Generated :- 08-April-2001 @ 15:09
{.The Coton de Tulear.{
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The
Coton de Tulear
He
or she weighs around 5kg - 8kgs, and sheds almost none of their coat, making
this dog an agreeable & practical household member, often suitable even for
people with allergies. Cotons usually enter the world spotted in champagne
usually ears, usually these spots disappear or fade leaving the dog nearly pure
white by adulthood. The coat needs regular grooming recommended daily for the
full benefit of the dog (only 20 minutes daily to keep coat in good order &
cotter free)
Cotons
are extremely good companions for children as long as the child is not too rough
with them as puppies. Always ready to play a good game of catch me if you can,
ball games and even hide and seek. The Coton will eagerly follow the children on
many adventures and yes even through puddles.
The
name Coton de Tulear means "coton of Tulear" referring to the dry
cotton coat characteristic of the dog, and to Tulear, the port city on the
Malagasy coast.
The
coton came from other white dogs which were bred as companions to the sailors
who roamed the oceans of the world. According to history and legend of the
breed, some dogs escaped or were shipwrecked and became wild on the island and
mated with the islands own wild dogs (terriers whom came to the island with
visiting sailors or settlers) around the 15th century. These dogs were
domesticated once again and eventually became known as the Royal dog of
Madagascar because only nobility were allowed to own them. French colonists also
became owners of Cotons and payed a great deal of money to buy and take this
very rare breed to Europe in the 70's for breeding. The Coton is still a very
rare and pure breed to this day and still cost a lot of money.
Attributes
of a coton= Healthy, Clownish, Happy, Beautiful, Affectionate, Non-shedding,
compact size, Easily to train, Loyal, No" doggy odour", Child
friendly,
The
coton is very wary of strangers and takes a while to get to know people. Once a
coton knows that a person is acceptable to its owner, he, too, will generally
accept the newcomer. Within its family the Coton is a beautiful & spirited
little creature. They are elegant because of their beauty and their charming,
loving playful personalities. Cotons contain a puppy-like joy all through its
life willing to play with toys even when its 14 years old, but also if you are
tired and don't want to play the Coton is just as happy to lie beside you and
sleep.
Activity
wise they are remarkably versatile. Cotons make an ideal apartment dog, content
to spend most of the day lounging, interspersed with a few energetic runs around
the dining room table. The Coton can fit into nearly anyones life style if they
are willing to spend the time and energy on them.
Grooming
is very easy until the puppy gets to 9 months old, once its adult coat starts to
come through the matting begins, it is essential to groom the puppy for 20
minutes every day so that when its adult coat comes it is used to being groomed.
At 18 months the coat is all the way through, depending on if you wish to show
your dog the coat cannot be cut. If the dog is just a pet then the coat can be
cut to about 2 inches all over so that its easier to groom. I recomend that you
groom your Coton for 15 minutes every morning & every night this prevents
cotters and I find its alot easier to keep the coat in beautiful condition.
Cotons
were developed as a breed to be companions to people. They thrive on human
contact, becoming totally devoted to the members of their family.Cotons are
usually very quiet dogs who will only bark if there is someone knocking at your
door. My Coton is very quiet, but lets me know if the postman has come or there
is someone lerking out doors.
Thankyou
Jo-Anne
Telephone 01287 678310
{All About The Coton de Tulear.{
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The
Coton de Tulear originates from Madagascar, they are a small white
companion dog with fluffy cotton hair, hence the name Coton and the word
Tulear is a port city on the south-western coast of Madagascar. The Coton is a
toy breed of dog that weighs 5-7kgs and is 10-12 inches tall. The history of the
Coton de Tulear started in the 15th century. Ships were being sailed from France
to the West Indies these journeys were long and tedious. To help the ladies on
board the ships from getting bored and lonely they often sailed with little
white spirited dogs thought to be the ancestors of the Bichon Frise. These
little dogs were also used to rid the ships of unwanted mice and rats which
would eat the sailors food. It is alleged that during a violent storm, one of
these ships sank in the proximity of Madagascar, the ship has never been named
and all people aboard the ship were thought to have perished. The little white
dogs from the ship managed to swim to the south-western coast of the island, the
port of Tulear.
These
dogs survived and began mating with the local terriers, which were brought to
the island with earlier settlers, the result of this relationship is the Coton
de Tulear. The Cotons foraged for food and learned to protect themselves
cunningly against larger predators in order to survive. They hunted wild boar in
packs, and also crossed rivers using their intelligence. The rivers in
Madagascar were infested with crocodiles, these reptiles patiently waited for
the Cotons to attempt to cross the river and then attempted to eat them. For the
Coton to swim accross the river would be sheer suicide, so the Cotons used a
diversion to reach the opposite side of the river bank. The Cotons looked for
the narrowest part of the river then two Cotons would run back to the widest
part and begin to bark
and make as much noise as possible to attract the crocodiles attention.
This enabled the rest of the Coton pack to cross the river at the narrowest part
in safety. Slowly the crocodiles began to climb the river bank in chase of the
two Cotons and tried to eat them, but the sly little Cotons sprinted back to the
narrowest part of the river and swam across to join their pack.
Later
the natives began to notice the intelligence of the Cotons and fell in love with
them, they domesticated and trained them. As there were no bridges in Madagascar
they trained the dogs to bark at the crocodiles so that people could also cross
the rivers in safety. After a few hundred years the King and the Malagasy nobles
began taking an interest in the Cotons, they loved the dogs elegance, beauty and
character. In fact the king of Madagascar made it law that only people of
"royal blood" could own and raise them. If a peasant was caught owning
a Coton he could be sentence to death. This law is what prompted the Coton de
Tulear to become the royal dog of Madagascar, and has also been honoured on a
Magagascar postage stamp.
The
first Cotons known to be taken off the island were thought to be taken to France
before the second world war. A french man allegedly helped the royalty of
Madagascar and was paid Cotons,
Then later the french colonists also became
owners of Cotons and paid a great deal of money to buy and take this very
rare breed to Europe in the 1970,s for breeding. The coton was recognised by the
French Kennel Club (FCI) as a rare and pure breed in the 1970's. To this day the
Coton is still a rare and desirable breed and still cost a great deal of money.
The Coton de Tulears is a very healthy long-lived breed, with relatively few
health problems.
The
Coton de Tulear is now solely used as a companion dog. These elegant small white
dogs have the most endearing personality and are unique from any other breed.
Cotons look alittle like stuffed cuddly toys and have even been described as a
miniature Old English Sheepdog. Don't be fooled by the Cotons looks, these small
dogs are determined, untiring, and very willing to please. The Coton is devoted
to its owner, and he will love you and your family as much or even more than you
will love him.
Cotons
are calm sturdy dogs that enjoy the rough housing of children and other
household pets. They are very slow to anger and make excellent companions for
children and are always ready to play lots of games like chasing, ball games and
even hide and seek. Infact Cotons will eagerly follow your children on many
adventures. They love all weather and enjoy playing in the snow, having a dip in
the paddling pool and will even follow the children through puddles and mud.
Coton
de Tulears is willing to do just anything to please you all he asks in return is
lots of love and cuddles. Cotons love to be with their owners at all times, they
do not expect your attention constantly and are happy to sleep if you are busy
just as long as they are near you. Within its family the Coton is a beautiful
and spirited little dog. The Coton is extremely intelligent, alert, openly
affectionate very easy to train, cuddly, and sensitive, this nonetheless robust
hardy little dog is always ready to take you to a dog show, agility tournament,
hiking or even just a ball game in the park. Cotons make excellent obedience
dogs and require very little in the way of discipline, the worst punishment that
you can do to a Coton are to ignore them as they thrive on human contact. Cotons
keep a puppy-like joy through out their life. At home they are very playful and
even clownish doing many party tricks, they are fond of walking on their hind
legs, rolling over and even jumping onto a sofa landing in a sleeping position.
They love to chase one another and grunt when they get excited. Cotons can run
very fast, jump very high but are not overly active. If you require your Coton
to do lots of walking it would be happy to walk all day, but if you are unable
to go for long walks they are just as happy in the back garden.
This
breed is healthy and vigorous and will adapt to anyones life style either living
in the country or city. Cotons make an excellent choice of pet if you live in a
small house, they are content to spend most of the day lounging around
occasionally having a charge around. The Coton can definitely fit into nearly
everyones life style if you are willing to spend your time with them. Cotons are
a bundle of joy and always brings lots of smiles and laughter to their families
lives. No wonder they have earned the name the anti-stress dog.
One
of the greatest pleasures about owning a Coton is when you come home they are
always pleased to see you, it doesn't matter if you have been away for 10
minutes or even 3 hours they greet you with chortles, smiles
and dancing, this is all because they adore and love you so much. Most
Cotons are usually very quiet dogs whom seldom bark, although they will alert
you if there is someone at the door. All Cotons are very cautious with strangers
and it takes time to win their confidence.
The
Coton de Tulear is a relatively easy breed to groom to keep its cotton like coat
looking beautiful. The Coton sheds little of its hair and has no doggy dander or
odour so this makes the breed a perfect choice for people with allergies. The
Cotons hair is soft and should look wind blown and natural in appearance. The
adult Cotons hair do not fall out all over your home, they stay in the coat
waiting for you to groom the coat to remove them. Most adults whom have been
spayed or neutered do not shed at all. The only times the Coton does shed
alittle more is when the female is experiencing changes in her hormones due to
being in season or pregnancy.
It
is important that you groom your Coton every day for at least 15 minutes,to
prevent cotters. Grooming daily should start from the first day that you get
your puppy. Even though the puppy's hair is short and doesn't need grooming
every day, when he becomes an adult, his coat will need daily grooming so
introduce him to grooming early and make it a pleasurable experience for him.
Grooming is an excellent way to bond with your Coton.
Cotons
destined for the show ring are not permitted to get their coat cut in any
fashion, infact the only part of the Coton allowed to be trimmed are their feet
and pads. The colour is also very important when showing a Coton. Only Cotons
who are born white with champagne ears or all white, can be shown.
Many Cotons who have champagne colour in their coats have been known to
look nearly pure white as the champagne fades when your Coton matures.
Article researched and written by Jo-Anne Hitchen.
www.CotondeTulearsUK.homestead.com
www.champdogs.co.uk/breeder/797.html
Jo-Anne Hitchen (CUKOTON) Affix
01287 678310
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Last updated - 10/09/06 22:52:00
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