Activities For Silky Cotons

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Activities For Silky Cotons

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Introduction

The breed ‘Silky Coton,’ a Coton de Tulear and Silky Terrier mix, sounds more like a garment washing instruction tag than a dog, but you will be surprised at how well loved they will be in any family environment. Whether you’re a professional or older couple, or a family with or without children, a Silky Coton will take it all in their stride. As a small dog, they also have minimal physical activity requirements, and tend to be happy with both human and other pet companionship. If, however, you want to treat them to stimulating activities, here are a few to get you started.

Grooming

Popular

0 Votes

Any Day

Cheap

Normal

30 min

Items needed

Brushes

Treat

Fur grooming set

Nail clippers

Activity description

Silky Cotons have a medium, wavy coat, which tends to be relatively low maintenance for the most part. However, that doesn’t mean you can neglect their grooming because they aren’t as demanding as other dogs. On a regular basis, you still need to pay attention to proper brushing, grooming, ear cleaning, and nail clipping. This all-weather activity is one you can carry out at home or with professional help, is affordable, and only takes around half an hour. What’s more, you only need to make a one-off investment in a fur grooming set, nail clippers, a brush, and a small treat for when you complete the job.

Step

Brushing

With a wavy, medium-length coat, you need to set time aside each day for preventative maintenance. Left to their own devices, it won’t take long for your Silky Coton to get knotted, matted, and tangled fur. Using a slicker and pin brush, brush out your Silky Coton’s coat daily for half an hour. If you start them young, they won’t fight the process.

Step

Nails and ears

Just as you do, your dog needs to clean their ears and clip their nails. Unfortunately, they need your help to do it! You can take your Silky Coton to your local groomer to cut their nails, or you can do it yourself at home. Invest in a premium kit and make sure you read the instructions, staying away from the nail quicks. As soon as you begin to feel anything slightly spongy in your nail clipper, stop clipping immediately. Cleaning their ears is a more straightforward process. Use a wet cotton ball to rinse the outer flap and part of the ear you can see. Carry out this process once per week.

Step

Grooming

Every three to four months, you may like to carry out a proper clipping and grooming session. Once again, you can enlist professional help, or you can learn to do it at home. A Silky Coton tends to take after both breeds with fur length and type. Therefore, you will need to clip the fur around their face and paws. Your Silky Coton may or may not require extensive body grooming.

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Beg For Dinner

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0 Votes

Rainy Day

Free

Hard

5 min

Items needed

Treat

Activity description

There is nothing cuter than a small dog begging for their dinner. Therefore, if it’s too rainy to head outside for a walk, and you want something to do for five minutes over a series of days, teaching them such a trick is a good idea. While it may be challenging from time to time, and you will need to have a steady supply of treats on hand, your Silky Coton will be the life of the party when they nail it. What’s more, it teaches your furry friend that they have to work for their dinner as if they would have had to in the wild.

Step

Sit

Before you can get started on begging, you need to make sure your furry friend knows how to sit on command. Otherwise, there’s no way you can get them to learn how to beg! Get this part right, then begin holding a treat at their nose while using the trigger word “beg.”

Step

Reach up

Every time your dog sits for a treat, leaning in to take it from you, raise it upward, so they have to get up onto their hind legs to reach it. Once they have only two paws on the ground, give them the treat and tell them “good!”

Step

Positive praise

As the adage goes – practice makes perfect. In the case of teaching your Silky Coton to beg, it’s no exception to the rule. Keep showing them the treat, raising your hand, then giving them positive praise and a treat when they get up into the begging position. Eventually, you will be able to say the word beg without needing to lure them to their feet with the treat first.

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Car Etiquette

Popular

0 Votes

Any Day

Moderate

Hard

10 min

Items needed

Leash

Treat

Harness

Chew toy

Crate

Spray bottle

Activity description

Not every dog is comfortable or feels safe in a car. While many pups love nothing more than riding with you, some can often be fearful of the experience. Therefore, an excellent all-weather activity for a nervous Silky Coton is to learn car etiquette. For this moderately-priced activity, you will need a range of tools – a leash, harness, treats, crate, spray bottle, and a chew toy. All of these may come in useful, or only some of them will. The aim is to try everything to make your dog feel safer in a traveling car. Try out the activity in 10-minute increments to stop them becoming stressed or noisy.

Step

Harness

The first step to helping your dog learn car etiquette is with a harness. A harness can often be the most effective method for traveling because your Silky Coton is small. Put the harness on them then clip it through the seatbelt. They will then sit firmly in a seat – able to see out the window – but will not be able to run around the car fretting and being a danger to the driver.

Step

Crate

If you have no luck with a harness and you need your Silky Coton to come in the car with you, then try a crate. Their small stature means the box won’t take up a lot of room, but it can make them feel safer and more secure. Include their favorite chew toy and treat within it.

Step

Spray bottle

What many pet owners find is that dogs like to howl, bark, and yap during trips in the car. And, no matter what you try, they continue to be noisy for the duration of the trip. Many dog owners have found the use of a spray bottle useful. Fill it up with water, then gently spray it at your dog when they begin to howl, bark, or yap. Quickly, they will realize that you will not tolerate bad behavior in the vehicle.

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More Fun Ideas...

Walk

Silky Cotons do not have a high need for physical activity, which makes a walk more than suitable to deplete their energy resources. You can take them around your neighborhood, through the park, or even for a quick trip through a local field. A half an hour walk can be all it takes to see them nap the remainder of the day away.

Doggy Dates

If you want your pup to learn valuable socializing techniques, then why not plan doggy dates? Find a friend with a dog of a similar size and meet up for coffee. Half an hour of running around playing with a new friend will surely put a smile on their face as well as yours.

Conclusion

Silky Cotons are small, easily-adaptable pups you will love having around your house or apartment. They are low maintenance, require minimal exercise, and are pawsitively delightful to own. Take the time to try out these activities above and reap the rewards of a well-rounded, well-behaved furry friend. You are also sure to find the experience brings you closer together.