Coton de Tulear vs West Highland White Terrier
Side by side
Coton de Tulear
West Highland White Terrier
Adult weight
Males 4–6 kg (8.8–13 lb); females 3.5–5 kg (7.7–11 lb)1
Males 8.3–11.9 kg (18–26 lb); females 7.4–10.6 kg (16–23 lb) (measured in UK vet records, n = 6,605, mean ±1 SD)2
Fully grown
10 months, both sexes4
Shedding
No sourced figure
Holds loose hair until it is brushed or clipped out
Grooming
No sourced figure
A brush once a week
Exercise
A modest amount
A moderate amount
Health
No sourced figure
Class
Companion
Companion
Which suits you
Size
The West Highland White Terrier is much larger: about 9.6 kg (21 lb) as an adult, against 4.6 kg (10 lb) for the Coton de Tulear.
Exercise
Plan for a moderate amount of exercise with the West Highland White Terrier, and a modest amount with the Coton de Tulear.
Temperament
They differ most on independence (Coton de Tulear: keen to work with you; West Highland White Terrier: decides for itself) and on prey drive (Coton de Tulear: usually fine with small pets; West Highland White Terrier: likely to chase small pets).
Neither is the better dog in general. Which suits you depends on your home, your days and the care you can give.
What they're like
Coton de Tulear
Companion & toy · Toy
Cotons are lively, playful and affectionate, like to stay close to their people, and are usually friendly towards strangers and other animals. They have a reputation for clowning.
West Highland White Terrier
Terriers · Small
In character the breed is confident, alert and cheerful, with the independence and persistence of a working terrier and a strong urge to dig and chase.
Breed traits
Day to day
Coton de Tulear
West Highland White Terrier
Activity
Differs
Happy with modest walks
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Differs
Suits a first-time owner
Needs steady training
With people
Coton de Tulear
West Highland White Terrier
Affection
Differs
A lap or leaning dog
Affectionate on its own terms
Loyalty
Differs
Sticks close to its people
Bonded to its family
Independence
Differs
Keen to work with you
Decides for itself
Around the home
Coton de Tulear
West Highland White Terrier
Sensitivity
Differs
Average
Hardy, takes a busy home in its stride
Voice
Differs
Barks to alert, then settles
Very vocal
Prey drive
Differs
Usually fine with small pets
Likely to chase small pets
Puppy growth
Reference curves · both sexes
Summary
Detail
The West Highland White Terrier grows to the heavier adult, about 9.7 kg against the Coton de Tulear's 4.8 kg.
Coton de Tulear
West Highland White Terrier
More comparisons
Compare the Coton de Tulear with
Sources
- 1
- 2VetCompass UK. Primary-care veterinary records. ↑
- 3
- 4Hawthorne et al., 2004. Body-weight changes during growth in puppies of different breeds. Journal of Nutrition 134(8 Suppl): 2027S–2030S (WALTHAM). ↑
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8Morrill et al., 2022. Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science 376: eabk0639 (Darwin's Ark). ↑
- 9Dogs Trust. Finding a good, responsible breeder. ↑
- 10American Kennel Club. Screening puppy buyers: how top breeders find the best homes. ↑
- 11
Parts of this page were written by AI ·