History

The origin of the life experience cannot be verified. It only appeared in many documents after the record of a poodle that was traded in 1545. Some people think that the ancestor of this dog is the snipe breed that was introduced to Spain from China. In the 16th century, the butterfly dog was deeply loved by Spanish and French aristocrats, thus confirming the dog's status in the dog world. For example, Mary Queen of Scots and her dog, the King Charles Spaniel, went to execution with her, and Mary Andrews went to the execution ground with the Papillon. In the 19th century, French and Belgian breeders worked to develop the erect-eared breed. The decorative hair on the butterfly dog's ears is like dancing butterflies, hence the name butterfly dog. Breeders in the United States and the United Kingdom strive to improve the breed of butterfly dogs that are smaller than those in other countries.

Origin

France, Belgium

English Name: Continental Toy Spaniel

Hair Length: Longhair

Feature: Toy Dog

Lifetime: 13-15 years

General Appearance: Small toy dog, of standard build, well-balanced, with long coat. The muzzle is of moderate length, shorter than the skull. Lively, individual, graceful but robust, with a calm, graceful gait and a high head. Body length slightly greater than height.

Head: Size in harmony with body, but lighter and shorter than that of medium to large dogs.

Skull: Not very rounded when viewed from the side or from the front, sometimes with traces of centrally extending wrinkles.

Stop: Conspicuous depression. In larger dogs, the depression is less pronounced but still distinct; in smaller dogs, the depression is well-defined and does not break off abruptly.

Nose: Small, black and rounded, but slightly flat at the top.

Muzzle: Shorter than skull, slender, pointed but not very hollow on sides; must not be rolled.

Nose Bridge: Straight.

Lip: Heavy in color, thin and tight.

Jaws/Teeth: Strong, tight and standard.

Tongue: Not exposed; being visible or not retracting when touched is a defect.

Eyes: Large, naturally open, shaped like large almonds, not protruding, set on the lower part of the head. The inner corner of the eye joins the skull and muzzle. The colour is dark and expressive; the eyelids are heavily coloured.

Ears: Thin but firm. Whether it is a sloping ear or a hanging ear, when tested by hand, the cartilage must not stop at the tip of the ear. The ears are located more distally at the back of the head, the ears are farther apart, and the skull appears slightly rounded as a result.

The dangling ear type is called the Farreni (sound). At rest the ears are high, visibly higher than the line of the eye, dangling and flexible. Covered with wavy hair, the hair can be very long, and the dog's appearance is therefore beautiful.

The erect ear type is called Papillon (sound). The ears are high, and the outer ear is naturally open and turned inward; the inner edge of the outer ear forms an angle of 45 degrees with the horizontal. The ears must never point upwards, i.e. like-shaped ears, which will be disqualified. There are wavy hairs inside the outer ear. The longest hairs will extend beyond the edge of the limit; in contrast, the outside of the face is covered with long frills that naturally extend in front of the edges of the ears. Cross-breeding of the two breeds often results in semi-erect ears with drooping tips; this hybrid ear is a major defect.

Neck: Moderate length, slightly arched at the nape.

Topline: Not too short or arched, nor saddle, but not flat.

Loin: Strong, slightly arched.

Chest: Broad, naturally downward. The circumference of the rib cage at the last two ribs should be the same as the height to the withers. Ribs are naturally arched.

Abdomen: Slightly straight.

Tail: Set high, very long, rich in lovely plumage. When in motion, lift up and back in line and bend, with the tip of the tail touching the back; do not curl or lie flat on the back.

Limbs: Legs are straight, strong, and thin. The dog appears to show no signs of being raised; legs are parallel when viewed from behind or front.

Shoulders: Well developed, with a natural fit to the body.

Arm: As long as the shoulder blade, with a proper angle in front of it, a natural fit, and a natural fit with the body.

Bone: The shape is obvious.

Hock joints: Angle criteria.

Feet: Very long, called "hare feet", pads. The toes are strong, preferably black in brown or white-coated dogs (if a white dog or a dog with white feet has white toes, this is not a defect if the other color of the dog is appropriate). The toes are strong and pad hard, well covered with pointed hairs extending to the front of the toes.

Gait/Movement: Smiley, free, easy, graceful.

Coat

Coat: Coat rich, without undercoats, smooth, wavy (not curled and messed up), not soft but comfortable to the touch, with a silky feel. The hair is straight, fine, and slightly curled into waves. Coat appearance is similar to that of an English toy dog, but is distinctly different from that of a Pekingese toy dog; at the same time, the coat should not bear any resemblance to that of a fox-type dog. Hair is short on face, muzzle, front of legs and lower hocks. The coat on the body is of moderate length. It becomes longer from the neck and resembles a quill-like chest ornament. Shortening in a wavy pattern from the chest, the ear and the back of the front legs form a feather; the soft fur on the back of the thigh forms a "breeches" shape. There may be small tufts of hair between the toes, which can be extended a little if the extension makes the foot look less bulky and more beautiful. Some well-coated dogs have up to 7.5 cm in length at the withers and 15 cm in the tail feathers.

Color:

Any other color is allowed when the coat background color is white. The colour of the body and legs must be predominantly white. The white of the head preferably extends in a more or less broad white patch. White spots may appear on the lower part of the head, but a predominantly white head is a defect. In any case, the lips, eyelids, mainly the nose, must be well-pigmented.

Dimensions and Weight

Height to Withers: Approx. 28 cm.

Weight: Two categories: 1) Both males and females are less than 2.5kg; 2) Males 2.5kg-4.5kg; females 2.5kg to 5kg. The minimum weight is 1.5kg.

Defects: Any deviation from the above points is considered a defect, the degree of which is strictly proportional to its grade.

The skull is flat, apple-shaped and raised like an English toy dog.

The stop is too prominent.

The nose is not black.

The muzzle is arched or hollow.

The lips are faded.

The jaw, especially the lower jaw, is prominent.

Eyes small, too round, prominent; pale in color; dog is white when looking straight ahead.

The edge of the eyelid is faded.

The back is arched or saddled.

The tail is curled, placed on the back, falling to the sides (referring to the tailbone rather than the feathers, which fall in bundles due to their length).

The front legs are arched.

Bone joints are multi-segmented.

Viewed from behind, the hindquarters are not perpendicular to the knees, hocks and feet.

One or two dewclaws on the hind legs are a disqualification and a beautiful defect. Therefore it is recommended to remove it.

Turn your feet in or out.

Nail not touching the ground.

Coat sparse, soft, or loose; hair straight or straight; wool-like coat; undercoat suggestive of a fox-crossed breed.

Removing imperfections:

Pink or pink-spotted nose.

Excessive prominence, upper or lower jaw, incisors not touching each other.