Coton de Tulear

Cotons need a lot of grooming and maintenance compared to other dog breeds. Here are some grooming tips for your Coton:

• Brushing: You’ll need to brush your Coton’s coat once a day with a slicker or pin brush to smooth it out and prevent mats from forming. If tangles do occur, a metal comb and a conditioning grooming spray and detangler can help make removing them easy and painless.
• Hair trimming: If you’re planning to enter your Coton in dog shows, their coat will have to stay natural and unclipped, which will mean more maintenance. To keep their hair out of their eyes and make their adorable face easier to see, you can use a hair elastic to secure the stragglers in a high pony tail on top of their head. Don’t worry, this works for female and male dogs alike. If you won’t be showing your Cotie, you can make things easier by giving them a puppy clip, in which the hair is trimmed to one or two inches all over. Of course, there’s a tradeoff—you’ll have to make monthly visits to the groomer to maintain their haircut.
• Bathing: On the plus side, Cotons don’t shed much, although they do lose some hair around springtime. They’re considered a hypoallergenic breed, but with light seasonal shedding, they’re not completely risk-free for those who are allergic to dogs. Weekly bathing with a whitening shampoo will help cut down on allergens while keeping their coats vibrant and more manageable. After bathing, you’ll want to avoid rubbing with a towel, because that can create knots in their hair. Instead pat your pup dry before giving them a blowout with a brush and hair dryer on low heat. Spa day, every day.
• Dental care: Brush your dog’s teeth daily. Your vet can teach you how to do it properly. Even though they’ll lose their baby teeth, it’s still best to start this habit when they’re puppies and get them used to it early. As a small breed, Cotons are particularly prone to periodontal disease and dental problems associated with small mouths that crowd the teeth; so it’s important to practice good daily dental hygiene and to visit your vet once a year for a professional cleaning.
• Nail trimming: Trim your pup’s nails once or twice a month. As soon as you hear their nails tapping on hard surfaces, you’ll know they’re due for a trim.

Cotons are not only incredibly bright, but they also live to make you happy, taking the term “people pleaser” to a whole new level—all of which means training them is a joy.

Training starts from the time you begin raising a Coton de Tulear puppy. They can learn a lot through socialization and early exposure to being brushed and groomed. While the Coton de Tulear is generally the gregarious type, the more they’re exposed as puppies to lots of different people, pets and situations—using treats to keep things positive—the more social and easy-going they’ll be when they grow up.

Cotons love treats, which makes it easy to train them by rewarding desirable behaviors while ignoring those you don’t like. They’ll quickly intuit what makes you happy and what makes you less than pleased with them, and will keep doing the things that please you to earn a bite of kibble. There’s no need to use any kind of punishment or to speak harshly to your Cotie—they learn best through consistent repetition and positive reinforcement: treats, toys and praise for job well done.

The Coton de Tulear typically does well on a high-quality commercial dog food, like Halo small breed dog food. Whatever food you choose, check the packaging for a statement that says the food meets nutritional standards set forth by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) to make sure you’re purchasing a complete and balanced product. It’s also key to choose a formula that fits your dog’s stage in life, whether puppy, adult or senior. There is no standard feeding chart, but your veterinarian can help you determine the best food and diet, including serving size and feeding schedule, based on your dog’s age, weight and activity level.

Like with many small breeds, parents of the Coton de Tulear breed need to be on guard against pet obesity. Be sure to factor calories from treats into their daily food allotment, and don’t let yourself get charmed into giving your Coton extra treats. This will take practice; charm comes standard on all Cotons. Again, talk to your vet, who will be in the best position to help you pick the right food and treats for your dog’s individual needs.

Cotons have a moderate energy level—they’re not hyperactive, but they’re not couch potatoes, either. They need about 30 minutes of exercise each day. They enjoy meandering walks and can go about half a mile—more than that and you’ll end up carrying them home. Coton de Tulear dogs are also sensitive to heat thanks to their thick coats, so you’ll need to walk them during the cooler parts of the day when it gets really steamy outside and carry them over hot pavement to protect their tender paws.

They also love to play games like fetch and chase. If you have a fenced yard, or even a spacious living room or long hallway, they can get a lot of exercise by engaging with you in vigorous play a few times daily. This daily mental and physical engagement is essential. The Coton de Tulear’s intelligence level makes them easily bored, and their favorite way to alleviate boredom when left to their own devices is to chew everything in sight. Bought new shoes recently? Upgraded your rug? Good for you—but if you want to keep your new things in good condition, be sure to schedule time for play and exercise to tire your Coton out. Fortunately, they love toys, so keeping them supplied with interactive dog toys will help occupy them when you don’t have time to do the entertaining yourself.

Cotons are energetic social butterflies who hate to be alone. They get along great with kids, thrive in households with pet siblings to keep them company and do best as part of a family in a home with a fenced yard where they can run and play. They can be good apartment dwellers, too, as long as they get walked a couple of times a day. Spacious apartments with plenty of room for them to speed around are best.

Most of all, Cotons need a pet parent who isn’t gone for long stretches and who is happy to have a little white puffball shadowing them around the house and warming their laps all day. The Coton de Tulear breed is ideal for a family with a stay-at-home or work-from-home parent. If you love hosting gatherings of friends, your Coton will be the evening’s party favor. These pups love to be the center of attention and will put on a good show (they’ve even been known to walk on their hind legs) to entertain your guests.

While Cotons are good swimmers, their thick coats can become saturated and weigh them down, putting them at risk for drowning. If you have a pool, you’ll need to keep their hair cut short for their safety or keep them away from the water unless they have a dog life jacket and close supervision.