Is A Papillon The Right Breed For Me?

Papillons are often mistaken for Long Haired Chihuahuas or sometimes even Pomeranians, however they are distinguished (usually) by their large, fringed ears. They are called Papillon, which means butterfly in French, due to the resemblance when their ears are erect.

There are 2 varieties, which can be born in the same litter, and they are shown together unlike some breeds which are shown separately. The erect ear variety is called the Papillon while the drop ear variety is called the Phalene (moth).

Unlike some other breeds, males tend to be a bit more loving and "momma's boys" or lap dogs. Females can be a bit aloof or as I like to say, they take they term bitch seriously. This is not to say you will never see a cuddly female that would like nothing better than to lay on your lap all day, but more often than not, if that is what you are looking for....pick a boy.

Papillons are often called the "Do it all dog" and anyone that owns one knows this is quite true. They really are not the typical toy breed that just wants to lay on the couch and do nothing all day. Some other names for the Papillon include "Big dog in a little package" and "A 5 pound Border Collie," those names will be discussed a bit in the cons section as well. ;)

So here are some of the best things about Papillons. These are pretty universally true statements, in my experience with the breed, but remember that dogs are living, breathing individual beings, not little cookie cutter robots built in a factory. No two dogs are exactly alike, even litter mates can be wildly different. There are exceptions to every rule.

1. They are pretty "portable": This is true of any toy dog, obviously. Papillons generally are between about 3-9 pounds. I would say the average is about 5-7 for most "typey" dogs, but there is a lot of variation in weight. The standard does not address weight, other than to say it should be in proportion to height. Height should be 8-11" over 12" is a disqualification.

In the last few years, there have been more and more larger and oversized Papillons due to the rise in popularity they have been coming out of puppy mills, who do not care about the breed standard, of course. Keep in mind, even a reputable breeder will get the occasional overszed dog.

2. Papillons are very intelligent. This is both a pro and a con and I will discuss it more in the con section. However, if you want to do anything in the area of companion events, Papillons are the toy breed of choice. There are tracking Papillons, agility Papillons and even a herding Papillon.

Papillons are generally very willing to please their humans and do very well with positive methods of training, such as clicker training. Due to their small size, you do have to be careful about overfeeding and weight gain. I find that my dogs will work for very tiny treats, so we get a lot of reps out of a session. 1/4 of a cheerio is a fan favorite here.

The downside of learning something quickly and easily is that they learn from almost every situation. You do need to be careful and think ahead about what you are teaching a Papillon BEFORE you teach it. They can accidentally train things you don't want if you are not careful.

3. Papillons, overall, make good companions. If you want a dog that will be with you 24/7, then a Papillon may be the dog for you. In fact, you may never be able to do anything alone again once you have a Papillon because they like to follow you everywhere, including the bathroom! This can also be a con and will be discussed in more detail there.

4. Compared to many breeds, Papillons are a fairly healthy breeds. The 2 main health issues facing Papillons are: patella luxation and PRA (Progressive Retinal Atrophy). There are varying degrees of patellar luxation and a dog with even severe luxation can live a perfectly normal life. If the dog is suffering lameness or pain, surgery may be required.

PRA is, generally, a late onset disease that causes the dog to slowly go blind. Most reputable breeders have their breeding animals tested and get something called a CERF, showing their dog(s) are clear of the disease.

More recently some Papillons have presented what appears to be NAD (Neuroaxonal dystrophy). NAD is a neurological disease, which generally results in death of the dog by about 4-6 months of age.

5. Papillons do not require a lot of space in terms of needing acres to roam like you would see with a Greyhound or other large breed. They are good for people in apartments or people with small yards for this reason. Don't confuse not needing a lot of space, with not needing any exercise at all or not needing to be kept busy, though.

A bored Papillon will find things to do to entertain itself. Those things are usually not things that the owner approve of or find entertaining!

6. Papillons are a single coated breed and even though they have a long, silky coat, they do not require a lot of intense grooming. They DO shed. They are also NOT hypo-allergenic. They do require regular brushing or they will get mats behind the ears and in their furnishings. If you are not going to show your Papillon, you can get away with not blow drying and just brushing it out after it drys though, which is not true of many long coated breeds, so that is really a nice perk.

They do need routine nail clipping and teeth cleaning, of course.

I have done a lot of Papillon rescue and a lot of my dogs have been "unadoptable" rescues, several of whom were going to be put down, through no fault of their own. I do not believe in sugar-coating the potential problem areas with the breed because it's the dogs that end up suffering when things don't go like the humans want/expect them to.

Right off, if anything in the quick and dirty list of cons is a big problem for you, you need to just cross the Papillon off your list of potential dog breeds. Just move on to the next breed on your list and call it a day.

1. The most common complaint about Papillons and a very common reason for them being turned into rescue is that they are hard to housebreak. A lot of owners will poo-poo this and tell you that their dog is 100% housebroken from a very early age, but If you really question them, you find out that *they* (the owner) are actually very well trained and very vigilant and just make sure their dog is not having accidents.

If you have a few Papillons, I think your odds of having all of them goes down even more. I have never met anyone that I really believe when they tell me they have a lot of Papillons and they are all 100% housebroken.

If housebreaking is a big issue for you, I suggest you do not get a Papillon. The odds are, even if you do manage to completely housebreak your dog, it's going to be a long, frustrating process for you.

Marking can go either way. I have a male here, that I am not sure has ever marked anything in his almost 4 years of life. I also have one that lives to mark. I also had a female that was a big marker and that is not unusual in Papillons.

2. A bored Papillon is a dangerous thing. This is part of the con of the intelligent thing I spoke of previously. There are Papillons that like nothing more than lying on the couch all day and will never get into any trouble. That usually will not happen until well into adulthood though.

Papillon puppies and young adults need to be kept busy or they can (and will) get into things. I have never had a breed before that felt it was okay to just jump on any bit of furniture there is, including the coffee tables and dining room table. Keep your Kleenex up high as well, because Kleenex is a favorite Papillon shredding game.

A short walk, a game of fetch (even down a hallway), just some general playing with toys, or a run around in a fenced yard will go a long way to keeping a Papillon from getting into trouble on its own.

There are also many good, safe puzzle toys available that Papillons tend to enjoy.

3. A lot of literature you will read about Papillons says they are "cat-like." In fact, that was one of the things that was a driving factor in my decision to get my first Papillon. The one that sits and does Nothing. But. Bark.

Not all Papillons are big barkers, but a significant portion of them are. Boredom will lead to barking, so that is another reason not to let your Papillon suffer boredom. They also can be alarm barkers, who feel the need to warn you about the dangers of everything. The leaves blowing across the street is a very valid danger in the Papillon mind!

Friends that I spend a lot of time on the phone with can name several of my Papillons from their barks and if it's a friend that also has Papillons, I can name which dog of theirs is barking.

If you live in an apartment, this can be a real problem, so keep that in mind when you are considering a Papillon.

4. Papillons like to have their way and can be a bit on the manipulative side. A lot of people think this is cute in a 2 pound puppy and do not correct the behavior. Unfortunately, this behavior isn't as cute in an adult dog and results in another one of the top reasons that Papillons are turned into rescue. Biting and other "snarky" behaviors.

When I was actively doing rescue, I personally adopted 2 "unadoptable" Papillons because they were going to be put to sleep due to being biters. Neither dog was able to be adopted to someone in the general public because it was not safe.

The one dog was surrendered due, in part, to his grabbing pants legs when people walked, a behavior that was "cute" when he was a puppy that they did not correct escalated into something much more the older he got. Eventually, he decided that anything he didn't want to happen to him, he would bite for and the people surrendered him to a shelter. He has come a long way, but he is still not a safe dog, even with us.

If you get a Papillon, it's never ok to let them get away with behaviors you would not allow in a big dog, just because it's cute when they are little. If you wouldn't let a Pit Bull or Mastiff do it, it's not ok for a Papillon to do it either. No one would think it's ok for a Pit Bull to be "snarky," so use that as your guide.

5. Papillons were bred to be companions for royalty. They are still bred today to be companion dogs. They really want to be with their humans. A Papillon will not be happy in a home where it is alone for extremely long periods of time every day.

Many Papillon breeders will not even place puppies with people who work outside the home or are away from home for many hours a day. If you do work, this doesn't mean you can't get a Papillon, but you need to make some arrangements for a dog walker or a doggy day care or some other arrangement so your dog is not alone for extremely extended periods of time.

Papillons that are left alone for extended periods (and sometimes just inherently) may develop separation anxiety. They will shriek and howl and become destructive when left alone and if crated, they may even hurt themselves by chewing on the bars of their crate or scraping the skin on their noses on crate doors or bars.

6. Papillons are a delicate, fine-boned toy breed. They are sturdy, but they are small. A Papillon can be killed by a large dog or a small child accidentally even during play. Many breeders and rescues will not even place a Papillon with a family that has small children or large dogs for this reason.

When I was doing rescue, this was also my policy because there were too many variables and the number one priority for me was the rescue dog. While this may seem unfair, the tragedy of dealing with an accidentally killed beloved pet is horrible for an adult, imagine what it would be like for the small child who was the one that accidentally killed said pet.

Another factor with children, your children may be the best behaved children on the planet, but when you have kids, you invariably have other people's children in and out of your house and those children may not be used to small dogs. Get a few kids together and things start happening and in the blink of an eye and accident can happen. No one would purposely hurt the dog, but Papillons are small and delicately boned, so accidents can happen quickly. It is something that you really need to consider very seriously if you have children and are considering a Papillon.

The same basic things go for large dogs. A large dog even playing with a Papillon can hurt it. Even swatting a Papillon with a paw, if it hit it just right can cause it damage. Would the dog mean it? No, but that won't erase your pain if one beloved family pet kills another.