How housebroken is the dog? Does she regularly have accidents? A dog who pees in the house more than once or twice a year is not a good fit with an apartment with wall to wall carpeting. If you think you will really need the rug shampoo unit, maybe you need to find a different apartment.

About the dog noise--currently I live above a dog and below another dog. Their running around really doesn't bother me. They are dogs; they run around. The occasional bark doesn't bother me. Their owners, who slam doors and drop heavy objects on the floor, they bother me a lot, because they are humans and can control these actions, but they chose not to.

I wouldn't pre-warn people, because that sounds like you are going to warn them that your dog makes noise, but you aren't going to do anything about it. Instead, as you meet your neighbors, tell them that you have a dog and to please let you know if the dog is ever too loud. I suspect that your building will have a fair number of dogs and people who have dogs should be more willing to accept the occasional noise of another dog.

I know nothing about video games, but can you use headphones when you play them? If not, you should be prepared to keep the sound very, very low after 10 or 11 at night. Listen carefully to how much you can hear from the other units. If you can hear every sneeze and whisper, you will know that your neighbors can hear your video games. When you play them at hours that other may be sleeping, you will need to find a way to play them as quietly as possible. Tell your neighbors, "Hey, I play a lot of video games. Please let me know if the noise is ever a problem." And be prepared with a solution if they mention the noise.

For your early morning/late evening comings and goings, I wouldn't say anything. Just be as quiet as you can--close doors softly, speak softly to your dog, have her on a leash, try to figure out how to keep her from barking as you leave the building. You have every right to enter and leave the building when you choose. Telling the neighbors about this might give them the idea that they have some say over your time schedule--and really, they can't. So just be as considerate as possible. If someone does complain, ask them what can be done to solve it. It might mean taking a different route to the front door of the building, for example, so that you don't pass their apartment. But someone walking down the common hallway at an odd hour is just a fact of apartment life.

Don't warn anyone - you could set yourself up for trouble and there's no point as it's just as likely you'll be back on this forum in the near future complaining about other tenants' noise. Your 6 lb dog should not be a problem unless his reaction to carpeting is extreme, i.e. he sees it as an invitation to 'go' on it, but that doesn't seem likely. I also wonder about using headphones - if they're not compatible with your objectives though, you should definitely limit your use to reasonable times. Don't be afraid to "live" though, because unless the rest of the bldg. consists of seniors with the hearing of 20 yr olds, it's unlikely that you'll be singled out as being a problem. People cannot be expected to live as if in a library in a hospital!

Thanks guys. My dog is house trained (hasn't had an accident in the year and a half I've had her) but as a dog person, I do know that new textures may "entice" experimentations.

As for the headphones- good idea. I can use it for some games, and will and remember that. I'll start looking for a wireless set or a pair with long cords.

Again, thanks guys. I'm just very nervous as this is technically my first "on my own" situation, and I'd love for it to be a good one.

I don't think prewarning the neighbors is necessary, but I do think that waiting till someone complains is sort of rude, and could start you off on the wrong foot, which you don't want when living so close to others. If you think your video games are too loud, then they probably are. Living the apartment life requires that you be considerate of those around you, and that means keeping noise down. Get headphones for the video games, keep the music and the volume down low, no stomping around or making unecessary noise at any time - remember, some people work at night and sleep in the day.

As for your dog, keep it crated when you are not home to supervise. Then you won't have to worry about carpet shampooing and all that - and keep in mind, if the dog goes on the carpet, you may be able to clean it, but it will also seep down to the pad and the floor below and the woodwork, which you won't be able to reach,and that means goodbye security deposit and a bad rental reference because that kind of damage can be very expensive to fix. As for the dog running in circles, I have to laugh, I have two chihuahuas, and one of them does that all the time...shouldn't be too noisy at 6 pounds, and they usually only do it for a minute anyway before tuckering out!!

The secret to being a good neighbor is just being considerate. When I lived above others, I walked lightly and was as quiet as possible. I know music and games are more enjoyable louder, but you have to be sensitive that not everyone enjoys what you do. Someday when you have your own house you can be as noisy as you want! As someone who has also had loud and inconsiderate neighbors, I must say that things can get ugly. I knew someone who was having such a battle with his neighbor over noise (the neighbor being the noisy one) that my friend deliberately started making horrific noise during the hours that the neighbor slept...it got so bad that eventually one of them moved.

well, good luck with art school, (i'm an artist too) and the move...you will be fine as long as you treat those around you as you want to be treated! Its great to have your own place -I will always fondly remember my first real apartment (the top of a house, NO NEIGHBORS - though I think I did have a ghost..but he was quiet)