Poodle

Choose the Toy or Miniature size for a flat; the Standard is a bigger, busier dog. Both smaller sizes are clever, low-shedding and adaptable, and the brain needs as much work as the legs: ten minutes of training or a puzzle feeder before you leave does more to head off boredom barking than an extra walk. The coat never stops growing, so budget for a professional groom every six to eight weeks for life, the cost many owners underestimate. Generally long-lived and sound, though breeders should test for an inherited eye disease, and Toys are prone to slipping kneecaps.