The Brood Bitch

What makes a "good quality" Papillon for breeding?

If you are serious about breeding Papillons, and wish to do so responsibly and to a high standard, then there are a number of factors that must be taken into consideration. These standards apply to all breedings, especially those of puppies intended to be "just" pets (or, in other words, life-long and very important members of a family).

One of the first considerations is whether or not your Papillon bitch is good enough to breed. What does that mean? Your little girl looks lovely and has a wonderful temperament, she is always getting compliments from everybody who meets her so she MUST be good enough to breed from! Well, not necessarily.

Even if you are not trying to breed a Papillon that can win in the show ring, you should still wish to breed Papillon puppies that are true to the Papillon breed standard in respect of appearance, physical ability and behaviour. This is an official standard issued by The Kennel Club, to which all Papillons are judged against. If bitches and dogs that do not conform with this breed standard are used in a breeding programme, very soon the quality of Papillons will be lost, and with it the Papillon breed that you originally fell in love with. Therefore the first place to start is to learn the Papillon breed standard and to understand it. This knowledge is best learnt around the Papillon show ring. You don't even have to show if you don't want to, but sit around the ring, watch the Papillons being shown, try to see and understand why the judge has placed the Papillons in the order he did. Talk to other people sitting around the ring, you might strike lucky and happen to be sitting next to a very experienced breeder!

Another place to learn is through one of the official breed clubs. They will be able to give you advice and information and also put you in touch with a local experienced breeder.

The next step is to have somebody experienced evaluate your Papillon bitch. If she originally came from a responsible breeder, then that is obviously the first place to start. However, if this is not possible, you must find an experienced breeder/judge who is willing to evaluate her and give you an honest opinion. The important thing is to listen to this opinion, even if it is not what you wanted to hear! If you don't understand anything they say, then simply ask them to clarify what they mean or why they say it. Be sure you understand what they say and why they say it. If you do not like their opinion, or do not agree with it, do not simply ignore it and breed anyway - get a second opinion! But if that second opinion agrees with the first, then, please, do not breed from your Papillon bitch. If you are intent on breeding you should try to find another Papillon, one that IS suitable for breeding.

So, you have had your Papillon bitch evaluated and was told that they believed her to be a good representative of the breed. What next?

Next come the tests! The majority of breeds have defects that are inherited, and the Papillon, whilst being amongst the healthiest of breeds, is not excluded. Two such tests are PRA and Patella Luxation. It is not possible to tell if a dog is a carrier (one who does not show the defect but carries the gene and can therefore pass it on to its progeny), but the goal of responsible breeders is to try and prevent serious genetic diseases and defects. An experienced veterinarian will be able to check for patella luxation, but the test for PRA must be done by a specialist. There are various places that organises testing for PRA, contact your breeder, club or check out the "what's on" events in the national dog press.

Finally, you must decide WHEN to breed her. Bitches must not be bred before they are mature enough. With Papillons this can be as early as their second season, but never mate a bitch before the age of one year old.

So, you have had your Papillon bitch evaluated by an experienced person who has intimate knowledge of your breed, and had all the necessary health checks done, and she has "passed" with flying colours, she is in excellent condition, fit and healthy, and mature enough to breed from - now you must find a stud dog which is suitable for her!