The Coton de Tulear (pronounced: Ko-Ton de Two-lay-air) is a small companion dog from Madagascar. Until the 1960s, they were hidden from the rest of the world, when French tourists found the dog breed and brought it back to Europe. The name comes from two words that describe the softness of their fur and the place they were originally bred: the fur is soft as cotton, and Tulear is a city in southern Madagascar, today known as Toliara. Cotons are lively dogs, often very attached to one person in the family. They are small, fun dogs with lots of fur to brush.

Size

Breed standard size:

• Male height: 10 to 11 inches (25 to 28 cm)
• Male weight: 9 to 15 pounds (4 to 6.5 kg)
• Female height: 9 to 10 inches (22 to 25 cm)
• Female weight: 8 to 13 pounds (3.5 to 6 kg)

They might be small, but they are not fragile. The Coton de Tulear is a robust little dog. They are boisterous, energetic, and naturally clownish. 

Color

There is only one coat color: white.

However, this breed can also have gray and yellow markings. Even though white is the breed standard coat color, dog breeders developed other coat colors that are not permissible in shows. 

• Black
• Black and white
• Tri-color 

Social Traits

The Coton de Tulear is a friendly dog that gets along well with other dogs, animals, and children of all ages. They are perfect little companion dogs, small enough to adjust well to city and countryside living. 

The best definition I’ve come across of the Coton de Tulear is that they act like small children who are always wearing a Halloween costume. That sounds perfect! 

The Coton de Tulear gets along well with other dogs, animals, and children. However, they need proper socialization from an early age to make sure they grow up into calm and confident dogs.

They are very affectionate and easily get attached to people. But this can be a bad thing as well, because they can develop separation anxiety over time. One of the best ways of preventing separation anxiety is not making a big deal of leaving and coming back home.

Trainability

The Coton de Tulear is a smart dog, but it needs fun training sessions if you want to teach it anything. This is because they are playful dogs who can get bored easily. That’s why keeping the training short and fun is the key.

Don’t make the mistake of ignoring unwanted behavior just because they are small and cute. We have to redirect unwanted behavior such as chewing and biting and stop others with a calm but firm voice. 

Start early with obedience training as soon as you bring the puppy home.

Activity Needs

The Coton de Tulear is an active dog, but it’s not as active as a sporting dog such as Vizsla. However, they need more than just a daily potty walk. You should play with your dog, throw a ball, or take them on a longer walk. Just keep it slow-paced if you go on longer walks.

Every dog needs physical and mental stimulation to keep it healthy and happy. A dog that has nothing to do will become bored. A bored dog will become destructive or will misbehave in some other way.

Feeding

Generally speaking, an adult Coton de Tulear needs from ¾ to 1 cup of kibble a day. The best option is to divide the amount into two meals. One meal in the morning and the other one in the evening.

Of course, besides the daily kibble, you can give them some fruits safe for dogs, a treat if they are in the training process, and so on. Just remember to give them their regular daily meals after the training. That way, a dog is more willing to follow instructions because it expects a tasty reward.

Grooming

Keeping a Coton de Tulear’s fur is not difficult, but it requires commitment. If you want to keep the fur in a “puppy cut”, then all you need is to brush your dog once or twice a week. You can use a combination of a pin and bristle brush.

However, if you want to keep the long, show-cut fur, they need daily brushing to keep the fur from matting. You will need a brush with longer pins so that you can reach the lower parts of the fur. This is because they have a double and wavy coat type.

Possible Health Issues

The Coton de Tulear is a generally healthy dog breed. There aren’t many breed-specific health issues. The reason for that is that the responsible breeders took good care of the dogs, put them through all necessary tests, and didn’t use them only for breeding. 

But, just like any other living being, the Coton de Tulear can have some health issues:

• Luxating patella
• Spinal disc disease
• Eye problems

Life expectancy: 15 to 20 years

Summary 

The Coton de Tulear is a small, friendly, and very affectionate dog. They are naturally clownish and love the attention. These dogs get along well with other dogs, big and small, other animals, and children of all ages. But we need to make sure they are properly socialized from an early age. It is also very important to do all we can to prevent separation anxiety. The best way to do that is to not make a big deal out of going and coming back home. 

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Cover photo by CamilleVila