It may be very possessive of its owner and resent outsiders. They are steady, obedient and are not yappers. Papillons can be trained to perform small tricks. Some blood lines can be nervous, high-strung and timid. They can also be difficult to housebreak, but are in general easy to train otherwise.
Papillons do best with older, considerate children.
They can be a bit dog-aggressive. Good with cats when they are raised with them from puppyhood. It sometimes corrects itself but if it does not, the dog needs to be protected. Some have a difficult time under anesthesia. Although they can be good city dogs, they are sometimes not good apartment dogs, because the dog has a strong instinct to protect their property, and many will bark excessively at nearby noises, not making the distinction between casual noises and those worthy of a real alarm.