Papillon owners quickly get used to the attention these little dogs attract. At dog shows they are approached by people who ask if their dog is a long-haired Chihuahua, a Chihuahua mix or a short-coated Pomeranian. Although some people might say there is a slight resemblance to either breed, the breed standard describes the Papillon as a "small, friendly, elegant toy dog of fine-boned structure; light, dainty and of lively action; distinguished from other breeds by it's beautiful butterfly-like ears."

Most Papillons are between 8" and 11" tall at the shoulder and are predominantly white with patches of color. Their coloring ranges from black to brown to yellow, and must surround the eyes and cover the ears. Most Papillons have patches of color on the body, but some are entirely white except for the color on the head.

A Papillon coat is silky and of medium length, and slightly longer around the ruff and chest. Many breeders call the Papillon coat "wash and wear" because, except for the ear fringes, it does not mat or tangle. It does, however, require regular combing. They carry their plumed tails over their backs.

But the Papillon's trademark is it's ears. Moving constantly ro reflect the dog's thoughts and emotions, the ears stand erect, are set high on the head and are draped in long fringes, thus creating the image of butterfly wings. Phalene Papillons carry their ears down, like a Spaniel.

A Royal Heritage

The Papillon is one of the oldest breeds of dogs, with a recorded history in Europe going back nearly 700 years. The Papillon was originally called the epagneul nain, or dwarf speniel, and sported spaniel-type dropped ears. The dog was later known as the Continental Toy Spaniel, or sometime just Toy Spaniel, and this tiny breed is recognizable in the13th through 15th century Italian frescoes.

It was featured in many paintings of the Renaissance period: in fact, much of the breed's development is known because of it's depiction in paintings. Giotto di Bondonne (1276-1337) painted a recognizable dwarf spaniel in one of his frescoes in a church of Assisi, and the great master Titan (1477-1576) also was known to paint the tiny dogs. Dwarf spaniels are included in the works of many other old masters, including Rubens, Watteau, Fragonard and Boucher.

It was during the Renaissance that dogs began to be kept solely for the companionship they provided. Of course, few people could afford to keep a dog that didn't earn it's keep; a companion dog was a luxury usually limited to the upper classes. King Louis XIV is probably the most famous owner of the dwarf spaniel, mainly because they were included in most of his family portraits. The portrait "Louis XIV and His Heir" painted by Nicolas de Largilliere (1656-1746), included all of Louis' dwarf spaniels.

Madame Pompadour and Marie Antoinette also owned dwarf spaniels. According to legend, Marie Antoinette even took one of the little dogs to the guillotine with her and just before she was beheaded handed it to her executioner. If poor Marie cared much about her dogs, though, it's doubtful she would have taken one with her to such an appointment; it would have been torn limb from limb by her enemies. In fact, it was during Marie Antoinette's time - the French Revoloution - that the dwarf spaniel's popularity began to wane, primarily because it had been so popular with royalty. But the breed survived, and it's popularity rose again in France, Belgium and England in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Recent Developments

It is unknown where the name Papillon first appeared in print, but in the late 1800's it became acceptable to refer to the erect-eared dog as a Papillon (french for "butterfly"), because the erect ears resembled the wings of a butterfly, and the facial markings, particularly the blaze, resemtbled the insect's body. The drop-eared type was called a Phalene, or "night moth". The first known Papillons in the United States were imported in 1907. The breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1915 and by the Canadian Kennel Club in 1935.

Health Aspects

The Papillon is extremely hardy, but puppies should be closely supervised, because a tumble down a staircase or a jump from a sofa might result in a broken leg. By the time the dog is an adult though it is surprisingly resiliant. No matter how resilient though, Papillons shold always be supervised when playing with larger dogs, even friendly ones, because a larger dog could inadvertently hurt or kill a dog that is the size of a Papillon. Even an aggressive self-defence by such a small dog is no match for the response of a larger dog.

The Papillon is a healthy breed, living as long as 16 years, but it does have it's share of problems. As with many small dogs, some Papillons have a problem with the patella, or kneecap, on the hind legs. Normally, the patella is attached to ligaments and rides in a grove, but sometimes the patella wobbles in the groove and catches, causing the dog to hop or skip on that hind leg until it resets. Occasionally the patella will completely pop out of the groove, causing the dog great pain. A veteranrian can correct the disorder surgically, but most of the time a dog with a tricky patella lives with it with little discomfort.

There is always a risk involved when using anaesthesia on a small dog, but the Papillon physiology can complicate things even more. Most veterinarians know that sight hounds require much less anaesthesia per pound of body weight than most dogs, which is partly due to a difference in bone mass and a lack of body fat. Recent research by veterinarians and Papillon owners has shown that Papillon bones are similar to those of sight hounds; they contain more air pockets. With this type of lighter-weight bone if the Papillon is given an anaesthesia dosage according to weight, as wtih other breeds, the dosage would be too high. The recommended anaesthesia for Papillons is Isoflorine.

Is This The Breed For You?

The Papillon is not a dog to be chosen lightly because you like it's looks or the fact that it has a "wash & wear" coat that requires little grooming. When you decide on a papillon you should remembe that it was bred to be a companion dog, one that would rather be with you than anywhere else in the world. A companion dog is exactly that- a companion. It becomes unhappy when left alone for long hours and will develop behaviour problems such as barking, digging, chewing out of lonliness or frustration. If you dislike a canine shadow, the Papillon is not for you.

The Papillon is not a couch potato, however. It's an active, intellingent little dog and if you don't provide it some mental stimulation, it will find it's own. Because of this attitude and it's srtrrong desire to please it's human companion, the Papillon is an excellent dog to do things with.

The Papillon is the most popular toy breed in obedience comptetition and it's not unusual to hear of a Papillon winning High in Trial awards. Papillons can be involved in other sports too, such as Agility, Tracking and Flyball and many Papillons are natural retrievers.

Papillons are excellent therapy dogs to take to hospitals, nursing homes, etc. They are small enough to be set on a lap and cuddled and are more approachable for residents who tend to be apprehensive about bigger dogs. Conversely, they sometimes need protection from the many hands that can be unintentionally rough.

One of the drawbacks to doing things with a Papillon is that many of these tiny dogs don't realize that with their size comes limitations. Sometimes their desire to please is too strong. Nevertheless, if you like dog activities and you enjoy a dog's companionship, a Papillon might be the right breed for you.

Origin and Purpose
The first Papillons may have been Spanish (Spaniel) or Italian. Today, both the French and the Belgians claim the breed. Since the Renaissance, no known cross has been used in its development although two or three other breeds probably trace their ancestry in part to the Papillon. It is one of the oldest purebred Toys, seen in the company of 17th and 18th century Royal children and ladies at court in paintings of the Old Masters.

General Appearance
The Papillon is a small, friendly, elegant toy dog of fine-boned structure; light, dainty and of lively action; distinguished from other breeds by its beautiful butterfly-like ears.

Size
Ideal height at highest point of shoulder blades, 8-11 inches (20-28 cm). Weight is in proportion to height. Fault - Over 11 inches (28 cm).

Coat
Abundant, long, fine, silky, flowing, straight with resilient quality, flat on back and sides of body. A profuse frill on chest. There is no undercoat. Hair short and close on skull, muzzle, front of forelegs and from hind feet to hocks. Ears well fringed with the inside covered with silken hair of medium length. Backs of the forelegs are covered with feathers diminishing to the pasterns. Hind legs are covered to the hocks with abundant breeches (culottes). Tail is covered with a long flowing plume. Hair on feet is short but fine, tufts may appear over toes and grow beyond them forming a point.

Colour
Particolour - white with patches of any colour. Tri-colour - black and white with tan spots over eyes, inside the ears, on cheeks, and may have tan under root of tail. On the head, colour other than white must cover both ears, back and front, and extend without interruption from the ears over both eyes. A clearly defined white blaze and nose band are preferred to a solidly marked head. Symmetry of facial markings is desirable. The size, shape, placement, or absence of patches on the body are without importance. Papillons may be any particolour, provided nose, eye rims and lips are well-pigmented black. Among the colours there is no preference. Faults - The following faults shall be severely penalized: (a) Nose not black. (b) Colour other than white not covering both ears, back and front, or not extending from the ears over both eyes. A slight extension of the white collar onto the base of the ears or a few white hairs interspersed among the colour shall not be penalized provided the butterfly appearance is not sacrificed.

Head
Small. The skull of medium width, and slightly rounded between the ears. A well-defined stop is formed where the muzzle joins the skull. The muzzle is fine, abruptly thinner than the head, tapering to the nose. The length of the muzzle from the tip of the nose to stop is approximately one-third the length of the head from tip of nose to occiput. Nose: black, small, rounded and slightly flat on top. Mouth: lips are tight, thin, and black Teeth meet in a scissors bite. Tongue must not be visible when jaws are closed. Fault: Overshot or undershot. Eyes: dark, round, not bulging, of medium size and alert in expression. The inner corner of the eyes is on a line with the stop. Eye rims black. Ears: the ears of either the erect or drop type should be large with rounded tips and set on the sides and toward the back of head. Ears of the erect type are carried obliquely and move like the spread wings of a butterfly. When alert, each ear forms an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the head. The leather should be of sufficient strength to maintain the erect position. Ears of the drop type, known as Phalene, are similar to the erect type but are carried drooping and must be completely down. Faults- Ears small, pointed, set too high, one ear up or ears partly down, set too low.

Neck
Of medium length.

Forequarters
Shoulders well developed and laid back to allow freedom of movement. Forelegs slender, fine-boned and must be straight. Removal of dewclaws on forelegs optional.

Body
Must be slightly longer than the height at withers. It is not a cobby dog. Topline straight and level. The chest is of medium depth with well-sprung ribs. The belly is tucked up.

Hindquarters
Well developed and well angulated. Hocks inclined neither in nor out. The hind legs are slender, fine-boned, and parallel when viewed from behind. Dewclaws, if any, must be removed from hind legs.

Feet
Thin and elongated (hare-like), pointing neither in nor out.

Tail
Long, set high and carried well arched over the body. The plume may hang to either side of the body. Fault: Low-set tail, one not arched over back or too short.

Gait
Free, quick, easy, graceful, not paddle-footed, or stiff in hip movements.

Disqualifications

Height under 8 inches (20 cm) or over 12 inches (30 cm).
An all-white dog or a dog with no white.