The Grooming Day

Rosie, looking rounded but still pretty, in the park last week

I often get stopped by people who admire my dogs for looking beautiful and inevitably they will add "I bet they take a lot of work". I kind of both agree and disagree. 

If you decide to keep a Coton in a full show coat, then yes, brushing will take longer and once the autumn comes (like now) your dog will bring in all sorts of leaves and twigs that stick to their coat. And if you're lucky enough to have a dog who thinks she's a princess, every time there's a leaf stuck on her legs, madam Rosie hits on her brakes and will not move until I remove the offending twig or a leaf.
Another difficult time for grooming in Coton's life is when they change coat from puppy to adult. This time varies from dog to dog, but generally it can start at 7 months and go up to 18 months. The hair is more likely to tangle so daily brushing would be most welcome.
In reality, most people won't manage to groom their Coton daily, so having a weekly bath and blow dry will make this stage easier. And having a white dog doesn't mean they get dirty more, you just see where to clean them.

Right now, I have one dog in a full show coat (Rosie), one dog in a puppy cut (Fluffy) and one dog going through the change of coat (Freddy). None of them loves grooming, they only tolerate it as they know they will get paid (in treats). So if the dog will not be shown, I like to make life easier for both me and them and keep them in a shorter and more manageable cut. That doesn't mean that shaving the dog is ok, they still need the hair to keep them warm and protect them from sunburn.
I think the perfect length for a puppy cut on a Coton is about 2", they are still hairy enough to look cute and the hair is much easier to keep clean and tidy and not bring the whole park inside.

I try and give my dogs baths every ten days or so, they get shampooed and dried with a blaster dryer and then I mist the hair with a grooming spray and brush them to remove any dead hairs and tangles. In the meantime I will brush their heads, especially if hair is kept in top knots, their paws get rinsed after walks, and in case they try and steal the liver treats from my bag again and get runny bums, I wash the stinky bums. Always easy to find a thief this way, too many treats generally means funky bums. I digress...
  
Anyway, as madam Rosie is with pup, I thought I would not stress her unnecessarily so neither her nor the boys have been bathed for a few weeks now. They all had some tangles but nothing serious. Freddy was the worst as he likes to put his head into everything and has his face and ears licked by Fluffy on a daily basis. He took a whole hour to groom, from start to finish - for me that's a long time. That included nail trimming and brushing the teeth. So looking after your Coton needs not be that time consuming!

To groom your Coton puppy yourself you will need a pin brush and a comb, a mild puppy shampoo and, the most important thing, an apron! You don't want to transfer all those loose hairs on your clothes! Also needed are a toothbrush, toothpaste for dogs, ear cleaner and a nail cutter.
To groom an adult Coton, you will also need a grooming spray and a good shampoo and conditioner. I will show all my puppy buyers how to groom their Coton, once you know what you're doing it's quick and easy and will leave you more time to enjoy your puppy!