Papillon is considered as one of the oldest spaniel toy breed in the world. In French, its name literally means butterfly and indeed, this dog appears to have a fluffy butterfly-esque ears and a spirit that’s as light as the mystical insect. However, the Papillon is not all fragility and lightness for it surprisingly champions the dog sports of agility, competitive obedience and tricks performance.

Atop its head, the Papillon’s ears are swaying and standing like a big, free butterfly. Its body, filled with a single coat, lush and soft hair, is colored in many combinations of white and other colors. Usually, these colors are white and black, white and lemon, white and sable, black, brown and white, black, red and white and more.

Despite from looking classy and stately, the Papillon is no high maintenance creature and in fact, is one of the easiest to groom dog. Its coat although plush and dense, is naturally clean and odorless and is not prone to tangles that’s why daily brushing or combing is already enough. The teeth are prone to tartar accumulation, however, and so regular cleaning is needed.

The Papillon has a 700 years worth of recorded history and is in fact depicted in countless Italian frescoes from 13th to 15th centuries. During the Renaissance, famous artists such as Titian painted this breed together with many royal and high society families. This dog, all throughout its 700 years of recorded history, had been known by many names like Continental Toy Spaniel, Squirrel Spaniel, Epagneul nain Continental and its present day Papillon name or Butterfly Dog and Pap.

In a glance, this dog appears to be staid, too tiny to be hyper and calm but surprisingly, despite of its little size, this dog is overflowing with energy and intelligence that can compete with a large dog. Those who own a Papillion can actually prove that their Papillion is a “big dog in a little dog suit”. Despite from being cute and being a toy dog, it possesses unbelievable athletic qualities, superb intellect and infinite amount of energy.

The Papillon ranks 8th in Stanly Cohen’s The Intelligence of Dogs so it is not a surprise that the Papillion can outsmart those breed larger than itself. Crediting its high brain capacity, the Papillon is very easy to train in tricks performance, agility competitions and competitive obedience. Even at national and international circuits, this dog is a warrior and will often beat the larger breed Border Collie in some routines.

Outside the battle ring, however, the Papillon becomes what it is bred to be, an affectionate companion, a fearless protector and a playful toy dog. Inside the home, this dog is calm, gentle, loving, affable and loving and will prevent any harm from coming upon its master and its masters possessions. The Papillon makes a great watchdog despite its size because it keenly dissuades threatening and suspicious strangers.

It is definitely a surprise that the Papillon is a tiny dog with an enormous ability. The adage small but terrible fits it perfectly well and is proven by its many triumphs over the years. From then till now, the Papillon has remained credible as a useful and unique companion and is gaining more and more popularity as the days go by.