The Papillon, also known as the Continental Toy Spaniel, is a spaniel type toy dog. Its name means ‘butterfly’ in French, a reference to the appearance of its face and ears. According to the paintings from the 16th century, dwarf spaniels that were the ancestors of the modern Papillon were popular among the nobility, particularly in Spain and Italy. From there, the dogs reached France, where Louis XIV is known to have been very fond of them. All such dogs had drooping ears to begin with, but at some point of time dogs with erect ears also started being born in the same litter and gave the breed its characteristic appearance. Even today both ear types are born together, and are included in the same breed. By 1900, the breed was a prominent presence at dog shows and soon reached England and the US. Selective breeding has resulted in decrease in overall size of the dogs and slight change in coat coloring.