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.