Yay heard from the pap breeder :) and ?s for papillion owners

[puppydog]

Squeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I find a slicker brush works the best for Ben. He hates having his hair pulled and it is the most gentle on him. You HAVE to brush everyday if you want to avoid matts. A spray on detangler works well to make grooming easy.

I walk mine on a wide leather collar but neither of them pull. In the car they are secured with a harness.
Prepare yourself for high energy intelligence. Be prepared to entertain your dog, interact and draw them out. Make them think. Ben is way to clever for his own good and can get a bit naughty if left to his own devices for too long.

You are going to love her! What is not to love about this though?

[Laurelin]

Have you heard anything else? I'm nervous for you!

I didn't see the questions (my bad!)

Unlike Puppydog, I don't brush my dogs every day. I'm actually really bad about it, but my 4 have very simple coats to keep up. I brush them honestly about once a month. they just don't mat. I'd recommend brushing them a few times a week, though. The only dog that ever mats is Rose behind her ears.

For grooming, Forevr has a good article about show grooming a papillon. It honestly works well for pet grooming too since show grooming a pap isn't that tedious. I basically follow that up to where they clip the face/whiskers. Once a month they get a thorough bathing and grooming. I use a slicker brush for most things but for the ears you'll need a fine tooth comb. If you ever take them to a groomer, be sure to mention that you don't want the ears touched at all. I've known people who get paps back and there's no more fringe! I also use thinning shears, regular shears, and an electric clipper (not necessary). You just brush and trim up the feet. I also clip around their backsides for convenience sake.

I use collars instead of harnesses. SO long as it's never a choke or prong you should be fine. If I had a dog that pulled a lot, I'd probably use a harness.

I don't know what size my kennel is, it's pretty small. The one thing you have to keep in mind (well, at least I do with Summer) is she's not *that* small but she doesn't weigh much. She's long and tall for her weight so she needs a bigger kennel. I'd probably wait till you know the dog's height/weight to get one. They vary quite a bit size wise.

[puppydog]

Originally Posted by Laurelin

Unlike Puppydog, I don't brush my dogs every day. I'm actually really bad about it, but my 4 have very simple coats to keep up. I brush them honestly about once a month. they just don't mat. I'd recommend brushing them a few times a week, though. The only dog that ever mats is Rose behind her ears.

Much jealous!
Ben matts in a couple of days if I don't groom daily.

[Laurelin]

Originally Posted by puppydog

Much jealous!
Ben matts in a couple of days if I don't groom daily.

Sorry! Does he have an undercoat at all? I know they typically don't but I've known a couple who had an undercoat (almost like a pom) and they matted a lot more.

[puppydog]

Nope, no undercoat at all. But he does have bumfluff around his ears and butt.

[Laurelin]

LOL @ bumfluff.