Socialization:


You will get the most wonderful adult dog if you continue the socialization process.  Take him with you whenever and wherever possible.  Let as many people and children handle the pup (believe me they will offer) but with guidance from you so that it is a positive experience.   The more sights and sounds they adjust to the more secure they will feel.

If you have another pet, the best way to introduce them is to have the dogs meet at a park or in the yard, somewhere neutral  Decide whether you should have them on leashes.  You might have some small treats in your pockets to reinforce friendly behavior. A possible introduction would be to say “Look, Gracie, I brought you something”.  You want to set the stage in an upbeat manner.  You want to give them a chance to sniff and feel each other out with the puppy probably ready to play and your the older dog deciding how she's going to handle that.  Watch the body language.  If Gracie growls but doesn’t make an aggressive move, do not intercede.  She is letting the puppy know Where her personal space will be and what the pecking order is.  Hopefully the puppy will become submissive and let the Gracie know she understands.  Try not to intervene;  they should work it out.  When they have a reasonable relationship established, bring them inside and give the puppy a toy or some other distraction.  Just be sure Gracie isn't left out or has her feelings hurt.

When coming home, always, always greet your first pet first.  Give her a toy first, put her dinner bowl down first, etc. Reassure her as much as possible that her place in the house remains primary.  This will allow her not to feel challenged and make things easier for your puppy and your first love to become friends.

Please consider taking your puppy to a training or socialization class as soon as possible.  Training will continue and both you and your dog will benefit.  You will both enjoy the time together for bonding and it will establish you as alpha and the puppy as an attentive, well-behaved companion.  Cotons also do very well in agility which is a enjoyable way for both of you to get your exercise!



Potty Training:


Your puppy should be fairly well paper-trained when you get him.  It will be up to you to make the transition to go outside.  The main issue will be consistency.  I would advise taking the puppy out every 2 hours until it gets used to your home and routine.  Perhaps you can pick a particular place to return to each time for this activity.  You might use a leash at the beginning.  When they are out and you put them down say “potty, potty” or “do your business” or whatever phrase you want to use.  Then when they do potty, PRAISE, in a high pitched happy voice and tell them "good potty, potty".  If you do this consistently, you will eventually have a dog that will go to the bathroom on command.   Great when traveling!

It will be most helpful to establish a schedule that the puppy can adapt to so his biological clock can adjust to the routine.  Try to get him up at the same time each day, have playtime and naptime at the same time each day.  Breakfast, dinnertime and bedtime; (yes, even on the weekends).  These activities will cue him in as to what to expect and direct him as to when he will go outside.

Crate training is very helpful in conjunction with the above.  Try to make the crate a positive place, like a little den.  Perhaps you would "treat" him (little piece of cheese or hotdog) when he goes in or place a toy in the crate for him to retrieve keeping the door open.  Whenever you are not closely monitoring your puppy, he should be crated.  The point of the crate is to teach him to "hold it" until he is let out.  The fewer accidents he has, the shorter the period of housebreaking.  Remember, unless you catch the puppy virtually in the act, you do not react in any way to him, especially in a negative manner.  For all he knows, you are mad at him for peeing, period.  He will not relate it to the location. At night after you have taken them out for the last time, slip them into the crate saying "kennel up".  Have a toy and a towel or blanket in the crate.  Please note, it is often the case that puppies will pee on a towel when they would otherwise not pee if the towel was not there.  You will have to experiment to see what works with your puppy.

Expect some crying the first few nights, but that won’t last long.  In the morning, the minute you get the puppy out of the kennel take her/him outside to potty!!!  Until the pup is older I would suggest that the time in the morning be fairly consistent (yes even on the weekends).  They will learn to sleep in with you when they are a bit older =).  I would feed the puppies in their crate during the day, when you give them little treats do it in the crate, that way it is a good place to be.  Also keep the crate open and available during the day, if the puppy goes in the crate it must be a rule that no one disturbs them.  This lets the puppy have a socially acceptable way of saying I have had enough.  This will save your children, the puppy and yourselves a lot of upset in the long run.  If you are leaving the house during the day I would crate your puppy, please understand other than at night, the crating should be no more than a couple of hours.  If you are going to be gone longer than that consider taking the puppy (socialization), or getting someone to come let them out.  Once you have a well trained dog, you won’t have to worry about this.



Feeding:


I feed my puppies Nutro Natural Puppy Food; this can be found various distributors.  I add “Missing Link” once a day to the food.  Once a week I boil an egg and give them the yolk, it’s great for their coats.  I feed them either 3 times a day, or leave free food down for them.  It will probably depend more on if you have another pet. You will find a recipe for “Liver Brownies in this packet” it is awful to make, but they love it and it’s very healthy for them.  The main thing to keep in mind when using treats is moderation.  We over feed and over treat our animals to their detriment.  As an example a single slice of cheese (the individually wrapped kind) should be cut into 100 pieces!  I did not just make that number up, that is the recommendation made by the veterinary society.  So just remember, it is much easier to keep them at a healthy weight, than it is to get them to loose it.

Treats can be very healthy; I like to use baby carrots and slices of apples.  They love them and it is very good for them.  My friend's dogs like tomatoes.  Some of my owner’s pups love ice!

I would recommend using distilled or bottled water for your pups.  If you want to keep the tear staining to a minimum, avoiding tap water will help.  Tearing is a result of iron content in the body and the water most of us have in our faucet has a great deal of iron.  Bottled water has less iron, and distilled water has none.  It will depend a great deal on your individual pups and your tolerance for tearing.  Also, some pups have some staining while they are teething.  When their permanent teeth come in it will fade away.



Vaccinations:


You have a vaccination record in your packet.  I would recommend following your vets advice with a proviso. In the last year there has been a great deal of research and a fairly definitive conclusion that we over vaccinate our pets.  Some of the vet schools are recommending the puppy booster series and then yearly titers.  This is a blood test that will tell them if your puppy needs shots that year.  Some vets are changing their vaccination schedule to every 2 or 3 years.  This is something that you will have to decide, just be aware that vaccinations are a financial part of your vets practice.  By agreeing to the titers (he makes money that way) you help take the financial out of the decision making process.   There is a web site: http://www.vet.uga.edu/mmb/mmib5130/lee/wsj%20vaccine.pdf that will give you the research data.

The leptospirosis shot is one of the most controversial for dog owners.  I have heard that it is the vaccine that would be most likely for the puppy to have a reaction to. Please consider giving it only in the last booster shot or not at all.  I would suggest talking it over with your vet and make the best decision for you and your dog.  He will know what the risk factors are in your area. 

I would also recommend that you have your puppy protected against kennel cough if you are going to go to a training class.  Even the most well-vaccinated and healthy dogs can still get kennel cough.  It is not deadly, but you certainly do have a sick puppy.  It just is a good practice for everyone, because you may be the one who actually brings it into the class. 



Grooming:


Puppies need to feel security from his owner and also an idea of his personal comfort zone.  Periodically, roll him over on his back, touch him on its feet, belly and ears in a gentle, slow massaging motion.  Open its mouth and say "teeth, teeth", then praise and pet him for being such a good puppy.  When you clip the puppy's toenails, say "feet, feet" and praise him for holding still. Be sure to just cut the tip of each at the beginning so there is no risk of pain.  With all this practice, your vet will thank you a 100 times over for having such a well-mannered dog when he behaves for an exam.

I would recommend brushing your pup at least twice a week, more often if possible.  Prior to giving your puppy a bath, it helps to brush all the tangles out so you do not wash them in to a bigger mess.  I would recommend using a non-tearing shampoo on the pups until they get used to bathing. Handle your puppy gently, keeping a hand on him as much as possible to give him a sense of security. This will make your job much easier and the dogs learn bathing isn’t such a bad thing.  Be sure to rinse well!  Always use a conditioner after the shampoo and again, rinse it out well.  A detangling conditioner or spray will make the final comb-out much easier.

I keep the dogs that are not showing in what is called a “Teddy Bear” or "puppy" cut.  They still look cute and the short hair (2-3") makes combing much simpler.  All Cotons appreciate that!  The grooming gives them a "bright-eyed" look and they can see much better when they don’t have bangs in their eyes.  They even seem a little bit more lively!

The Coton has very dry hair which is very nice because they don’t have that doggy smell.  The only problem is for those of us who live in snow country, the snow will pill up on the dog and eventually get so bad they can’t move. That's when a hairdryer on low comes in handy.

Brush your pup’s teeth at least twice a week, daily if possible.  You can buy a doggie tooth "brush" that fits on your  finger, use a regular (soft) toothbrush, dental wipes or wrap gauze around your finger and use that (my preferred method).  The main thing is to brush/rub to reduce the accumulation of tartar.  Small dogs are known to retain tarter easily and require dentals at the vet every few years if teeth are not attended to.  The dog toothpastes are meat flavored so they generally like them.  ABSOLUTELY DO NOT USE "PEOPLE" TOOTH PASTE;  (it has way too much sodium in it).



More General Information:


There are several really wonderful sites to chat with other coton owners.  The "coton connection" at Yahoo groups is a great place to talk with and learn from other owners. Breeders enjoy the Coton Breeders Forum.

I will be glad to discuss my health guarantee and contract with you.  A particular point to keep in mind is that pet quality puppies will be required to be spayed or neutered.  When you have your puppy spayed or neutered please tell your vet that this breed has a history of reactions to ISO (a type of anesthesia) and they need to consider using Proponal instead.  I can not guarantee that your puppy is one of the ones who will react to the ISO, but why take a chance!!!

Please remember, I am always available to answer questions, listen to cute puppy stories, or help with any problems that concern you.   I will be periodically checking in with you to see how things are going.  I love to get updated photos J.  I will be available for the lifetime of your puppy.  I really want this to be one of the happiest experiences of your life.

I also want to thank you in advance for giving my baby such a loving home.  I know you will adore and take wonderful care of your Thistledown puppy and that is why I have chosen you to take this very special little bundle home.