Before Getting a Dog: What You Really Need to Think Through First

First things first: There are two questions you should settle before you fall in love with a photo.

One is legal: if you rent, what your lease and the tenancy rules where you live actually say about dogs matters more than what you assume. Even where a landlord can’t simply ban dogs across the board, that does not automatically mean you’re free to keep one.

The other is financial: it isn’t the monthly costs that get owners into trouble, but the bill that arrives without warning.

👉 If it’s going to be a puppy from a breeder: How to recognize a responsible breeder

A dog enriches your life. But a dog isn’t a hobby; it’s a living being with needs and a long life expectancy: in a large UK study of more than 580,000 dogs, the median was 12.5 years, with clear differences depending on breed, size and head shape (McMillan et al., 2024). If you inform yourself beforehand, you’ll make a better decision—in either direction.

Renting: what actually applies

For many people this is the first practical hurdle, and the legal situation is regularly only half explained.

Rules on dogs in rental housing differ considerably depending on the country and often the region you live in. In some places a blanket ban on pets in a standard lease does not hold up; in others a landlord can restrict or refuse pets far more freely.

The part that usually gets left out: even where a blanket ban is invalid, that doesn’t mean you may keep a dog without regard for anyone else. It can instead mean that the specific situation is weighed up—the dog, the home and building, and the legitimate interests of neighbors and other residents.

In practice, this means: talk to your landlord beforehand rather than relying on a legal position that, in a dispute, may come down to a case-by-case assessment. Written permission is the calmer route compared with a legal dispute over a dog that is already living with you.

This section is general information and does not replace legal advice.

Time—especially on bad days

Dogs need attention, exercise and something to do every day. The real question isn’t whether you have time on a free Saturday, but:

• Who takes the dog out when you’re sick or working late?
• Who steps in if you have to go to the hospital?
• What happens if you change jobs and your working hours change?
• And the uncomfortable one: what happens in the event of a breakup or a move?

In some countries, animal welfare rules even set requirements here, such as contact with a caregiver several times a day and considerably more time for young puppies. Where that applies, it is a requirement, not a recommendation.

👉 How long can a dog be left alone?

Puppy or adult dog?

This question is missing from most checklists, and it often settles more than the question of breed.

A puppy means, in practice, house-training, nights with little sleep, and one to two years of intensive guidance through socialization and adolescence—in return, you know its history.

An adult dog comes with a fully formed personality. That is an advantage: you see who you’re getting instead of hoping. And it is a limitation: experiences have already been made, good and bad.

For people with a full schedule, an adult, well-balanced dog is often the more realistic choice—even if the idea of a puppy is the more appealing one.

Breed: useful, but overrated

Find out about a breed’s typical needs in terms of exercise, training and grooming. Size says little here—a small terrier can be more demanding than a large, calm dog.

For context, though, it helps to know how far breed information goes: according to one of the largest genetic studies to date, breed explains only a small part of the behavioral differences between individual dogs. It tells you what to watch for—not what this particular dog will be like.

That is why looking at the individual dog matters more than reading the breed description.

Finances: the structure matters more than the number

Many different ranges circulate for ongoing monthly costs. We deliberately don’t give a fixed figure here, because it varies considerably with size, health, region and insurance coverage—and because veterinary costs have risen noticeably in recent years in some countries—in Germany, for example, with the revised veterinary fee schedule (GOT) in force since November 22, 2022 (Bundestierärztekammer, 2022).

What you should realistically plan for:

• Ongoing: food, preventive care and vaccinations, parasite prevention, equipment, dog license fees or taxes where they apply, liability insurance, training classes
• One-time: purchase price or adoption fee, basic equipment, spaying or neutering if indicated
• And the item that really gets owners into trouble: the unexpected bill. A torn cruciate ligament, a foreign body in the intestine, a chronic illness—these can cost thousands and can come up at any time.

So the honest question isn’t “can I afford the monthly costs?” but:

Do I have savings or insurance for the case where a treatment costs several thousand? If you don’t, sooner or later you’ll face a decision no one wants to make.

Allergies: a common misconception

“Hypoallergenic breeds” don’t exist in the form in which they are advertised. The relevant allergens come mainly from skin dander, saliva and urine—the hair only carries them. In a Dutch study of 196 dogs of breeds marketed as hypoallergenic and 160 dogs of other breeds, the “hypoallergenic” dogs did not have lower allergen levels in their coats, and airborne allergen levels in their homes did not differ between the breed groups (Vredegoor et al., 2012).

If someone in the household has an allergy, an allergy test with a specialist and, if possible, longer contact with a dog of the breed in question tell you more than any breed recommendation.

Legal matters beyond the lease

• Registration or licensing and any dog tax, depending on your local authority
• Liability insurance—required for all dogs in some places, in others only for dogs classified as dangerous. Strongly recommended regardless, because as the owner you can be held liable for damage your dog causes, in some places even without any fault on your part
• Breed-specific rules—depending on where you live, restrictions, temperament tests or permits; sometimes a dog’s appearance decides, which becomes especially relevant for mixed breeds of unknown ancestry
• Leash laws—set locally and for protected areas, in some places with additional leash requirements during the wildlife breeding season

👉 Handling your dog responsibly in public

Neighbors and barking

In apartment buildings, barking is one of the most common sources of conflict. What matters is how you look at it: barking is often not simply a training deficit but can be a symptom—of separation stress, insecurity or sensory overload in the stairwell, for example.

Accordingly, working on the cause usually helps more than just suppressing the barking. That is why training your dog to stay home alone belongs in the plan from the start, not only once the complaints begin.

When the answer might be “not now”

This section is missing from almost every guide, and it is the most honest one.

There are situations in which a dog is not a good decision—not because someone would be unsuitable, but because the timing isn’t right:

• When major changes are foreseeable: a move, starting a career, planning a family, a relative who needs care
• When the dog’s care depends on a single person and there is no backup
• When there are no financial reserves for emergencies
• When the wish arises out of an acute crisis—a dog is not a comfort but a responsibility
• When the household disagrees: a dog brought in against the resistance of someone you live with rarely ends well

“Not now” isn’t a rejection of life with a dog. It’s the decision to make that choice when it will hold.

👉 Once your dog has moved in: Tips for first-time dog owners

Conclusion

Taking in a dog means taking on responsibility—in terms of time, money, and over ten to fifteen years.

If you settle three things beforehand, you have the essentials covered: your landlord’s consent, savings for emergencies, and a second person who can step in.

Everything else you learn along the way. Not these three.

References

• Bundestierärztekammer (2022). Gebührenordnung für Tierärztinnen und Tierärzte (GOT), gültig seit 22. November 2022; FAQ GOT Notdienst. https://www.bundestieraerztekammer.de/tieraerzte/beruf/got/index.php; https://www.bundestieraerztekammer.de/d.php?id=8004 (German veterinary fee schedule and the professional body’s FAQ on emergency service fees)
• McMillan, K. M., Bielby, J., Williams, C. L., et al. (2024). Longevity of companion dog breeds: those at risk from early death. Scientific Reports, 14, 531. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-50458-w (UK data on 584,734 dogs; median life expectancy 12.5 years)
• Morrill, K., Hekman, J., Li, X., et al. (2022). Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science, 376(6592), eabk0639. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abk0639
• Vredegoor, D. W., Willemse, T., Chapman, M. D., Heederik, D. J. J., & Krop, E. J. M. (2012). Can f 1 levels in hair and homes of different dog breeds: lack of evidence to describe any dog breed as hypoallergenic. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 130(4), 904–909.e7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2012.05.013 (no evidence that any breed can be classified as hypoallergenic)

How far this goes

The section on renting is general information. Rules on dogs in rental housing differ by country and region, individually negotiated agreements may be assessed differently from standard lease terms, and the outcome of weighing up the interests involved cannot be predicted in general.

We deliberately give no figure for ongoing costs. The ranges in circulation are based on different survey methods and reflect the rise in veterinary fees to different degrees.

Local and regional rules on breed restrictions and insurance requirements differ considerably and change over time; what is binding is the information from the responsible authority where you live. This article does not replace legal advice.

The statements on how much breed tells you follow Morrill et al. (2022). The figures on life expectancy come from UK data (McMillan et al., 2024) and cannot be transferred one-to-one to other populations.

Frequently asked questions about getting a dog

The key answers for anyone thinking about getting a dog