The Coton de Tulear is a little dog named after Tulear, a city in Madagascar, and for the cottony-textured coat. Comparable to a cotton ball, this small dog weighs between 9-13 pounds for males, 8-11 pounds for females, and stands 10-12 inches for males, 8.5-10.5 inches for females.

Coat

The Coton de Tulear has a distinctive cottony, dry texture that is more like a hair than the traditional dog fur. This coat characteristic makes their coat appear fluffy and light, almost brawled in appearance.

Activity

The Coton de Tulear loves to play and swim. They appreciate wide open space, and can tag along on horseback with their masters. They do great in various dog sports including agility trials, and catch. As an active breed, they really adapt well to their family's situation for as long as they are provided with daily walks.

Temperament

Coton de Tulears are affectionate, playful, and intelligent little breeds. Due to their love of people, it can result to having a separation anxiety on their part. They love life, and are generally lively and enthusiastic. A very vocal breed, this fluffy dog grunts and makes noise when having fun. Some even have a habit of leaping and walking on their rear legs to entertain people. But some may exhibit cautiousness or shyness in new situation, particularly around strangers. This can be overcome with socialization and training.

Overview

The Coton de Tulear is generally a playful, loyal and friendly dog. They are eager to follow their masters from anywhere, making them great family pet with older couples and children of all ages. This small, fluffy breed is descendants of Bichon-type breed, known not to shed as much.

Care

Coton de Tulears have long coats that requires thorough grooming every day, and bathing about once every month. With hypoallergenic fur, their coats are a lot like that of the human's, making them popular among people with allergies. A generally healthy breed, the Coton de Tulear is known to have heart problems, back disc and eye problems, and liver shunts, but is luckily uncommon for this breed.

Training

Training Coton de Tulears is a delightful experience. This breed is lovable, and eager to please the owner making them highly responsive to positive methods using praise and rewards. Bred as companion dog, the Coton de Tulear has the ability to understand the owner's wants before the command is given. They are obedient and highly agile dogs that enjoys competition being in the spotlight. As with other breeds, they still require consistent training with obedience classes as puppies to both socialize them, and provide a good knowledge of the basic commands.

Character

The Coton de Tulear is affectionate, cheerful, and placid little dogs that are placid and very amiable. They get along well with children of all ages and other animals. Loyal and are attached to owners, this breed constantly aims to please. They are alert and watchful, making them an excellent watchdog. Clever, as they go great lengths to fulfill their master's wish.

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