The Papillon is easily one of the oldest known European breeds, something we know from paintings by Goya, Titian, Watteau, Rubens, Rembrandt, Fragonard, Van Dyke, Velasquez, Toulouse-Lautrec and Boucher, and others that attest to the breed being between 700 and 800 years old. Since it was created before written records were kept of dog breeding, however, far too little is known about the Pap’s earliest origins. For a long time, the Papillon was considered to be a type of Spaniel, a notion supported by the occasional ticking that appears in the coats of some dogs, along with the drop ear (making the dog a Phalene) and the instinct of many Papillons to “flush” birds.
In recent years, some cynologists have wondered if the Papillon isn’t actually a type of Spitz. They cite the muzzle and tail-carriage, and speculate that the famously upright ears of the Papillon could have been the result of crossing the Phalene with Spitz type dogs during the breed’s development (the term ‘spitz’ not being a specific breed, but a particular ‘type’ of dog). One source we came across mentioned that Pomeranians were once introduced into the breed to get the upright ears, and if true, this would explain the “spitz” connection since the Pomeranian which is the smallest dog in the Spitz family.
Papillon fanciers, what is the current thinking on this?
Image: Papillon by Debra Sisson
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