[Luna_00]

This is a question for any owners (current or former) of Japanese chins and/or Papillon dogs...

I live in an apt, working (mostly) from home, with a (dog-friendly) park just down the street from me. I am moderately active and enjoy being outdoors (when the weather allows). (I live in the Midwest so we enjoy all four seasons.)

I had a back injury several years ago and am not able to lift more than (approx) 10 lbs (or I could risk re-injuring it). Other than that, I have no other health issues or physical limitations.

I have no kids or other pets, and have been reading up on both Chins and Papillons as they seem to fit weight/size requirements for me, and both breeds seem to be suitable for apt. living.

However, when researching how much each breed sheds, as well as how "yappy" either is, I find very conflicting info. :help:

Iyo, what do you think about either (in terms of shedding & barking)?

What has been your experience(s)? I don't mind moderate shedding & barking but do not want anything excessive.

I would love to hear your honest opinion/thoughts. ( I know each individual dog varies in terms of temperament, I would just like to hear your personal experience/thoughts on this.)

P.S. - I am not a first-time dog owner. Just new to these two particular breeds.

Thanks so much for reading!

 

[CiElBie]

Well, japanese chins are Brachycephalic, so I could never really support buying one unless it has a longer muzzle...

Brachycephaly is something I really dislike in dogs. I think if the dog may have trouble breathing, that is more important than shedding or yapping...

Though the nares seem to be a hit and miss. Some like This dog have stenotic nares, whereas others like This seem to have them nice and open...

 

[Aussie27]

I have a papillon.

I don't find she sheds all that much. I do get hair from her on my pants, but that's easy to handle with a lint roller.

As far as yapping goes, she definitely likes to bark and does alarm bark and barks when she's excited. However, she picked up on the alarm barking from our older dog, so I imagine that wouldn't be as big of an issue if you got a puppy and didn't have a dog who they're learning behaviours from. She isn't an annoying type of "yappy" though and most of her barking happens when we're playing. Definitely not excessive by any means.

 

[taquitos]

I don't find Chins or Papillons shed that much. Also, they're such tiny dogs it really isn't that bad. I have a Pom and even with my Pom I feel like he doesn't shed that much at all.

How much barking can you tolerate? Most toy breeds will bark when excited, or will alert bark. They should *not* bark excessively, though.

I find Chins more easy going than Paps.

 

[Luna_00]

Thanks for all the comments & info everyone! I really appreciate it!

 

[Luna_00]

"Alert" barking is fine. However my family had a dog (while I was growing up) that would sit by the window and (literally) bark at a leaf that blew down the sidewalk. (I'm not joking). He would literally bark at everything and everyone (except us). (He was a rescue and his former owners abandoned him. So I think he had some anxiety issues, idk). But something that high-strung I would like to try and avoid if possible...

 

[Crantastic]

All the papillons I know like to bark. They're also fairly active dogs; I know a few who get by with moderate activity, but most will need for you to throw a ball for a while every day if you can't do long walks. Even mine, who is 10 years old and more laid back than many I've met, get annoying if we miss a couple days of walks (she'll bark more, snark at the cats, and compulsively lick her feet).

 

[Galathiel]

The pap I had could run like a deer and loved people, dogs, cats. He never really learned to play with toys (he was an adult when I got him). He would wrestle and play with my other small dog. His favorite thing to do was to make a coccoon in a blanket and snooze. He usually barked when my other dog (shih tzu) would announce people at the door, but didn't just .. yap.

My worst dog about barking at EVERYTHING is my current German Shepherd hehe, but then GSDs aren't that quiet (this is my 5th). My pap, pom and my shih tzu just alert barked for people arriving.