Papillon?

 What sort of dog do you have at the moment?  (Breed/type, age, gender?)  And what do they think of having other dogs on their territory?  They may tolerate little dogs on neutral ground, but have less tolerance when they perceive the dog as being on "their turf".

I think a dog is a wonderful companion for any child, but 100% supervision is required, and BOTH youngsters (dog AND child) need to be trained!  A crate is invaluable - teach your child that he is NOT to go near the crate, and the dog shold always have access to it.  That way, if the dog wants time alone,a nd does not want to be botehred by the child, he can go to his crate and is less likely to get growly or snappy to try to tell his playmate that he has had enough now.

Papillons are a GREAT breed but they're not for everyone. They're more active and can be more intense than the other two you've listed. They're also considered the most intelligent toy breed by many people. Arguments on what breed is most intelligent aside, I can tell you this breed is SMART. My other dogs can't compare, even my shelties. Mine get into all sorts of trouble if I don't keep them active (or even if I do) They're often called 'the border collie or the toy group' for those reasons. I do agility with my girl and the rest of our class is all border collies and aussies. She keeps up fine. If you want a lapdog, some can be laid back lap dogs, but generally another breed would be better. If you want a demanding, athletic, high energy, INTELLIGENT, clingy companion, paps are a great choice. I personally think they're the most awesome breed ever, but then again... I'm slightly biased. ;)

 My dog is a Basset Hound girl, she's seven, but lived with a dalmation most of her life until the dalmation passed away (I think I'm spelling dalmation wrong - - oh well) She was fine with a beagle/pointer that stayed with us for a few days - and she has a shiba inu buddy that visits sometimes, too. They only time she snapped at the Shiba was when he was practically on top of the three year old. I'm pretty sure I could teach the child to stay away from the crate :) He's pretty good. If I put the crate upstairs, do you think the pap would mind going all the way upstairs to get away from the child? I'm not a total pap expert or any toy dog expert - but for some reason I feel like they wouldn't want to walk up 20 steps to get to a crate.... xD I dunno.. I'd put it in the basement - but we have to keep that door shut.

I'm completely fine with a high energy, athletic, demanding and clingy pap - just sayin.... so.... :D Paps rule!! xD I actually love agility - so if you say paps are good at agility - even better! ;) My Basset isn't too cooperative in agility....too lazy I guess. But if a nice, small dog like a pap is good at agility - great!

 

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 Dalmation - looks like the right spelling to me! 

Get in touch with Pap breeders and rescue and get involved "in the breed" before you buy a puppy.  This will help you know what you are letting yourself in for, and it will also help you find a GOOD source - either a reputable rescue group or an ethical breeder.  Even if you don't want to show, picking a GOOD breeder or rescue is essential, if you want a healthy, sound dog.  You don't want to line the pockets of someone who is just churning out poor quality pups for money, woth no care for the welfare of the animals involved.

 Well - I'm off to do some research then! ;)

 But.... there aren't many Pap rescues around here... :( Guess I should look for breeders? The only Pap rescue has a website that doesn't work....

Sounds like a great match then!  I just like to make sure people understand they're not the most lapdoggy breed in the toy group.  Most people I meet wanting one in real life wants one to put in a purse or something.  I think you'd have a hard time keeping one in a purse.  

 The PCA has a breeder list and a rescue.  

 http://www.papillonclub.org/pcabreederslist.htm

http://www.pcarescuetrust.org/

 And then two other rescues I know of off the top of my head.

 http://www.paphaven.org/

http://www.pap911rescue.org/

 Good luck, they are awesome awesome dogs!

 For spelling, it's actually dalmatian.  Not that it matters.  ;)

cool - well - I'm totally against dogs in purses, dressing them up, ect. :) I'll check out the websites ;D

 

So it has an A... Dalmatian.. Ok xD

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