I'm gearing up to get a German Shepherd in the next year or two. Shepherd puppies are notoriously difficult; they are 'land sharks' (bite a lot) and are very sensitive and easy to mess up. Or so I've heard. Here's some info based on the research I've done.

The first thing is to look at and consider breed restrictions. I don't know where you live, but here in the USA, German Shepherds are banned from most apartment complexes. Check yours. I live in a state that's pretty dog friendly and I still have to hunt around for houses that allow shepherds.

Having a shepherd in an apartment would be hard but not impossible, assuming that your appartment isn't super small. It isn't ideal. You'd need to really, really make sure he's well exercised and mentally stimulated. These dogs generally need around 3 hours of exercise a day to be at their best. They won't complain if you give them more, but you need to make sure you're not over exercising puppies. I haven't done much research on this b/c I don't want a puppy, but look into it. You can hurt their joints. Older ones (>5 years) would probably require less exercise, around 2 hours. Again, they'd probably love to have more. Shepherds enjoy puzzles and generally like to have 'a job', whether this is helping you with dishes, finding a treat you hid, getting training, etc. They are NOT easygoing like golden retrievers or labs, and are very intelligent and need training and to be engaged with.

Simply put: dogs are kinda hard work depending on the breed. If you're looking for low maintenance, don't get a shepherd. These dogs are often brought back to shelters for being 'too much'. They're like having a dog on hard mode. If you want easy mode, steer away from the working dogs.

Also, if you care, Shepherds shed. Like a lot. Like 98% more than most dogs. This has me seriously bummed lol.

If you're looking for a low energy dog, here's a list: Low-Energy Dog Breeds | Purina

If you plan on staying in an apartment for a long time, a medium or small sized dog would probably be easier.