Papillon Grooming

About the Papillon

Almost every long coated toy breed is a haircut dog. A Shih Tzu, a Maltese, a Yorkshire Terrier and a Havanese all need combing to the skin daily and a professional groom every four to six weeks, and the coat mats badly if either is missed.

The Papillon has a long silky coat and needs none of that, which surprises people and is genuinely useful to know before choosing a small dog.

The reason is structure. The Papillon carries a long, fine, silky, single coat with no undercoat at all, lying flat against the body rather than standing away from it. It is short on the head and front of the legs, with the length concentrated in a ruff, the ear fringes, the culottes on the back legs and a plumed tail. There is no undercoat to felt against, and there is no coat over the body long enough to tangle badly, so a comb through every few days keeps the whole dog in order and there is nothing to cut.

Why this long coat behaves differently

Matting happens when dead hair has nowhere to go and something for it to bind to. Most long coated breeds provide both: a coat that grows continuously and holds every shed hair, and usually an undercoat for it to felt against.

A Papillon provides neither in the same way. The coat is single, so there is no dense undercoat layer to tangle into. And it does shed, normally, in a way a Poodle or a Shih Tzu does not, so the dead hair leaves rather than accumulating.

The result is a long coated dog with a low matting risk, which is an unusual combination. Comb it through every two or three days with a metal comb and a pin brush and the whole thing stays in order.

Two consequences worth stating plainly.

First, there is no haircut. A Papillon is not trimmed beyond tidying the feet, the pads and the sanitary area. Clipping the body coat is unnecessary, changes the texture, and takes away the entire look of the breed, and a groomer who suggests a puppy cut on a Papillon has the wrong breed in mind.

Second, it does shed, moderately, which people do not expect from a long silky coat. It is fine hair and less troublesome in fabric than a stiff short hair, but it is there.

The coat also takes time to arrive. Papillon puppies are comparatively plain and the full ruff, fringes and culottes do not develop until well into the second year.

The ears, which are the breed

The name means butterfly, and the enormous upright ears fringed with long silky hair are the whole point of the dog. They need attention for that reason as much as any other.

Comb the fringes through gently every few days with a fine comb. They are the longest hair on the dog and the most exposed, so they collect debris, and the hair immediately behind and under the ear is where a Papillon mats first, exactly as on most breeds.

The ear leather itself is thin and the ears are upright and open, which is excellent for airflow. Primary ear infections are uncommon, which is a real advantage over almost every other toy breed. A weekly look is enough.

There is also a drop eared variety, the Phalene, whose ears hang rather than standing. It is the same breed, the older form, and the two appear in the same litters. A Phalene ear does cover the canal, so it needs the weekly lift and smell that any drop eared dog does.

Be careful with the ears physically. They are thin, well supplied with blood vessels and sit high on the head, so they are easily caught and can bleed impressively from a small tear. Do not drag a comb through a matted fringe: work it apart with fingers first.

And they are cold. A dog with big thin upright ears loses heat through them, which is worth knowing in winter.

Where it does mat, and the rest of the coat routine

Low matting risk is not no matting risk, and the places are predictable because they are where the length is.

Behind and under the ears, first and worst. The armpits. The culottes, the long hair on the back of the thighs, which move against each other constantly. The ruff at the chest. And around the sanitary area, under the tail plume.

Everywhere else, the body coat is short enough and flat enough to look after itself.

Use a metal comb rather than a slicker. On a fine single coat a slicker breaks hair and does not reach the places that matter anyway.

Trim the hair between the paw pads flush, which on this breed grows enough to affect grip on smooth floors, and keep the sanitary area short.

Bathe every six weeks or so. The coat dries quickly because there is no undercoat, and it should be dried with a brush working through rather than left to dry on its own, which is how the fringes tangle.

That is the whole coat routine, and it is why so many Papillon owners never use a salon except for nails.

A tiny, long lived dog, and what that actually needs

With the coat asking so little, the attention goes where it does on every toy breed, and a Papillon commonly lives fourteen to sixteen years, so it goes there for a long time.

Teeth first. Dental disease is the biggest health problem in toy breeds and the Papillon is squarely affected: a full set of teeth in a very small jaw, crowding, and plaque that builds fast. Daily brushing from puppyhood, and expect veterinary cleanings under anesthesia to be part of this dog's life. A groomer cannot address this, because scaling a conscious dog leaves the disease below the gum line where it matters.

Nails every three to four weeks. A five pound dog wears nothing down. Long nails alter the toes and load knees already prone to trouble.

Patellar luxation is common in the breed, so a leg should never be pulled straight or held extended while nails are done, and a dog that yelps when a leg is moved needs a veterinarian rather than firmer handling.

Handling safety. A grooming table is a fatal fall for a dog this size. It should never be left on one unattended, not for a moment, and many groomers work small dogs on a lap or a low surface.

Papillons are also among the most trainable and confident of the toy breeds, and a well socialized one is genuinely easy to handle, which is not true of every small dog.

What to tell your groomer

Say the coat is not to be clipped. It is single, it does not need a haircut, and cutting it changes the texture and removes the breed's outline.

Ask for the feet, the pads and the sanitary area tidied and nothing else cut.

Ask for the ear fringes combed gently rather than brushed through, and mention that the ear leather tears easily.

Say the dog must never be left on a raised table unattended, and mention any knee history so legs are handled gently.

Ask for the nails, which is usually the main reason to book.

And say if you have a Phalene, the drop eared variety, since those ears need the weekly check that upright ones do not.

Keeping the coat between grooms

Common Questions About the Papillon