The Papillon Evaluation Form
By Roseann Fucillo
This article first appeared in the March 2011 AKC GAZETTE

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Back in 1976 when I started breeding Papillons, I immersed myself in everything I could find on the breed. There were only a few good resources available, and these were either too generic, and didn't really focus on the details of the breed, or they didn't describe what to look for in the various stages of puppy development. What I really wanted to know as a novice breeder was how to evaluate puppies.

Most of what I learned was from my own experiences and observations, attending shows from Crufts to national specialties, visiting American and English kennels, and from corresponding with breeders. I always wanted to learn how to recognize quality puppies and what to look for to make the right choices.

I know I made more mistakes in the beginning, "petting out" some lovely show prospects because I didn"t know what I was looking at. I learned mostly throuh trial and error that lines develop differently, and there isn't one set rule that applies to all. I also realized, too late, that many well-angulated puppies were not cow-hocked but needed maturity to develop their rears.

It was during this time that I developed an evaluation fom to use with my own dogs. I needed to record information about adultsand about puppies in their developmental stages - for my own future reference, as data for pedigree research, and to share with other breeders. My foellow breeders and I always withheld our opinions until the form was completed, and then we discussed why we came to our conclusions. it became an educational tool used to evaluate each other's dogs, always keeping it impersonal, leaving egos out, and for the purpose of evaluating breeding stock.

Perhaps this form can be a starting point for breeders to share information, to use for mentoring purposes, and to identify and preserve the beautiful breed details in our standard for future generations.

I started the evaluation form with the standard information: the dog's AKC-registered name, its registration number, sex, date of birth, color, height, and sire and dam. Then I had a key for recording information about markings: A (Yes); B (No); C (Heay); D (Light); E (Partial); F (Too wide); G (Too narrow); H (Symmetrical); and I (Asymmetrical). There also were places to check to indicate blaze, noseband, or body markings.

My point scale was 1 = poor; 2 = fair; 3 = average; 4 = good; and 5 = excellent. This point scale, if added up to the highest number, would equal 100 points. I had three main headings: "Head," "Body," and "Soundness."

Under "Head" were four subcategories: General Appearance, Eyes, Muzzle, and Teeth. For each of these was a point scale from 1 - 5. "Ears" was divided into four subheads (Shape, Placement, Size and Fringe), with four separate point scales.

Under "Body" were Size, Proportion, Forequarters, Hindquarters, Topline, Tail-set, Neck, and Feet. Coat was divided into two subheads, Quality and length, each with its own point scale.

I left a large area - half of each line - for each main category to allow for general remarks, and there was a section at the bottom of the page for comments.

If anyone would like to download a copy of this form, please e-mail me at cilloette@yahoo.com. (Please note that this evaluation form is for educational purposes only and is not part of our breed standard, nor is our breed judged by this format in any way.)