Right now I have a border collie, ten years old, and foster Boston terriers for a rescue organization. The next time I get a forever dog, I'd like to get a papillon. One reason is that we are getting older and a tiny dog will be easy to deal with even if we get infirmities. Also easy to travel with. I fostered two papillons and both of them had owner possession, a problem with puppy mill papillons. Because of this I will not get a rescue but will go to a reputable breeder. I was attracted by the paps because they are happy, which I really like. They are also smart and trainable and I feel I could put mine into agility. Of course, they are really pretty which doesn't hurt but is lower on my list. Does any one have experience with this breed?
The only experience I have is that I look after my friends Paps when she goes on holiday. Lovely dogs but too yappy for me
I have one an 18mthold bitch called Mouse and the only diff. between her and the collies is the size I'm sure she thinks she is a collie, have to admit she isnt noisy the good thing iswhen they are small(infact I still do it now sometimes as she only weighs 3.1kgs) I can do a lot of training on the dining table(saves on the back) sits, downs, stands etc. They are very active and mine likesnothing better than a couple of hours running with the collies Jeanette
i live with one, its my nana's. nice dogs, but like crestnut said, too yappy for me, but thats just personal preference. hes a good little dog, loves his company, playful, clever, loves learning tricks, very sociable, happy little dog. here's some pictures of him:
There are loads in agility and they do very well. Not the dog for me, but very cute, bright and easy to live with
Thank you. x-clo-x, your nana's dog is colored like Sirius, sweetly foxy, but with a single coat. The two dogs we fostered had double coats. They looked like tiny shelties- very cute. I'll work on the yapping.
you cant always work on yapping some (like nanas) has such sensitive hearing, the slightest unusual noise he will bark at, whether you want him to or not.. they often hear before you
I have Soso the papillon now. I used to have her mother Ellie as well (she died last year at 16). Ellie was my absolute dream dog, she literally saved my life by refusing to shut up when she knew I had a problem (unconscious due to low blood sugar). Both girls are strong characters, and I found persuasion a better method of training than coercion (i.e. when training to sit pushing the bum down with a finger got me nowhere). If they really don't want to do something, forget it, 'cos it ain't happening. Soso is always the boss in any house - at my Dad's she stops the lurcher and jack russell playing if they are too rough or too noisy with a single yap. She is also very good at training her humans to do as she wants, and enjoys playing practical jokes on us. As far as the yapping goes, she will yap at everything, but she was really easy to teach to shut up, so its not a problem for us (usually it goes "yap, yap", "thank you Soso", silence). The one thing both girls really could not do without is lap-time. They need fuss and attention or they won't give total love and trust to you. If you are thinking of getting a bitch, one thing you might like to know is that spaying Ellie turned her from a well-coated, twice a year shedder to a heavy coated, all-year-round shedder. I don't know if that's true in general for the breed. I adore the breed, the only reason the latest addition isn't a papillon is that the OH wants a dog to go on 15-20 mile hikes with him. While Soso would try her best to keep up, anything more than 3 or 4 miles is too much for her (and way too much for me!).
yes we have them, we have a little boy called dennis age 3 and peanut a little girl age 2. we also have an 11 year old foster called jamie. jamie can only manage up to 20 minutes due to having luxating patella (his knee caps are dislocated and his bones have actually changed shape to accomodate the knee caps being out of place!!) this is something the breed need to be tested for make sure the parents are both tested hopefully 0, the stages are 0 1 2 3 3 obviously being worst. dennis and peanut however can go as far as you can or laze about on the sofa with you, they have both been up snowden and back and peanut jumped on dennis to try and get him to play with her as we got back to the car park!!!! both have single coats thats dont need clipping, clipping changes texture and thickness of coat it keeps them cool in summer warm in winter if left alone, very silky light fur almost like hair. jamie has double coat and wont let people groom him so he is clipped. neutering can change texture but not in all cases. we did have quite a few initial problems house training and i have spoken with other owners and they have struggled too!! they are fab little dogs and i would definitely have more!! they are territorial and noone will be able to creep into the house undetected!!! ours i dont find to be yappy but they do let us know if something is out of the ordinary they do tend to be long lived a rescue pap we knew was lost last year at 21 and our breeder lost another 2 years ago at 21 as well. never boring and one is not enough!!! any questions please feel free!!!!
we did find in training persuasion worked so much better than trying to force them to do anything, its amazing how deaf they can go!!! they are also far more robust than people give them credit for, and their coat needs a thorough brush through maybe once or twice a week no endless brushing.
I have family members and friends that love this breed so have known many very well. I usually am home so I get to pupsit when people holiday. The only one I know that was owner possessive was actually very well-bred. My dad owned her and her half brother who was a gem. He was a champion, actually. My sister owned the full sibling male to the possessive female pup, and this behaviour was individual just to her, so I can't see it being blamed on breeding . . . sometimes dogs just are what they are. My sister favors 'pillow' Papillons - those that are bred to be less active. My friend favors agility line Papillons. The agility line Paps can be QUITE the handful, just as Border Collies can. I'm not a fan of the busy-ness and brains of the Border Collie breed (I've owned three rescues) so am also not fond of this in the Papillon breed . . . but they are a trainers delight. I like the health in this breed, but for the teeth and dental care required. Of the many I've known. My dad's Ch boy lived to 14 - needed surgery at 9 for kidney stones. My dad's possessive girl lived to 15 My dad had one die of a brain injury at 7 months as she wiggled loose and jumped from my dad's arms and smacked her head into a wooden chair top. She was a spitfire. My sister's first girl lived to 11 - had epilepsy from 5 on. My sister's boy lived to 11 - died of liver cancer (full sibling to Dad's 15 year old) My sister's next girl lived to 15 - heart eventually went My sister has one left that is healthy an 11. My friend has three aged 6, 9 and 12 - all healthy. All have needed regular dentals (despite brushing) from about 5 years of age on, with many losing most of their teeth past 11 years of age due to root problems/bone/jaw problems. The larger members seemed to have kept their teeth in age better than the smaller ones. My experience with small dogs is with three mixes that have gotten to old age and mine, when teeth were brushed regulary, have not needed dentals. I currently have a six year old with sparkly clean teeth as well. I might have just been lucky with my small ones though. Ruby
We have 3 paps there such great fun,very active and very clever,they seem to play most of the day,much much much better than the television to watch, We also have 2 beautiful silly soft rotties and do five miles walks ....the Paps would go again, the Rotties want to sleep . I would'nt have just one Pap from my experience they like to be active they just need to play,one on its own would be bored ! ( like poor Edna Birches dog looks on Emmerdale ) As for barking/yapping its easily kept to low levels if taught from puppy hood ,a quick word then reward will do as they just love to please. House training was a doddle no problems with any of them All in all a lovely breed,its a joy to have one on your lap for cuddle Yummy Yummy
Hi, My Pap boy is ready to come home in two weeks, very excited, I'm looking forward to training him, paps seem so smart! It does seem that once you have one you have to have another. The breeder I am getting him from has 18!, all of whom are absolutely adored, and beautifully behaved.
Oh they are smart. Ours is very clever and picks things up quickly. If you don't mind me asking where are you getting him from? You can pm me if you like, or don't have to tell me at all I'm just nosy They aren't a breed for me, but deinitely my nanas and once you do have one they seem to multiply
He is coming from Newport, the breeders have been lovely, regular chats to let me know how he is getting along tons of photos and information on the breed. They clearly love their dogs very much. I researched the breed a lot and they seem right for me, active, clever, people orientated and small enough to come to work on my bicycle!
Congratulations! Look forward to pics! Whisper's 'best friend' is a Papillon lol. She and he fell for each other when they first met and go crazy when they see each other! 'Twas truly love at first sight! He's the only dog I've ever seen her 'play bow' to; she's usually very shy around other dogs. They are lovely dogs, lovely looking and fun-loving.
I have always liked the breed and was talking to a lady at agility yesterday who has 4. Had a cuddle with her 5 year old called Mango She said teeth are the main thing they have go wrong, hers didn't seem yappy. Definately a breed to think about in the future, although with me being quite clumsy I'd have to watch my feet! Quite a difference in size to my collies, Teg weighs 22.8kg and Mango weighs 2.3kg, which is less than my cat! She did say he is on the smaller side for a pap though.
I wouldnt worry to much about the size although Mouse is only 3.2kg she thinks she is the size of a collie, a very hardy little dog.
Funny enough one of the reasons I picked a Pap is I grew up around Collies and wanted a similar smart breed, several people have said they are like mini collies even seen one on you tube rounding up ducks!
