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- The right way to say Papillon is (Pappy-yawn) which means Butterfly. There is two different varieties of Papillon's and one is called a Phalene (Falyn) this means a Moth or a dropped eared Papillon.
Training - Papillon's are a very easy to train breed. They are also very intelligent. Papillon's are ranked as #1 toy in Obedience. Pap's are great at Agility too. In addition, they do make a great therapy dog for there size, intelligence and also there friendliness.
Barking - Barking is something that Papillon's do when the doorbell rings or something interests then such as a neighbors pet, a squirrel or even someone walking down the street that they don't know. Papillon's on the whole they are quite quiet. They can be trained to learn not to bark except when wanted.
- Papillon's normally fit in quite well in most households. They do get along with other pets provided the owner supervises playtime, especially other large breeds. Most reputable breeders take great caution placing their Pap's in home as this is for a lifetime not just a couple of years.
Housebreaking - Housebreaking takes work they are like little children and it is not over night. Papillon's need to be placed on a time Schedule and housed in a crate when not attended will make the job go faster. Please remember Puppies have small bladders and must be taken out frequently. Leaving them locked up for long lengths of time with teach them to go in the Crate. Do not leave your puppy in the crate for no more than 4 hours. Less is better, they just can't last that long.
- Papillon's are a happy go lucky outgoing breed. They love lots of attentions. They can walk or run for miles when conditioned for it.
Measurements - Papillon's height is measured from the floor to the top of the shoulder blade. This should be between 8-12 inches. A dog measured over 11 to 12 inches is considered by AKC & CKC Papillon standards to be a fault. The average size of an adult Papillon is 9-10 1/2 inches with an approximate weight between 4 to 9 pounds. Big and little Pap's do happen from time to time. A big Papillon gene can crop up occasionally. Sometimes people will breed a larger male to a larger female and get a whopping size puppy! Large Papillon's can make wonderful pets and performance dogs.
Male Versus Female - Most experienced breeders will agree, that both sex's are excellent pets, but there are slight differences between a male and a female. We find that males are a bit more loving and willing to please their family and make great house pets. A female loves to be worshipped and doted on. Acquiring a male as a pet is usually 100% easier than to even find a female for sale.
Papillon's with Children: - Pap's make wonderful pets and rules must be established as they are very small and can be injured or worse. There bones can break if dropped or treated rough. When some breeders sell to a family they want to meet the whole family to try to make sure this will not happen.
Erect Ears or not - Teething as puppies mature they go thru a calcium level change and some with erect ears will drop and then go back up. This is normal that they will be down then up and then down again. But if you have a Phalene it's ears should not be going up and down. Sometimes adding cottage cheese, plain yogurt will help. Do not add calcium to your dogs diet without asking your vet first as to much calcium is not good either.
Tear Staining: This can be caused by a number of things such as Blocked tear ducks, allergies, stress, small tear ducks or an infection. The first thing you should do is ask your vet to check for an infection and/or a blocked duck. If this is fine then next just check what you are feeding and I find that a lot of Maltese breeders say to give a 1/2 a flavored Tums twice per week helps as it cased the tearing to go clear and this stops the stain but still causes the moistures. Remember not to much on calcium if you are giving a calcium supplement do not give Tums to your dog. Again before doing anything contact your Vet.
Length of Coat This is caused by different things such as: Genetics, food, environment, health, color, or grooming. It can be one or more of these reasons. Check first your Pedigree if they all have short coats chances your dog will too. Food: if your food has a lot of filler and very little nutrients, your dogs hair growth wouldn't happen. Environmental: a continuous warm climate they say causes not a long hair growth. Health; various health problems can cause the coat to be dull and sparse. Grooming: rough treatment to the coat with a brush or slicker can cause the hair to be ripped out. Care must be given when brushing ear fringes especially fine fringes. Color: Usually your White/Black or Tri coats grow longer and more coat then other colors. Spay/Neutered they also grow more coat.
Teeth Tarter build up is normal. A routine annual dental cleaning by a veterinarian is a must. I suggest buying an infant tooth brush. I recommend brushing your dogs teeth once per day or at least twice a week. Papillon Puppies loose their canines between 5-61/2 months of age. Keep an eye on there teeth that when the adults come in beside the puppy teeth, that the puppy teeth are loose or see your vet to have them removed. This could cause your Papillon to have an incorrect bite. Give your puppy/dog plenty of chewies, hooves and other safe toys to chew on.
Shedding Papillon's do shed. The biggest myth of all is they don't shed. They are a single coated breed. They shed less then a double coated breed. If you groom them daily or every second day you will get most of the loose hairs in your brush and then keep it to a minimum. If your puppy/dog gets under stress it will tend to let go of hair this is not shedding. Remember that they do shed twice a year still.
Life Papillon's are a long-living healthy breed. They have some that have lived up to 24 year. This must be taken into account before getting this breed. They will be a wonderful family member for a long time.
Health Concerns with some toy breeds. Patellar Luxation: Common in ALL toy breeds. In the active Papillon, luxation can be genetic or environmental. This is checked on the Sires and Dams plus on the puppies when they have their health checks, by most breeders to correct this problem. This is caused by over use to the knee joint. Genetic Luxation is usually found in young puppies/dogs. Environmental is when the puppy/dog is not conditioned and then made to jump, climb and run, these cause stress injury of the joint. Reverse Sneezing: This is also called Hurfing, and is when the trachea goes into spasms. This can be caused from sniffing pollen or dust or swallowed a treat to fast or even their throat is dry. Some people think that the dog is choking. The inhaling snoring called a "backward sneeze" is sometime stoppable by covering the nose in an attempt to get the dog relaxe and breath. Don't block to long just about 2 seconds. Stay calm.
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