Description. The Papoo is a hybrid dog which is a cross of a pedigree Papillion and a pedigree Poodle. However as time went on they could easily be bred from two Pappoos or pretty much any mixture of the three parent groups. Any breeding involving the Papillion or the Poodle must be purebred dogs. As you can introduce either pedigree as father or mother and vice versa or either parent may be an existing Papoo of whatever parental mix. This makes them quite hard to be certain as to the look of the dog you are going to get. You can usually assume any traits that are common to both of the purebreds will be passed down, but even this can not be relied on 100%. Dependant on the parentage the coat can be anything from long and silky to slightly wavy or even short-ish and curly. The weight of this breed is between 3 and 14 pounds and they will be about 8-12 inches in height.

History. The use of Poodles in the new trend of designer dogs, hybrids, is because they have a low shedding coat and this makes them friendlier to sufferers of allergies. However there are inherent problems, as Poodles come in a range of sizes, although the smaller of the breed are normally used. Designer dogs are not registered and there is no specific breed standard so you could end up with any percentage of poodle and the remaining percentage Papillion. This means you could have a 50-50 mix (the ideal) or through after-mix breeding you could get 10% Papillion and 90% Poodle. Most of the original breeds are from working backgrounds and have had standards put in place based on this fact. Nowadays with so few working dogs compared to the numerous pet dogs the standards may begin to shift and the hybrids of today could be the new purebreds of tomorrow. It is up to the responsible breeders to pursue this as the non reputable ones will just try to earn quick cash off the latest trend.

Temperament. This should not be too hard to predict as the parental breeds of the Papoo are quite similar in temperament, in many ways. The dog should be loyal brave and intelligent. The Poodle is one of the easiest dogs to train and is very intelligent; this should pass down as the Papillion is also intelligent and highly trainable. It is vital to remember this is a dog and dogs enjoy being dogs, they do not take well to being treated like a human baby. You must establish yourself as the pack leader to this dog and they need to know their place in the household. Dogs that are not trained properly have behavior issues and can become confused and snappy. A well trained and exercised dog is a happy dog. Whilst they want to be with you a lot they do not really want to be carried, they need to walk. Remember this is a cross from hunting heritage. Exercise is vital and mental stimulation is just as important, play games with your dog they are vastly more robust than they look.

Health issues. This is a problem field as the breed has not been around long enough for the health issues to be known. Be aware though that the Poodle breed has numerous problems. It is always a good idea to check possible health issues with the breeder, if they do not know then go to a better breeder.

Grooming. This depends on the coat your Papoo has and could be anything from brushing every few days to daily brushing and cutting every 4-6 weeks.

Living conditions. This is a dog bred for modern times but will still require exercise and mental stimulation. As long as these needs are met the Papoo will be happy in an apartment or pretty much anywhere.