Papillon dogs are small, agile Toy dogs with flowing feathered hair and a curled plumed tail. Long hair also hangs from the dog’s erect ears and resembles the form of a butterfly.
Colors: parti-colored, white with patches of any other color.
Markings: white blaze and noseband preferred for breed standard, small head with short hair, fringed hair on ears, plumed tail, feathered chest and legs.
Hair: single coated, long & flowing hair.
Trivia: This breed originates from the Continental Toy Spaniel and was once called the Dwarf Spaniel. There are actually two sub-groups of this breed: phalene and papillon.
The only difference between the two groups is the positioning of the dog’s ears.
The older of the two sub-groups is the Phalene which has drooping ears. Because the ears hang down, it’s easy to see the spaniel ancestry.
The other group has erect ears and is known as the Papillon.
Papillon literally means “butterfly” and refers to the shape of the hair flowing off the dog’s erect ears which closely resembles that of a butterfly.
The Papillon’s hair is soft and easily groomed. Although his coat needs brushed, it shouldn’t need the attention of a professional groomer.
I was surprised to find that my Papillon dog often cleans his face and ears with his paws like a cat.
He sometimes needs his paw pads trimmed (personal preference but not required) and of course, you’ll want to do basic grooming such as maintaining his coat, teeth and nails.
This breed does well in the sport of dog agility because he is fast, easy to train, and eager to please.
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