# Telling the difference



## Lilly's mom (Aug 10, 2007)

*If you saw two dogs and was told that one was a Havanese and the other a Coton de Tulear how would you tell the difference?*  :ear: :help:


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## RikiDaisyDixie (Apr 15, 2008)

*I get fooled all the time...*

I used to think cotons were only white, but I am seeing them in all color combos now, like Parti havanese.

The coat is a little different, but then my Riki has a cotton candy coat...

They are a bit heavier, seem as sweet as havanese. Riki likes them, and he tends to be a very breed specific snob!

From the breed identification project:http://www.theyreallkeepers.com/breedid.pdf
Coton de Tulear Coat, Like cotton if clean. Straight or wavy. Not 
silky 
9-15 lbs 
Round eyes
and dark 
Level or scissors bite.
Puppies have strong black or brown markings that fade with age. Adults 
may retain patches of gray, black, 
brown or champagne often on ears, 
face or back.


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## Perugina (May 28, 2008)

One thing that should stand out is the slant of the back. On a Havanese, the back slants up from shoulders to tail.


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

If a Coton has round eyes, that alone should give you a clue -- most of the time.


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Most people can't tell the difference between my two, even when told. Cody (the Coton) has a little sturdier (almost bull-legged?) walk than Tess' dainty prance. You can really see it from the back. The easiest thing is the tail - whereas Tess' tail curls up and over in the air, Cody's tail also curls over, it lays flat on his back. After seeing the variety of Havs at our playdates, I would have a tough time telling by height or weight.

I'll try to pull some photos tonight that show the differences. (I'm at work right now and as usual, should not be on here! But am anyhow. Just can't help myself.)


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Rikidaisy said:


> I used to think cotons were only white, but I am seeing them in all color combos now, like Parti havanese.


Besides the ears, I didn't think a Coton could be anything but white?


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## ama0722 (Nov 28, 2006)

I often just defer to the owner cause I hardly ever get them right. There are a lot of Havanese with a cottony coats and round eyes too and it probably looks worse for a havanese owner to say is that a Coton to another Havanese owner  The topline of the Coton is suppose to be convex but with coat that might be pretty hard to see. Here is the Coton standard. http://www.usactc.org/breed_standard.shtml


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## Jane (Jun 2, 2007)

I have three friends with Coton, 2 are white, one is a caramel/white parti. None of them look like Havs to me, and the three are quite different from one another.

What I noticed as differences included: structure - their legs/body, movement, eyes and especially face - the muzzle/snout area looks more pointed to me (for lack of a better description). I think I need more coffee to describe this better.


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## Jill in Mich (Feb 24, 2008)

Here's a picture comparing hindquarters of Tess (on the left) and Cody (the Coton - on the right) and a 2nd of Cody in profile where you can see his structure and tail...


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## irnfit (Nov 21, 2006)

This was from yesterday. Kodi and Shelby's new BFF is Jolly, the Coton. He is much taller than my two, is 11 mos and weighs 15 lbs. He coat is short, but it is wavy. He is white with caramel ears and markings on his back.


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