"Beware of Dog" signs are becoming increasingly rare as a growing number of people choose to keep their pets inside with them and not outside to guard the house.
The rising popularity of small dogs better suited to indoors life has caused an increase in the number of condos that allow pets and has opened up a huge market for products aimed at the "indoor dogs".
The number of people who keep their dogs indoors has risen substantially in recent years. They comprised more than 60 percent of dog-owners in Japan in 2004, said an official at the Pet Food Manufacturers Association, which conducts an annual survey on conditions for dogs and cats.