Looking Around With Lee – A Discussion About Papillons

By Lee Canalizo

COMMENTS FROM THOSE WITH A LIFE DEDICATED TO THE PAPILLON:

These are the three questions I asked each Papillon breeder:
1. Are we changing the make and shape of the Papillon?
2. What do you see in the Papillon today that you did not see 30-40 years ago?
3. What did you see in the breed 30-40 years ago that you do NOT see today?

LOU ANN KING

1. Are we changing the make and shape of the Papillon?

First I would like to point out the Papillon Standard has not been changed since 1991, 26 years, so a lot can happen with ge- netics, style and overall look in that time, but the standard remains the same.

It is my opinion too much emphasis is being placed on coat, fringe and markings. There are many dogs with mounds of coat and fringe. In my opinion, they often lack the essence of a Pa- pillon, as well as a good physical foundation (straight front, well- developed and angulated shoulders and hindquarters). When a dog has too much coat you lose the overall outline of the Papillon, the elegance, which I feel is very essential. Coat can make a dog with proper proportions look short-legged or long. This is not a breed that should have coat to the floor. They should only appear ‘slightly longer than tall’.

A sweet expression is often lacking, which I feel is essential. This sweetness comes from the eyes which are described as dark, round but not bulging, of medium size and their placement.

I personally insist on the head and expression having fine chis- eling, as too much fill under the eyes or a coarse muzzle can change the whole expression, so dogs that look lovely across the room sometimes put me off when I get up close to them. I see people choosing a dog with perfect markings, mounds of coat and fringe over a well-made, elegant dog without those ‘perfect’ mark- ings too often.

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Posted by Alex on Jun 29 2017. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.