Papillon Dogs (and Their Famous Butterfly Ears!)
The Papillon, which means butterfly in the French language, is a small-sized, amiable, and elegant dog belonging to the toy dog breed. Its bones are of fine structure, and very popular because of their big butterfly shaped ears. Actually, the papillon dog is one of the oldest toy dog breeds.
Papillon dogs are parti-colored, which means they have white color, aside from the other color markings. It should be noted that an all-white colored dog or a papillon dog with no white markings is not qualified from conformation show ring.
As already said, the most important aspect of the Papillon is the large butterfly ears (so now you know they are called as such). Their ears are fringed with colored and silky hair. An ideal looking papillon dog must have a solidly colored head. While black should be the color of its lips, nose, paw pads and eye rims.
This breed of toy dogs, even as papillon puppies, need not much grooming and maintenance. A little brushing of coat is enough, and regular cutting of nails is desirable. Papillon puppies are easy to train, and can absorb pet obedience training with nary a difficulty.
Do not be deceived by the dainty appearance of papillon dogs, as they are sure to be hardy breed. Most pet dog owners are proud to tell about their papillons, how it seems to be easy for them to walk long miles. Despite their hardiness and strong physical characteristic, papillon dogs are still good-natured and lovable and very ideal for companionship and as a pet dog for the family. They also make great watch and guard dogs.