Showboat Kennels

Standard F.C.I. no283 / 09.11.1995 / COTON DE TULEAR

ORIGIN

Madagascar

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE VALID ORIGINAL STANDARD

09.11.1995

UTILIZATION

Companion Dog

CLASSIFICATION F.C.I.

• Group 9 Companions and Toys
• Section 1.2 Coton de Tuléar
• 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.

BEHAVIOR / TEMPERAMENT

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

HEAD

• Seen in profile: short
• Seen from above: triangular

CRANIAL REGION

• Skull: Upper profile convex
• Width: about 8.5 cm.
• Supercialiray 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 color 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 color 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 color 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:
  • Yellow patches more or less dark
  • Mixture of yellow and black hairs
  • Some black hairs giving the impression of a light gray 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 centered 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 gray, more or less dark patches.

COAT

• Hair: Fine, about 8 cm long, slightly wavy, of cotton texture.
• Color: White, a few yellow or gray more or less dark patches, notably on the ears, are tolerated.

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.

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, 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.