~ AKC Papillon 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
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.
The beautiful Papillons that grace the pages of this website took over 30 years of pedigree research, skill, knowledge, heartache and dedication, and as a result Crisanda is able to produce lovely, typey Papillons today.
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