Papillon Training Profile

Weight: 5 to 10 pounds

Height: 8 to 11 inches

Lifespan: 14 to 16 years

Papillon Temperament and Behavior

Papillon, which is French for butterfly, is a beautiful and graceful dog breed. Originally bred as companion dogs, they love to romp around and play indoors with their owners.

Papillons were bred in France hundreds of years ago by crossing toy dog breeds of the time with Spaniels. They have long been loved and cared for by royalty in Europe and are depicted in many paintings throughout the Renaissance era by famous artists.

Historical figures, such as Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV, were devoted admirers and owners of the breed. Today, they are known worldwide as both companion dogs and show dogs.

Papillons are enthusiastic dogs who love being around their owners. They enjoy being in both urban and rural settings. And, although they’re primarily indoor dogs, they also like to play outside. They’re great at agility courses but are content playing fetch in the house as well.

They enjoy chasing other animals and insects, but they must be closely supervised — just in case they try and go after bigger animals.

They are happy to form bonds with other animals, as well as people, but they should be closely supervised when they’re around children. Papillons are very fragile dogs, and children need to understand that when playing with them.

Not only that, but Papillons will get defensive if they feel threatened.

Papillon Training Tips

Papillons are smart dogs, and they enjoy learning new things, which makes it easy to train them. They are not normally aggressive, but as puppies, they can show signs of aggression, such as biting and nipping. Although harmless, those behaviors need to curbed before they get older.

It’s important Papillons are taught to be obedient and are given plenty of opportunities to socialize at an early age so they won’t develop undesirable or aggressive behaviors.

As a Papillon owner, don’t let their adorable personalities get the best of you; being firm and setting up rules will help you build a better relationship with them in the long run.

Although these dogs are devoted to their owners, they can easily develop separation anxiety if they’re left alone for too long, which can cause them to act out and misbehave.

While smaller dogs are often hard to housebreak, Papillons are the exception; most owners have little trouble teaching them to potty outside.