Are Coton de Tulear dogs only loyal to one person?

by Maria
(Canada)

Hello! We are thinking about getting a second dog, a Coton de Tulear to be exact. A couple of friends (one who owns a Coton and one who knows of another Coton owner) say that Cotons are extremely loyal only to its favorite family member. If the dog's favorite is away, then the dog has little interaction with other members.

Do you feel that this "favoritism" is a trait of the breed? Thank you for answering my inquiry.

Comments for Are Coton de Tulear dogs only loyal to one person?

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Aug 02, 2021
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Cotton loyalty NEW
by: Anonymous

Hi: I have a 10 month old cotton purebred. It was difficult socializing her with the covid issue so she has gotten limited socialize. She does like pretty much everything and everyone though. If I am holding her in public at about 7 months she started growling and being a bit protective of me. If she hears an unfamiliar sound or sight she barks and growls. She doesn't lunge but backs up when she does this. You have to socialist them very young to all different situations and people including kids. Unfortunately with covid now its hard to do that. She hasn't favored any family member over the other she seems to love equal but she sticks close to whoever has the food LOL! Potty training takes lots of training we still don't 100% trust her unsupervised in the house. She is crate trained at night it took about 4 months of crate training before she stopped potty in the crate. She gets along with cat but under supervision only otherwise she would antagonize cat if unsupervised. She is really good as lap dog and in car rides. She loves to eat not too picky but don't give too much human food as they start begging bad habit and too much extra weight not good for small frame and little legs. They will alert you to door knocks etc can be barky but with correction can be controlled. Lots of grooming I have to groom mine daily takes about 45 minutes each day as their hair easily mats and gets tangly. To take mine to groomer once monthly is around $65 but if they are squirmy puppy groomer can charge me $70 so I am working on her not being so squirmy. Cotton can get ear infection as they have floppy ears. You need to watch for this as they get hair growing in canal that needs plucking out. They can also get watery eyes that get the tear staining especially in white cotton. They can be stubborn so takes patience and preserverence. I hope this helps anyone wanting a cotton puppy. They are really cute but you need to put the work in as far as training. Expect the first year of puppy hood to be time intensive and a few months of sleepless nights. You live in t shirts and jeans with no makeup and undone hair and lots of takeout LOL! Unless you have willing children and/or partner to help. Its difficult to be away at work and raise puppy. They can get separation anxiety unless you work from home which would be better for them. Retired folks are great match for this breed as breed thrives on company and constant training first year. If you like cruising or overseas travel I would rethink this breed as they don't do well away from you. If you can travel with them its more ideal. Or if you have family member at home to take care of them good too.

Jan 02, 2021
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Coton loyalty NEW
by: Anonymous

We got our 13 month coton November 30 of 2019 and she is very loving and listens to every member of the household but everyone is right socializing is key to any and every dog

Oct 02, 2010
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depends on the dog
by: Karla

My 4-year old coton was not well socialized. I am her "favorite" person. If I'm in the house and ask my son to take her out, more often than not, he will come back complaining that she won't walk. As soon as I go out, there's no problem with her moving. However, when she knows I'm not home, my son doesn't have issues taking her out. I guess it depends on the dog.

Aug 10, 2010
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Coton companions
by: Gale

As a rule, the Coton de Tulear has been bred to be a very happy and sociable dog who loves everyone. They do tend to be territorial and will protect you if there's a perceived threat (strangers in the house, knocking on door). Like all dogs, the Coton needs to be socialized at a very young age and exposed to lots of people, places, sounds, and situations. If this doesn't happen, they will tend to be very attached primarily to their sole caretaker (which is pretty much true of most unsocialized dogs).

So if you want a dog who is happy to be around EVERYONE, just make sure to socialize him/her.

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