Hi there,
As mentioned above, the hardest part if you get a puppy is accepting that they’re going to have accidents in the flat while you're out, and you'll have to clean it up.
I went through this with my first dog quite a few years ago, and like Cindouy said, it was pretty overwhelming. You start wondering if it’s always going to be like that (the crying at night, the accidents in the house, the mischief) and you end up feeling really anxious. But don’t panic, it does get better.
What we used to do was only give him access to the kitchen and the hallway when we were out, because they had tiled floors, which were much easier to clean than the wooden floors. I should mention the kitchen was big! ;-) Later on, he had the run of the whole house. In the end, he was house-trained fairly quickly. You still get the odd accident now and then, but it’s not the end of the world; if he’s done a wee, it’s simply because he couldn't hold it any longer.
Since you have days off and a big block of free time after 2pm, it’s definitely doable.
Regarding the breed, as long as you tire them out well and give them plenty of good walks, there’s no problem. My second dog was a Dutch Shepherd cross Beauceron; we lived in a flat and worked... and there were no issues at all. She was as good as gold while we were at work—no chewing things, no barking. All she did was hop up on the sofa, probably for a snooze; she wasn't supposed to, but oh well, never mind.
She got long walks when we were home, in different places to vary the stimuli, the smells, and so on.
My current dog, a Shar Pei, handles it well too. She just sleeps when we aren't there, and we take her out a lot—four times a day.
Then there are the extra bits; we always manage to have the dog with us when we go out, whether it’s to restaurants, cafés, or pubs... in the summer it’s easy with beer gardens and terraces.
We don't go out for big nights out much anymore; usually, we go to friends' houses and the dog comes with us.
It’s a whole lifestyle. I’m not saying you can’t go out with friends one evening—of course you can, as long as it’s not every night! :-) Just make sure you train them well so they can go almost anywhere with you; it’s brilliant when they can.
I don't want to start a big debate about it either, but I think you can definitely have a dog in a flat while working. That’s not the issue—it’s about what you can offer the dog.
When they’re a puppy, tidy away anything you don’t want them to wreck and leave them some toys. Since you're already working, they’ll understand that you leave but you always come back. It’s perhaps harder for a dog whose owner doesn't work and then suddenly starts a job.
