Coton de Tulear - Playful Pup

Hello Dog Whisperer Readers ~

This week I am going to write about the Coton de Tulear (It’s pronounced KO-Tone Dih TOO-Lay-ARE) due to a request from Julie, a Lil' Dog Whisperer reader!  Thank you very much for the request and I hope that you enjoy!

Madagascar is the country of origin of the Coton Tulear. It is presumed that in the 16th century sailors had brought the ancestors of the Coton to the port city of Tulear (present day Toliara) in Madagascar from Spain and Portugal. The Coton is related to the Bichon dog family.

Cotons are both lovable and lucky, so it seems. In general, the Coton de Tulear is a healthy animal that can live to be 18 years old.

Coton de Tulears are affectionate, playful, and intelligent little breeds.  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 will not be a problem if you properly socialize and train him/her.

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. 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.

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.

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.

The Coton de Tulear is different from most breeds of dogs in that the cotton, dry textured coat is more like hair than it is like a traditional dog fur. This makes the coat appear very fluffy and light, almost tussled in appearance.

The tail of the Coton de Tulear may be carried straight or slightly curved, but will always be covered with longer, cottony hair. The breed has a noticeable beard and moustache of longer hair, plus the eyes of the mature Coton de Tulear will be covered with the long hair from the forehead. In pets this may be trimmed to help with upkeep, but in show dogs the coats and faces may not be trimmed or clipped. The overall appearance of the coat should be windblown and free, not slicked or flat against the body. They should closely resemble a fluffy cotton ball that has been slightly pulled apart.


I hope you’ve enjoy learning about the Coton de Tulear as much as I have! 

You dog Lovin’ Friend,

Araya