What breed of dog should I get for the city life in Chicago?

City life vs. rural life is less relevant than the amount of your free time, financial issues and your expectations. Do you want to work with this dog, or are you looking for a calm and reliable family pet? How much time can you devote on a daily basis? For how long would you need to leave this dog home alone?

What is the square footage of the apartment/house that the dog would be kept in?

Is there a yard or running area?

What these two above said.

For me, this is a difficult question. I love my dog and like dogs in general. I think dogs increase the quality of our lives and most provide love and affection to their human partners.

I don’t know if I could or would own a dog in the city but that is my own take.

I think you should go for something along the lines of a terrier or spaniel sizewise but they are active breeds.

How about a Keeshond? Medium sized, fairly laid back, moderately active.

Will this be your first dog? Are you already set up in a pet friendly environment? And all the other questions they asked.

Just FYI, the Keeshond is a major shedder and the coat needs a lot of care. Otherwise, they are terrific.

I suggest you go to the shelter and look for a small one. To pay for a certain breed while shelter dogs are being put down and are available for minimal cost seems to make little sense.

A well-bred cocker spaniel can be very adaptable and sweet.

@jca beat me to the right answer. Find your nearest shelter and adopt a dog who needs you. You will have a loyal friend and companion forever and you will have put something good out into the universe. Adopt, don’t shop.

Adopting from a shelter can be a wonderful thing if you know what you are doing. If you have enough experience with dogs to recognize traits and signs of aggression, or destructive submissive behaviors and such like. There is nothing wrong with getting a pure-bred dog if you want one. If you want an adult dog, the pure-bred rescue groups can help you out. If you want to buy a pure-bred puppy, make sure it is from a reputable breeder.
There is nothing wrong with buying a dog, if you do it mindfully.

There is everything wrong with abandoning a dog.

@canidmajor Well put. Dogs from breeders need homes too and sometimes a rescue dog can come with problems. There is no need to be “dogmatic” about rescue dogs even though that is a lovely thing to do.

Greyhound.

No Beagles or Basset Hounds, no, no, no. No herding breeds like Border Collies or Queensalnd Heelers.
Really, I don’t think a dog in a city situation is that great. Are you going to love in an apartment, condo, will you have a fenced yard or will you be taking teh dog out many times a day?

Maybe you should consider getting a laid back cat like my guy in my avatar. Pussies do much better than dogs in indoor situations and they need much less tending. Of course I am biased as a cat lover, what can I say? haha

My landlord has a Shih Tzu who was rescued from a puppy mill and ive been taking care of him for several months while he was in the hospital.

Hes a pretty low energy dog quite content with going out to potty about 4 or 5 times per day. Hes basically a lap dog who enjoys lounging around the house.

Tzus were originally bred as the pets of the royal court in Ancient china so have a long history as affectionate lap dogs.

They can have a stubborn streak, but thats where the necessity of proper training comes in.

But since they havent been bred as high energy working dogs needing a lot of exercise, they can adjust well to the confines and restrictions of city living.

I wouldn’t recommend any terriers as they have a lot of energy so you need to dedicate a lot of time to them. Could be a small breed like a chihuahua or a yorkie.

@edieb Yorkshire terriers are terriers, too. Welcome to Fluther! :]

Yes, terriers were bred to be physically active dogs, so terriers of all breeds tend to be high strung.

A Calavier King Charles Spaniel could be ideal. Small and sweet and couch potatoey.

From looking on the internet it looks like most small dogs fall into the category of city dogs, although none are Chicago specific. Pick what you want. My father always wanted a Cocker Spaniel but never got one.

Just a suggestion but some breeds have inherent problems that have been bred into them along with the positive characteristics people want. Most have to do with breathing or eyes or joints. Choose a breed that looks like something you might want; get online and look at the positive points (is it laid back and not requiring a lot of exercise and roaming room) and the negative (bilateral cataracts, encephalitis, hip dysplasia, etc) and take both into account before picking a partner.

From a personal point of view there are some I would not own because I don’t want to encourage people to keep on breeding them but, again, that is a personal preference.

Whatever you decide to do…Please don’t get a dog without talking to at least one professional. Genetic make-up, in-utero experience and early upbringing affect a dog’s entire life. In the US, the majority of puppies fail to live long enough to enjoy their second birthday. Not due to illnesses – the leading cause of euthanization in dogs continues to be undetected behavioral problems. It’s a waste, it’s cruel, and it’s due to ignorance.

Source: “Before and After Getting your Puppy”, Ian Dunbar

All Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have heart defects, which you will learn if you google it. They’re small and cute but I don’t recommend falling in love with a dog that you know will be doomed.