Papillon owners?
- Thread starter lyria
- Start date
Boys vs girls. I have had two boys now. Both were/are aversive to strangers to the point of being painful. Travis growls and barks if approached and if they keep coming in will yelp and run to me. Ben would run the second he saw a stranger. I put this down to no socialisation as puppies. They came to me at 18 months and 2 years respectively.
Travis is a yapper, with lots of work I have managed to get him to quiet down to two or three warning barks only. Not sure about when I am not here.
Travis is a big snuggle bug but is not biddable really. I think it is mainly an intact thing. He would rather be peeing on things then listening to me. That being said he is getting much much better. He is also a bit thick. Ben was super bright and a stunning agility dog, but also, not very biddable.
Riley is a snuggler, when it suits her. She is a little aloof at times but is very sweet and loving when she is not busy with other things. She is very drivey and very switched on. She can go from sleeping to running for a ball in 0.3 seconds flat! She is very bright, like off the charts and learns quickly. She is more biddable then Travis but I think that has a lot to do with being more clever then him.
She is turning into a yapper. She has always been a talker, but now it is turning into major territory barking. I am putting a stop to that rather quickly though.
It must be said that Riley is only a year old now so I can't really comment on her adult personality yet. She is due for loads of change soon and it is rather exciting.
I don't think I will have another boy, simply because of the peeing issue. They are a pain with marking unless you get them young and get a head start. Travis is a peeing nightmare!
Travis is a yapper, with lots of work I have managed to get him to quiet down to two or three warning barks only. Not sure about when I am not here.
Travis is a big snuggle bug but is not biddable really. I think it is mainly an intact thing. He would rather be peeing on things then listening to me. That being said he is getting much much better. He is also a bit thick. Ben was super bright and a stunning agility dog, but also, not very biddable.
Riley is a snuggler, when it suits her. She is a little aloof at times but is very sweet and loving when she is not busy with other things. She is very drivey and very switched on. She can go from sleeping to running for a ball in 0.3 seconds flat! She is very bright, like off the charts and learns quickly. She is more biddable then Travis but I think that has a lot to do with being more clever then him.
She is turning into a yapper. She has always been a talker, but now it is turning into major territory barking. I am putting a stop to that rather quickly though.
It must be said that Riley is only a year old now so I can't really comment on her adult personality yet. She is due for loads of change soon and it is rather exciting.
I don't think I will have another boy, simply because of the peeing issue. They are a pain with marking unless you get them young and get a head start. Travis is a peeing nightmare!
I think it really depends. Just thinking on the dogs I know. I do know more females than males but I know a lot of either sex. Of my boys only Beau marked inside and he stopped once he was snipped. My girls all three mark outside but not inside.
Rose is not a snuggler, Beau is not very snuggly, Summer is... sort of. Nard is a melt into your arms type of dog and Mia is super snuggly when she's not being a hellion. Summer, Mia, and Beau are the most high strung. Rose is calm and Nard is mellow. Rose is perfectly quiet, Mia is yappy, Nard bays like a hound. Mia is an evil genius, Summer is rather simpleminded and straightforward. Summer, Beau, and Mia are biddable, Nard is the opposite.
In general I just see less snarkiness and manipulative behavior overall with the boys. Other than that I think it really comes down to the individual.
Rose is not a snuggler, Beau is not very snuggly, Summer is... sort of. Nard is a melt into your arms type of dog and Mia is super snuggly when she's not being a hellion. Summer, Mia, and Beau are the most high strung. Rose is calm and Nard is mellow. Rose is perfectly quiet, Mia is yappy, Nard bays like a hound. Mia is an evil genius, Summer is rather simpleminded and straightforward. Summer, Beau, and Mia are biddable, Nard is the opposite.
In general I just see less snarkiness and manipulative behavior overall with the boys. Other than that I think it really comes down to the individual.
Yep definitely talk to the breeder about what you want from a dog. Mia's breeder was very good about steering me towards a more active and driven dog rather than the one I inquired about since that would have fitted my needs better. There's tons of variety in the breed when it comes to individuals.
I'll try to look around and pm you some breeders later too!
I'll try to look around and pm you some breeders later too!
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?
I prefer my boys as pets for a couple reasons. The main one is that while all my dogs love me my boys act as if they are in love with me. Both of them can be rewarded by praise alone while both of my girls work much better on the what's in it for me factor. I also like that my boys are pretty non possessive while my girls tend to find stuff to resource guard.
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?
I have one who doesn't bark, but rather whines, grunts, and occassionally howls. IMO he is rare among the breed, two of mine are moderate barkers, and one who is a yap box. Alot will depend on your breeder's lines and what they consider to be acceptable temperament if you note that they have debarked every dog they own it's a sign that perhaps their line is a herd of yappers.
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)?
What part of this fine globe are you looking to buy a dog from? There are several very prominant breeders who I wouldn't touch dogs from with a 10 foot pole and a fair number of others who I'd love to work with. Also there is the question of how much you want to spend because different regions do vary in costs quite a bit.
I prefer my boys as pets for a couple reasons. The main one is that while all my dogs love me my boys act as if they are in love with me. Both of them can be rewarded by praise alone while both of my girls work much better on the what's in it for me factor. I also like that my boys are pretty non possessive while my girls tend to find stuff to resource guard.
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?
I have one who doesn't bark, but rather whines, grunts, and occassionally howls. IMO he is rare among the breed, two of mine are moderate barkers, and one who is a yap box. Alot will depend on your breeder's lines and what they consider to be acceptable temperament if you note that they have debarked every dog they own it's a sign that perhaps their line is a herd of yappers.
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)?
What part of this fine globe are you looking to buy a dog from? There are several very prominant breeders who I wouldn't touch dogs from with a 10 foot pole and a fair number of others who I'd love to work with. Also there is the question of how much you want to spend because different regions do vary in costs quite a bit.
Hi Kat09Tails!
Thank you for your perspective. I am located in CT BUT as my post says I am willing to travel for the right breeder and the right dog. I would prefer inside the US, but a plane ride away is okay. So far I'm looking seriously at a breeder in Texas and one in Maryland. I would be interested to hear your breeder experiences.
Thank you for your perspective. I am located in CT BUT as my post says I am willing to travel for the right breeder and the right dog. I would prefer inside the US, but a plane ride away is okay. So far I'm looking seriously at a breeder in Texas and one in Maryland. I would be interested to hear your breeder experiences.