By Kelly Marshall
No one who comes face to face with the breed of dog known as the Papillion can ever mistake it. This small, friendly, happy go lucky dog looks as though he is wearing a feathery butterfly mask. In fact, Papillion is French for butterfly and this dog is so named because of his trademark ears and their feathering does indeed look like butterfly wings. However, when viewed from the backside this dogs thick log tail that curls high over the backside has also earned it the nickname of the squirrel dog. No matter what he looks like you can bet that this little dog is all dog with a personality much larger than its actual size.
What does a Papillion Look Like?
Papillions are indeed little dogs standing on average between 8 and 11 inches tall and weighing a mere 7 to ten pounds. They are considered companion dogs and it is believed that at least forerunners of the Papillion were pets of kings and queens.
This is a parti-colored breed meaning that they are white mixed with another color and sometimes accented in a third color. They come in every dog color combination except ones such as black, sable, red, lemon and fawn. They have a small head that is rounded at the top and marked by their trademark large ears. Their coat is long and silky and although it should be brushed daily it doesn’t tend to mat or tangle. They do tend to be average shedders however.
Personality
This little dog has a giant personality, is fun loving and playful, becoming very attached to their owners wanting to spend all their time with them. This makes them a perfect pet. However, despite the fact that this dog is tiny and delicate looking he is not the type of dog to want to sit on your lap all day content to be petted and stroked; quite the opposite in fact. This dog is highly intelligent and energetic and needs to be with people who can provide him plenty of mental and physical exercise.
Due to his eagerness and desire to please this dog is easy to train and in fact this breed does well in dog shows, dog rings and obedience trials. He is a quick learner and in fact, thrives on learning new things so he is an easy dog to teach all kinds of tricks to as well as obedience commands.
He also loves to run and play and can get much of his exercise through fetch games and other such activities, but he also needs to go on a walk with his owner to be completely happy. While the Papillion can adjust to apartment living if walked regularly and often he does best with families that have at least a small yard where he can run and play several times a day. He loves traveling with his people and if well socialized can go almost anywhere with you.
However, it is wise when adopting a Papillion to choose the breeder carefully as these dogs need to begin their socialization before they even open their eyes after birth. They tend to be fear biters if not socialized early and need to be handled gently and often as soon after birth as possible. This handling needs to continue through their early development so that they will not be afraid of people when they are weaned and ready to go to new homes.
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