PAPILLON BREED STANDARD
AKC - US
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.
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.
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