Continental Miniature Spaniel Papillon dog is the official name of this little dog. The most commonly used name is papillon. The origin of the breed is in Belgium and France. It is a fairly popular pedigree dog. The dog owes its popularity in particular to its infectiously cheerful character. The appearance of the typical butterfly-like upright ears also looks funny. She owes the name papillon to these ears. What breed is it exactly and what are the characteristics of this breed?
The race
Officially this variety is called: Continental Miniature Spaniel Papillon dog. The origin of the breed is in Belgium and France. This dwarf spaniel named papillon, which means butterfly in French, is the most commonly used name for this dog. She owes this name to the relatively large upright butterfly-like ears over which long hair falls. Besides papillon, she is also called a butterfly dog in the Netherlands.
There are two varieties within the breed: one with upright ears and one with hanging ears. Other than that, the dogs look exactly the same. The Continental Miniature Spanie papillon dog has upright ears and the Continental Miniature Spanie Chalene has hanging ears. This variant is considerably less popular than the papillon.
History papillon dog
From the 12th century, there were small spaniels that proved unsuitable for hunting. These dogs became house dogs and were pampered by the ladies in the European royal houses. The Papillon dog breed originated from these spaniels that were actually too small. It took until the end of the 19th century before ‘the people’ also started to like this breed. By the way, Belgium has always been a forerunner when it comes to keeping this dog in several layers of the population. This is still the case in 2020.
Appearance
Build
This dog has a normal build, but relatively thin legs. The dog stands high on its legs and looks fragile. That’s definitely not the dog. The height at the withers of the papillon is about 28 centimeters for both the male and the female. The weight of males and females is different, namely:
- males range from 3.5 kilograms to 5 kilograms
- females range from 2.5 kilograms to 4 kilograms
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This purebred dog has a small round head with a pointed nose. The eyes are large and dark. Due to the relatively large upright ears that are high on the head and the straight back, the dog has a somewhat haughty attitude. That’s definitely not the dog. The large upright ears are provided with long hair.
Coat
The long hairs are shiny and silky in texture. The hair may be slightly wavy, but should not be very curly. This breed has no undercoat.
There are not many coat colors of this breed. The basic color is always white, supplemented with:
- maroon
- light brown
- beige
- black
- combination of multiple colors
Mentioned colors are the most common colors, but according to the breed standard, there is not one color that is really forbidden. In particular, the head and parts of the flanks have one of the mentioned colors or a combination of several colors.
Tail
The strikingly large plume-like tail is long and usually white in color. But the tail may also partly contain the color that appears on the head or flanks. The feathery tail falls apart and partly rolls over the rear part of the back. Some people also call the tail waterfall, because of the widely disintegrating hairs. The feathery tail feels silky soft.
The character
The character of this dog can be described as happy, lively, and cheerful. The dog is watchful but is not a typical kef-dog’. She can bond strongly with an owner and any other family members. This breed is extremely intelligent and can be trained well.
This rather present dog likes to be part of the family. She can be temperamental at times, but she’s not out of tune. The dog is fanatical and always up for games, a long walk, etc. He gets along well with other pets, but she is just as sweet alone with people. In the latter case, she likes to draw attention to herself.
Health aspects and care of the papillon
brushing
This dog has a long silky coat, but no undercoat. This means that if you give her a simple brushing every day, this long coat will receive sufficient care. Tangle formation is relatively easy to prevent with daily brushing. The dog will often even experience the brushing as pleasant. A good dog brush also massages the skin immediately, and it also provides the hair with much-desired attention.
Maintain condition
Most small (breed) dogs do not really need long walks, but the Papillon does. It is an active dog that requires good condition. She also likes to go for extended walks. Take some more time for (one of) the three usual walks or take some time apart to go for a nice walk with her.
Specific health problems
The health of these dogs is generally good. The Papillon is a not really well-bred breed and that generally produces dogs that do not have specific health problems. If the dog can already suffer from something, it can at some point be a so-called floating kneecap or some problems with the teeth. You can prevent the latter by teaching the dog from an early age that the teeth must be brushed. This is of course good for every dog, but with this breed, you can enter it playfully, and often works extremely well. The dog can certainly live to be about 15 to 17 years old.
Finally
This small intelligent dog with a cheerful character is also a very present dog and can be an asset to your family. The dog is always up for anything and can be trained well. She loves to play and take nice walks, just like always staying near the owner.
