Canadian Kennel Club Breed Standard for the Papillon

 
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:
Size - 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 Phalène, 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.
 
Colour:
Always parti-colour 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 nose band 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.
 
Gait:
Free, quick, easy, graceful, not paddle footed, 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.