Coton de Tulear were introduced into the United States only 27 years ago. Since then, enthusiasts have imported puppies from Europe. A few are still imported from Madagascar, the country of origin. After their initial success in Western Europe, a rapid increase in popularity of Coton Dogs in the United States is beginning. At least 150 Coton breeders are operating in the U.S. The first reported Coton puppy auction took place in the fall of 2001, and we may expect to see Cotons in puppy mills and in pet stores. In 2006 there were over 100 Cotons sold at large scale breeder auctions in Oklahoma and Ohio.  These dogs, some of dubious ancestry and often smaller than the standard, find their way to other puppy farms and eventually to the pet stores.  If you look in the popular dog magazines or browse the Internet, you will find a plethora of advertisements for kennels and puppies.

How do you discern and discriminate among the conscientious breeders, who deliver high quality puppies and retain a lifelong commitment to your purchase, from those who breed carelessly for profit or import puppies for resale? How can you determine the integrity of a breeder? What questions do you ask? What is the best way to go about finding the puppy of your dreams?

First of all, look for a breeder near you if possible; not necessarily to purchase a puppy from this breeder, but to become acquainted with Coton de Tulear if you have never seen one. Good breeders welcome visitors and love to show off their dogs to those interested in the breed. When you choose a breeder, it’s always best to visit the breeder’s facilities, become acquainted with the breeder’s dogs, and see first hand how the dogs behave and how they are treated. This is not always possible and is not essential. There are good breeders in remote locations. Remember, however, it pays to be careful. You are looking for a family member for the next 15 years.

ACC’s commitment is first and foremost to the welfare of the dogs. ACC philosophy delights in enhancing the experience between you the buyer, and the breeder, for the benefit of the puppy.

How Can ACC Help You?

1. Most important is to provide information that you can use when seeking a puppy. ACC is committed to providing education to enable you to determine for yourself how to evaluate breeders. We prepared groups of questions to help you and the breeder come to a mutual understanding. These questions will lead naturally to more dialogue as you and the breeder begin to understand each other, which allows you to gain confidence that you are selecting the right breeder for your situation.

2. Second is a simple outline of Ethical Behavior to expect of a breeder. This is the minimum to expect. All breeders have their own Ethical Practices, some of which far exceed this minimum.

3. ACC does not recommend breeders. However, we list breeders associated with ACC for the convenience of buyers. This is not an endorsement or a recommendation. Puppies Available listing on the ACC web site is a free service for breeders and buyers.

We are all interested in selecting the best possible breeder for the dog we want. Read further for suggestions on how to begin a dialogue with one or more prospective breeders of your puppy to find out all you can about the health of the dogs, the care the breeder gives to the adult Cotons and the puppies,
how the breeder tests for temperament and personality, and how the breeder matches puppies to the requirements of the new homes.

To view the ACC Code of Ethics Guidelines for breeders go to COE. For a list of ACC breeders who may have puppies available go to Breeders List.

Where To Start

When opening a dialogue with a breeder, it is best to ask open ended questions, that is, questions which require some discussion and which cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. Below we present some suggestions. In many cases these are designed to allow a breeder to elaborate on his or her particular policies and practices.

Do you consider yourself a commercial breeder or a hobby breeder? There are generally considered to be three types of breeders; 1) a professional or commercial breeder who breeds a large number of dogs, perhaps 30 or more per year for Coton breeders, and who makes a living at it. This breeder may breed more than one breed
of dog. 2) a hobby breeder who has one or a few Cotons and breeds them for the joy of introducing new families to Coton puppies, for showing, for improving the breed, or other personal reasons. This breeder often has a special expertise and interest in the breed. 3) a backyard breeder, has one or more Cotons which may be pet quality,
doesn’t know or care much about breeding properly and breeds indiscriminately without regard to genetics.

Have you had or do you have other breeds of dogs? Have you bred other breeds? Why do you breed Cotons? How many Cotons do you have? What are the ages of your Cotons? How often do you breed? What is the average number of litters you produce every year? These are all good questions. There are no right answers, but they are useful in learning whether the breeder’s practices and policies are in accord with your preferences.

Most knowledgeable breeders agree that females should not be bred until their third heat or at 18 months, and they should not be bred repeatedly in successive heats, nor much beyond 5 litters or much past 6 years old. Males should not be bred before 1 year old. All Cotons should be thoroughly health tested before breeding.

Do you broker puppies? Sometimes those who call themselves breeders are merely brokers. They buy puppies from other breeders either in the U.S. or in Europe at low prices and sell them at high prices. These people are in it for the money. Your problem is that you have no access to the actual breeder for questions of responsibility.
Do you want to buy from a broker?

What is your contract like? A good sales contract is written for the protection of the puppy and will include health and temperament guarantees as well as a lifetime commitment to the puppy and to your continuing education. A good breeder will insist in the contract that they want the dog back if your family circumstances change insofar as you are no longer able to care properly for a dog. Under no circumstances will they allow you to freely resell the dog or place it in an animal shelter.

If the puppy is to be a companion there will be an enforceable spay/neuter clause. If it is breedable quality, the contract ought to state that there is no way to know if a puppy is truly breedable until it is at least one year old upon the completion of all relevant health tests. These tests include an eye examination by a certified ophthalmologist, an orthopedic examination by a qualified vet to determine how tight the patellas (kneecaps) are, an examination of hip movement and tightness, a complete blood panel to determine thyroid and other key component levels, and a heart examination to check for murmurs or other defects.

How much do you charge for Cotons? How do you arrive at the price? Companion Cotons from reputable breeders range in price from $2000 to $3000. Show or breedable quality may cost between $3000 and $4000. Does this seem high? Ask yourself: do you know what it costs to maintain breeding dogs with access to good medical care? There are many expenses involved in health testing the adults, continued socialization and training classes, showing if the breeder does that, and properly caring for the puppies. Although good breeders will let a puppy go for a lesser price to an excellent home if there are special considerations, beware if the price is $1000 or less. Although $2000-$3000 may seem high, particularly if you have not been in the market for a purebred dog in recent years, a healthy Coton will live for 15 years or more with minimal veterinary care, and so the total cost of a health tested Coton seems quite reasonable. 

What is your health guarantee? A good contract will state that you must take the puppy to your veterinarian within 5 days of purchase to verify health and a full refund upon return of the puppy if it does not pass. The breeder should show you the results of the health tests of the parents and any other dogs in the lineage if available.

What Coton organizations are you involved with? In what capacity? There are several clubs. Is your potential breeder actively involved in one or more? This isn’t essential, but it is good if a breeder knows other breeders and is known by them. A good breeder is always ready to let you know of other breeders in your area who are having puppies at the time you want one. A good breeder will be knowledgeable about the various organizations and registries in the United States and should register his or her dogs and puppies with a reputable one. Reputable registries include FCI for dogs imported from Europe, ACC, CTCA, and USACTC. Some breeders may register dogs with an all breed kennel club like UKC if they are not affiliated with any Coton club. Avoid breeders who register with AKC-FSS, APR or FIC. These registries accept one generation pedigrees which means the father or mother may be not breedable quality and even may not be a Coton. Any reputable breeder should be able to supply you with at least a three generation pedigree of the adults.

In addition, a conscientious breeder may be actively involved with a Coton Rescue organization, such as the United Coton de Tulear Association for Rescue and Education (UCARE) as a volunteer in some capacity – checking local animal shelters, helping to foster or transport dogs in need, checking on newspaper ads, helping to re-home rescued Cotons, and other services. Good breeders feel collectively responsible for Cotons in need whether or not they are directly responsible for them.

Do you show your Cotons? If so, do you do it yourself or use a professional handler? There is no correct answer here. Conformation shows are useful to meet other breeders and to learn more about the breed, to learn how to judge quality and to decide how to breed. These shows are also a competitive sporting event. Some breeders enjoy the competition, and campaign their dogs to see how many points they can accumulate. Generally for these beautiful dogs, some aspects of the show fancy, such as travel and special attention, are enjoyable for the dog. However, it can be hard on a dog to be out on the show circuit week after week. If it is with a professional handler, the dog misses out on the family social environment. If it is with the breeder, can interfere with the responsibilities of breeding, which requires a lot of time. It’s not necessary for a good breeder who consistently produces quality dogs with good temperaments to frequent the show circuit, but it is not necessarily a drawback either.

Next is the area of proper care of the dogs.

What is your support structure for your breeding program? It is easy to become a "collector of Cotons". It’s hard for some to stop with one or three or six. For some breeders this is fine; they have a good support structure and so their dogs lead healthy, comfortable and interesting lives. Do you want a breeder who has a lot of Cotons,
a full time job, small children or babies in the house, and yet breeds many litters a year? The job, the babies, the children predictably come first. This doesn’t mean proper care for the dogs and proper socialization for the puppies can’t be done, it’s just very, very difficult.

Do you have a regular veterinarian who sees your dogs? Some breeders have the puppies and mother checked three to five days after birth and again at six and 10 weeks. A skilled veterinarian with proper equipment can detect problems even an experienced breeder cannot see. Some heart murmurs are difficult to detect. Some breeders may never take the puppies to a veterinarian, even giving all the vaccinations themselves. This saves money but puppies should be seen by a specialist. As you get to know the breeder, ask what vaccinations are given and at what ages and why.

Don’t you want your puppy to be thoroughly examined by a veterinarian before it is released to your care? Some breeders even have the eyes checked by a certified ophthalmologist. This is a simple and inexpensive test to detect a myriad of eye problems and is advisable to be done every year for every Coton. Adult dogs at a year
old should have an orthopedic evaluation by the vet to determine how loose the patellas are, and to detect any sign of hip or other orthopedic disease. You should have these tests done for your puppy as it matures, along with a yearly veterinary examination. Does the breeder encourage you to do this? The breeding dogs must have very thorough examinations including heart, orthopedic exams, and a full blood panel to determine if thyroid and other components are at the proper values. Blood tests can be an excellent indication of incipient disease.

At what age do you place your puppies with the new owners? Do you test the puppies for temperament and personality? Please describe the test procedure. How do you socialize your puppies? Can we come over and pick out our puppy? We recommend that puppies not be released until they are at least 10 weeks old.
It’s more work for the breeder, but the puppies are still developing social skills with their mothers and littermates and other adults in the house. Puppies should be handled early and often from the time they are born or at least from a few days old. Puppies can be socialized in the home to a variety of sights, sounds and people, taken out for car rides, and carried for short walks outdoors as they get older. Although this takes a lot of time, it directly benefits the future temperament and sociability of your puppy. Breeders so busy with other activities that they cannot devote the necessary time to socialization foster problematic behavior. Another consideration for you is that puppies within a given litter exhibit a wide variety of temperaments. The breeder you want will extensively interview you to find out just what qualities in the puppies match your family situation. The breeder will be attuned to the puppies’ development to select the right puppy for you. It is not possible to pick out a puppy on a short visit. Puppies have extended sleepy periods and short bursts of activity, and depending on when you visit, any given puppy may seem lethargic, fearful or bursting with energy and enthusiasm, which may not reflect the true temperament at all. Breeders should be able to tell you exactly how they temperament test their puppies.

Next are some questions which test a breeder’s knowledge. There is much to learn and a good breeder is eager to learn and spends the time to keep learning. ACC breeders interact with other Coton breeders by participation in an on line Internet discussion group, the Coton Breeders Forum, to share best practices
and keep up on current health concerns. These questions will help you articulate your own standards.

How do you determine if a Coton is pet quality or show quality? There is much more to it than a good bite and good pigment. Show quality and breedable quality are not the same. A nine month old puppy can win an international championship in the show ring, but you can’t tell if it is breedable until it is at least a year old and
has been fully health tested. A puppy doesn’t stop growing until a year old; the plates at the ends of the bones keep growing together, the lower jaw may keep growing until 8 months old. Be cautious of the breeder who assures you an 8 week old puppy is breedable quality or who tells you all the puppies in the litter are show quality. Even with the best possible mating, usually less than half the puppies and often fewer than that turn out to be breedable and show quality.

What are the genetic diseases in the breed? How do you determine the probability of genetic diseases in your Cotons? What would you do if a puppy you sold developed a genetic disease? A good breeder will be able to discuss this intelligently and to explain it so you can understand. Several important genetic diseases
have been seen in Cotons. The occurrence rates of these diseases are still low. One particularly insidious disease is PRA or Progressive Retinal Atrophy, which appears at 4 to 6 years of age or later, and leads invariably to blindness. To date, the known incidence of the disease is still very low, less than 1%. Conscientious breeders will show you their test results and answer questions of lineage.

What standard do you follow when you breed? It is generally accepted that Cotons as a distinct breed originated in Madagascar, that the French imported them into Europe some 20-30 years ago, and that a few have been imported into the U.S. directly from Madagascar since 1974. Two standards have been developed; the international FCI standard, used in the U.S. by most clubs, particularly those involved in conformation showing, and the CTCA (one of the U.S. Coton clubs) standard, used exclusively by CTCA breeders. The FCI standard calls for Cotons with a maximum weight of 13.3 pounds and having the "appearance of a white coat". The CTCA standard calls for a maximum weight of 18 pounds and permits intense black and white and brown coloration in adults. Many Coton puppies display darkish areas of coat coloration, which fade to white as they mature. This is acceptable under the FCI standard. If you buy a puppy with coloration, do not expect it to retain that coloration as it matures. A breeder should be able to discuss the standards and the differences and direct you, for example, to a breeder specializing in black and white Cotons if that is what you prefer.

Do you only breed dogs that are within the standard? It is acceptable to breed dogs that are outside the standard in one or more respects, but which have other outstanding characteristics to produce puppies expected to meet the standard. It is not acceptable to breed willy nilly without regard for the standard. Breeders will be able to tell you why they choose the breeding pairs they do.

Is there a difference in the coats of Cotons? Do Cotons bark a lot? Yes and no. Cotons are still a "rare breed"; they have not yet been accepted into AKC and they have not yet been overbred for the show fancy to produce the "winning look". There is much variability in coat length, the texture and fineness of the hair, the thickness of the coat, the tail set, size and weight, and other features. This is part of the charming individuality within the breed. Be sure to ask breeders what their grooming protocol is. Some coats need to be brushed every day, some can go for a week without combing and these differences in coats will be manifested in the puppy you choose. It has been said that Cotons were originally bred in Madagascar to be guardians, to bark and sound the alarm. Cotons are not yappy but they are boisterous and although they accept visitors to the home, they are
territorial and bark at the doorbell to let you know someone has arrived. Temperaments vary, and most essential socialization must be done by the new owner. Still, the breeder should tell you about the temperaments of their dogs. If you visit the breeder’s home, don’t worry if the dogs seem territorial or wary. Coton behavior with strangers is much more relaxed in neutral territory and quite relaxed with visitors they know and trust.

Have any of your Cotons gone to people with allergy problems? Some Cotons are more non-allergenic than others. It’s good to check if this is important to you.

Describe how your Cotons live with you. What is their daily exercise routine? Where do they sleep? What do they do when you are gone during the day? How many hours a day can Cotons be left alone? Cotons are companion dogs and they want to be with you all the time. They do not do well when left alone for long periods. If your situation is such that you must be away all day long, you might want to reconsider your choice of a Coton.

What do you feed your dogs? How are they fed? How involved are you with new owners after purchase? Do you provide any instructions to new owners?
Breeders should recommend high quality, nutritious and healthy food, without any meat byproducts in it, and should give you a supply of the food the puppy has been eating and complete instructions on how to properly care for a puppy.

These are some of the questions we wish we had asked when we purchased our first Coton. We trust they will be of some use to you, the potential Coton owner, to help find the Coton puppy that is absolutely the best for you. Some of these may not be appropriate to your situation, there may be good questions we have omitted, but the more you know about Coton breeders, the better off both you and the puppy will be.