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Miniature spaniel
Patronage: France and Belgium
Classification:
- FCI Group 9 Companion and Companion Dogs
- Section 10 Continental Toy Spaniel
- according to FCI Epagneul nain Continental (Continental Toy Spaniel)
- Papillon (butterfly ears)
- Phalène (lop-eared)
Weight: around 2-5kg
The full, correct breed name is continental toy spaniel, within which there are two varieties: Papillon (prick-eared type) Phalène (lop-eared guy)
"Papillon" is the French word for "butterfly" (hence the name butterfly puppy), which also describes its essential characteristic: The very large ears protruding from the side of the head are reminiscent of the spread wings of a butterfly, this impression is reinforced , when the desired white blaze is present, symmetrically dividing the face in half. "Phalène" is the French word for "moth" due to its wings pointing down like those of the Phalèneohr. The origin of the toy spaniel is generally assumed to be in Europe, although it cannot be completely ruled out that its ancestors - like so many toy dogs - came from East Asia.
It is possible that during Marco Polo's voyages of discovery at the end of the 13th century, Asian dwarf dogs found their way to Europe, which could have laid the foundation for the development of toy spaniels.
The fact is that the first evidence of the existence of small luxury dogs, which correspond very precisely to our present-day Phalène in type, can be found for the first time on Italian frescoes and oil paintings from the 13th to 14th centuries. Most often these puppies are depicted together with children or persons of the nobility. It will be assumed that at some point a dwarf form developed from the spaniels used for hunting, which were then left to the aristocratic ladies and their children as playmates and pastimes. In a way, a hunting instinct can still be clearly identified in Papillons and Phalènes.
Dogs that can be clearly assigned to the Phalènes can be found again and again, particularly in paintings by Titian (16th century).
Due to the fact that the type of dog is always the same, the question arises as to whether this form was deliberately bred as a "breed" at the time, or whether it was simply one of the painter's own or known dogs, which repeatedly appears in his pictures for purely decorative purposes.
Phalène-like dogs can also be found in pictures by French artists in the mid-16th century.
The spread to France (and other European countries) can easily be explained by marriages into the most diverse ruling houses, which were common at the time. The ladies simply took their little friends with them. It is also well known that small dogs were always used as gifts for guests because they were expensive and rare.
Although the dogs spread from Italy, it is more thanks to France that the breed has survived to this day.
At the French court, dwarf dogs of this type have enjoyed great popularity for several centuries without their appearance having changed noticeably.
Toy spaniels were also kept at the English court, which has been documented by pictures, but in England people seemed to prefer the larger head with the shorter, broad muzzle, so in the 18th century the types finally moved in the directions of English toy spaniels and Continental toy spaniel developed apart. The prick-eared variety must have evolved sometime towards the end of the 17th century, "papillons" can only be found in paintings from around 1700. A very special form of the "tradition" of a continental toy spaniel has been preserved in the Natural History Museum in Vienna.There, in a glass case on a red silk cushion, you can still admire Empress Maria Theresia's little dog, which was prepared around 1740 - 1750! After the French Revolution and the consequent decline of the French nobility, toy spaniels fell silent for a long time, and it was only towards the end of the 19th century that enthusiasts in France and Belgium were found again, committed to reviving this breed .
For this reason, according to the FCI standard definitions, the Franco-Belgian area is still the country of origin of the Continental Miniature Spaniels.
Only towards the end of the 19th century did the age of "pure breeding" begin for dogs, i.e. only dogs of the same breed are mated with each other by dedicated breeders. In order to ensure this, pedigree dog associations are created, one works with pedigree certificates, exhibitions are held and precise specifications are drawn up for the individual breeds, how a dog of this breed has to look like, which peculiarities are typical for it, etc. The first breed description (standard) for Continental Toy Spaniels being laid down circa 1905.
