The Papillon has extremely high intelligence and is often ranked around eighth among dog breeds, almost comparable to the understanding of a six- or seven-year-old child. Because of this, Papillons can quickly accept training, respond well, and develop good life habits. Once we understand the breed better, training can become much more effective with much less wasted effort.
Toilet Training (Best Done After Meals)
Choose a fixed corner outside the dog bed, or use the bathroom or toilet area in an apartment. Lay down dry newspaper that carries some of the dog's urine scent. To help the dog understand that this is the place for elimination, put there something carrying its familiar smell, such as newspaper with dried urine on it. At the beginning of training, the newspaper-covered area should be fairly large, and then gradually you can teach the dog to eliminate only within the designated paper area. Whenever the Papillon does it correctly, praise it immediately. If it makes a mistake, correct it briefly and firmly. Once the location of the dog toilet is chosen, it is best not to move it casually, because consistency helps the dog understand the rules and allows more freedom elsewhere in the home. When teaching a puppy, always master one behavior before moving to the next, and be patient rather than rushing.
Training ?No? and ?Very Good?
When you see the Papillon behaving badly, stop it immediately and give the command ?No? so that it understands the behavior is not allowed and will lead to disapproval from the owner. On the other hand, when the Papillon behaves well, praise it right away with a positive cue such as ?Very good,? while stroking the head or neck so it understands that the owner likes this behavior.
Training ?Wait? and ?Come?
The command ?Wait? is used to make the Papillon temporarily stop what it is doing. During feeding time, place the food in front of the dog and give the ?Wait? command repeatedly as practice. To train ?Come,? it is best to do it during walks. If you call the Papillon and it comes to you, praise it immediately. If it does not come or runs away, never become angry and chase or hit it. Stay calm and try again a little later. In daily life, when allowing it some freedom, try to develop the habit that it stays within about ten meters of you. Getting the dog used to leash guidance from a young age is also very important, especially when crossing roads, in order to prevent accidents. In an open area, if the dog moves too far away, call it back and gradually form the habit of not straying too far from the owner.
Training ?Sit? (Best Done Before Meals)
At first, when you give the command ?Sit,? the Papillon may not understand it. You will need to press gently on the rear part of its body with your hand while saying the command, until it gradually understands and can sit down quietly.
Training the Handshake (Best Done Before Meals)
This should only be started once the dog is already very familiar with the command and action of sitting. After it sits quietly, gently lift either the left or right paw while giving the ?Shake hands? command. Repeat this training until the Papillon understands the instruction. Practice should be repeated every day, but never rush into teaching a new action before the previous one has become familiar. That is one of the biggest mistakes in training.
Training ?Down? (Best Done Before Meals)
If you want to teach the Papillon to lie down, choose a quiet place. Once the dog is already sitting calmly, gently pull the front legs forward into a lying position. As long as the dog trusts the owner, this training is usually not difficult. Pat it and praise it once it succeeds.
Training ?Bark?
In fact, a Papillon will not necessarily bark simply because you command it to do so, so this is best trained before meals. Before each meal, the dog is usually excited and may bark naturally, which can be paired with the command ?Bark, bark.? If it still does not bark after repeated attempts, some owners may try to create a mild trigger. The main goal is for the Papillon to understand what action is expected when the owner gives the barking command. Once it barks, it should be praised and petted.
After four or five months of age, it is also best not to let outsiders casually approach and touch the dog, so the Papillon develops some natural caution toward people other than the owner. Some owners even use food-protection style setups to encourage barking in a controlled way, then reward the dog so it builds confidence and stronger attachment to the owner.
Training ?Do Not Bark?
The opposite situation also exists. Some Papillons bark too much, which can become a headache. This, too, requires training. The goal is to help the dog understand when barking is appropriate and when it is not. If a guest arrives and the dog barks without stopping, picking it up may actually confuse it into thinking it did the right thing. Instead, give a firm correction such as ?Do not bark.? If the dog is alone and barks out of boredom, the owner should not rush over each time without reason, or the dog may learn that barking always brings the owner back. Feeding time can also be used in reverse: if the dog barks endlessly before eating, give the ?Do not bark? command. Any small success or progress should still be acknowledged with praise.
Training ?Go In?
The purpose of ?Go in? is to command the dog to enter its doghouse or designated resting place. At the beginning, use a lead or your hand to guide the dog in while giving the command. This can be practiced especially before sleep at night or after exercise. Repeat it many times every day until the dog learns. One important point is that the doghouse or resting place should not be moved around often, or it will confuse the Papillon. Once the dog has learned the movement, try giving only the command without pushing, then later simply point to the target location and let it go there on command. The training begins as forced behavior, but gradually becomes one command matched to one action, with clear reward and correction.
Training ?Open Your Mouth?
Training a dog to open its mouth is not difficult. First, the Papillon must develop the confidence that opening its mouth does not cause loss, but actually brings benefit. Start by approaching the dog gently and petting it so that it calms down. Move your hand from the head and forehead to the upper muzzle and try lightly lifting the upper lip. If the dog resists, stop at once and praise it. Try again later. If the Papillon still keeps its mouth tightly closed, wait patiently and do not use force, or the training may backfire.
Once the upper mouth can be opened, the lower jaw should be encouraged to open as well. The owner can then immediately place a favorite treat, such as a piece of meat or a biscuit, into the mouth. Repeating this several times helps the dog feel that opening the mouth is beneficial. This makes later tasks, such as giving medicine, much easier.
Training the Papillon in this way requires repeated practice so the action forms a memory. Eventually, when the owner lifts the upper muzzle, the lower jaw will open at the same time. This kind of training does not take much time as long as it is repeated naturally in daily life. Even a forgetful Papillon can often remember it within about three days.