When my Coton is older i really want to get into dog shows. I've been reading about showing and think that it would be fun to have as a hobby I just wanted to ask if anyone has showed a coton (or just about any other kind of dog i geuss) could give me some more information on conformation shows Thanks
Do you have a Coton club in USA? Might be an idea to join, the club here are really good in giving pointers regarding showing and they organise breed-only shows once a year which we went to last October. They can also asses your Coton. Take Joey along even as puppy to get used to it. And yes arm yourself with grooming supplies - whitening shampoo, conditioner, combs, brushes and elastic bands. And if you are serious about showing remember you shouldn't trim the coat ever! Get puppy used to regular grooming by doing it for five minutes twice a day - morning and evening and have lots of treats handy and give him a massage too. It's very easy to groom Cotons when they are puppies, but once they reach the 9 or so months they start changing coat to adult and then it tangles like crazy, but that stage lasts to about 18 months and after that it's relatively easy to brush them. Fluffy loves grooming these days as he knows he'll get a nice treat afterward!
At 10 mths odl you really should be attending ring craft classes now , if you want to be his and yourself ring savvy. Dogs can enter shows from 6mths of age, so the longer you leave him the less time he has to prepare for the ring, along with the fact the older he is the more competitive the class will become, he will be competing in a class with dog his own age that have been in the ring since they were 6 mths old. I ask the obvious (as you have only just got him) is he AKC registered, did you get his papers from your breeder, if he does not have any, you cant show him on anything other than companion shows. So first I would go back to the breeder ask her to assess your dog, then ask if they can recommend a ring craft class for you... the sooner yo start the better
Sorry, misread her post... all the above will still apply.......when she is old enough, find a good ring craft class, and speak to breeder for tips on grooming and so on;-)
Yes, there are a few coton clubs, not sure if any of them do shows though. I only groom him once a day but i just randomly brush his coat when it looses that brushed look. I'l try to find more information from the clubs and maybe find some local places to take him to get used to being around other dogs and people (like small dog clubs). Thanks for the info
Haha, weeks**. But the information is still useful. Im pretty sure cotons are UKC, and i saw that their in the fss with the AKC. Thank you
As far as I know Coton is not recognised by UKC, there are two big clubs in USA, here is the info from the ack.org so you can find out more. http://www.akc.org/breeds/coton_de_tulear/
They are UKC, just checked, and im getting him UKC registered soon. Iv seen the akc links and looked at them, but i think the UKC is probably better because its a bigger club and there is a ukc club thats not too far from my town. Thanks for the link
This a late post, I just joined. There are several avenues to show cotons in the US. North American Kennel Club (NAKC) ,http://www.nakcdogshows.com/, American Rare Breed Association (ARBA) http://www.arba.org/, UKC, IABCA http://www.iabca.com/. Cotons are not recognized for conformation showing in AKC, there are two clubs pushing the breed forward so I expect in the next year there will be cotons in AKC conformation. If you dog is also registered FCI you can show all over the world. Also some of the US coton breed clubs hold specialties. Did you receive registration on your dog that is elible to show/breed? Does your dog meet the standards for cotons in each showing venue? I have seen dogs DQ'd for being under/overweight and height, too much color, poor termperatment, bad dentition etc. Good luck and see you in the ring. Cotonlicious
Is it just me or is there more Coton owners than there was the day before this post? Good luck with the show ring - can't really say anything as Jackbox has it all covered
