Home
What's New
Newsletter
All about Coton Finding a Coton
Choosing Coton
Breed History
Coton Photos
Coton Rescue
Coton Videos
Fun Facts
Resources
Coton Names
Meet Luc
Coton FAQs Coton FAQs
Grooming FAQs
Dog Food FAQs
Coton Care Coton Grooming
Skin Problems
Best Dog Foods
Stress Relief
Puppy Care
Senior Dog Care
Coton Training Coton Training
Coton Behavior
Training Videos
Training Reviews
Human Training
Training Books
Behavior FAQs
Coton Travels Travel Tips
Coton Safety Dog Safety Tips
Safe Dog Toys
Let's Shop Coton Gifts
Grooming Tools
Dog Collars
Coton Connection My Story
Contact Us
Sitemap
Dogs are Funny
Birthday Club
Privacy Policy
disclosure
[?] Subscribe To This Site

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines

Coton de Tulear unfriendly to other family members

by Karla
(Georgia, USA)

We just adopted a 4-year old female Coton 3 weeks ago. Issue is she has gotten extremely attached to me, but is distancing herself from my spouse and children (ages 14 and 12). She came from an environment with only 2 adults. My kids don't want to rough her up or anything like that. They just want to sit next to her and pet her. Unfortunately she runs away. Can you help? I just want to make her comfortable enough that if I'm not home the kids can pitch in.

Comments for
Coton de Tulear unfriendly to other family members

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Apr 18, 2010
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		New Coton de Tulear behavior
by: Gale

Congratulations on your new Coton. Older dogs can be a little more challenging because you don't know their total history. It sounds like your new dog may not have been properly socialized, but with time and patience things should work out.

I'd love to hear from others, but my advice would be to:

  • Have your husband and the kids be the ones to feed her, groom her, and walk her - they can each take a task or share the responsibility.
  • You can be present when they're feeding and walking her, but she needs to associate your other family members with a positive experience.
  • I know it may be hard for you at first, but try not to be the one to give her treats or initiate play until she's secure with the entire family.
  • Make sure your family members reward her any time she interacts in a friendly or nonfearful way with them.
  • Stay positive and calm and don't try to force anything. If your dog is fearful and tries to hide around your kids, just ignore her. If you try to coddle her and show her extra attention she'll think she's being rewarded for this behavior.


Of course if you're the only one home with her during the day, you may have to take on some of the responsibility, but everyone should share in some form of caring for her.

3 weeks is a fairly short time to bond with a new family in a totally new environment. It's pretty normal for dogs to be hesitant in new situations so patience is key.

Good luck

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Coton FAQs


Share your Coton de Tulear photos and Stories Here

Sign up to receive your Free Coton Connection Newsletter:

  • Keep up to date on the latest information about this rare breed
  • Learn tips to help your Coton stay healthy, happy, and well behaved
  • Hear from other Coton owners about their experiences

Sign up now and you will receive 2 very valuable free reports:

  1. 5 Dog Training Myths
  2. The Dog Food Report

coton de tulear
Enter your E-mail Address

Enter your First Name (optional)

Then

Don't worry -- your e-mail address is totally secure.
I promise to use it only to send you Coton Connection.

Click Here to Sign Up For
5 Free Training Videos

coton de tulear
puppy training videos