The Papillon (French pronunciation: [papijɔ̃], "butterfly[-eared]"), also called the Continental Toy Spaniel, is a breed of dog of the Spaniel type. The Papillon is one of the oldest of the toy spaniels. Its name comes from its butterfly-like look of the fringed hair on the ears. The dog is alert and friendly with people and other dogs. The Papillon is a very active dog. It is also easy to train.
The Papillon's ancestors can be seen in many 16th century paintings by Old Masters. The earliest pictures containing these toy spaniels are by Tiziano Vecellio. The earliest Continental Toy Spaniels had drooping ears. Near the end of the 19th century the erect butterfly-like ears became popular. They began to call these dogs Papillons. From that time on the dog was available in two nearly identical breeds. The Papillon with its erect butterfly-like ears and the Phalène with its moth-like drop ears. In 1915 the Papillon breed was recognized by the American Kennel Club (AKC).
