The kokoni comes from Greece and was already a popular house dog there in ancient times. With its friendly, bright and playful nature, it conquers the hearts of its owners. Kokonis are rather small, but their energy level is all the higher. They need a lot of exercise and are not afraid of longer hikes. Due to their intelligence, docility and the will to be challenged, they are wonderfully suitable for dog sports.

Kokoni – little Greek with a big heart

The name Kokoni means something like “little dog” in Greek. Little is known about the origin of the breed, but even in ancient times the Greeks kept Kokonis as a domestic and farm dog. To this day, its popularity in Greece as a family and companion dog has remained.

There are two variants of the kokoni: “Melitaio Kynideo” refers to the long-haired dogs of the breed, “Alopekis” the ones with short fur. The long-haired kokoni are much more common, which is why only this variant was recognized in 2005 under the official breed name “Kokoni”. However, this recognition was only granted in Greece, the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) does not yet list this dog breed. Internationally, the kokoni is also known by its English name “Small Greek Domestic Dog”.

The character of the cocoon

The bright, cheerful and very loyal character of the cocoon makes it a wonderful companion and family dog. Due to its sociability and loyal devotion, it is the ideal family and companion dog. It also gets along well with children and other pets. Cocoons seek contact with their humans and need it just as much as contact with other dogs. Since cocoons are also very active, you have to challenge them enough. Your cocoon loves to be outdoors and, despite its rather smaller size, likes to go on long walks or accompany you on jogging.

In addition to its liveliness, the kokoni is characterized by its intelligence and docility. Occupy it with brain games, teach it tricks or do dog sports such as dog dancing or agility with it. In doing so, you challenge both its urge to move and its mind and you give it your full attention. The kokoni is easy to motivate to do the activities, because it is also very playful.

Cocoons sound the alarm of intruders and tend to hunt small animals such as mice, rats or rabbits.

Keeping and training of the cocoon

You can keep a kokoni in the city and in the countryside, in a house and also in an apartment. However, you should make sure that he does not have to climb many stairs too often, as this puts a lot of strain on his joints. Also, keep in mind that the kokoni needs more exercise and activity than many other companion dog breeds. If you have an active lifestyle yourself, this breed will give you a lot of pleasure.

The docile Kokoni can be trained well if you stick to it consistently from the beginning. If you are too careless in his upbringing, however, he can develop into an unpleasant yapper. In a puppy or dog school, your dog starts socializing early and there you get professional support.

Caring for the cocoon

If you have a cocoon with a longer coat, you have to brush it out regularly. You remove dried dirt at the same time. Check your four-legged friend’s ears from time to time and clean them to prevent inflammation.

Interesting facts about kokoni breeding

The kokoni is still quite unknown outside of Greece and there are hardly any breeding efforts. Even in Greece, breeding is not controlled in breeding associations, as is usual in Germany, but rather by their owners breeding the animals privately. Once you have found a breeder, you should inform yourself well about breeding goals and parent animals. It is best to ask about the characteristics of a kokoni, because since there are neither concrete standards nor controls by clubs, in principle anyone can offer a kokoni.

In Greece, many cocoons live on the streets. For this reason and because of the uncontrolled reproduction, it is quite possible – perhaps even more likely – to find a cocoon at animal welfare. If you want to adopt a cocoon from animal welfare abroad, you should make sure that it has been examined for the known Mediterranean diseases. A few months after entering the country, you will have it examined again by your veterinarian to be on the safe side.

ProfileKokoni

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