What can you tell me about the papillon dog? Shedding, temperament, loyalty ect.?

Answers:
I have two.. male/female.. they are wonder dogs, very devoted and beautiful. Also called the Continental Toy Spaniel, the Papillon has a tail which is long and plumed and carried curled over the back. For this reason the Papillon was once called a Squirrel Spaniel. Its long lustrous coat is white with patches of any color, except liver. The butterfly ears are carried either erect or drooping. Papillon with drop ears are called Phalene Papillon (Moth). There is a well-defined white nose band. It has an alert and intelligent expression. The Papillon's muzzle is short and a bit pointed. The dog should be white with patches of any color. A color other than white should cover both eyes and both ears back to front.

Temperament
The Papillon is sometimes called the butterfly dog - because the ears look like butterfly wings. It is a friendly, intelligent dog that is tougher than it looks, and loves outdoor exercise. A gentle and affectionate dog, lively, vivacious and charming. Playful and amusing but can also be calm, patient, gentle and dignified. Steady and silent. Loves to be cuddled but also likes to romp outdoors. It may be very possessive of its owner and resent outsiders. They are steady, obedient and are not yappers. Papillons can be trained to perform small tricks. Some blood lines can be nervous, high-strung and timid. They can also be difficult to housebreak, but are in general easy to train otherwise. Papillons do best with older, considerate children. They can be a bit dog-aggressive. Good with cats when they are raised with them from puppyhood (we had three Persians - they got along great).
Shedding can be a problem if you are not used to having dog hair (long) all over your black dresses %26lt;g>. but they do NOT have an undercoat so they will get chilly in the winter months.

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They are lap dogs and very loyal to their owners. My roommate in college had one after she moved out and she carried it everywhere in her purse. It was a really sweet dog and didn't bark or bite or anything. I'm not sure about shedding but it did have kind of long hair.

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I have a 14 month old female. She is very sweet. She sheds a lot though.they can have skin allergies. That's why mine sheds so much. I crate trained mine and the housebreaking was very easy. Now I can trust her to roam the house freely during the day. She loves to travel and rides in her purse very happily. I dress her.she loves this activity also. She loves to run and is very agile. All puppies take lots of attention at first.just like little children. Good luck.

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Papillons are wonderful dogs for the right person. They are very intelligent and will learn tricks etc in a snap. However since they are so intelligent, you must keep them mentally occupied or they will find something to do, which might not be a good thing for your furniture. Since they are a long-haired breed, they require some grooming, most recommend once a week . They WANT to be with you, there is a saying among Papillon owners that once you have a Pap, you never go to the bathroom alone! They are finely boned and delicate so small children should be supervised when they play with one. Some Papillons aren't known for their patience with small children and will snap if handled roughly. They do bark at the slightest thing but again since they are very smart, you can train them not the bark but that will take time. Since they are a small breed they can handle any type of environment such as apartment building or a ranch, my largest Papillon herd sheep with me sometimes. Shedding is a problem, they have no undercoat and DON'T go through a yearly shedding cycle, they in fact shed year round. What sometimes helps is anti-shedding treats that can be find at any pet store. Otherwise buy a really good vaccuum b/c you will be using it a lot.

What I would recommend is get a book on Papillons, they can be found at any on-line bookstore or at the local petstore. Read up on the breed and talk to some breeders at local dog shows to get a more accurate feel of the breed's personality.

Good Luck!