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Breed guide · Dogs
Dogs like him sat for Titian. I can't get him to sit still for my phone.
Last updated 12 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
Cupboards opened, socks rearranged, a new trick invented every week.
What's going onPapillons learn fast and work things out for themselves. A bored one invents their own jobs. Ten minutes of training a day, paid in part of their dinner, keeps that brain on your side.
At home
Up and over the arm of the sofa without slowing down.
What's going onPatellar Luxation (a slipping kneecap) is on the breed's health record. Give them steps, keep jumps low, and tell your vet if they skip a step on a back leg.
At home
A young dog who suddenly goes quiet, weak or very sleepy.
What's going onYoung Papillons can run low on blood sugar, and their health record sets three or four small meals a day. If they go weak, wobbly or very sleepy, contact your vet now.
At home
For all the athletics, they end every day on your lap.
What's going onThey were bred for company. Teach them short spells alone as a puppy, and if they are distressed when you go out, contact your vet.
At home
A pause at the top of the stairs once the lights are low.
What's going onProgressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA, gradual loss of sight) is on the breed's health record. Hesitating in dim light is worth telling your vet about.
At home
Fine, silky hair with no undercoat.
What's going onTheir coat has no undercoat and needs only a regular brush. Use the time to look at their ears, paws and teeth.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: A lap at court, and company all day.
In Dubai: Often the working day alone in a flat.
Their brain
Built for: A lap dog that turned out to have one of the sharpest brains of any toy dog.
In Dubai: Not enough to think about.
Their legs
Built for: A light, athletic little body that loves to jump.
In Dubai: High sofas and slippery marble floors.
The barking and the mischief mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them an agility ring every day. You can give them ten minutes of real work and safe knees, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the risks on a Papillon's record at every age, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
Young Papillons can run low on blood sugar, and extra weight loads their knees.
Every age, most of all up to 4 years
Why
Young Papillons can run low on blood sugar, and extra weight loads their knees.
What to do
Feed three or four small meals a day while they are young, weighed on kitchen scales, and never let them skip one on a busy day. Use part of each meal as their training rewards. A Body Condition Score (a check on whether they are the right weight) is in your plan from their puppy visits.
Patellar Luxation (a slipping kneecap) is on the breed's health record from puppyhood and can get worse.
Every age, most of all up to 7 years
Why
Patellar Luxation (a slipping kneecap) is on the breed's health record from puppyhood and can get worse.
What to do
Give them steps up to the sofa and bed, and put rugs down on marble. Keep jumps low while they are growing, and ask your vet before starting agility. A skip on a back leg means contacting your vet the same day. An orthopaedic evaluation (a joint and bone exam) is in your plan every year from six months old.
Dental disease is the first risk on the breed's health record, from baby teeth that stay put onwards.
Every age
Why
Dental disease is the first risk on the breed's health record, from baby teeth that stay put onwards.
What to do
Brush every day with a dog toothpaste. They learn fast, so teach it like a trick, with a reward. Once a week, lift their lip and look for red gums or a loose tooth. A professional dental clean every 6 to 12 months is in your plan from six months old.
They were bred for company. Time alone is easiest to learn as a puppy.
Every age, starting in the first week
Why
They were bred for company. Time alone is easiest to learn as a puppy.
What to do
From their first week, leave them in a safe room with a puzzle feeder for a few minutes while you are home, then longer. Come and go without a fuss.
Separation distress is treatable, and home fixes can make it worse.
Every age
Why
Separation distress is treatable, and home fixes can make it worse.
What to do
Film them for twenty minutes after you leave. If you see howling, pacing, scratching at the door or accidents, try not to punish it or reach for an anti-bark collar: both make the fear worse. Show the film to a vet.
A collar presses on a small, fine neck every time they pull.
Every age, refitted as they grow
Why
A collar presses on a small, fine neck every time they pull.
What to do
Clip their lead to a well-fitted harness, and keep their collar for their ID tag.
Allergies are on their record from puppyhood, and itchy skin is easier to spot on a dog who likes being handled.
Every age, starting in the first week
Why
Allergies are on their record from puppyhood, and itchy skin is easier to spot on a dog who likes being handled.
What to do
Every day, touch their paws, look in their ears, lift their lip and brush a patch of coat, with a reward for each. Brush the whole coat through several times a week.
A Papillon carried everywhere misses what they could be learning.
Every age, most of all puppies and young dogs
Why
A Papillon carried everywhere misses what they could be learning.
What to do
Walk them on their own feet. Let them meet calm dogs and new places, and turn each one into a short lesson with a reward.
They are small and close to hot ground, and pavement heat reaches them before it reaches you.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
They are small and close to hot ground, and pavement heat reaches them before it reaches you.
What to do
From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark, and move the training indoors. Put the back of your hand on the pavement for five seconds. If you cannot keep it there, they cannot walk on it.
Heart disease is on the breed's health record from 4 years, and Mitral Valve Disease (MVD, a leaky heart valve) from 7.
From 4 years
Why
Heart disease is on the breed's health record from 4 years, and Mitral Valve Disease (MVD, a leaky heart valve) from 7.
What to do
From four years, notice if they start to cough or breathe faster while they sleep, and tell your vet if anything changes.
Four of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Two types
The Papillon has upright, fringed ears like a butterfly's wings. The Phalène, meaning moth, has ears that drop. Both can be born in one litter, and both are the Continental Toy Spaniel, the breed's name in Europe.
Colours
Every Papillon is mostly white, with patches on the body and colour over both ears and eyes, like a mask. The patches can be black, red, sable or lemon, and some have tan as well.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Feed little and often, so they never go long without a meal, and teach the steps up to the sofa before the leaping starts.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Steps up to the sofa and bed, rugs on marble floors, a harness for walks, and a puzzle feeder for the hours they spend alone.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder about the parents' knees and eyes. A slipping kneecap and Progressive Retinal Atrophy (gradual loss of sight) are both on a young Papillon's record.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll never sit still for your phone. If they stop jumping, contact your vet the same day about their knees.
Before they were yours.
1500s
The Papillon began as the dwarf spaniel of Europe's noble families. Dogs like them sit on laps in paintings by Titian and Veronese from the 1500s.
What they still carryThe lap dog in them.
1600s to 1700s
Small spaniels were lap dogs at the French court, admired for their looks and their lively spirit.
What they still carryA dog used to being admired.
Late 1800s
Upright, fringed ears like a butterfly's wings became the fashion, and the breed took the French word for butterfly as its name.
What they still carryThose ears, and the drop-eared Phalène in the same litters.
1915 to 1935
The American Kennel Club recognised the Papillon in 1915, and the Papillon Club of America formed in 1935. The breed went on to shine in obedience and agility.
What they still carryA toy dog with the brain of a working dog.
Today
Paws & Co estimates fewer than 500 Papillons in Dubai, most of them in flats.
What they still carryA clever, athletic little dog who needs something to think about.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Papillon suits you, so might these.
ChihuahuaThe same kind of dog: a tiny companion, calmer, and far warier of strangers.
Chinese CrestedAnother toy companion, quieter, hairless or with a soft powderpuff coat, and skin that needs care.
Toy PoodleThe same bright, busy, people-loving temperament, in a curly coat that barely sheds but needs regular grooming.
Italian GreyhoundA similar tiny size and easy coat care, in a slender sighthound who prefers a calm home.
