• HISTORICAL SUMMARY  

Introduced to France in 1970, this newly arrived dog from Madagascar quickly acquired a first-rate position among that country's companion dogs. It is currently disseminated all over the world.

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Country of Origin: France.

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GENERAL APPEARANCE: Small, long-haired, companion dog, with a white cotton-textured coat, with dark, round eyes and a lively, intelligent expression.

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IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS:  

• The height at the withers in relation to the length of the body is 2 to 3.

• The length of the head in relation to the body is 2 to 5.

• The length of the skull in relation to the muzzle is 9 to 5.

BEHAVIOR AND TEMPERAMENT: Cheerful, balanced and very sociable with humans and other dogs. It perfectly adapts to any lifestyle. The temperament of the Coton de Tuléar is one of the main characteristics of the breed.

HEAD:  short; top view, triangular

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• CRANIAL REGION  
   

Skull : Seen from the front, slightly rounded, rather wide in relation to its length. Superciliary arches poorly developed. The frontal sulcus as well as the occipital protuberance and crest are poorly marked. Well-developed zygomatic arcades
 

Stop : Light.

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• FACIAL REGION

Snout:  Straight.

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Truffle:  In prolongation of the nasal bridge. Black color; brown is tolerated; nostrils wide open.

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Jaws and Teeth:  Teeth well aligned. Scissor, pincer or inverted scissor bite without losing contact.  

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Lips: Thin, adherent, the same color as the nose.

Eyes:  Round, dark, alive, well apart; the edges of the eyelids are well pigmented in black or brown according to the color of the nose.

Ears : Pendant, triangular, set high on the skull, thin at the tips; carried close to the cheeks, reaching the labial commissure. Covered by white or light gray (mixture of white and black hairs giving a light gray appearance) or red roan (mixture of white and fawn hairs giving a red roan appearance).
 

NECK :  Well muscled, slightly arched. Neck well set in shoulders. Neck/body ratio = 1/5. Clean neck, no dewlap.

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• TRUNK
   

Loin:  Robust

Back:  Strong back, topline very slightly arched.

chest :  Well developed; well let down to the level of the elbows; long. well sprung ribs
 

TAIL:  Set low on the axis of the spine.
 

• MEMBERS

PREVIOUS

Forearms: Humero-radial angle of about 120°. The forearms are vertical and parallel, well muscled, with good bones. The length of the forearm corresponds approximately to that of the upper arm.
 

Paws:  Small, round, like cat's feet, set and well supported by the toes.

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HINDQUARTERS :  upright. Although they are not valued, the presence of ergots is not penalized.

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Thighs:  Strongly muscled, forming a hip angle of 80°.

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Legs:  Well developed.
 

Paws :  Oblique, forming an angle of about 120° with the femur.

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• DRIVE :  Free and fluent, without covering too much ground. During movement, the back remains firm and there is no sign of irregular movement.
   

• COAT

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By :  It is the biggest characteristic of this breed, from which its name derives. Very soft and flexible with the texture of cotton, never hard or rough; the coat is dense, profuse and may be slightly wavy

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• COLOR:  Base color: white. A slight shade of light gray (white fur mixed with black fur) or red roan (white fur mixed with fawn fur) is allowed on the ears. On other parts of the body, these shades can be tolerated if they do not alter the overall appearance of a white coat, but they are not desired.
   

SIZE:  Males: 26 to 28 cm, tolerance of 2 cm up and 1 cm down. Females: 23 to 25 cm, tolerance of 2 cm up and 1 cm down

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• FAULTS  

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Any deviation from the terms of this standard should be considered a fault and penalized in exact proportion to its severity and its effects on the health and well being of the dog.  

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SERIOUS FAULTS

• Skull: Too flat or domed; narrow.

• Muzzle: Disproportion between skull and muzzle.

• Eyes: Clear, too almond-shaped, ectropion, entropion, bulging eyes. • Ears: Too short, with insufficient hair, ears folded back (pink ear). • Neck: Too short, too fused at the shoulders, too slender.

• Topline: Very arched, sealed.

• Croup: Horizontal, narrow.

• Shoulders: Straight.

• Limbs: Turning in or out, elbows loose, hocks too far apart or too close together, straight angles.  

• Hair: Very short, very wavy, curly.

• Pigmentation: Lack of pigmentation or very light pigmentation around the edges of the eyes or lips. Nose discolored, with areas without pigment.

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DISQUALIFYING FAULTS

• Aggressiveness or excessive shyness.

• Any dog that shows any sign of physical or behavioral anomaly must be disqualified.

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• GRADES

• Males must have both testicles, of normal appearance, well let down and accommodated in the scrotum.

• Only clinically and functionally healthy dogs with typical breed conformation should be used for breeding.