| Re: SnowyMoose's Papillons
A well-bred papillon should only have a single layer hair coat, no fur undercoat. Therefore they shed like human hair does, but like all dogs they generally blow coat twice per year depending on climate. My husband is not a dog person because he doesn't like the typical doggy odor. He loves our paps! I bathe them as needed (we have pasture and that can lead to ocassional issues) but otherwise about every 4-6 months.
I call mine the drip dry dogs because they are washed in a dishpan in the kitchen sink, towel dried, voila! If you want the appearance of the flowing coat you can blow dry them. Otherwise they look a bit fluffier without the blow dry.
I usually sit with mine in the evening and comb/brush their ear fringe and underneath the ear. That's where they tend to mat a bit. But I just keep a basket next to my chair and it takes a very few minutes. The only other daily routine is to wipe out their eyes. Small dogs tend to get clogged tear ducts so I try to keep them clean. When I have a chance (weekly or so) I brush them out with a pin brush and a slicker. But it's more for my convenience of reducing the fur bunnies rolling around on the hardwood floor with three dogs in the house.
If you choose to get a papillon be sure to ask about luxating patellas (knees), eyes, and teeth. I see the knee problem to some degree, usually very minor, in some of the other dogs that we have encountered. Eye problems have been rare in those that I know, but I rarely get away from the West Coast much so it could be a problem in other areas. And I would say that dental issues are as much an issue as they are with any small breed. The more you downsize the jaw...still have to fit the same number of teeth in it. I have mostly seen overbites (both mine have it, one more prominent than the other), but underbites also occur. Many of these issues will not be very evident in a pup, so ask to see the parents, and further back if you can. You should be able to open the mouth and see if they have all their teeth, the most telltale sign.
The only other advice I have is that a papillon is a very quick learner and great problem solver. Except for potty training (no more difficult than other dogs I've had, but they dont like bad weather) I can tell my paps something once or twice and the lesson is learned. However, if left to their own devices without stimulation they will provide their own kind of fun. They are so small that they are not truly destructive but they can get into things like rolls of toilet paper and anything left on the floor. One of mine jumped up on the sofa and ripped apart the box of kleenex, didn't shred the kleenex, but carried it piece by piece to all parts of the house! | 
