Papillons & Pugs (a bit long)

[DaisyMae]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum and grateful to be here. I am looking for advice and recommendations from you regarding a situation that has arisen.

A little background ... I was living in the Cayman Islands until recently and when I moved back to Canada I brought my little pug, Lola, with me. I had 3 other rescued dogs for whom I found very good homes.

Since then, Lola has been quite lonely and finding life with just mummy rather boring. I was going to save my pennies and buy another pug when, after much thought, I decided I should get another dog from the pound. So I did. I am presently fostering (with intent to keep) a little Papillon that had been found by the side of the road -- in sub-zero temps!

At any rate, he's a real sweetie. The animal control officer figures he was used for breeding purposes, then ditched for some reason.

The point is, he's very timid and my gallumphy little pug is constantly trying to get him to play. He doesn't seem to know how.

So, my question is .... is that the nature of Papillons? Dainty and refined? Or is it the result of his life so far? Will he eventually "get down and dirty" and play or is he, by nature, reticent and dignified?

I have a friend, a gay guy, who would really like to take him (I call the dog Bernard) but I am rather attached. However, it would defeat the purpose of a playmate/companion for Lola is he remains so aloof.

What do you guys think?

[Carol]

How sad that this little pet does not want to play. Do you have any idea how old it is? Some older dogs are just not into playing anymore but maybe it just never was around other dogs much as it was maturing.
Casey, my adopted girl is not into toys but she sure loves playing with other dogs. She was used by a breeder and voted off the island at age 5.
Good Luck, hope she is healthy and you keep her anyways.Poor little thing has had enough trauma for one lifetime.
Welcome to the forum. Lots of good advice and sharing here.

[DaisyMae]

Hi Carol

Many thanks for your reply.

The animal control officer's best guess is that Bernard is between 3 and 6 years old. Hmmm. Quite a large age range for a dog but I can't do any better.

I'm hoping he'll loosen up a bit. He's very loving and affectionate but seems to have no idea what to do when Lola's jumping around doing her 'let's play' dance.

It's pretty obvious the poor wee fellow has spent most of his life in a crate. Seems to be where he's happiest although I'm trying to coax him into living his life in the house ... not the box.

[Carol]

After I answered, I reread your post and saw you mentioned your friend. Perhaps he could give this little pup a quieter life and one on one attention it deserves. I bet it is closer to 6 because breeders get rid of them when they are 5 mostly. I agree it defeats the purpose if your dog does not have a playmate and the other dog has to compete for attention which it needs desperately.
I know you will do the right thing.

[Carol]

I too am searching for a playmate for Casey. I have been looking for months now. I visited the shelter in my area to see a sheltie there that had been abandoned and left tied to a dock. She is a lovely little dog but, when Casey and I were allowed to spend time with her in an enclosure, the sheltie just ignored Casey and went and stayed in a crate that was there. I declined the offer to take her home. She would have needed too much of my attention and poor Casey would feel neglected and would still have no playmate.
I do not want a puppy. Been there done that when I was younger. casey is 6 and I would like one that is closer to her age. I have a real soft spot for the senior ones. I am amazed but very happy too that there are rarely any cockers available for adoption in my area. Perhaps they are shipped out to the cocker rescue which is too far for me to visit.

[spencersmom]

I have a Papillion but he is only 4.5months old. So far that is all he does is play down and dirty. I don't know when he will loose the "puppyness" but I was told by a vet that they are long living playful dogs. It sounds like he just needs time to learn to trust you. With time he should come around. We had a Husky Shepard cross we adopted from a shelter. He was 5 or so and it took him quite a long time to trust us. But when he did he was the greatest dog ever. Well..most of the time. If you are attached to him maybe you should give it more time. I am sure you will do the right thing.
melissa

[Karon]

Melissa,
Hi. I am Karon. I raise Papillons. Check out my site www.desertpapillons.com. I love these little creatures. You will have so much fun with yours. I would recommend that you give your Papillon a teaspoon of cottage cheese every day at least until he is 8 months old. It is a great natural source of calcium. They need it when they are growing. Enjoy your dogs!
Karon

[Karon]

Daisy Mae,
Hi. My name is Karon. I raise Papillons so I know a bit about them. I would guess that your Papillon was kennel raised all his life.The stud Papillons mark their areas often, but always when a female is in heat, and always when a litter of puppies gets old enough for him to feel the need to announce that this is his domain. Breeders that have a lot of dogs usually keep them in kennels. I just have the four females and one male so I deal with the marking problem with constant watching. We raise our puppies in the kitchen in a playpen. Papillons are very active and playful. And very smart. We have 4 mixed breed dogs ranging in size from 5 lbs. to 80 lbs. and they all play together when I let them. Mostly our Papillons stay inside and have a special area of their own outside with access from the dog door. When we bought our male he was 14 months old, kennel raised , and didn't know how to play, how to be affectionate, or even what a toy is. He is finally relaxed and affectionate but he still doesn't play like the other dogs. It is so sad that his life was just used for breeding. Rocky, our boy, is only 2 yrs. old now and he will never have the personality that our other Papillons have. If your friend could give him one on one that might be best. I don't know if he can be the playful dog that you want. Is he house broke? Has he been neutered? What color is he and what does he weigh? They must have scanned him for a chip. Check out my site www.desertpapillons.com. Good luck.
Karon

[very_vizsla]

papillions are pretty tough little dogs & are usually not afraid of other dogs or unwilling to play with them. every dog has a different personality, maybe yours will do better with no other dogs in the house. if you go to adopt another dog, bring yours along to see what the compatability will be like.