Papillon Dog Question?
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
I was planning of getting a Papillon Dog, and I would like to know more information based on personal experience from anyone that DO raise/breed this type of dog.
By personal experience, I mean like:
. Is it easy to train?
. How’s hard to keep up with it (daily walk, grooming…etc)?
. How aggressive can it get (biting, barking at it’s owner)?
. If it does become aggressive, is there anyway to make it stop?
Related Papillon Training & Care posts:
Is it easy to train?
> Yes, papillons are very easy to train. They are probably the more trainable of all the toy breeds. Very intelligent.
How’s hard to keep up with it (daily walk, grooming…etc)?
> Depends on what you consider “hard”. I don’t consider a daily walk “hard”. They do need brushed several times a week, too.
How aggressive can it get (biting, barking at it’s owner)?
> If properly trained and socialized, the dog should not be aggressive. They are not an “aggressive” breed, they should be quite friendly.
If it does become aggressive, is there anyway to make it stop?
> Training and socialization and you shouldn’t have a problem to begin with.
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WHAT ARE THEY LIKE?
Papillons are great little dogs, I adore them. But they aren’t for everyone.
*** If you want a calm lapdog or a cuddly dog, do NOT get a papillon. It will not be a good fit for you. ***
Top 10 reasons why NOT to get a papillon:http://pap911.rescuegroups.org/info/disp…
Papillons have very friendly, adventurous temperaments. From the AKC breed description, “Happy, alert and friendly. Neither shy nor aggressive.”
Papillons are very intelligent (sometimes too much so for their own good!). They are in the top 10 most intelligent dogs breeds.
One of the “most trainable toy breeds”.
They come in a rainbow of colors to choose from:http://www.braylorspapillons.com/colors.…
And they stay small. The breed standard calls for dogs 8-11 inches. (Over 12 inches is a disqualification from the show ring. Over 11 inches is a fault in the show ring.)
They are a very demanding and dependent dog. They may not like to cuddle, but they like to be around you and they LOVE to play. Paps will literally come up and launch one of their toys at your face to get you to play with them.
They are also tricksters and will find ways to try to manipulate their owners. If they aren’t supposed to have something, they’ll try to make it look like they have one of their toys and hide the “forbidden object” behind it.
My pap also tricked my parents poodle when I was dog-sitting for them a few months ago. She would run to the door and bark so the poodle would drop the toy it had to check out what the commotion was about, then my pap would run back and steal the dropped toy.
Papillons NEED to be stimulated. They are not dogs that can be left to their own means. They need training and thrive when they have a “job”, such as obedience or agility. (If you want to get into agility, they are the top choice in their height category. They can even beat border collie times on some courses, but due to size difference, they will never be competing against border collies.)
Also be aware that they are athletic dogs and can achieve things you wouldn’t normally think a dog that size can. For example, my papillon can jump high enough to steal things off the kitchen counter. She can jump at least 4 feet into the air.
Papillons do and will bark. They are a vocal breed and are alarm barkers so if they hear something, or if anything seems out of place, they see it as their job to alert you to it. (I have found the “thank” method works best for handling barking. When the dog barks, call it to you and say “thank you”, then give the dog a treat or praise. It will eventually learn to only bark a couple times to alert you, then it will stop barking come to you for it’s reward.)
Papillons come in 2 varieties, the “butterfly” (papillon) and the “moth” (phalene).http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/bre…
(Of course, every dog is different. You may find a papillon that is calmer than average, or one that is less vocal than average, etc.. This is just the ‘general’ information on them.)
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GROOMING
Paps require regular grooming, but it’s not extensive.
In addition to the regular dog stuff (clip nails, brush teeth, etc), they need brushed a couple times a week. Also, the hair between the pads on their feet gets long, so that needs trimmed, which I do monthly. I use a bristle-brush on the fur.
Here is some information about grooming papillons):
- http://www.papillonclub.org/Education/gr…
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WHERE TO GET ONE?
If you are wanting to get a puppy from a breeder, check out the following link:
- http://www.papillonclub.org/pcabreedersl…
You can also find a reputable breeder by attending some dog shows and agility competitions. You will find papillons in both places and can get some good recommendations for quality breeders from there.
Papillons are starting to show up more commonly in puppymills, so be wary and make sure you are getting one from a reputable breeder.
Here are some helpful links for identifying good versus bad breeders.
- http://www.wonderpuppy.net/breeding.htm
If you are okay with getting an older dog (which can have it’s benefits, like it’s already housebroken, already done teething, likely has some training, etc.), then you may be able to get a dog from a papillon rescue group.
. Is it easy to train? VERY easy to train. However, they are sensitive so no harsh methods- positive only! Mine are constantly impressing people with their tricks and commands. They’re very very very smart dogs.
. How’s hard to keep up with it (daily walk, grooming…etc)? They are surprisingly high energy dogs. Mine needs a good walk every day and several training sessions to keep busy. They are very smart and very active. Grooming is an absolute breeze, though. Run a brush through their fur every now and then and comb the ears if you have long fringe on your dog and you should be fine. Trim the feet once a month as well.
. How aggressive can it get (biting, barking at it’s owner)? I have never had an aggressive papillon in my life. Mine all find everyone to be their best friends- strangers, family, whoever. they are very affectionate and very doting. However, even though they are generally a friendly, happy breed you still need to do a lot of socializing with people and other dogs from the time they are young pups.
. If it does become aggressive, is there anyway to make it stop?
Training and socializing. I’d look into a behaviorist.
Be sure to go to a good breeder!
1. Any dog can be easy to train. I think they take a bit more patience then some breeds. But they’re not hard to train.
2. They need a lot of grooming. If I owned this dog, I would groom weekly. Also, these dogs tend to be a bit hyper. Make sure the dog goes for daily walks.
3. That depends on the dog, how well it was bred and how well it was trained. They tend to be more of a one person dog. They’re not overly fond of strangers. But they do bark.
5. That all depends. If it’s a major aggressive problem, you can work with it but the problem may never 100% go away. Again, this all depends on the breeding and the raising.
With my experience with papillons they are absolute sweethearts.
They are extremely easy to train with the basics(sit, stay, and lay) and super easy to train for agility competitions.
Daily walks are a must because they are hyper dogs. You never cut their hair, just a brush once a week to keep the matting away. Not aggressive at all in my opinion.