Papillon owners?

[lyria]

I have been considering getting a papillon for a while now. I am not likely to get one too soon since it would break my devoted cat's heart! But I have been researching the breed and was wondering if anyone here had experience with papillons that they could share.

Specifically I am wondering:

1. Male v. female - one breeder website I found, which seems very good, praises males highly as more affectionate and eager to please their owners while females are more "moody." I want a dog that will be happy to cuddle, but we have a female dog at home already and I had been leaning towards another female. On the other hand, it is likely that I will at some point move out and be living just with my new dog... thoughts?

2. Barking - I would work with any dog I get to train to reduce barking, but I was wondering how papillons rank on a 1-10 scale compared with other dogs. Do you think it is possible to train them to reduce barking or am I hoping for too much?

3. Breeders - I would NEVER buy from a pet store, but I would like a puppy and so would prefer to buy from a breeder rather than adopt an older dog. I have found one or two breeders who I think are very reputable, but does anyone have a recommendation for a breeder they know and love (or one to avoid)?

Thank you for your help! I'm a huge fan of papillons so feel free to post any pictures!

 

[oakash]

Oooo, there are several Pap owners on here, I can think of at least 4 off the top of my head. Hopefully they will chime in

All I know is that they are intelligent, and adorable

 

[AdrianneIsabel]

Lots of pap owners on this board! You'll find what you need for sure. I do know if I wanted a small breed I would definitely consider a papillon, they're very cool dogs.

 

[lyria]

Thanks for the encouragement! I've noticed a few pap owners here and I hope they will share their experience.

 

[Laurelin]

Oooh I love talking papillons. We've had 7 so far so hopefully I can help some!

1. Male v. female - one breeder website I found, which seems very good, praises males highly as more affectionate and eager to please their owners while females are more "moody." I want a dog that will be happy to cuddle, but we have a female dog at home already and I had been leaning towards another female. On the other hand, it is likely that I will at some point move out and be living just with my new dog... thoughts?

In general I find that to be true. My boys are overall more easy going and happy go lucky. I am not sure they are more affectionate, because two of my girls are very very cuddly. But the girls are certainly moodier. My girls (with the exception of Summer) have been more one people dogs whereas the boys just love everyone. My girls are also a bit moodier with strange dogs but they all love dogs they know. The girls I've also found in general to be a bit more driven and independent thinking in general (summer is an exception again as far as independence goes, she is sharper than the boys). Overall I think both genders make good pets. For a sports dog, I prefer the extra sharpness the girls have but they're all fabulous and I don't think you could go wrong. Compared to some breeds I don't notice too much a difference in genders.

2. Barking - I would work with any dog I get to train to reduce barking, but I was wondering how papillons rank on a 1-10 scale compared with other dogs. Do you think it is possible to train them to reduce barking or am I hoping for too much?

Hard to say to be honest. Of ours I have one papillon that is as vocal as my shelties and one that never barks at all. I have literally heard her bark 5 times in the 3 years we've had her. In general I'd say they're above average as far as vocalness goes but it's not bad. They tend to alert bark a lot but they quiet down easily. You can definitely train them to stop barking very easily. I'm not sure you could train Mia not to start, but you can definitely get her to stop right away. But the others are not bad at all so I think it's more 'her' than the breed in general.

3. Breeders - I would NEVER buy from a pet store, but I would like a puppy and so would prefer to buy from a breeder rather than adopt an older dog. I have found one or two breeders who I think are very reputable, but does anyone have a recommendation for a breeder they know and love (or one to avoid)?

where are you located? I might have some suggestions.

They're great dogs for sure. So much fun and so smart and people oriented. I know several of us on here have been addicted. If you have any more questions be sure to ask!

 

[lyria]

Thanks for weighing in Laurelin! You dogs are beautiful and I have noticed quite a few of your posts on them! (I actually tried to PM you at one point, but seem to have messed that up somehow, still a newbie!)

I am not too concerned about the "one person dog" issue since I am not married and don't have children or anything. I do want a dog who will be happy to sleep in my bed with me though. I think it depends more on the individual dog than the gender, but I am happy to hear that you think so too!

Regarding "moodiness" of girls, do they tend to give you the cold shoulder or be reluctant to follow directions? Or is it more that they react to other people and dogs with less enthusiasm... or even aggression?

I am located in CT, but I am definitely willing to go the distance to find the right dog and the right breeder (I thought Braylor's, in Texas, looked very good, as does Forevr Paps in Texas and Pennsylvania). And, as I mentioned, I am in no hurry and happy to spend time researching different breeders! (I'm going to the Westminster this year for the papillon judging and am excited to meet dogs, owners, and maybe breeders back stage! (We went last year for a brief time and met some very enthusiastic dog lovers!)

 

[MafiaPrincess]

Oooh I love talking papillons. We've had 7 so far so hopefully I can help some!

Lyria was asking about paps on a non dog forum. I told her to join here and specifically harass you because I know you love talking about them

 

[Michiyo-Fir]

1. Male vs. female
I have found males to be more friendly in general with people and more loving and friendly towards other dogs. My girl is dog reactive although she loves all people. I believe Laurelin's girls are all somewhat dog reactive as well and another person whose Pap is a girl is DR as well. I've met/heard of less DR boys than girls let's just put it this way. Nia isn't aggressive in her reaction, just barking a lot and chasing the strange dog while barking in circles. After a few meetings, she loves them and she's actually very very good with dogs she knows and she loves them to death. She's very independent, probably more than what's normal for the breed. She will often ignore me to go and lay in a different room by herself somedays. Other days she will want to cuddle and lay against me. She is moody too, some days wants to play non-stop, other days just lie around and mope.

2. The Paps I've met aren't very barky at all. On a scale of 1-10, Nia is a 2 because she rarely every barks unless there are people coming into my house or ringing the doorbell. However, when she's DR outside, she barks a lot but that's not part of her need to bark, it's just a reaction out of nervousness. She has been taught to be quiet for as long as I've had her though so that could contribute partly to her non-barkiness. She's barks maybe once or twice a day. They're pretty to teach to be quiet from a young age. However, if you have a lot of dogs, they seem to get barkier because when one barks, everyone else starts too. So when we're out with maybe 4 or 5 dogs playing together or at the breeder's house, if one barks, all of them bark.

3. I have a few breeders that I really love, I can PM them to you if you want. Show, pet, therapy, agility, etc. In my opinion, there are some breeders to be avoided but PM me and we can chat!

 

[Michiyo-Fir]

Regarding "moodiness" of girls, do they tend to give you the cold shoulder or be reluctant to follow directions? Or is it more that they react to other people and dogs with less enthusiasm... or even aggression?

Moodiness can be ignoring you or just acting not very happy with whatever you're doing be it playing or walking. I don't find Paps to be an aggressive breed, they seem to really get along with everybody with but a lot can be reactive.

 

[AgilityKrazii]

I just recently adopted my first Papillon but had been researching the breed off and on for 6 years prior and always trying to meet with as many as I could. I have a good friend with 3 of them.

1. Male v. female - one breeder website I found, which seems very good, praises males highly as more affectionate and eager to please their owners while females are more "moody." I want a dog that will be happy to cuddle, but we have a female dog at home already and I had been leaning towards another female. On the other hand, it is likely that I will at some point move out and be living just with my new dog... thoughts?

My Pap is a male and I know a lot of other male Paps but have met a few females, I find the males to be more affectionate and biddable. I have talked to many different breeders about this and they feel the same way. Of course each dog is different but if your looking for that type of dog and want a puppy, I would choose a male.

2. Barking - I would work with any dog I get to train to reduce barking, but I was wondering how papillons rank on a 1-10 scale compared with other dogs. Do you think it is possible to train them to reduce barking or am I hoping for too much?

They are very trainable dogs so you could totally teach them not to bark. They are generally not yappy, like some small breeds. They are very much alert barkers.

 

[Laurelin]

Lol, yep, I'm a little papillon crazy.

I am not too concerned about the "one person dog" issue since I am not married and don't have children or anything. I do want a dog who will be happy to sleep in my bed with me though. I think it depends more on the individual dog than the gender, but I am happy to hear that you think so too!

Regarding "moodiness" of girls, do they tend to give you the cold shoulder or be reluctant to follow directions? Or is it more that they react to other people and dogs with less enthusiasm... or even aggression?

My girls are a bit more apt to follow one person around. Mia is a total one person dog who plays favorites. The boys seem to get along with everybody pretty equally. The girls pick and choose clear favorites. None of mine are aggressive at all. Mia is a bit fear reactive around strangers but my other girl, Summer, is a total love who is all over any stranger. I think it just depends. Overall I just find the boys a little more steady and even tempered. The girls can be hot headed at times and definitely have their own agendas.

My girls are very very in tune with me and very easy to work with. They're just sharper in some ways if that makes sense. It is hard to explain for me. I greatly prefer females in this breed to be honest but it really just depends on what you want.

 

[Zoom]

How do they do in snow? I live in Colorado and we tend to get a bunch of it, then it melts, then we get more...

 

[lyria]

Thanks for your in-put Michiyo-Fir! I will PM you re breeders. (If I can figure out how to do the PM thing right.)

 

[lyria]

They are very trainable dogs so you could totally teach them not to bark. They are generally not yappy, like some small breeds. They are very much alert barkers.

Glad to hear that you (and others) have had some success with training papillons not to bark! When the time comes, I may come back to you for advice on techniques

 

[lyria]

Lol, yep, I'm a little papillon crazy.



My girls are a bit more apt to follow one person around. Mia is a total one person dog who plays favorites. The boys seem to get along with everybody pretty equally. The girls pick and choose clear favorites. None of mine are aggressive at all. Mia is a bit fear reactive around strangers but my other girl, Summer, is a total love who is all over any stranger. I think it just depends. Overall I just find the boys a little more steady and even tempered. The girls can be hot headed at times and definitely have their own agendas.

My girls are very very in tune with me and very easy to work with. They're just sharper in some ways if that makes sense. It is hard to explain for me. I greatly prefer females in this breed to be honest but it really just depends on what you want.

I think this is something I will have to discuss in more detail with a breeder once I settle on the right one. Hopefully the breeder will have a good sense of each of the puppies available and be able to discuss their personalities a little.

 

[corgipower]

How do they do in snow? I live in Colorado and we tend to get a bunch of it, then it melts, then we get more...

Is Zoomers getting a papillon?

 

[Zoom]

Sometime in the future, yes. Hopefully. I still haven't decided if they really fit and if I'm just dying because of how fricking cute they are.

 

[Laurelin]

How do they do in snow? I live in Colorado and we tend to get a bunch of it, then it melts, then we get more...

Depends on which one you ask. :lol-sign:

All of mine but Rose LOVE the snow. Honestly Rose is the least 'papillon' acting one of them all too. She is very very calm and prissy. The others are more standard 'go go go' type dogs. Mia would never come in if I would let her. Mine do take a day or two to figure out that snow is okay.

Of course they have a single coat and are small so if it's too cold you need to give them a jacket. And I would definitely NOT recommend them as outdoors dogs of course.

It was something like 8 degrees out when we were shoveling snow yesterday and Summer and Mia 'helped' me the whole time I was out just fine. Mia was having a blast diving into snow piles.

 

[AgilityKrazii]

How do they do in snow? I live in Colorado and we tend to get a bunch of it, then it melts, then we get more...

Pepzee LOVES the snow, I live in Alaska so LOTS of snow, he goes out and loves running in the snow even if its just about over his head, he vaults off the snowbanks and is able to stay out and play the same amount of time Rosco is out.
Maybe he is just weird because the other Paps I know arent a huge fan of the snow.
I think its a socialization thing when you get a pup, get them used to snow and make it fun for them.

 

[Laurelin]

Harry was the funniest in the snow. He'd just burrow face first into it. Mia does it too some:

Yup, she hates the snow.

In my experience the boys are less finicky about that kind of thing. The paps I know that have weather aversions are all girls. But that said, two of three of my girls are fine in snow and rain. Rose is just a princess.