Papillon dog

Papillon dog is one of the smallest dogs, but you don’t have to puff and blow on him. He is lively, resilient and even likes playing in the snow. Papillon is a more popular breed variety with large, protruding ears covered with long hair. Papillon is extremely intelligent, non-aggressive, sensitive, he likes to learn.

Nature

Papillon dog is often said to be a large dog in a small body. He is inquisitive and alert, despite his small size he will be a watchman. Emotional and sensitive, very attached to the guardian, tolerates loneliness badly.

Gentle and sociable, he also demands caresses from guests. He is a good friend of children, but due to his small size, you need to make sure that they do not accidentally hurt him.

He enjoys sitting on his knees and lounging on pillows. However, do not treat it like porcelain figurines. This dog is agile, lively and full of energy. It gives the impression of not being able to sit still in one place. It will keep its owner on a long walk without any problems, and will penetrate the most distant recesses in the garden. Most dogs of this breed feel great in winter and enjoy playing in the snow.

This does not harm their health or the lush robe that can easily be brought to order. Good condition and joy of life dogs of this breed retain until old age.
Papillon is not conflict and can share the house with other animals. He is feisty with foreign dogs, especially when they are much bigger than him. He is not troublesome and can live anywhere, he feels good even in the studio.

Skills

At royal courts he was treated as a mascot, he was to make the owners’ time more enjoyable. Then he was a valued circus animal. Today, the miniature spaniel is a typical companion dog, a favorite of the family. He can do some dog sports, e.g. obedience, dancing with a dog or mini agility.

Papillon dog. Training and education

He is intelligent, willing to carry out commands. Praise and favorite delicacy are the best motivation for him to learn. Papillon is easy to raise, but it requires consistency on the part of the owner. You must treat him gently but firmly.

Puppies need good socialization, isolated they can grow into cowardly and nervous dogs.

Who is this race for?

He is a good friend to everyone. Works great both at home and in a family with children. The owner does not have to have experience in raising dogs, but should devote a lot of time and attention to him.

Advantages and disadvantages

Disadvantages

• can be feisty of strange dogs

Advantages

• devoted to the owner
• maintains good condition until old age
• a good companion for older children
• even suitable for a small apartment
• low-maintenance
• easy to care for
• watchful watchman

Papillon dog. Health

Papillon dog belongs to long-lived breeds. Though small and delicate, it is very resistant.

Sometimes there is a dislocation of the patella in this breed. Eye diseases, mainly PRA (progressive retinal atrophy), liver disease and hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) may appear. Dogs of this breed are also hypersensitive to anesthetics.

Feeding

Papillon dog eats little and is cheap to maintain. You can prepare meals yourself, supplementing them with calcium and vitamin preparations. The addition of unsaturated fatty acids (vegetable oils) has a positive effect on the condition of a long coat.

When choosing ready-made foods, remember that they should be high-energy, preferably for miniature breeds.

Care

The coat, although long, does not require complicated care. It is enough to comb the hair 1-2 times a week with a comb with rotating teeth and a dense metal brush.

We bathe papillons as needed, using shampoo for dogs with long, silky hair, preferably with the addition of mink oil.

History

The first image of a dog resembling a miniature spaniel was found in the church in Assisi on the fresco, by Giotto (1266-1337).

Another evidence for the presence of miniature spaniels in Italy at that time is the fresco by Altichiero entitled “Crucifixion” (around 1370), located in the chapel in Padua.

In the 15th century, phalene type dogs eagerly immortalized the painters of the Florentine school in their paintings. Miniature spaniels came to the French court probably around 1530 together with Katarzyna Medycejska. The lover of this breed was Katarzyna’s son, King Henry III, who always had one of his pupils with him during the most important meetings and audiences. The king’s dogs could not be larger than a male fist.

Miniature spaniels were also favorites, among others Henry IV, Louis XIII and Louis XIV, called the Sun King. Queen Marie Antoinette supposedly accompanied this dog even on his way to the scaffold. Over time, these animals have become popular almost throughout Europe.

After the French Revolution, miniature spaniels in France are almost extinct. They were reborn in the nineteenth century, thanks to the appearance of the papillon variety. It was probably the result of a cross between a phalene and a miniature spitz and a chihuahua.

The cultivation of this variety was mainly interested in France and Belgium. Dogs with asymmetrical white arrow running through the center of the head were considered particularly valuable.

Today, papillon is more popular than the variety with drooping ears.

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Miniature continental spaniel – papillon – group IX FCI, decorative and companion dogs

• Country of origin  France / Belgium
• Original purpose: companion dog
• Character: a dog with a lively temperament, maintains good condition until old age; sensitive and very attached to the owner, he does not like loneliness; gentle, friendly and sociable; alert and perceptive
• Size: height at the withers about 28 cm; the breed was divided into two weight categories: the first – less than 2.5 kg for dogs and bitches, the second – from 2.5 kg to 4.5 kg for dogs and from 2.5 kg to 5 kg for bitches; minimum body weight 1.5 kg
• Coat: lush, shiny, wavy, but not curling, a bit hard to the touch, with a silky gloss, without undercoat. On the muzzle, front of the limbs and below the ankle, short hair, on the trunk – medium length, on the neck long hair forms a ruff and a jabot; tassels on the ears and back of the forelegs, generous pants on the thighs, very long hair on the tail; in some representatives of the breed, the hair on the torso is about 7.5 cm long, on the tail – about 15 cm
• Ointment: all colors on a white background are allowed; on the torso and limbs, white must prevail, a white arrow is desirable on the head; white markings are allowed on the lower part of the head, but white cannot be the dominant color
• Reaching puberty: 1.5 years
• Lifespan: 16 years
• Molting: slight; he does not lose his hair if he is regularly combed
• Activity: large, agile and lively dog; likes walking, but doesn’t need intensive training
• Training: not necessary; works in some dog sports – mini agility and obedience
• Vulnerability to training: quite high; is intelligent; requires a consistent but gentle upbringing
• Attitude towards children: friendly; a good friend of slightly older children
• Attitude towards other dogs: very friendly towards his own herd; it can be feisty with foreign dogs
• Weather resistance: resistant
• Apartment: can live anywhere
• Preparation for exhibitions: you need a bath in the right cosmetics and thorough combing
• It is possible to buy a puppy: the puppy must be ordered in advance

Interesting facts

From the sixteenth century, miniature spaniels were regulars of the French royal court. Their images can be found in the paintings of Rembrandt and Rubens.

The breed comes in two varieties. The first, called papillon (butterfly), is characterized by erect ears. They are large, covered with long hair and worn slightly obliquely, which makes the outline of the dog’s head resemble the silhouette of a butterfly.

The second – phalene, or moth – is considered an older variety. His ears are drooping and close to his head. Perhaps these quadrupeds had Far Eastern ancestors, although they came to France from Italy.