Coton de Tulear / Coton, Cotie

Breed history:

 It is a member of the Bichon family and was brought to Madagascar four or five hundred years ago. It bears the name of the city, port of Tulear and it was very beloved by Madagascar's upper class, becoming the royal breed of this country. Nowadays, this wonderful dog is not so common in Madagascar, but it is widespread in USA and other countries. 

Description:

It is a small dog, long rather than tall. The head is proportional to the body and it has a wide skull. The muzzle is wide and pretty long with a big, black nose. The eyes are medium-sized, round, spaced and dark. The ears are triangular, long, wide, drooping and covered with rich hair. The tail is medium-sized, carried low and it is well covered with hair. The coat is of medium length and has thin, slightly wavy, soft, thick hair similar to cotton (coton = cotton in French). The colour of the coat is white, but it can have cream patches, especially on the ears. There are specimens with black patches or tricoloured (white, cream, black).

Personality:

It is an intelligent, lively, alert, playful, friendly and sometimes a little stubborn dog. It is affectionate and devoted to its master, playful, loving and patient with children and friendly with everyone. It loves the company of other dogs or other animals.

Grooming:

The coat should be brushed and combed daily in order to remove dead hair and to avoid it getting tangled. This dog doesn`t shed and it needs bathing once or twice a year to keep the coat clean. The excess hair from the ears and footpads must be removed.

Living conditions:

It adapts to any conditions, but it feels best in a flat, with a loving family. It has a medium level of activity, but it enjoys to swim, to play with a ball and does well in canine sports such as agility and flyball. It needs training.

Training:

 Through a consequent, careful, gentle training, the desired results can be obtained because it is a dog that wants to please its master and it easily understands what is required of it. 

Usefulness:

 It is a cheerful and playful companion dog.