About Our Breeds

Coton de Tulear - pronounced "coe-TAWN-day tool-ee-ear" meaning: "Cotton dog from the Malagasy Port City of Tulear."

Originally developed on the island of Madagascar (off the coast of Africa), their patronage is more recently from France.  The breed is descended from the now extinct "Coton de Reunion", and brought to Mauritius by sailors and pirates during the 16th century.  Dr. R.J. Russell, a biologist, studying Lemurs on Madagascar, exported the first Cotons to North America in 1974. 

The Coton de Tulear is one of the very respected and sought after Rare Breeds residing in the USA today.  They were accepted into the American Kennel Club Foundation Stock Service in January 2004. 

Pictured (left) is Angelo Koibito at 8 months and (right) Kubi is left with his son, Kirby (right) at 8 months.

My Cotons have very thick, soft, long coats that are very pleasing to the eye and were a bit of work to keep up during the 8-15 month period when their adult coats were coming in (that's a good time to clip them back a bit if you want a little less work).  Their coats are dry fly-away hair with minimal shedding and it is said they are hypoallergenic.  I personally don't suffer from that type of allergy, so can not speak first hand but have read that they don't bother most people with allergies.  They certainly are little puffs of cotton. After seeing the unique cotton flower growing in the south, they are true to their name. Our female is 13 pounds and our male is 11 pounds - a very nice, sturdy little dog.  I find these guys very faithful to their family, somewhat independent and happy-go-lucky.  They all seem to have darling quirks, love to stand on their hind feet and greet every person who visits our home. Our male Coton is the most gentle, low-key, guy we've ever seen.  He redefines the word "sweet",  snuggles quietly, is unassuming in his behavior, very intelligent and is beautifully constructed. We find the Cotons to be somewhat reserved as a breed, good with children, happy and affectionate but definitely not "in-your-face" dogs and they do bark more than the Havanese but we feel that may be due to their acute hearing ability. This breed is dear to us and we do our best to breed for health and temperament always keeping our goal the FCI standard.

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Havanese - These small, charming dogs came to Cuba during the Spanish Colony period.  The majority came from sea merchants from the Mediterranean region who brought them to Cuba as gifts in trade to the wives of the Cuban nobility.

The Cubans cross-bred variations of these small breeds until finally developing what is now known as the beloved Havanese. 

When Castro took power in 1959, the breed was nearly lost as the wealthy families who owned them fled the country.  They seemed to virtually disappear until 1974 when a woman named, Dorothy Goodale, came in contact with several of the families that had fled during the revolution.  Dorothy and her husband purchased 12 Havanese dogs of various ages from these families in a committed effort to the preservation of this charming breed.  These 12 dogs are the ancestors of most of the Havanese who now live in the USA and Europe.

The Havanese was accepted into the American Kennel Club, from the rare breed registries, in the year 2000.

Picture (left) is Sybastian at 8 months and (right) is black Shimmel at 8 months with his dad, Sybastian.

Our Havanese are perfectly content as long as they are with their people.  They all do their jobs of companionship very well...giving love and entertainment day in and day out. As with the Cotons, they are said to be hypoallergenic and shed very little to none.  Our female is a beautiful vanilla blond with exceptionally thick, silky hair. She has the rick-rack curl and very nice natural coat length. She loves children more than any dog I've ever seen.  Sofi is also a flirt and struts about when she wants something and has laid complete claim to my husband, Jim.  She adores him and often she will be seen sitting on his lap, studying every detail of his face absolutely enraptured.  Our male is an exceptional Havanese also.  He is small, beautiful and as sweet as he can be.  He is very vocal - not barking, but just vocal antics.  It's not uncommon for him to come up on his hind feet and "talk" to you...entire conversations, with emotion and physical expressions and gestures.  Sybastian is a real clown, sure footed, fast, and with the biggest heart I've ever seen in a dog; he literally melts if he senses sadness or tears within his human family. We also have a pair of younger Havanese that we have not bred yet (Shimmel and Sunnie), they are complete opposites; Shim is quiet, regal and thoughtful.  Sunnie is a nutzy girl with imagination, eagerness and respect all rolled into a very small, beautiful body.  She is inquisitive and very, very funny!  Our Havanese walk around with their food in their mouths and carry it to wherever we are, then drop it and eat it in our presence, they like to lay up high like cats, love to give you face-kisses and are very contented lap dogs!  I have found the Havanese to be exceptional family dogs, perfect for children as they learn very quickly which is gratifying to young trainers and are sensitive to young tender hearts.  This breed is also dear to us and we do our best to breed for health and temperament always keeping our goal the AKC standard.

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There are many helpful and informative web sites for you to visit about Coton de Tulear and Havanese dogs of seasoned breeders and lovers of these dogs, so I will try not to repeat all of that information here but rather give you my own experience and thoughts about what I've learned.

GROOMING:

Much is written and discussed on the grooming and appearance of these two breeds.  It is good information. Although most information that I read states that both of these breeds are non shedding, and hypo allergenic, I have found both to shed minimally, and the Cotons more than the Havanese. Both breeds lose hair when they are brushed (as we do).  The long, flowing coats are what catch the eye.  They are beautiful and their hair is as pleasing to touch and snuggle as it is to look at.  To hold a Havanese or Coton in full coat is very much like holding a living, breathing "stuffed animal."   My Havanese have very long, silky coats and my Cotons have very soft fly-away hair.   

I shampoo my dogs every 2-4 weeks. It can be done weekly without any problem at all if you have the time and keep it conditioned so the coat doesn't dry out.  They benefit from several good brush outs each week and I have also noticed that when they need bathing their hair is more prone to tangles.  The Havanese need baths more often than Cotons as their hair has more oil in it - thus the beautiful silky look of the glorious Havanese.  The Cotons have very dry fly-away hair - thus the care-free, irresistible mop look to the Cotons.  I brush out my dogs while I watch the evening news on TV.  It's a relaxing and easy way to get the job done and a wonderful way to love and handle my dogs. One of the best products I have ever found to aid in keeping my dog's coats beautiful and mats to a minimum is Chris Christensen's Silk Spirits.  It is a lanolin based product that smells heavenly and feels like silk.  It goes on wet, but dries to a beautiful, light weight sheen and really helps keep the tangles to a minimum.  I lavish it on after baths and then once or twice on dry coats between bathing.  My grooming tools include a pin brush, slicker brush and comb.  Also, nail clippers, which I use once every three weeks, hygiene tools for teeth and canine toothpaste. 

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Training for Humans

TRAINING and PHILOSOPHY:  

**Cesar Millan, one of the most respected dog behaviorists of our day, teaches us to have Calm Assertive Energy as Pack Leader.  A pack leader is the dominant one of a group.  (God is pack leader over Jim and I; Jim and I are pack leader over all our dogs). 

The Goal: You may be single and live alone with your dog -you are the pack leader.  You may have 12 children and 10 dogs - you are the pack leader.  That puts you in a dominant position where all the others are looking to you for protection, guidance, instruction and provisions.  Your calm assertive energy in the family pack is needed to keep order and balance, giving boundaries, rules and limitations to the children and all the dogs.  The human family as a unit is the pack leader over all dogs living in the family. 

The Failure: Your dog is pack leader.  Your dog dictates to you what to do next...bolts through doors first, excessive barking, digging, aggression, fear, protectiveness, pulling on leash dragging you here and there, neurotic behaviors, begging for treats, begging for walks...all these are symptoms of the dog being in charge of your home and all you possess.

Having a well behaved dog is truly a blessing; having a misbehaved dog is totally frustrating to you as well as all your friends. Good behavior is the reward for consistent work. A dog will challenge you for dominance all it's life. (There is a difference between dominance and aggression). I believe the key to training a dog is to train yourself to rethink your relationship with your canine friend.  Dogs are NOT human although we in America are fixated on treating them as though they were.  Dogs read body language and don't speak English.  All dogs have a purpose; they have a job to do whether it is leading the blind, herding chickens, searching for the lost or keeping a lonely person company.  Our companion dogs are just that - they are bred for companionship.  So, their training is essential to a peaceful co-existence with us.  Remember to ask your pooch to do something for you before you pop that treat into its mouth; if you ask before you treat, your reward will be great. It doesn't need to be a huge request; a simple sit, trick, or down/stay, but have them do something and remain calm and submissive to you to earn the reward.   These little guys learn very quickly.  Our little Sybastian gets so excited when he thinks we're going to ask him for a high-five that he literally almost jumps out of his skin!  He wants to please us with all of his heart, but he does not get rewards for his overly excited behavior, he is rewarded when he is quiet and submissive; then his reward is affection. Dogs are so similar to children; both are tenderhearted, sensitive, always testing boundaries and need to feel important by earning their place in the pack or family. They both need to be quiet and calm, respectful of their leadership to receive instruction/discipline and then given affection as a reward.  So, give your canines boundaries, rules and limitations and be consistent, firm, loving and kind.  

Now go walk your dog and be the best Pack Leader your family ever had!

**Paraphrased philosophy from Cesar Millan

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Books I have found helpful as well as entertaining:

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