.g. the Greyhound) are calm at home and live perfectly well in an apartment, as long as they can burn off energy on a walk.
Which breeds are the quietest for an apartment?
Pug, English and French Bulldog, Greyhound, Maltese — they rarely bark without reason.
How many times a day to walk an apartment dog?
Usually 2–3 times; the length depends on the breed’s energy — from 30 min to 1.5 hours in total.