Little Lion Dog

History, origin & features

The Petit Chien Lion breed has been known in France for a very long time. It was depicted in engravings in Amiens Cathedral, 15th-century tapestries and 17th-century paintings. The Comte de Buffon also wrote about it in one of the works in his famous encyclopedic collection Histoire Naturelle. A favorite of the ladies of the Burgundian court, the Petit Chien Lion was formerly known as the Bichon Petit Chien Lion. The Petit Chien Lion is a small, solid companion dog with a lively, intelligent and vivacious expression. Its proud gait and proud head carriage give the Petit Chien Lion a noble appearance. Coat: long, silky, wavy, dense, without undercoat.
Color: all tones, shades and color combinations are acceptable.
Head: rather short, carried high. The skull is flat, as broad as it is long. The stop is moderately arched.
Ears: Set low, medium-length, hanging, with bangs reaching to the tip of the nose or beyond.
Eyes: large, dark, round, set wide apart and forward, with fully pigmented eyelids.
Body: straight topline, short, broad, muscular loins, well developed chest, well heightened belly.
Tail: gracefully curved over the back, set below the topline.