TRANSLATION : Mrs. Peggy Davis.

ORIGIN : Madagascar.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE VALID ORIGINAL STANDARD:  09.11.1995.

UTILIZATION : Companion Dog.

CLASSIFICATION FCI : Group 9 Companions and Toys
Section 1.2 Coton de Tulear
Without working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : Brought in France in 1977 this new-comer of exotic origin has rapidly won a place amongst the small dogs; nowadays his fame has spread all over the world.

GENERAL APPEARANCE : Small dog, suitable for apartment, with long cotton-like coat and round, dark, expressive and intelligent eyes.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :
Ratio height at the withers to length of the body = 2 to 3
Ratio length of the head to length of the body = 2 to 5
Ratio length of the skull to length of the muzzle = 9 to 5.

BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : A bit boisterous, merry and even a bit of a clown, very attached to his master.

HEAD
DESCRIPTION OF THE WHOLE : Seen in profile : short Seen from above : triangular.

CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Upper profile convex. Width about 8,5 cm. Supercialiary arches slightly developed. Slight frontal furrow, occipital protuberance non existent. Occipital crest only slightly perceptible.
Stop : Only slightly accentuated.

FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Small. Black, dark tobacco colour tolerated. Open nostrils.
Muzzle : About 6 cm in length, about 4,5 cm in depth and about 5 cm in width. Nasal bridge straight. Lower jaw in straight line.
Lips : Fine, tight, pigmented as the colour of the nose.
Teeth : Perfect, small and white; the lower incisors placed just forward, just behind or level with the upper incisors.
Eyes : Round, dark, bright, well set apart, pigmented with the colour of the nose; eyelids fine
Ears : Hanging, about 6 cm in width, about 7 cm in length, thin, triangular, set high on the skull. Fine at the tip, bent at the base, covered with white hairs or with tints in the following three possibilities :
1) Yellow patches more or less dark
2) Mixture of yellow and black hairs
3) Some black hairs giving the impression of a light grey patch.

NECK :
Profile : Straight. Slightly curved at the top. Ratio neck/body = 1/5.
Length : About 8 cm.
Shape : Bulging, muscular; width about 7 cm.
Skin : Tight.

BODY :
Seen as a whole : Upper line very slightly convex.
Withers : Only slightly accentuated, set of neck strong.
Back and Loins : Very slightly arched, well muscled.
Ratio thoracic lumbar part = 10/6.
Belly and Loins : Round, less broad than the chest, belly hardly tucked up.

TAIL : Set low, length about 18 cm, thick at the base, fine at the tip, when at rest goes down to below the hock with the tip curving upwards.

FOREQUARTERS :
Seen as a whole : Legs vertical seen from the front and in profile.
Proportions : 1/1.
Shoulder : About 10 cm, oblique, muscular.
Upperarm : About 9 cm, oblique front to rear, muscled.
Shoulderblade-upperarm angle : 120o.
Forearm : About 10 cm. Vertical. Powerful bone structure.
Upperarm-forearm angle : 120o.
Pastern joint : About 3 cm.
Pastern : About 3 cm.
Front Feet : About 3 cm, round shaped, small. Toes tightly closed, well formed; well centred and pigmented pads.

HINDQUARTERS :
Seen as a whole : Legs vertical seen in profile and from behind.
Proportion : 1/1.
Upper Thighs : About 10 cm, muscular.
Coxal-femoral angle : 80o.
Lower Thighs : About 10 cm, oblique from front to rear.
Femoral-tibial angle : 120o.
Hock joint : Length about 2 cm, thickness about 3 cm.
Angle of hock : (tibial-tarsal) : 160o.
Hock : Length about 7 cm, width about 2 cm. Vertical position.
Hind Feet : Round shaped, toes with only slight accentuated curve, tightly closed; pads flat and pigmented.

MOVEMENT : Walk normal, trot shortened.
Preferred pace : the trot.

SKIN : Fine, well adherent in each part of the body. May be pigmented with grey, more or less dark patches.

COAT
HAIR : Fine, about 8 cm long, slightly wavy, of cotton texture.
COLOUR : White, a few yellow or grey more or less dark patches, notably on the ears, are tolerated.

SIZE AND WEIGHT

SIZE : Males : 28 cm, tolerance up to 32 cm maximum and 25 cm minimum.
Females : 25 cm, tolerance up to 28 cm maximum and 22 cm minimum.
WEIGHT : Males from 4 to 6 kg maximum.
Females from 3,5 to 5 kg maximum.
The weights are proportional in relation to the size but must not exceed the maximum.
Example : a male of 28 cm at the withers should weigh approx. 5 kg,
a male of 32 cm at the withers approx. 6 kg.

TYPE : The desirable type is the one described. There are, however, dogs of this breed who are higher on the legs.

FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.

SERIOUS FAULTS :
- Muzzle : Too small or too thick.
- Skull : Flat or too bulging.
- Stop : Too marked or non-existent.
- Nasal bridge : Arched.
- Teeth : Not regularly aligned (incisors), carious teeth, serious prognathism (more than the thickness of the incisors).
- Eyes : Light, set too close, entropion, ectropion, prominent, vicious look.
- Ears : Too short, hairs too short, attachment narrow or too thick, straight.
- Back : Saddle back, too long.
- Rump : Horizontal, narrow.
- Chest : Badly developed.
- Neck : Too short or too long, thin.
- Tail : Too long, too short or rolled up, not enough furnishings, cylindrical.
- Shoulder : Straight.
- Legs : Turned in or out, close together or loose, too wide apart; barrel hocks or cow-hocks; bad angulation.
- Thighs : Insufficient muscle; insufficient hair.
- Skin : Wrinkled, thick.
- Coat (hair) : Too short, too long, curly, silky texture.

ELIMINATING FAULTS :
- Nose with pink spots or patches, too light.
- Depigmented lips, pink spotted, lips heavy and drooping.
- Eyelids white, insufficiently pigmented, pink spots.
- Tail rolled up or carried straight up (candle or flagpole), tail-less.
- Neck too long.
- Height and weight over the maximum.
- Coat strongly marked with brown or pure black.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.