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Coton de Tulear

charming / bright / happy-go-lucky
Non-Sporting Group >>

Average sizes and life
expectancy of the breed.

Height

10-11 inches (male)

9-10 inches (female)

Weight

9-15 pounds (male)

8-13 pounds (female)

Life Expectancy

15-19 years

Breed Traits & Characteristics

Affectionate With Family
  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%
How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.
Good With Young Children
  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    100% 100%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.
GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS
  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    100% 100%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    20% 20%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    80% 80%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    20% 20%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    100% 100%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    80% 80%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    60% 60%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    80% 80%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    80% 80%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    20% 20%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    60% 60%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

Affectionate With Family

  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%

How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.

Good With Young Children

  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    100% 100%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.

GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS

  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    100% 100%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    20% 20%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    80% 80%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    20% 20%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    100% 100%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    80% 80%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    60% 60%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    80% 80%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    80% 80%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    20% 20%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    60% 60%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

About the Breed

A cheerful, companion dog known as the “Royal Dog of Madagascar,” the Coton de Tulear enjoys clowning, cavorting, and chasing their particular human around the house. The Coton is compact but incredibly durable. The Coton de Tulear is a diminutive, incredibly endearing canine that weighs between 8 and 13 pounds and is between 9 and 11 inches tall (KO-Tone Dih TOO-Lay-ARE). Cotons are renowned for having a thick white coat that feels as soft as cotton (or “coton,” as the French would say). Their main responsibility is to amuse, comfort, and accompany.

Owners speak in terms of humans when describing the close relationship between Cotons and their people. Coton fanciers describe them as ‘witty’ companions, ‘at times boisterous but never demanding’ and ‘naturally clownish and lighthearted,’ with a remarkably gentle, sympathetic awareness.’ Amusing characteristics of these long-lived jesters include distinctive vocalizations and a knack for walking on their hind legs.

 

 

What To Expect When Caring For a Coton de Tulear

Owning a dog is not just a privilege; it’s a responsibility. They depend on us for, at minimum, food and shelter, and deserve much more. When you take a dog into your life, you need to understand the commitment that dog ownership entails.

Health

Health problems caused by genetics have largely not affected the Coton de Tulear breed. This is not to imply that they do not exist, but rather that the likelihood of them happening is very minimal. The range of known incidents in the Coton is typically between one and five percent. Breeders of Cotons are diligently attempting to keep the breed as free of issues as possible by genetically screening all breeding material. Hip dysplasia and eye issues do occasionally affect this breed. As with many petite breeds, spinal disc disease has been reported as well as the possibility of luxating patellas.
Recommended Health Tests From the National Breed Club:
  • Patella Evaluation
  • Hip Evaluation
  • Cardiac Exam
  • Ophthalmologist Evaluation

Grooming

The Coton puppy is simple to groom. You should groom him frequently during that period and make sure he learns to view grooming sessions as enjoyable opportunities to bond with his person. Your dog will need a lot of brushing unless you plan to maintain your Coton in a short "puppy clip." During daily brushing, you must be careful to gently reach the skin with your comb and brush; otherwise, the hair near to the skin will mat, and if this happens frequently enough, your dog may need to have his or her fur shaved. To prevent breakage, use a spray conditioner while brushing. Check the ears once or twice a week and clean out any extra hair, wax, or dirt.

Exercise

The Coton is a moderately energetic dog that needs some exercise. Regular, slow-paced walks will help him maintain a healthy weight and condition. His mind and body can stay busy by chasing a tennis ball around his backyard. A Coton who is dissatisfied and bored can act destructively. He functions best when given adequate exercise, lots of love from his owner, and a wide variety of stimulating toys.

Training

The Coton is a watchful dog that is also inherently territorial. Early socialization is important for cotons if they are to enjoy traveling with their owners. A fantastic idea for socialization and for reinforcing skills and manners is obedience training. Coton won't be able to study anything if they are bored. For maximum outcomes, keep your training sessions engaging and fun. Cotons respond poorly to negative training techniques, but when trained using positive techniques, they perform exceptionally well in the majority of dog sports. They perform well in obedience and agility competitions and make great therapy dogs.

Nutrition

A high-quality dog food appropriate to the dog's age (puppy, adult, or senior) will have all the nutrients the breed needs. Some dogs are prone to getting overweight, so watch your dog's calorie consumption and weight level. Treats can be an important aid in training, but giving too many can cause obesity. Give table scraps sparingly, if at all, especially avoiding cooked bones and foods with high-fat content. Learn about which human foods are safe for dogs, and which are not. Check with your vet if you have any concerns about your dog's weight or diet.  

History

The aristocrats of Madagascar once favored Cotons de Tulear, which are called for the port city of Tulear. Although the island nation is about 250 miles off the coast of Africa’s southeast, most of its population is actually Indonesian in origin. Madagascar formed close ties with the French-speaking countries of western Africa as a result of its historical colonial relationship with France. Elites in Madagascar still speak French frequently, which accounts for the French accent on their small white dog.
The nobility of the island were envious protectors of their fluffy little comedians, creating laws that forbade commoners from owning Cotons. A dog historian noted that the islanders “were also incredibly hesitant to let any of their pets leave the island,” with the effect that “these dogs remained isolated from the rest of the world and were breeding true for centuries.”