Papillon
Toy
Group
Breed Standard
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, Proportion,
Substance
Size Height at withers, 8 to 11 inches. Fault-Over
11 inches. Disqualification Over 12 inches. Proportion Body must
be slightly longer than the height at withers. It is not a cobby dog. Weight is
in proportion to height. Substance Of fine-boned structure.
Head
Eyes dark, round, not bulging, of medium size
and alert in expression. The inner corners of the eyes are on 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
the head. (1) 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. (2) Ears of the drop type, known as the
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. Skull The head is small. The skull is of medium width and
slightly rounded between the ears. A well-defined stop is formed where the
muzzle joins the skull. Muzzle 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. The
following fault shall be severely penalized-Nose not black. Lips tight,
thin and black. Tongue must not be visible when jaws are closed. Bite
Teeth must meet in a scissors bite. Faults-Overshot or undershot.
Neck, Topline, Body
Neck of medium length.
Topline The backline is straight and level. Body The chest is of
medium depth with ribs well sprung. The belly is tucked up. Tail long, set high
and carried well arched over the body. The tail is covered with a long, flowing
plume. The plume may hang to either side of the body. Faults-Low-set tail; one
not arched over the back, or too short.
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. Front feet thin and elongated (hare-like), pointing neither
in nor out.
Hindquarters
Well developed and well
angulated. The hind legs are slender, fine-boned, and parallel when viewed from
behind. Hocks inclined neither in nor out. Dewclaws, if any, must be removed
from hind legs. Hind feet thin and elongated (hare-like), pointing neither in
nor out.
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.
Color
Always parti-color or white with
patches of any color(s). On the head, color(s) 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 noseband are preferred to a solidly
marked head. Symmetry of facial markings is desirable. The size, shape,
placement, and presence or absence of patches of color on the body are without
importance. Among the colors there is no preference, provided nose, eye rims and
lips are well pigmented black. The following faults shall be severely
penalized-Color 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 color,
shall not be penalized, provided the butterfly appearance is not sacrificed.
Disqualifications An all white dog or a dog with no white.
Gait
Free, quick, easy, graceful, not paddlefooted, or
stiff in hip movements.
Temperament Happy, alert and friendly.
Neither shy nor aggressive.
DISQUALIFICATIONS
Height over
12 inches.
An all white dog or a dog with no white.
Approved June
10, 1991
Effective July 31, 1991
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