Little Lion Dog: temperament, price, health, and breeders

The Petit Chien Lion is an ancient breed well established in France for centuries. It is found depicted on engravings of Amiens Cathedral, on tapestries from the 15th century and in paintings from the 17th century. Appreciated in the past in aristocratic circles, it saw its French club founded in 1947 before obtaining definitive recognition from the FCI in 1961.

The Petit Chien Lion is a small, sturdy and well-proportioned dog, with a proud head carriage and proud gait. Its long, silky, wavy and dense coat has no undercoat. The head is rather short, the skull flat, the eyes round and dark, the ears pendant and fringed, and the tail curls gracefully over the back. All colours and colour combinations are permitted.

Lively, intelligent and very affectionate, the Petit Chien Lion is a pleasant companion to live with, with a well-balanced temperament. He stays close to his owner and his family, while keeping an alert and expressive presence. Calm in everyday life but always attentive, he can also make a good watchdog.

The Petit Chien Lion adapts easily to varied lifestyles, including apartment living, provided it enjoys regular activity and real closeness with its family. It likes to take part in household life, readily plays, and does not tolerate being relegated outside or kept apart for long periods.

Its intelligence, its attachment to its owner and its great receptiveness make the education of the Petit Chien Lion generally easy. A gentle, consistent and firm approach gives very good results, especially if it is accompanied by early socialization and regular living habits.

The purchase price of the Petit Chien Lion mainly reflects the relative rarity of the breed, the seriousness of the breeding, the quality of the monitoring of the breeding dogs and the socialization work carried out before the puppy leaves.

The Petit Chien Lion is generally considered a robust dog, with no major predisposition regularly highlighted for the breed. Its small size takes nothing away from its overall sturdiness, provided it benefits from standard veterinary follow-up, good lifestyle hygiene and regular maintenance.

The Petit Chien Lion needs a complete and easily digestible diet, adapted to its small size, its age and its activity level. Quality food helps maintain its fitness, the beauty of its coat and its body condition.

The name of the breed comes from the traditional presentation of show dogs, groomed in such a way as to recall the silhouette of a lion with a well-emphasized mane. Despite this original and noble appearance, the Petit Chien Lion remains above all a small companion dog close to humans.