Dogs may be a man’s best friend, but they sure as hell aren’t best friends to an apartment. Dogs can cause you all sorts of frustration when you live in an apartment, from destroyed furniture and renters insurance claims to just keeping the neighbors good and irritated with all-night barking sessions.

You need to pick the right dog for your apartment. While there are plenty of dogs that can work in an apartment, here are our top picks:

The Chihuahua

Cute and difficult to spell, this toy breed is great for apartment living. They hate the cold, are relatively active indoors and are fine without access to a yard.

A Chihuahua is a decent companion, too, and is safe to have around small children. Expect to pay between $750 and $2,000 for a puppy.

The Pekingese

Toy breeds like the Chihuahua and the Pekingese are especially popular because of the limited space in an apartment. Pekingese are good for apartment living, and do fine without a yard. They’re pretty inactive indoors.

These aren’t good dogs to have around small children, though. Expect to pay between $500 and $1,500 for one of these.

Schipperke

A small dog, the Schipperke is ideal for apartment living. They’re inactive indoors, and if you’re going to take them outdoors realize that they’re fast and like to run. This dog is especially devoted and loyal.

A Schipperke is a great dog for children, as they can be especially devoted and loyal to kids. Expect to pay around $400 to $800.

Poodle

The Poodle is the one medium dog breed that does well in apartment living. They do fine without a yard, and are very active indoors.

Poodles aren’t good for kids. They can snap if they get surprised. They do fine with older children who are also considerate. A poodle will run between $200 and $1,000.

Saint Bernard

If you want a large dog, you can’t go wrong with a Saint Bernard. They’re pretty active indoors, but you will need to take them out to exercise. They prefer to be inside, but make sure you crank the air conditioning during the summer as they can’t stand hot weather.

Saint Bernards are extremely tolerant of children. Expect to pay between $600 and $1,000 for one of these.

Photo via greenkozi