The interview series continue. This month Sejia Virta, breeder in Finland with the kennel name of : Rifelin.

 

How did you meet the breed?
Once I saw a picture about a wondeful looking little dog and I only saw the name of the breed in a Finnish kennel Club's magazine. Nearly a year later I saw an article about that same breed and more pictures and I was "sold". I was then breeding Papillons and Phalenes. When I saw this article, I asked from our Kennel Club, if here is any this kind of a dog in Finland. They found two. So, I contacted them, but they replied, there wasn't any posibilities to get a puppy very soon and had to get in contact with breeders abroad. I wrote to everyone and received a few replies and I begun to discussed the possibility of a female puppy.

Who were your first Cotons?
My very first coton was Ophelia des Petites Folies from Belgium. She is now a little over 11 years. She is a champion of Finland. She came to me in June 1990. She has a marvelous temperment. Very COTON!!!! And she has given her good temperment to her children. Her children are also very good show cotons. Two females, from her first litter, are international champions and one is a champion in seven countries and the other in six countries and Winners in many countries. I kept the other for myself. Every now and then, I have kept one female of hers for me and so my coton family has grown up. My second coton also came from Belgium in October 1990. She is Ophelie des Toliary Stars. She is a very good show coton. When I first saw her, I thought, she is not a coton at all. She looks so different than my other Ophelia. But she growned to be a real Coton. She is the first World Winner coton in Finland. She also won in Brussels in 1995. She also is the mother of those well known world winners, Julius Caesar and Lion King. I never was able to have a female of this female. Now she is almost 11 years, she is of cousre Int. Ch and a champion and a winner in many, many countries. I kept one male from her first litter, who is also Int. Ch and Ch in eight countries and Winner in many countries. So, I just had luck, with my marvelous first dogs in the beginnig. Many of my very successful cotons are coming from them. I thank from the bottom of my heart these two breeders.


Ophelia des Petites Folies

 

Can you explain the choice of your kennel name?
Before Papillons and Phalenes I breeded German Shepherd dogs. My very first Germen Sheperd was named Riffe. When I asked for kennelname, I had fine names like West Wind, Windy Coast and some Finnish names too, but they were owned by somebody else already. Then I put an other list for FCI and there Rifelin was the second. I had thought this name already before, but I thought, it was not good enough somehow. Now I am happy, I got it and I love it. I always remember my marvelous Riffe.


Ophelie des Toliary Stars after WW-95

What quality(ies) do you favouring in a Coton?
In the beginning I felt in love with that beautiful outlooking. I didnīt know anything about the breed. Now I know something about cotons !! The charicter of cotons is the most importent thing among the other valuable aspects. Of course I want them healthy and live a long time with us. I have heard, they can live pretty long. I havenīt so much experience from that, yet. My older ones are still healthy and in good condition.

What are your selection criterion for your reproductives?
The health is the first thing in my mind. I always use only checked cotons. Then I want them to look like Coton de Tulears, how I see a coton. I try to look the faults from both breeding cotons and see, that the same faults are not in both. If I have a long female, the male must be shorter and so on. .

 

What do you think about the Coton evolution these last years?
In these eleven years, when I have been following cotons here in Finland and in Europe, too, I think the breed is now much more homogenous than ten years ago and so it must be. The breeders know better, what they are needing and what is a "better" Coton. The whole breed is so young, you can still find so many kinds of cotons, but we are going on a better way all the time. Shows in Europe are full of very beautiful cotons now and a competition is now much harder than ten years ago. But we have also found some aspects, we donīt want into our wonderful breed. There are much more inherited diseases, than we thought, specially in eyes. That is known now after my eleven years.

 

Can you describe the "ideal" Coton ?
a/male
(This is very difficult in English, when it is difficult even in Finnish ) I like strong triangle head from the front and strong body (bones?). Straight legs, good coat and not too tigh tail. He must move strongly. You must see, it is a male. And the good pigmentation is important, too. The "ideal" coton has to have all teeth and scissor bite. (I know, cotons donīt need these two latist thing, but in an "ideal" coton they have to have).


Rifelin Julius Caesar
Ch. INT and in eight coutries, Junior WW-96, World Winner-99, European Winner 2000,
Best show coton in Finland from 1996 every year and still is in 2000.
He is now over five years old


b/female
A female can be lighter and smaller. I like also a little bigger female (not bigger than males normaly) with strong outlook, but you must clearly see, it is a female.


Rifelin Tango DīAmore. Ch. INT- European Winner-2000

 

If you're participating to dog shows, what are your motivations, and what are your critera for choosing them?
If I sell a puppy for a show coton, it must look like COTON. The puppy can have colour, if I know, it will go away later. I try to see, the puppy is OK by every way, but sometimes it is not enough. When they grow, sometimes I see, it was not so good. Sometimes I guess right and the puppy will be very good. It is difficult to see from a pyppy in age of eight weeks, but sometimes you just know! I show all of my own cotons. I want to know, how good they are and what faults judges see on them. Maybe I havenīt seen them all. I want to see other cotons and look for males by "that eye". And as you know, shows go into your blood.


Rifelin Julius Caesar won the Toy dogsī Special Show 2000
He was "Best in Show!". In the show there were over 1000 dogs.
It was the first time in Finland, when Coton was "Best in Show" in any show of Finland

 

When you're breeding, what are the éléments you're taking into account to choose the dam and the sire ?
As I mentioned before they both have to be checked for some hereditary diseases. I donīt like near inbreeding. I try to find different lines, not near relatives. But as you know the bottom is narrow and sometimes it is diffecult, because I think a male has to be a good looking coton, too. Sometimes I use a male, not so very,very good looking, when I need something, that is very good in that male and my female needs it. I try to find good temperments, because I like, it is very, very important.


Rifelin Jerry Cotton, LtuW-98 and the third in honour ring
Ch. INT Ch and Winner in many countries - European winner-99.

Is there a question that you would like we answer you ? If yes which one ? And can you answer ?
No.



Kennel Rifelinīs breeder group in January this year.
We were the second group from over twenty.

Answers and Pictures by Sejia Virta - kennel Rifelin

 


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