I was looking into getting a dog and would like to know more about these breeds (Coton de Tulear or Havanese) from people who have had them.
1. Are there any common health problems with the breed? (knee/hip problems, digestive problems?)
2. What is their coat like? (shedding, grooming/bathing, daily brushing?)
3. Do they have eye problems? (leaky eyes that cause tear staining, etc.?)
4. How are they with training and socialization with other people/kids?
5. Any other things you should know about this breed before getting a new puppy? Yes I know I could do my own research, and I have, but I just wanted some opinions of people who have had one of these breeds so they might be able to give more info. Plus I was unable to find some of the information online (like about if they get tear stains). *******HAVANESE*******
1. This is a very healthy long-lived breed, however, all long-lived breeds eventually have health problems. Some are prone to PRA, cataracts, luxating patellas, poodle eye and dry skin.
2. For pets the coat can be clipped short for easier care. If the coat is to be kept long it needs to be thoroughly brushed and combed at least twice a week. There is a lotion available to prevent the hair from splitting. Clip excess hair from between the pads of the feet. The feet themselves may be clipped to look round. Show dogs need a great deal more grooming. There is little to no shedding, so dead hair must be removed by brushing. Check the eyes and ears regularly. If the ears are not kept clean it is prone to get an ear infection. The beauty of a well groomed Havanese is that he still looks tousled and carefree. If you accustom your dog to nail clipping from puppy age, she should accept the routine as an adult. Teeth should be brushed weekly, and is also best started as a puppy. This breed is good for allergy sufferers. They are a Non-shedding- Hyper Allergenic dog. However, the Shavanese (Havanese born with a short coat) have coats more like the average dog, and comparable in looks to a Papillon. They do shed. It is believed, but not yet 100% confirmed, that unlike the long haired Havanese, the short haired Shavanese is not hypo allergenic and therefore not a good choice for allergy sufferers.
3. yes could have tear stains
4. Havanese are natural companion dogs: gentle and responsive. They become very attached to their human families and are excellent with children. Very affectionate and playful with a high degree of intelligence. These cheerful dogs are very sociable and will get along with everyone including people, dogs, cats and other pets. They are easy to obedience train and get along well with other dogs. This curious dog loves to sit up high on a chair to observe what is going on. It is very sensitive to the tone of your voice. Harsh words will only upset the dog and will achieve very little. The Havanese have a long reputation of being circus dogs, probably because it learns quickly and enjoys doing things for people. Few tend to bark a lot, as they can be taught not to do this. It is not their nature to bark a lot. It is best to teach them not to bark unnecessarily while they are still young to prevent it from becoming a habit. Havanese are good watch dogs - making sure to alert you when a visitor arrives, but will quickly welcome the guest once it sees you welcome them. Some dogs may exhibit a degree of shyness around strangers, but this is not characteristic of the breed. Havaneses live for your every word and gesture. They should be neither timid nor aggressive. It shows no cowardice, in spite of its size.
5. EXCERSISE: This playful little dog has an average demand for exercise. This breed needs to be taken on a daily walk.
LIFE EXPECTANCY: About 14-15 years
LIVING CONDITIONS: Havanese are good for apartment life. They are very active indoors and will do okay without a yard. Havanese are born to live in your home, and not in a patio or a kennel. but at the same time, they require plenty of exercise.
Height: 8-11 inches (20-28 cm.)
Weight: 7-13 pounds (3-6 kg.)
*******COTON DE TUEAR********
1. HEALTH & BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS. Cotons have about an average number of breed health defects, but they have a much lower incidence of them. That means that overall, this is a healthy, sturdy breed. A buyer should check with a breeder to determine things to look for in his/her lineage and details about the breeder's health guarantee. The breed is known to have a low incidence of heart defects (pulmonic stenosis), orthopedic problems associated with small breeds (luxated patellae, spinal disk disease), and the like. Recently, some few Cotons have been diagnosed with aggression problems, probably genetic. Most often, Cotons are not only non-aggressive, but deeply devoted to their human companions. Therefore, separation anxiety can become a problem unless careful training is followed.
2. GROOMING: The long, light-textured hair requires daily, careful grooming. The dead hair should be brushed and combed out. Excess hair between the pads of the feet and in the inner ears should be removed. They do not need a bath more than once or twice a year which will be adequate to keep them clean. The coat should not be scissored. Cotons sheds little to no hair. This breed is good for allergy sufferers.
3. YES they can have tear stains
4. This is a typical bichon-type dog. Very friendly, gentle, affectionate, and alert. Cotons are very sociable dogs that get along well with children, other dogs and animals. Very attached to its home and master - wanting always to be in their presence and trying its best to please. The Coton makes a great watchdog. Full of tricks and surprises to fulfill his master's every wish. One of their most endearing traits is a tendency to jump and walk on their hind legs. Their teasing expressions enhance any home willing to spend a few moments a day in the necessary play and grooming routines. The Coton learns quite quickly but can occasionally be a little bit stubborn. Although they are intelligent and eager to work, they do have a mind of their own.
DESCRIPTION/COAT:
Coton is the French word for Cotton. Like the name suggests the most conspicuous feature of the Coton De Tulear is its coat, which is cottony or fluffy rather than silky. It has a long topcoat. The fluffy hair covers the thin, lightly-muscled forelegs. Colors come in white & black and white. (White is preferred by breeders.) Some have slightly yellowish markings on the ears.
5. Height: 10-12 inches (25-30 cm.)
Weight: 12-15 pounds (5.5-7 kg.)
LIVING CONDITIONS: The Coton is good for apartment life. They are fairly active indoors and will do okay without a yard.
LIFE EXPECTANCY: About 14-16 years.
HOPE I HAVE HELPED! Research both breeds. It's not that hard.
You'll get more truth and understanding than the nonsense you'll find here. Wouldn't it be more fun and proactive to do your own research, instead of having someone feed you a "cut and paste" job??????
That always seems fun to me....you want to know something and you spend some time doing the research and finding out stuff for yourself.
With a major decision like picking a breed of dog, you would think you would want to find you own info!!!! These are excellent little dogs. Very very low shedding. Excellent with dogs and kids. Enjoy learning. Get him/her into a puppy class. They do terrific. Most fluffy hairy breeds tend to tear alot because of hair in their eyes. If you need more info, Just email me I groom both. My clientelle can afford these expensive dogs. There's not much difference between the two except that you have more of a color selection with the Havanese. Either one of them is going to have digestive problems if you don't feed a species specific diet or supplement w/the BEST kibble you can find (no canned), or go dehydrated. You've got to do some care of their coat between grooms, but not much except combing (no slicker). If you wash them you'll need a product (Infusium Leave-In Hair Treatment - one capful to each shampoo bottle) to help their fur from breakage and to repel dirt. Grooming is done every 2 months for maintenance because they at least need a hygeine (incl anal glands) w/ a feet-face-tail trim.
Eye staining is a problem. You have to start with the best diet & nutrition and also no tap water or bottled water. You might have to eventually purchase products for their eyes and there's only a few I know about that work ... one, as a last resort ALWAYS works but is hideously pricy & you have to supplement over the top of it.
If you are concerned about their socialability, you have to do some work with the puppy before it reaches 12 weeks of age. You have to take it places (wisely because other dogs carry diseases) and expose the dog to stimulus (I have an outlined program I use) so the brain forms in layers to be able to handle changes of environment & stress. They are a bit stand-offish if you don't do this.
Training should be easy if the dog is food or toy motivated. If you get one that's food motivated though, you are going to have to be very wary of treats, because you can feed your dog the best diet, then ruin it with commercial made packaged treats ... then comes the digestive upsets & the eye stains. Hi, I have Havanese, they are one of the healthiest, most health tested breeds in the AKC.
They are outgoing, bright, and very easy to live with.
They get along well with cats, other dogs, and people. I got my first one from a breeder friend that has no kids or men around and all of hers love kids and men and everone!
They are very engaging.
I picked the havanese over the CDT and Katan because they are a lot less clingy, and I like colorful breeds.
As far as grooming and tear staining, both breeds need lots of brushing and tending if you're going to keep the coat long, but, they can also be kept in a shorter pet clip and they look really cute. Any breed with hairy faces gets tear stains, you just have to keep the hair in the inside corner of the eye clean or trimmed. I wipe my little guy's tear tracks with a cotton ball dipped in water/boric acid daily, or so ; ), it keeps them pretty clean and odor free.
Here is a website about Havanese, lots of info on here!
www.havanesehappenings.com |
