Cairn Terrier

[shm92]

Hi

Anyone has any suggestion on Cairn Terrier, I've decided to adopt one, but this is my first dog.

Regards

[elizabethann]

Not sure if anybody on this board owns a Cairn Terrier. I have a terrier mutt.

Here is a website that talks about the Cairn Terrier's temperment:

http://www.cairnterrier.org/meet/

I know my dog loves to dig and hunt for chipmunks, fox, squirrels, mice, etc.

[Callie]

We had one stay with us for a short while as her family was in transition at the time. Adorable BUT...soooo ACTIVE! Non-stop on the go, needed to be kept busy...and loved to bark when excited. Too much for us but she is back with her re-settled folks and doing fine now.

One caution: make sure that you're not allergic to the fur as it is a bit on the harsh side (the outer coat). I wasn't sensitive at first but...after awhile I started breaking out in a rash. Tried different dog shampoos but not much relief.

They're very loyal little ones and grieve for their loved ones. Lots to like if you can keep up with them...or they have a companion to play with.

Hope this is helpful.

Callie

[Kfamr]

One of our members, ParNone, owns a very handsome Cairn named Murphy. You may want to PM her as she may not see this thread.
http://www.petoftheday.com/talk/member.php?u=3987


Welcome to Pet Talk!

[shm92]

Thanks guy

how can I contact Parnon? by the way, I think Terrier group in general need a lot of attention and supervision and having said that do you think they can fit into prodfessional people's life?

Regards

[ParNone]

Hi shm92!

I had two lil' Cairn terriers, Madison and McMurphy. Maddie passed away a few years ago at around 13 yrs old and Murph is still with me, rapidly approaching 17 yrs old. They were both wonderful lil' dogs, one a bit more terrier like then the other though.

I like to say Maddie came out of the box already assembled. I put very lil' effort into housebreaking and general training with her. She was very laid back for a terrier, a professional couch potato. :) Never had any issues with letting her off leash. She always wanted to be where I was, so I never worried about her taking off. Never dug up the yard. Great with kids. Very gregarious with everybody we met. Never had any issues with her barking. The only thing that would set her off barking was lil' critters, which were fairly non-existent in my lil' suburb.

The only real terrier trait she had was aggression towards other animals and dogs. Now she wouldn't seek out a fight, but she didn't want any other dogs messing with her or getting in her space. She really would have preferred to be an only dog I think, because she really didn't wanna share me with the other dogs. But the extreme of her aggression never resulted in anything more then some missing dog hair. I don't think her intent was ever to really hurt, only to get her message across to be left alone.

Now, Murph was a bit more terrier-like as a puppy. He was somewhat hard to housebreak. He didn't wanna stop playing and running long enough to go out and pee. He'd practically pee on the run, so it was vedy hard to catch him in the act. But eventually we got there and he is very reliable now.

He did dig up the yard, until I got Maddie. And when I say dig, I mean huge trenches. That bad behavior stopped, once he had Maddie as a playmate to help burn off some of that energy. He also was a blur of motion as a puppy. Heck, even at 16+ yrs old now, he has more energy then my two young Collies.

I was a bit more wary of letting him off the leash, because he was sooooo fast, but the reality is, he never tried to run off from me either. A trait that seemed to amaze the vet each year. Apparently most of the terriers he saw, were quite the escape artists.

Murph doesn't have a very good "Come", which is typical of a terrier, but he has a great "Stop". He took off after a Lab, while we were hiking once, and I had a momentary thought that I'd never see him again, if he made it into the woods. But me and my friend yelled out for him to "Stop" and he put on the brakes and waited for us to go pick him up. My friend was totally amazed, because there's no way her Jack Russell would have stopped, while in full pursuit like that.

Murph isn't as much of a lap dog as Maddie was, but he's every bit as gregarious with people and great with kids. Lil' boys really love him, because he can play as long as they can.

I love to take him walking on the leash. He's not a puller and he keeps the same pace as me and can walk as long as you need. He was the best hiking dog ever. He's not much of a barker, so I could take him anywhere without issue.

Anywho, we had some challenges when Murph was a puppy, but once he matured he turned out to be the best lil' dog. I call him my lil' ray of sunshine, cuz he's perpetually happy and his tail is always waggin'. :)

Generally speaking, Cairns aren't quite as challenging as some of the terriers and can make great lil' companion dogs. They're quite adaptable to different lifestyles. If you're more into fun and play vs a lap dog and don't mind not getting 100% obedience, they may be just the dog for you. If you're serious, anal and don't have a good sense of humor for their antics, they could probably drive you mad.

Here's the link to a really good Cairn forum:

http://www.cairnterrier.org/forum/index.php?showforum=3

Lots of folks with way more Cairn experience then me, if you'd like varying views of the breed.

Edited to add: Oh on the professional life thing, I had a very demanding job when I got Murph, which may have been the cause of some of the issues I had with him as a puppy. Getting a second Cairn was the best decision I ever made. If you're going to just have one Cairn and they're going to be alone all day, I think you should expect to be extremely active with him/her when you're home.

Par...

[shm92]

Thanks Parnone

I really enjoyed reading your patiently written comments on Cairens, and I'm glad to hear this much encouragment from somebody who owns(ed) two of them. You know when I went to my breader's house and spend sometimes with parents ( they're not born yet), she told me that she would be the one who picks up the puppy for every individual family , based on her understanding of every applicant life style and number of family members, etc. So I believe puppies as you described them will come with different characters, and I hope I will end up with one like Maddie ;) ,
by the way , we don't have any children, what' s your opinion, they are better off with children or it doesn't make any differnce?
I really appreciate you responce and say hello to Murph.

Regards

[ParNone]

I don't have kids and mine seemed to be okay with that. They'll adapt to whatever your lifestyle is, especially getting a puppy. But oh, when they were around kids, they were ecstatic. I often thought I should rent a kid for the weekends for'em. :)

I know a lot of Cairn folks seem to think they are better off in a household without small children, but I honestly think if I'd have had children (after both Cairns were out of puppy hood), mine would have adapted fine to lil' ones. They were both so tolerant of the noise and rough handling of lil' kids. I actually I think they thrive on all the energy and excitement that surrounds lil' kids.

Anywho, I think they can do well in either environment.

Par...