Little Lion Dog

Small dogs groomed in a lion style are depicted as early as the 15th century on Dutch tapestries. In the 17th century, sleeve dogs become fashionable among the nobility: dogs resembling the poodle, toy spaniel, bichon and little lion dog are present in many artistic media. In the 18th century, the 'lion-dog' is listed and illustrated in Buffon's Natural History and by Linnaeus. Dogs with a lion cut and smooth coat are still represented notably by Goya or Jean-Baptiste Huet.

The Little Lion Dog is described in the International Cynological Federation standard as affectionate, obedient with its masters, attentive, calm and discreet on demand. Training is easy. The Little Lion Dog is a sporty, robust and rustic dog that enjoys daily outings.

The Little Lion Dog is a small dog with a proud and determined appearance. The body, inscribed in a square, is short and well-proportioned, with solid musculature and bone structure. Attached very slightly below the back line, the tail is carried curved over the back without touching it. The limbs are well-aligned and parallel in action. The gaits are lively, energetic and extended with a proud head carriage. The head is short and quite wide from the top of the skull to the muzzle. The stop is moderately curved. The eyes are large, very dark colored, round and well-spaced. Set low, the drooping ears reach half the length of the muzzle when stretched. The ears are well-fringed. The coat is silky, long, wavy, dense, without undercoat. All colors are accepted. Lion grooming is mandatory at shows.

Grooming is heavy to implement. It is only mandatory for show specimens. The lion grooming must be redone every eight weeks. The puppy is clipped starting at eight weeks to accustom it from an early age to this long operation. Weekly brushing is necessary to maintain the cut. For a show dog, the clipping must be done three to seven days before the date. The grooming requires clippers with a 0.5mm comb, an antistatic brush, combs, nail clippers, scissors, eye and ear cleaning lotion, various shampoos suited to the coat type. The dog must be brushed, clipped, bathed, then brushed again. The clipping is done first on the body, from the point of the hock to the last rib. The front legs are clipped from the knee to the elbow and the tail on half its length. The feet are clipped even between the toes and the hair must also be cut or clipped between the pads. The nails are cut if necessary. After bathing, the dog is dried starting with the fringes and tail. The head is dried from back to front (from the neck to the stop). The ears and eyes are cleaned, the hair between the eyes lightened with scissors. The final brushing can be done with a boar bristle brush.