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Pet Quality, what do you mean pet quality??? What better quality do you want
from me anyway? I’ll be your constant companion, I’ll love you even if you’re fat,
ugly, dumb and maybe even more if you have bad breath!
And therein lies the truth. A pet Coton has the same qualities that attracted you
to the breed in the first place. Most people couldn’t tell the difference between a
pet and show quality Coton if their lives depended upon it! The fact is,
oftentimes you may be getting a show quality Coton with a spay/neuter contract
for a pet price. Rumor has it that roughly 30% if Cotons from a litter may be of
show/ breedable quality. Not all of those dogs get sold as show and therefore go
as pets.
So, what exactly makes a show quality dog you might ask? There are structural
aspects we look at such as the angle of a joint, the set of a tail, the length of the
loin, the proportion of muzzle to total head, the position and length of the ears,
the shape of the skull, the ratio of length to height, the pigment of the eye, nose
and paw pads, the number and alignment of the teeth, the feel, color and texture
of the coat, the way the dog walks…are you bored yet? Nowhere is there
included a three legged dog, a dog with kidney disease, a blind and deaf dog in
the category of pet quality dog. This is not to say that there aren’t puppies born
with health problems; I did actually have a 3-legged dog whom by the way, made
an excellent companion. Needless to say though, the extent of his disability was
fully disclosed. A puppy with a pre-existing health problem may be a very good
pet but these aren’t what we are referring to when we say pet quality.
Bottom line is this, if you are purchasing a pet quality dog, you are getting a dog
that displays the characteristics of a Coton but may not be the best choice to
contribute to the improvement and continuing quality of the breed. A less than
perfect bite will not impact your puppy but continuing to breed a dog with a poor
bite perhaps to another dog with a poor bite may result in a Coton with a less
than functional bite.
from me anyway? I’ll be your constant companion, I’ll love you even if you’re fat,
ugly, dumb and maybe even more if you have bad breath!
And therein lies the truth. A pet Coton has the same qualities that attracted you
to the breed in the first place. Most people couldn’t tell the difference between a
pet and show quality Coton if their lives depended upon it! The fact is,
oftentimes you may be getting a show quality Coton with a spay/neuter contract
for a pet price. Rumor has it that roughly 30% if Cotons from a litter may be of
show/ breedable quality. Not all of those dogs get sold as show and therefore go
as pets.
So, what exactly makes a show quality dog you might ask? There are structural
aspects we look at such as the angle of a joint, the set of a tail, the length of the
loin, the proportion of muzzle to total head, the position and length of the ears,
the shape of the skull, the ratio of length to height, the pigment of the eye, nose
and paw pads, the number and alignment of the teeth, the feel, color and texture
of the coat, the way the dog walks…are you bored yet? Nowhere is there
included a three legged dog, a dog with kidney disease, a blind and deaf dog in
the category of pet quality dog. This is not to say that there aren’t puppies born
with health problems; I did actually have a 3-legged dog whom by the way, made
an excellent companion. Needless to say though, the extent of his disability was
fully disclosed. A puppy with a pre-existing health problem may be a very good
pet but these aren’t what we are referring to when we say pet quality.
Bottom line is this, if you are purchasing a pet quality dog, you are getting a dog
that displays the characteristics of a Coton but may not be the best choice to
contribute to the improvement and continuing quality of the breed. A less than
perfect bite will not impact your puppy but continuing to breed a dog with a poor
bite perhaps to another dog with a poor bite may result in a Coton with a less
than functional bite.
Pet Quality
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