Our Program

Here at Wishview Cotons we strive for excellence in everything we do. We use Puppy Culture, which is considered the gold standard in puppy rearing and socialization programs. When our puppies leave our home for their Forever Families they have been well socialized, as well as exposed to numerous sounds and experiences so that they are smart, well balanced, little enrichment seekers.

My breeding program includes completing extensive health and genetic testing on my dogs to ensure they are healthy and free of any genetic issues before they begin. We use Embark Veterinary, to provide DNA genotyping and analysis for all our breeding dogs. This technology also helps us to determine the genetic diversity and coefficient of inbreeding (COI) which aids in the creation of breeding strategies to protect the Malagasy Coton gene pool.

Reproduction vets have discovered that the uterine wall breaks down each heat cycle whether the female has a pregnancy or not. So current standard practice is if the dam is healthy and fully recovered after her subsequent litters, it is recommended to breed her for four to five heat cycles in a row and then retire her. This is still a relatively new practice and new research may produce future changes in recommended practices, which we will endeavour to keep up to and follow for the best health of our dogs.

From birth our puppies are handled daily…who am I kidding, actually numerous times a day lol, then from days 3-16 we complete Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) which has been shown to have the following benefits: 1/Improved cardiovascular performance (heart rate) 2/Stronger heart beats 3/Stronger adrenal glands 4/More tolerance to stress 5/Greater resistance to disease. Also during this time we complete Early Scent Introduction (ESI) exercises with our pups. The benefits of these are nose awareness and confidence. It is great for hunting and tracking -which is not typical past times for our sweet little Cotons, but it also great for diabetic alert dogs which a Coton could easily excel at!

As our puppies grow, our dams will nurse and lick them which begins populating their gut microbiota. We then take advantage of the critical colonization window, during weaning, to supercharge the establishment of each individuals microbiome. This helps to develop gut intelligence which in turn creates a healthier, more resilient dog.

Starting in 2022 we will also be Embark testing all of the puppies born at WishView Cotons. This is another tool in order to ensure that our breeding program is working effectively to preserve the amazing Malagasy Cotons.

Training

The Coton is a very smart breed who love to please their families and thus are very willing to learn anything you may want to teach them. They excel in obedience, agility, as emotional support animals, really in anything you would like to do as long as they are with you they are happy.

While with us we also expose our puppies to numerous animals (horses, llamas, cats, large dogs, birds etc), people of different sizes, ages and ethnicities, along with sound and grooming desensitization. They have a solid foundation to move forward with obedience training. We begin teaching basic commands such as manding (sit), leave it, down, recall training (come), hurry up (to potty on command), to give kisses so that you can teach them not to lick if that is something you want to train your puppy and leash training.

We litter box train our puppies so that when they come to your home it is an easy transition to train them to potty outside. We were lucky to be introduced, by one of our puppy families, to an amazing product, EZ Straw Pelletz, which has made this process so much easier. Plus my garden and flowerbeds are loving the mulch I’ve been adding! Check out the Useful Links page to learn more.

Our program also includes crate conditioning our puppies which helps them to transition easily into their new homes. Austerlitz Kennels has been using the Puppy Culture program for years and has developed an amazing crate conditioning program for breeders as well as new puppy families. Here is a link to that program which will help when working with your own pup. Crate Training From Austerlitz Kennels

Since they are so people focused positive reinforcement training works the best for this breed. As with any breeds, if you put in the consistent time to train and socialize your pup you will be rewarded with an amazing companion for years to come.

Grooming

Cotons have beautiful cottony soft hair rather than fur which aids in them being hypoallergenic. They don’t shed but do require a lot of consistent grooming in order to keep their coats healthy and mat free. Part of that is trimming the hair between their toes and sanitary trims. We introduce our puppies to this along with frequent nail trims and brushing in order to make this task an enjoyable one rather than a fight with their new families. 

The Canadian Coton Club has some amazing videos available if you are wanting to learn how to groom your Coton yourself. You can either become a member and get the videos as part of your membership or you can just purchase the videos here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Our waiting list seems to be very fluid. For example there is only one family who received one of Junipers 2020 litters puppies who was on the list before they were born; due to covid and peoples different situations all of those on the list opted to wait for our next litter, and those who contacted me then were able to get a pup immediately. Depending what everyones situation is at the time that we are expecting will determine how quickly you could possibly get a puppy. I have been very blessed to have good sized litters ( five and six puppies with my 2020 and 2021 litters), which has helped families move up the list quicker. 

Please proceed to the application page if you are interested in getting onto our wait list.

I do not require a deposit for you to be on the wait list. When I have a confirmed pregnancy I begin going through my list and contacting people to see who may be ready for a pup from that litter. Once the puppies are born I then contact those people to get a deposit to hold a puppy for them. It isn’t for a specific puppy mind you, just one from that litter. 

We won’t determine which puppy goes to whom until they are around 8wks old. When the puppies are 5wks old I am able to start to determine what their personalities are like and will post that with their pictures. At that point I ask my families to send me their top three picks. This is around when they enter their first fear stage as well so we wait until they are around 6.5 wks to do their temperament testing. Once that is done I take all of the information I know of the puppies and the families to make recommendations on which puppy I think will be the best fit for your family.

Yes! I am an ethical breeder with the Malagasy Coton Preservation Club in the United States, so all of my pups are registered with them.

Absolutely! I offer lifetime support to my puppy families, and we are here to help ensure you and your new fur baby have as seamless a transition as possible. All of the families who adopt one of our puppies become a part of our extended WishView Coton family and we are always available to offer any support we can as you raise and live with your dog.

We have all of our puppies health checked, along with their first set of immunizations at around 8 weeks old; they are also dewormed multiple times while they are in our home. The puppies go to their Forever Families around 9 weeks old.

Puppies can experience a strong fear imprinting period at 8week old. By keeping our puppies till they are past this helps to ensure their long term emotional health while still allowing for their new family to have time during the critical socialization period to expose them to their individual lifestyles.

We also recommend that you plan to stay home for the first 1-2 weeks after bringing your puppy home, with minimal to no visitors in order to help you to bond with your new fur babies. This also allows you to establish a solid routine with your puppy which benefits greatly in their training.

No, for the health and safety of our puppies we will not ship them as cargo. Our Coton puppies must travel with their new families in the passenger section of the plane.

Delivery options may be available- please contact us to discuss further if this is something you require.

Possibly. Cotons are considered hypoallergenic, and since they have hair and not fur they don’t produce the dander which many people react to, but some people may still have a reaction to the protein in their hair or saliva.

With any allergy sufferers I always recommend doing allergy testing with the breed of dog which you plan to add to your family before you do so. It just isn’t fair to you or the puppy to bond and a few months down the road realize that the allergies are too bad and then need to re-home them.

No. The Coton is bred to be an incredible companion dog and as such they need to be with their people. If trained they can be left alone for 3-4 hours as an adult but puppies can’t be left for that long. If you work full time outside of the home, or if you are now working from home due to Covid, but this will not be a permanent arrangement with your company this is not the best breed for you. Since they are so dependant on their families they can not be well adjusted if left alone all of the time.

Being a little shadow is one of their greatest features, but also their worst. If you don’t want a dog who will be under your feet, following you throughout the day and needing to be cuddled up against you when you are sitting please look into any of the other beautiful dog breeds that are out there. I recently got a couple of new chairs so we would have some extra space in our living room, but immediately discovered that we would need to keep one of our large lounge chairs since all four of our dogs couldn’t fit on the new ones with me! If you want a dog who will absolutely smother you with love 24/7, will try with every fibre of their being to please and learn from you, is completely happy and fulfilled with just a smile from their favourite people, and you have the time and lifestyle to have someone with them constantly then this is definitely the best breed of dog for you! They truly do fill your soul without even trying!

The average lifespan of a Coton is 13-15 years although many have lived into their late teens and twenties. Since they are such a long lived breed I recommend that my families ensure that they are in their wills, with my contact info as well as the MCPC so in the unfortunate situation where they need to be re-homed your wishes are known and the very best new family can be found for them.