Coton de Tulear - nature and description of the dog breed

The content of the article

1 Breed history
2 Characteristics of the Coton de Tulear
3 Care and maintenance of Coton de Tulear dogs
4 Video: Coton de Tulear dog breed

Having decided to have a pet, you need to carefully study the characteristics of the breed and the nature of the future dog, because the relationship between the animal and the person depends on it. Large dogs are more suitable for frequent homes, it is important to consider the need for watchdog skills. If you need a dog for the soul, a wonderful family friend who gets along well with children and enjoys this, you will need a French breed Coton de Tulear pet. In this article we will talk about cotons, learn about their disposition and the features of caring for this breed of dogs.

Breed history

Tulear is a port in ancient Madagascar. At the same time, the name of the dog breed means soft, like cotton, animal hair. The origin of the breed is very interesting. Maltese lapdogs (progenitors of modern kotons) were loved by sailors and pirates because they could catch rats. It was really important, because the rats ate the stocks of sailors. Involuntarily, the pirates settled the balloons around the world, leaving the dogs here and there. The Madagascar royal family took over one representative of the lapdogs. For many years only they had the right to have such a dog with them. Further, the mixing of blood with local island dogs gave such an amazing breed with long snow-white hair.

Coton de Tulear gained wider fame and popularity in the second half of the 20th century, when, with the French colonialists, the breed returned to its historical homeland. Surprisingly, at that time the Coton de Tulear was on the verge of extinction, and only the tremulous love of some European breeders could save the Cotons as a breed. Today, buying a puppy is also not easy, Coton de Tulear is distributed mainly in the European part of the continent. Most often, cotons are found in France. The international organization recognized Coton de Tulear as a separate breed only in 1972, and the American Kennel Club did this only a few years ago. The difficulty in the distribution of cats is that in the litter there are no more than three puppies, this is the maximum.

The appearance of the dog is very peculiar - Coton de Tulear has short legs, the height at the withers is not more than 35 cm, the weight of the dog is 5-7 kg. The breed belongs to the dwarf. The hair of the animal is quite long and slightly wavy, the characteristic color is white. Blotches of smoky or brown color are allowed, mainly on the ears.

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Characteristics of the Coton de Tulear

Coton is an amazing animal, a wonderful companion, a lively, sociable and cheerful friend for the whole family. A feature of the breed is that the Coton de Tulear gets along well with children, plays with them very often, and feels great with a child. Unlike other dwarf breeds, Cotons do not require any special care and attitude. It is believed that in some cases Coton de Tulear may be a guard dog, but for this they need to be trained specifically, developing aggression in animals. Often a good-natured cat will take a thief for a good friend and will certainly lead him into the house. But remember that the dog will tell the owner loudly about any stranger. A feature of the behavior of Coton de Tulear is that the dog can play in such a way that at the same time it bounces and tears all four paws off the ground. This makes the pet's behavior incredibly fun and perky. Watching the tricks of a French dog is a pleasure.The peculiarity of joking, jumping and delighting its owner has led to the fact that these dogs in France are lovingly called “clowns”. This is a great dog for noisy, fun and large families.

Coton de Tulear is very painfully experiencing separation, begins to whine loudly and spoil furniture and things. It is not recommended to start a dog of this breed if there are no children in the house - who will constantly jump and run with the pet, and he needs it. If the dog became friends with the child, she will spend days tail after him.

Coton de Tulear is not just a good-natured and playful dog, it is also a smart and intelligent animal that understands everything, perfectly lends itself to training. Coton will not bother the owner if he is busy with more important things. The pet will definitely be located in the place with the best view and will patiently wait for the owner to free himself and devote his time to the dog. Cotons are very frisky pets with a huge charge of energy and strength. Every day you need to devote at least an hour to active games with him, so that Coton de Tulear feels good, does not play pranks and does not bark.

The mind of Cotons manifests itself everywhere. There is a story according to which dogs were able to deceive even crocodiles. They barked in a certain place on the shore to lure a predator, and then swam across the river in a safe area cleared of crocodiles. Surprisingly, swimming is another characteristic feature of the breed. Cotons swim beautifully, love to swim.

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Care and maintenance of Coton de Tulear dogs

Despite the fact that the dog loves to frolic, jump and run, it is not recommended to keep it on the street, because the dog can not live without a man, misses the owner. The main difficulty in caring for the dog is the long coat, which should be monitored. As it becomes soiled or 4-5 times a month, you need to wash and bathe the animal using a special shampoo. Try to buy products intended for long-haired dogs so that the coat does not get tangled. Yes, the cat sheds, like other pets, but the fallen wool gets stuck and remains in the total mass until it is combed. This means that shreds of wool throughout the house will not lie. If the dog is not combed daily, she may appear in the coat mats, which increase over time. It is very difficult to get rid of large tangles, they will have to be cut with the help of a specialist, especially if garbage, thorns, etc. are stuck in the wool. That is, if you do not want to lose the hair and the beautiful appearance of the pet, you should look after it.

Feeding Coton de Tulear does not bring any special difficulties. As in the content of any dog, the owner must clearly know whether he will feed the pet - dry food or a combined diet. If the food is dry, you need to choose high-quality premium products, the composition of which is completely balanced. In this case, there must be constant access to fresh water. If the owner makes a diet himself, he should have proteins and carbohydrates, a small amount of fat. Moreover, you need to regularly give your pet the necessary vitamins, the schedule of which can be found at the veterinarian. Puppies are fed 6-8 times a day, as the dog grows, the number of feeds gradually decreases and reaches 2 per day.

It is important to train a pet in a timely manner, if this is not done, the cat can become quite noisy and uncontrollable. The dog is really smart, executes commands, as it wants to please the owner. Your task is only to convey what is required of him. In training Coton de Tulear, do not use force or cruelty, the dog may misunderstand and do the opposite, in spite. Proper motivation and timely praise work on Koton much better. Sometimes it is difficult for dogs of this breed to train a pet to go to the toilet in the right place. Patience and time will help you overcome this problem.

To summarize, we can say that Coton de Tulear is an amazing dog, very funny, good-natured and open, what you need for families with children. The dog is well trained, has good intelligence and good health. The dog practically does not shed and has no unpleasant odor. Among the disadvantages of Koton is the need for additional care for long hair. If the dog is not combed out and not washed, the white color of the coat turns gray, with tangles and debris. Another drawback of the Coton de Tulear is the noisy barking and restlessness of the dog, if it is not brought up correctly. For the baby to be manageable, you need to start training him as soon as possible. And then the Frenchman will become your faithful friend and reliable companion for many years.

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