Judging The Papillon

Transcription

1 Judging The Papillon What is the first thing you will notice When a class of Papillons enters your ring? Ears? Yes, but that is only one part of what makes a Papillon special. Step to the center of the ring and look at the outline of the exhibits before you. 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. The class should stand before you with their heads held high. Their high set tails should be carried well arched over their backs. They should appear alert, happy, animated and ready to put on a show for you. Papillons do not make particularly good statues. They are light and lively, often times with dancing feet. We recommend not putting them on the table immediately. But rather, take the class around the ring once so they can settle in. As the entries proceed around the ring you are looking for fine boned and dainty with elegance and balance. The Papillon has a proud and confident carriage. This is not a timid breed.

2 The Table Examination On the table you will be checking for the fine points of the breed. You will be examining the type points which distinguish it from all other breeds. Before we move on to those finer points, let us discuss the proper approach and handling of the Papillon. A soft and gentle touch is a must, but don t be timid on your approach. If you re overly cautious and timid a smart Papillon will wonder what is wrong with you and what you are up to. The Head The first feature you will examine will be the head. The Papillon head is one of great detail and beauty. The head is small and slightly rounded between the ears. The contours of the head should be gently rounded to give a soft and gentle expression. The muzzle is fine, abruptly thinner than the head, tapering to the nose. A well-defined stop is formed where the muzzle joins the skull. This is best viewed in profile.

3 Head proportions are extremely important to breed type and should be as follows: 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. The nose is black, small, rounded and slightly flat on top. Eyes dark, round, not bulging, of medium size and alert in expression. The eyes should be dark regardless of the color of the dog. The inner corners of the eyes are on line with the stop. You should pay attention to the pigment of the nose, lips, and eye rims of which black is the only allowed color.

4 While checking the bite handle the mouth gently. If you are not comfortable examining the bite ask the exhibitor to show you the bite. The teeth must meet in a scissors bite. Ears The Ears of the Papillon are one of the most important type points of the breed. In the United States we have one recognized breed, The Papillon. Within the breed there are two ear varieties. The Erect ear, Papillon and the Drop ear, Phalene, pronounced Fah-Lynn. The only difference between the two varieties is the ear carriage. All other traits should be the same. Therefore, all comments that are made regarding the breed characteristics other than ears apply equally to both varieties. The two ear varieties are shown together as one breed in the U.S. Neither ear variety is preferred over the other. Open classes are divided by ear variety at specialties. Both varieties, erect and dropped ear, should have large, round, obliquely set ears. The ears cannot be too large or too round as long as they are completely erect or completely dropped. Small, Pointy ears are a fault in both varieties.

5 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 ears are mobile and will not be held at exactly 45 degrees at all times. Remember they are moving like the wings of a butterfly. The Phalene ear set should be exactly the same as the Papillon. Ears of the drop type are carried drooping and must be completely down. There is a slight rise where the drop ear meets the skull. Do not lift the tips of the Phalene ears to look at set or shape. The standard reads, Ears well fringed, with the inside covered with silken hair of medium length. The reality is that not all Papillons are going to have the same amount of fringe. Age, color, condition, care and conditioning all play a part in determining how much fringe a Papillon will have. Clear reds will not carry as much fringing as a black or tri dog or even a sable with heavy black overlay. A Papillon cannot have too much ear fringe. Well fringed ears are called for in the standard and are both beautiful and correct. However, keep in mind, the dog with the most ear fringe may not be the best overall representative of the breed. No Papillon should win on the basis of ear fringe alone. An erect ear dog with heavy fringes must still carry the ears at the proper 45 degree angle when alert. A drop ear dog with heavy fringes must still have mobility of the ears.

6 Body Run your hand down the neck and over the topline. Feel the smooth transition from neck to wither and backline. The backline should be straight and level. Body- The chest is of medium depth with ribs well sprung. The belly is tucked up. You must feel for the length of body. The body must be slightly longer than the height at the withers. A mature, fully coated dog with a profuse frill and britches can give the appearance of being longer than he actually is. Tail long, set high and carried well arched over the body. The tail should not be flat on the back or waving in the air like a flag. A tail well arched over the body adds to the elegant carriage of the Papillon. Some describe the tail set as reminiscent of the handle of a teacup. The tail is covered with a long, flowing plume. The plume may hang to either side of the body. Or the plume may split and fall to both sides of the body.

7 There should be some leg under the dog, which in combination with its fine bone, daintiness, and lovely arched tail, lend to the elegance of the breed. Body The chest is of medium depth with ribs well sprung. The belly is tucked up. Run your hands over the forequarters Shoulders well developed and laid back to allow freedom of movement. Forelegs slender, fine boned and must be straight...front feet thin and elongated (hare- like), pointing neither in nor out. Coat can deceive the eye into thinking that a dog has more bone than he actually has. Move on to the 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 Hind feet thin and elongated (harelike), pointing neither in nor out. The last thing to check on the table is the 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.

8 There should be no undercoat. The coat should lay flat and straight. It should not be cottony or stand off the body like a Pomeranian coat. The mature, abundant coat should flow with the Papillons movements. In good lighting, the silky coat of the Papillon will shimmer adding to the butterfly appearance. Quality of coat is of the utmost importance. Examine on the table judge on the ground Expression, ear set, and mobility of the ears are best seen while the dog is standing naturally on the ground. The expression should be alert, intelligent, soft and gentle. The Papillon should never have a mean or hard expression. Movement The standard reads, free, quick, easy, graceful, not paddlefooted or stiff in hip movements. While the standard does not go into detail on the movement of the Papillon, it does call for well developed and laid back shoulders and well developed and well angulated rear. This implies a dog with reach and drive that has a sound, balanced gait. A Papillon should not lose its neck, topline or overall shape when moving.

9 As mentioned earlier the tail may be carried on either side of the body. If a dog carries its tail away from the judge s side you may want to have the handler turn the dog so you may see the dog in profile with the tail on your side. The beautiful, tail plume adds to the elegance and balance of this breed and you should want a total picture of your exhibit. The Papillon is friendly and alert, many times with wagging tails and happy feet. They do not make very good statues. Their light and lively temperament is an important defining characteristic of the breed. Additional Thoughts If there is something you would like to re-check on an exhibit, please put it back on the table. Do not try to examine the Papillon on the floor. Size Height at withers, 8 to 11 inches. Fault - Over 11 inches. Disqualification - Over 12 inches. There is no disqualification at the bottom end of the standard. There is no preference for any particular size within the range of 8 to 11 inches. Remember, the key is that the individual animal must be fine boned and dainty regardless of height. Regarding body color and markings, it is important to remember that there is no preference in the standard for any particular color. Nor is there any preference for the amount of color on the body or lack thereof! Head Markings - Serious Fault - Color other than white not covering both ears, back and front, or not extending from the ears over both eyes. Therefore, 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 noseband are preferred to a solidly marked head. Symmetry of facial markings is desirable. While a noseband and blaze are preferred, they are not essential. The overall quality of an exhibit is more important than whether or not he has perfect markings. *Please note that all quotes from the standard are in italics and quotation marks. Copyright 2008