Proportion
By Roseann Fucillo
This article first appeared in September 2004 AKC GAZETTE

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Proportion is as important to the structural balance of the Papillon as it is to any work of art – it can either make or break the dog’s overall appearance.  But as significant as this component is, it is vaguely described in the Papillon breed standard: Body must be slightly longer than the height at withers.  It is not a cobby dog.  Weight is in proportion to height.

What does “slightly longer than the height at the withers” mean?  How much longer is “slightly” longer?  Harold R. Spira, the foremost expert on canine terminology, defined body length as “the distance from the point of the shoulder to the rearmost projection of the upper thigh (or point of the buttocks),” but even this does not allow us to determine the correct proportion.  We must know what percentage the body length should be in relation to the dog’s height.  This lack of clarity (or omission) in the standard leads to many different interpretations by breeders and judges.

For example, on a 10-inch Papillon, should the body length be 10.25 inches, 10.5 inches, 11 inches, or more?  Or would a 13-inch body length be correct?  Would that be considered “slightly longer,” and is this the ideal proportion for that size?  The breed standard does not give us enough information to make a precise or even a consistent judgement as to what the true ideal body proportion of a Papillon should be.

Some breeders and judges interpret the “slightly longer” phrase to mean long and low, with a shorter leg in proportion to the body length.  With this type, you often see a heavier boned dog with a freight train appearance.  This is not the correct proportion for this breed, and it is not what the breed standard intended when it specified “fine-boned” (which it mentions four times), as well as “dainty” and “elegant.”  These descriptive words are not indicative of the short–legged or heavy–boned dogs that we often see in this breed.

Interestingly, the Papillon (Butterfly Dog) Club of England’s UKC Papillon standard states, “Dog will appear slightly longer than high when properly furnished with ruff and hind fringes.”  One could interpret this proportion as basically square, with the dog’s furnishings merely giving him the appearance of being slightly longer than high.

The appearance of a dog says a lot.  Dogs are often judged on what looks correct and not on what is correct.
Judges who may see more of the longer and lower types of dogs in the breed ring will penalize the ones with correct proportion because they are different.  It is the same with good heads.  If our judges see more of the Sheltie-type heads with the flatter skulls and longer muzzles with sloping stops, they seem to think that type is correct and penalize the correct ones, calling them “Chihuahuas.”

If you don’t already own one, I highly recommend you purchase the Illustrated Standard by Nancy Pinke.
This booklet shows many examples of Papillon proportion and is invaluable as a teaching tool.  The Illustrated Standard can be purchased from Nancy directly.  Contact her for current price and availability at pinkpap@cs.com.  

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

Roseann Fucillo