Papillon And Phalene Complete Illustrated Standards
By Roseann Fucillo
Published in December 2005 AKC GAZETTE

It seems the fanciers of the Papillon and Phalene thrive on controversy.  This time the brouhaha comes from “over the pond,” where a new breed book is in the making.  The book is called, The Complete Illustrated Standards of the Papillon and Phalene, by Dierdre Ashdown and Michael Foster.  The concept is quite ambitious and unique, since the book will illustrate and compare all four breed standards currently in use around the world – the KC, AKC, Australian, and FCI.

Wouldn’t you think this illustrated standard would be a welcome tool for breeders, fanciers, and judges alike?  Yet, according to Internet breed lists, there are differing opinions, mainly because the book was not formally sanctioned by one of the parent breed clubs, the Papillon (Butterfly Dog) Club of England.  Some disgruntled English breeders seem to think the book will be a compilation of illustrations that reflect only the authors’ opinions about the standards, and may not necessarily convey information the parent club(s) would have approved.  Is this dissension caused by jealousy or misconception, or should the authors have sought the approval of the breed clubs?

Foster and Ashdown did a good deal of research in preparation for this book.  They consulted Papillon books, toy dog books, and many other volumes written by experts on canine construction and movement, but they were dismayed to discover that the experts rarely agreed, even as to the basic construction of the dog, how bones, muscles, and joints work, and so on.  They found that there isn’t even agreement among experts about what degree of shoulder angulation constitutes the “ideal” for a sound, free moving dog, or what constructional faults cause poor movement like “crabbing” (the swing of the hindquarters to one side when moving).

The authors also relied on many consultants, all of whom have considerable experience in the breed.  Here too they found differing interpretations of various aspects of the standard(s), some quite surprising.  This is understandable, even within one standard, but when considering four different standards – some of which contain notable variations – it became a mammoth task.

Foster’s conclusion about movement is “Good movement is something which many people find difficult to understand, and even more difficult to describe.”  Ashdown, an accomplished artist and illustrator, includes numerous drawing sequences illustrating all aspects of movement, good and bad, from all views, front, rear and side, which Foster feels “will deal with this aspect far better than words alone can.” He goes on to say that, sadly we see far too many examples of poor movement being overlooked in the show ring.  Often this is because correct movement is simply not understood, or because there is a misconception that movement is not very important in a toy breed.  Foster strongly believes that soundness and movement are paramount in any breed, and that the Papillon and Phalene should be no exception.

Hopefully this book will stimulate discussion and enable a better understanding of the requirements of the various standards.  Go to www.papillons60.freeserve.co.uk/standards5htm for ordering information.

Published with permission from the AKC GAZETTE.  This article is not to be copied, whole or in part, without written permission from the author.