The Papillons are one of the oldest breeds of dogs in the history of Europe of more than 700 years back. The breed originally only had dropped ears and was known as the Epagneul nain or dwarf spaniel. Spaniels resembling the Papillons were found in Italy. They derive their name from their distinguishable butterfly-like look of long and fringed hair on the ears. There are two kinds of ears found in this breed, one, the completely upright ears of the more common Papillon, and the dropped Spaniel like ears of the Phalene. The Papillon loves to learn novel tricks as it is an intelligent and charming breed. This dog is great with kids, outsiders, and also with other pets, but they must not be handled by small children as they are small and fragile creatures. They are sometimes prone to problems with the kneecaps (patella) in the hind legs, which can be corrected by surgery. The breed is mostly white with patches of other color. Though the average life expectancy of papillons is less, while some live for as long as 16 years. As they tend to accumulate tartar in their mouths, cleaning teeth should be a priority among other grooming tasks. Sometimes they respond negatively to anesthesia, so that needs to be avoided during any sort of treatments.