Coton de Tulear breed guide

The bond between Cotons de Tulear and their people is so tight that owners discuss it in human terms. Fanciers describe them as witty companions at times boisterous but never demanding and naturally clownish.

Alert and naturally territorial, Cotons de Tulear should be socialized early so they enjoy going wherever you go and obedience training helps with manners. A bored Coton de Tulear cannot learn.

Cotons de Tulear live 15 to 19 years. The breed has stayed fairly free of genetic health issues, with known incidences usually in the one to five percent range and breeders screen all breeding dogs genetically.

Eye problems and hip dysplasia occasionally occur.

A Coton's coat needs a great deal of brushing unless you keep it in a short clip and owners must brush carefully all the way to the skin. Starting grooming early teaches the dog to see sessions as positive bonding time.

A fairly active dog, the Coton de Tulear needs a moderate amount of exercise: daily slow-speed walks keep it in good weight and chasing a tennis ball in the backyard keeps its mind active. A bored, unhappy Coton may turn destructive.

Cotons de Tulear, named for the seaport town of Tulear, were once the preferred lapdog of Madagascar's nobles. The island lies some 250 miles off the southeastern coast of Africa, though its people are primarily related to those of Indonesia.

Links with France from colonial rule are the reason the island's elites still speak French and so their little white dog carries a French name.