Volume 16 Issue 3 Fall 2016 - Canadian Coton de Tulear … 16 Issue 3 Fall 2016 ache Inside This Issue Right- GANGSTA BILLY THE KID - Aug 2016 President’s Message—Linda Brookes

Volume 16 Issue 3 Fall 2016

The Coton Malgache

Inside This Issue

Right- GANGSTA BILLY THE KID - Aug 2016

President’s Message—Linda Brookes p. 2

Puppy Bellies p. 3

Bath Time? p. 3

Agility with Vegas p. 4

Microchips p. 6

Tangle Remover Brush p. 8

Don’t Give Up Just Yet p. 9

CFC Show Weekend-September 2016 p. 10

GANGSTA BILLY THE KID p. 11

Rome Italy in Aug 2016

2

President’s Message By Linda Brookes

As the summer has come to a close and we head towards snow, so too are things moving

along in the Coton world.

The CKC is currently in the middle of a referendum. Part of their referendum is seeking club

member's approval to accept new breeds into recognition. On their list is the Coton de

Tulear. But as you know, there is more to it than this step. Our current registry, the CFC, has

provided us years of excellent service. Personally I enjoy the benefit of using their online

pedigree information and being able to easily determine the Coefficient of Inbreeding for a

potential breeding pair. To date, no member of the CFC has requested a referendum to

leave them as a registry. I see staying with the CFC as a benefit to our breed. Not only do

we maintain the excellent registry service, but we can continue to show our dogs in the

CKC show rings throughout Canada. Regardless of how the referendum results turn out for

the Coton, we are with the CFC for the foreseeable future.

The CCTC continues to work towards maintaining and improving the strength of the

breed. One way that we are supporting this is through the collection of DNA swabs for sub-

mission to the CHIC DNA Repository. The CCTC is still offering reimbursement to members

who submit DNA samples. This initiative has been underway with our club for a couple of

months now and communication has gone out regarding the process. If you would like to

receive more information about it, please reach out to a board member and we will send it

forward to your attention. Having DNA stored for our dogs now, could be a big benefit to

our breed in the future. Please consider making the time and effort needed in order to do

this.

We have recently enhanced our existing Code of Ethics requiring breeders to identify the

sire and dam of each puppy sold in the contract they provide to the buyer. This is a benefit

to both the breeder and the buyer. For the breeder it ensures that the legal name of each

parent is included and cannot be contested in the future. It also is an identifying feature

allowing the buyer to find OFA health results online based on the registered name. This en-

sures transparency and allows the buyer to put faith in the breeder's records and line-

age. Breeders are to include this information in all contracts from this point forward: for both

sire and dam - registered name, call name, and registration number. Please ensure your

contracts are kept current so you will meet, if not exceed, the expectations under the

CCTC Code of Ethics.

For members who are on FaceBook, but have not yet joined the Coton Cafe, we encour-

age you to join in. Share your stories, pictures, tips, and feel free to ask questions. Open dis-

cussion about ongoing health concerns, training, and diet help everyone.

As winter closes in soon, please stay safe and enjoy your fur-family.

Please feel free to use our new "ask a breeder" email for any questions you may have. This CCTC service is

exclusive to our members. Email any questions to: [email protected]

and you will receive an answer within 48 hours. One of our board of directors will answer with possible col-

laboration from the board. Feel free to ask anything Coton related from breeding to training! We hope

you enjoy this new service!

3

Puppy Bellies

Just over 2 weeks old. A boy and girl from Haskap and Kouros.

Photo courtesy of Linda Brookes

It seems none of my dogs are ever excited about

bath time. All I need to do is to put on my

grooming shirt and POOF! They all disap-

pear. Here is Vienna (Alika Tia Springtime in Vi-

Bath Time? By Linda Brookes

enna), who had her bath the night before this

photo, trying to find a hiding spot so I don't select

her as my next victim, er ummm, client.

4

at a World Agility Championship with this dog.

Paula laughs now as she didn’t really know what

I meant I wanted to compete at a world level

when I asked for a dog for agility. As a very inex-

perienced handler, this was only a dream.

We brought Vegas home in January 2010 and

we signed up for every agility class, seminar and

workshop that we could find. Vegas was confi-

dent, independent, food motivated and full of

attitude. She was my dream come true. Vegas

took to agility quickly and I had to push myself to

keep up! In 2012, at only two years old, Vegas

What can I say about agility with my girl, Vegas? By Barb Flowers

When Paula asked me to write an article for the

Coton newsletter, I immediately said sure. But as I

sat down to figure out what to say, I was

stumped. What can I say about agility with my

girl, Vegas?

Here is our story…….In 2009 our rescue dog had

passed away and we were looking to add a new

dog to our family. The Coton de Tulear ticked all

the boxes: small, sturdy, non-shedding, happy,

friendly and agile. We did a lot of research

online and contacted Paula Campbell of Cha-

pala Bay Cotons. We met one of her young

pups that lived in our city and we were hooked.

Later, we travelled the three hours to meet Paula

and her dogs and the Coton was exactly what

we were hoping for. We own property in Las Ve-

gas so a dog that could fly in the airplane cabin

was at the top of our list.

Vegas was born in November 2009. Vegas was

an independent pup who walked early and

even made an escape on her own out of Paula’s

inner yard before she was 8 weeks of age. I had

played agility with my older dog but had never

competed with him. I asked Paula for a dog that

I could play agility with. I secretly hoped that I

might have an opportunity to compete in Europe was offered the opportunity to compete for

Team Canada in Belgium at the World Agility

Open Championships. We trained very hard

over the winter to prepare, but we were still a

very novice dog and handler team. I was so

nervous as we stepped to the line for those first

few runs. We had two clean jumpers runs that

first day and placed 10th in Biathlon Jumping.

What a rush!

Agility, as in life, has many ups and downs. There

were many times that I felt like giving up: injuries,

broken start lines, failed contacts and pooping in

the ring are just a few of the struggles we’ve

faced. When one problem would be resolved

another would pop up to fill the gap. Training is

5

agility with my girl, Vegas continued...

never ending….. But I wouldn’t change a thing!

I have made many mistakes and have learned

so much about myself, about dog training and

problem solving over the last seven years.

We persevered through the tough times and we

have had so much success and most of all joy!

Vegas and I will be competing in the Nether-

lands in May 2017 at the World Agility Open

Championships. This will be Vegas’ seventh time

competing for Team Canada at a World Agility

Championships. I am so proud of this feisty little

Coton de Tulear and what we have accom-

plished. Our most amazing achievement was

earning a Bronze Medal in Gamble at the 2014

IFCS World Agility Championship in the Nether-

lands. I replay that run in my head often. https://

youtu.be/s2MiUkrtm0M We placed 4th Overall

(12”) at both the 2014 and 2015 IFCS World Agil-

ity Championships. We also earned a 1st and 3rd

place ribbon in Team at the World Agility Open

Championships. She is an extraordinary Coton

de Tulear. As far as I know, no other Coton has

ever won a medal at a World Agility Champion-

ship.

As much as medals, ribbons and overseas trips

are spectacular, the best part of this journey is

the special relationship I have with Vegas. Her

barking and screaming at me at the start line

are music to my ears. She is never far from my

side and is my constant companion. Life can

change in an instant and we never know

whether any run will be our last. I try to savour

every moment with my crazy Coton.

Barb and Vegas -

both photos courtesy of Barb

Vegas

6

As we all know, microchips are of the utmost impor-

tance. I have always bought mine from the Cana-

dian Kennel Club (CKC) and filled in the forms to

send them for transfer of ownership. Much to my sur-

prise, I found out the CKC actually does not enter

that information on the online data base. The only

way it can be traced is to phone them during busi-

ness hours and they can look it up. Needless to say,

this is not a great system. Something could happen

outside of business hours. I did ask the CKC to fix the

problem but they never got back to me. This led me to

find a better option.

I contacted EIDAP, who were more than happy to help.

I explained the problem. They took all the microchip

numbers that I had and entered them into their system.

They set me up with a portal so that I could enter my

own puppy adopter’s information and it can be

checked online anytime. They also offered a good

price. I could not have been happier with their service. I

had a talk with them about mistaken information about

Microchips By Paula Campbell

7

microchips. They told me it was a common problem. I

discussed the possibility of them offering up their great

service to our club. They offered a very competitive

price with no fees to register and the ability for us to

enter in our own information. The following ad explains

the details and gives the code to obtain member

pricing. We hope this comes as good news!

Microchips continued...

8

One of my favourite grooming tools is the Les

Poochs Gold brush. This brush is not currently

available for sale as the manufacturing had

stopped for a few years. In my search to find a

suitable replacement, at a reasonable price, for

my puppy families I came across one on Amazon

by Master Grooming Tools (MGT) that is very

similar although of lesser quality. The Les Poochs

brushes are typically around the $70 mark and

the MGT one is under $30.

The brush is a two sided slicker

type brush. One side has bent

bristles and the other side is

straight. I use the bent side.

These brushes are available in

the single and double wide sizes.

Since the Coton is a small dog

and the brush will often be used

in small spaces like arm pits, I rec-

ommend the single size as shown

in the photos here.

This brush is the best way I have

found to gently remove tangles.

It’s very gentle on the dog’s skin

and they don’t complain when I

brush them with it at all, even my

dogs who are self-proclaimed

princesses and complain about

everything.

To use the brush, as with all brushes, pull away

from the root. Hold the tangle in your hand with

your finger and thumb between the tangle and

the skin, lay the tangle across your hand. Allow

just the weight of the brush to do the work, don’t

apply extra pressure. It’s the gentle repetition of

the light touch that will remove the tangle and

preserve the hairs that are still intact. Work the

tangle from all sides – You can flip the tangle to

the “back” of the tangle and work that side,

work the front, and also pull out from each side.

It can be used on tangles that are right at the

skin level. Just remember that the bristles are

touching the dog’s skin and you are not holding

the hair from being pulled by the brush so you will

have to be extra gentle.

This is also a great slicker brush to fluff up the feet

just before going into the show ring.

For those times when I brush and comb the dog’s

coat and there are “tufty-doodles” left floating in

the coat hairs because they are too small to be

removed with the brush or comb, using this brush

to go over those areas will quickly remove the

little tufts.

You will both hear and feel tangles in the coat

with your grooming hand holding the brush as

you work them out. This brush may just be a coat

saver during the coat change.

I also recommend that if the tangle was dry

when you brushed it out, that you wet the hair

with a mixture of water and conditioner then dry

and brush it again. The purpose of this is that,

similar to putting hair rollers in human hair when

wet to make long lasting curls, that the hairs have

dried in the place of the tangle and are more

likely to re-tangle faster. Dampening and drying

the now smooth hair will remove the waves to

decrease the possibility of tangling again.

Tangle Remover Brush by Linda Brookes

9

When one of our females is ready to have her

puppies, I disappear. My husband, Lary, is there

to give them a helping hand. I don’t know why,

but I am totally stressed when it is time for

whelping. I am sure my stress doesn’t help our

females to feel comfortable and safe. Lary is

confident, calm, ready to help and will step in

only if necessary. My job is to prepare every-

thing, and when the whelping starts, I am some-

where else but ready to help, bugging him

about how things are going and if everything is

ok. I’m also there to take care of the mother and

the puppies after the whelping.

Two days ago, it was Gladia’s turn to have her

puppies. I was able to hear 2 little heartbeats.

Her belly was not very big. We were expecting

perhaps a litter of 2 puppies. The first one came,

a little female, 210 grams. She was slow to start

but was fine. A little less than an hour later, the

second one arrived. Another female, but this

one was not breathing, no tonus. Lary started to

massage her. My job was to heat face clothes in

the microwave and to bring them to him. At the

beginning, nothing happened. Suddenly, the

mouth opened. Still no tonus. Could it have

been a reflex or ? Lary continued massaging, I

continued to warm the facecloths. 20 minutes

after her birth, there was a little cry ? a little

movement ? the tonus seemed to be better ?

Still massaging the puppy, Lary asked me for a

little glass of scotch. For him and… for the

puppy.

Close to 40 minutes later, after warming up face-

cloths 60 times or more, we welcomed a beauti-

ful live puppy ! I want to call her Miracle Lary.

She is doing very well ! She is small but is taking

on weight every day.

Don’t give up just yet …… By Marie-France Prayal

This puppy had no abnormalities , just needed a

helping hand and plenty of warmth to get

started. When they arrive like that, our first reflex

is to say oh, this puppy is dead, why ? But, it is

always a good idea to give it a try. Not for a

few minutes, but as long as you believe there

may be a spark of a chance. Any little sign of life

encourages one to keep on going.

I am so lucky to have Lary working with me and

our Cotons ! Thank you, Lary, for giving us the

chance to get to know her !

Gladia’s puppies doing well!

Photo supplied by Marie-France

10

On September 10 & 11 there were 4 CFC shows

held in St. Louis, Quebec. We had 6 Cotons at

this show which, for our breed, is a really good

turn out! The dogs that were entered were from

several breeders around the world; east and

west Canada, the USA, and even Italy!

There were 3 members of the CCTC at this show -

Sylvie St Amand, Marie-France Prayal, and my-

self, Linda Brookes. We camped at the show site

beside each other and shared not only the show

experience, but also the camaraderie and re-

laxation time between shows. Sharing a meal,

some snacks, grooming tricks, perhaps a teeny

glass of wine (them of course, not me!!!!

LOL) and helping each other to ensure we all

had our dogs ready for the ring.

There are many benefits and things to enjoy

CFC Show Weekend - September 2016 By Linda Brookes

through participating in dog shows. In the ring I

enjoy seeing dogs and their owners/handlers

meet new goals or take a step forward in their

own presentation. Handling dogs in shows can

be a challenge, especially in the begin-

ning. Every day, every show, the dog may be-

have differently. It could be the noise, the

ground, the weather, or the energy level in gen-

eral that affect the dog. I love to see when

dogs, throughout a series of shows like on this

weekend, develop their confidence and comfort

level. When judges award a different dog than

another judge, it reassures us as owners and

breeders that all dogs have strengths and weak-

nesses to consider when choosing a mate and

we need to value their strong points.

In the photo you will see Sylvie,

her husband Peter, Marie-

France, and one of the judges

all proudly displaying some of

the dogs and the ribbons

awarded over the weekend.

Here is a breakdown of the show details:

Entries:

Elementary Puppy Male – Billy (Coton CPH’s Gangsta Billy the Kid) Breeder – Bettina Martens, Owner – Marie-France Prayal

Puppy Female – Agate (Agate Emmy de Bijoux de Coton) Breeder – Sylvie St-Amand, Owner – Sylvie St-Amand

Junior Male – Mahalo (Cotonfield Mahalo), Breeder – Diane Benaroch, Owner – Marie-France Prayal

Junior Male – Onyx (Alika Tia Heritage Harvey), Breeder – Linda Brookes, Owner – Sylvie St-Amand

Junior Female – Krystal (Alika Tia Heritage Mable), Breeder – Linda Brookes, Owner – Marie-France Prayal

Open Female – Karma (Shiloh’s Karma is a Knockin’), Breeder – Kellie Bruce, Owner – Linda Brookes

Achievements:

New Titles Earned: Jr CH – Onyx; CFC CH – Karma

Best of Breed: Onyx X 1; Krystal X 1; Karma X 2

Placements at Group Level – Billy – Best Elementary Puppy in Group X 4; Agate - Best Puppy in Group X 4; Karma - Group 2;

Onyx, Krystal, Karma – each placed once as Group 3;

Placements at Show Level – Billy – Best Elementary Puppy in Show X 2

11

Last year, I started to communicate with a

breeder from Denmark, Bettina Martens. I really

like her Cotons and also their pedigrees. The

communication was positive and to no surprise, I

made a reservation for a little male.

In the beginning of May 2016, Bettina had a litter

of 2 males. They both were beautiful puppies

and I had the privilege to get one. At the time,

Bettina was moving to Italy and the plan was for

me to meet her in Rome at the end of August.

For me, there was no question how my newest

little boy would travel home.

I booked a flight, leaving Halifax August 19,

meeting Bettina on the 20th and coming back

home to Halifax on the 21st. I arrived without

any problem near Rome, took the bus to town

and found the hotel.

Ok, I am here ! It was very warm and sunny. I

decided to start exploring and went for a walk.

So many people, beautiful old monuments and

buildings ! And, by the way, it was my birthday…

The next day, I met Bettina at the hotel. There

was a nice garden there, it was perfect. Billy

and I started our relationship with a kiss and we

became a good team right away.

GANGSTA BILLY THE KID By Marie-France Prayal

It was time for Billy and I to leave for Halifax ; to

go back to the airport. We took a taxi to the bus

station, were almost in an accident but arrived

safely. This was not a good start to the trip

home . We arrived at the airport, Billy in his bag.

I did the check- in with Billy still in his bag. He did-

n’t make a sound but he was a little stressed. I

decided to give to him a pill to help for the long

travel. Finally we were in the plane. I was seated

with a lady and a baby ; a crying baby. Not

good for the nerves. Billy, with his little pill, was

fine in his bag. We arrived at Montreal later than

planned. I had to go through customs and be-

cause of Billy, I had to declare him and go back

through security. The question ; Is there enough

time to catch my next plane ? Billy was still in his

bag ; Not complaining ! I arrived at the gate just

in time for the check- in ! Billy, you are a lucky

puppy ! Lary, my husband, was at the airport to

welcome us. Finally, Billy was able to come out

from the bag and finish his trip in my arms.

He is a beautiful puppy, full of life, very attentive,

who likes to learn. He gets along well with all my

Cotons. His best friend is Krystal and of course,

my 2 puppies, Laika and Lahlou. I already went

to a show weekend with him and he did very

well ! I had no trouble getting his papers, he

was already registered with the CFC before he

came home.

I would like to thank Bettina for trusting me and

giving me the chance to welcome this beautiful

puppy to our home.

P.S. Last minute infor-

mation, November 10,

2016 : We were ready

today to go to our first

CKC show in Moncton.

I decided not to go

with Billy. A big kennel

cough problem is in

the area and I don’t

want to bring this

problem home. He will

have to wait until next

year to go in the ring.

12

About Us….

Denis Carriere founded the Coton Malgache Publication in 1994

so that breed fanciers might share their mutual interest. The

club’s aim is to support, educate and advise owners, members

and prospective owners about the Coton de Tulear.

All members of the CCTC will abide by a code of ethics that will

govern the breeding and prosperity of these lovely animals, pro-

tecting and preserving the qualities of the Coton de Tulear, and

striving for its betterment.

CCTC publishes the Coton Malgache quarterly in March, June,

September and December. We encourage your submissions!

Please send photos of, and articles about your Cotons.

Photos will be returned upon request if you include a S.A.S.E.

Deadline for the Winter issue 2016

Coton Malgache is December 15, 2016. Theme’s for this issue are:

Please send all submissions for the Coton Malgache to:

Email: [email protected]

Subscriptions to the Coton Malgache are included with a CCTC membership.

The CCTC is a Canadian non-profit organization .

All renewing memberships are due January 31 each year.

The opinions expressed in the Coton Malgache are those of the

authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher or

CCTC.

The articles in the Coton Malgache belong to their authors and

cannot be reproduced either in whole or in part in any form with-

out written permission of the author.

CCTC Executive

President: Linda Brookes

Email: [email protected]

Vice-President: Sonja Femia

Email: [email protected]

Secretary: Paula Campbell

Email: [email protected]

Treasurer: Marie-France Prayal

Email: [email protected]

Director: Corinna Yannoulopoulos

Email: [email protected]

Director: Margaret Stagg

Email: [email protected]

Director: Ed Cooper

Email: [email protected]

Director: Linda Stevens

Email: [email protected]

Website Liaison : Marie-France Prayal

Email: [email protected]

Newsletter Editor: Linda Stevens

Email: [email protected]

www.coton.ca

Advertising is available on our website.

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$45 per calendar year with a live link to a website

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Breeder Directory

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Litter Announcements

Available FREE of charge to Breeder Members Only

Contact Marie-France Prayal

[email protected] Tel. 902-757-0826

This magazine is your opportunity to share your stories. I will print all submissions.

Winter challenges for Coton owners, fun in the winter, winter photo’s with Coton’s