Are Papillon Puppies Okay Around Three Kids.

Updated on August 09, 2015
J.B. asks from Mount Laurel, NJ
9 answers

The kids are ages 8, 6 and 3. This would be our only pet. I am leaning towards a cavalier king charles spaniel but also hear good things about papillons. Any thoughts?

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J.P.

answers from Lakeland on

Two words.

Google search.

This amazing tool that is called the internet can answer this question. Just look up the dog breed that you like and you will get all kinds of information on that breed. Everything from temperament, to grooming, and health problems, etc..

5 moms found this helpful

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S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

did you not read any of the answers to yesterday's question?
khairete
S.

6 moms found this helpful
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A.M.

answers from Phoenix on

A friend of mine has 3 papillons and they are sweet, funny, lovely dogs. My concern would be for the safety of the dog. Papillon are small and fine-boned as a breed. They are fragile. Think about it this way- would you let your three year old play with a $1500 glass vase? Now imagine the vase is squirmy and hyper and wants to play.
I have another friend who adopted a very small dog, Maltese-sized. Her 12 year old daughter was playing tug of war with it with a sweatshirt. She flipped the shirt too high, the dog went flying, landed badly, broke a rib, punctured a lung, and it died. The daughter was devastated, of course. Tiny dogs have ribs like matchsticks. Stepping on them, tripping on them, dropping them, etc, can result in serious injuries. I know you want a smaller dog, but I would look for something in the 20-30 pound range rather than 7-12 pounds. Have you thought about a pug? Or a Westie or similar terrier?

4 moms found this helpful

D.B.

answers from Boston on

I repeat my answer to your prior question - you can't judge an entire breed in terms of personality. It's about the individual dog. And a small dog with fragile bones around a 3 year old? How is that going to end well? Kids like to pick puppies up and carry them around, even though they are totally clueless about the right way to lift, hold and support a dog. That's very hard on a small animal's spine and leg muscles (it's tough on all of them, but worse on little dogs). And if one of the children trips and falls on the dog's leg, that's a sure break with a long recovery.

Another poster advised you to visit a bunch of puppies and to look at the shyest, most docile puppy since you don't want one that is high energy (per your previous post). That was great advice.

But you are apparently set on a small, fragile, expensive pure breed no matter what anyone says, so I would hope you would at least provide a decent sized pen (you can set them up in the kitchen or other room without a rug) and let the dog have range of motion beyond its crate but still keep the kids away from it. The dog is going to need some rest and a calm place to be safe.

4 moms found this helpful

K.H.

answers from New York on

I personally don't think small children & small dogs ever go together, the potential for injury to one or all of them at some point is too great. Little dogs nip, get in our personal space and get away with having bad manners b/c the owners think they are just 'so cute' ...then small children are active & busy, as they should be, it's just too much for me. Someone will get hurt, most likely the dog getting squished or stepped on.

I'm sure you'll find the perfect dog for your family, didn't mean to sound like a Debbie Downer, I'm sure you know what you are getting yourself into with adding a dog to the mix....

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*.*.

answers from New London on

Both of these dogs are small and need to be watched around children !

I know a lady that helps find houses for dogs ...and she has a rule: The dog cannot go into a home unless the kids are ages 5 and up...and she must meet the kids, too.

Pure breeds are great...and costly!

If you do get a dog with 3 kids, make sure the dog cannot bolt out the front or back door. I have a baby gate. And my dog is ALWAYS on a leash when outside for a walk.

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P.K.

answers from New York on

CavalierKing Charles Spanuel would be my pick with young children. They are the best.

B.K.

answers from Chicago on

Now that I see your kids' ages, I would say they're too young.

Any puppy can be a good or bad puppy. Doesn't matter what the breed. A dog is a dog. Purebreds that are purchased from stores generally have more problems than mixed breeds. There are many rescues that foster dogs in homes until they are adopted. I would look into that. You will get a dog that has already been trained and you will know whether it is good with kids or other pets.

And then you must go to training with your dog no matter what. Training is so important.

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D.K.

answers from Columbus on

Both could be good breeds. Cavaliers have multiple health concerns and I'm sure paps have a fee too. So make sure you really talk to the breeder, research what health tests should be done on the parents. Cavaliers may be a little bigger and sturdy but paps are fun little dogs. It will depend on your kids too. Lots of research on each breed and talk to multiple breeders be prepared to wait for a puppy too. Good luck in your search.

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