A Cairn Terrier Dog Breed Profile Description: The Cairn Terrier is a small, rugged dog with a shaggy coat. The dog will be 10 to 13 inches at the sh

Description: The Cairn Terrier is a small, rugged dog with a shaggy coat. The dog will be 10 to 13 inches at the shoulder, and the bitch 9 to 12 inches. The male Cairn Terrier weighs between 13 and 18 pounds, and the female between 12 and 17 lbs. The Cairn has a double coat consisting of a soft, dense underlayer covered with a hard, shaggy guard coat. The coat of the Cairn Terrier is wheaten, brindle, grey, or reddish. Black and white are not considered proper coat colors for this dog. The Cairn can live to be 12 to 15 years old.
History: Originally from the Scottish highlands and the Isle of Skye, the Cairn Terrier began as a sturdy farm dog that hunted for rats and mice around the cairns, or rock piles, found where they lived. From the year 1500, these small terriers were used to hunt out the vermin that might make their home in the cairns, which often marked graves or boundaries. For larger game, such as a badger, the Cairn would hold the prey until the farmer or hunter could arrive to dispatch it.

Temperament: The Cairn Terrier is an outgoing dog that is a lively addition to any household. This dog enjoys meeting new people and especially enjoys being around his human family. The Cairn will stay close to its people and wants to interact with them as much as possible. Having developed as a hunter of small animals, the Cairn Terrier will chase cats and treat other household pets as prey animals. Early socialization can help with this. The Cairn gets along well with children, and will happily play with them.
Health Issues: Although the Cairn Terrier is generally a healthy dog, there are several problems that this breed can develop. The most common, and something that seems to be seen in a lot of terriers, is craniomandibular osteopathy. This condition makes it difficult for the Cairn puppy to eat as the jaw becomes swollen. Although alarming, the problem seems to correct itself by the time the puppy is a year old. Very rarely, surgery is needed. This breed can also suffer from the kneecap slipping off the joint, it is called slipped stiffles. Hip dysplasia is sometimes found in the Cairn.

Grooming: Although the Cairn Terrier does not shed much, the shaggy coat should be brushed at least several times a week to prevent tangles from forming. This dog will probably benefit from a bath once a month, but be sure to brush the hair while it dries. The hair around the ears and eyes can be trimmed with blunt ended scissors.
Living Condition: While the Cairn Terrier can live in an apartment, it must be remembered that this dog has a very high need for exercise. It is playful in the house, but it also needs outdoor activities to keep it sound mentally and physically. The Cairn is perfect for active people who enjoy outdoor activities and sports. Unless it is in a fenced yard, it should be kept on a leash while outside as it will chase any animal it sees.

Terriers and Obedience Training

If you've got a terrier, you'll know how stubborn they are. Westie (a West Highland White Terrier), and despite being the most lovable little soul, he's incredibly stubborn. Which made the process of obedience training that little bit harder and longer. In the following article, I'll give an overview of obedience training the Terrier breeds of dogs, and the various nuances it holds when compared with other breed types.

Why is it different?

Terriers largely have stubbornness in their blood. For centuries, they were bred to act with the confidence of their owners away and out of sight from them. So they naturally hold a greater sense of initiative, and a more individualistic will. After all, it's what makes them so great and gives them such a distinctive personality. But when it comes to training them, it can often test your patience and push it to it's limits.

A lot of terriers were bred to tackle pests such as rats, being able to reach all the nooks and crannys and having the speed that humans don't have. Whilst it's hard to generalize an entire breed, there's some characteristics that have obvious influences on the actions of your Terrier. Because they were bred to go out and kill pests, there's a certain element of fearlessness. This makes disciplining them or attempts to intimidate or overpower them a lot less effective in training them than other breeds. At best they'll be indifferent over the long term to training by indifference.

More so than a lot of other breeds, Terriers see themselves as equals. To them, their time is valuable, and so repeating tasks over and over again will make them bored - their concentration will wane and so will their capacity to learn. Obedience training therefore has to ensure that there is always a lot of variation with the tasks and practices you do, and ensure that there is positive praise to account for their feeling of equality.

One helpful tip from my experience of going through obedience training with my Westie is to observe, over time, the average time it takes for your dog to get bored doing a certain task. It's obvious when they are; their concentration will go and they'll be more unresponsive to treats and praise. For more effective obedience training, you should try to stop any form of exercise just before they get bored.

Cairn Terrier Basic Facts

There are many beautiful breeds of dogs to choose from, but not everyone of them may be compatible with your lifestyle. People choosing a breed with undesired traits find themselves stuck in a situation similar to that one would experience in hell. And that's one of the reasons why you see many doggies wandering around the streets, eating out of trash cans, or confined in the dog pound. If you've seen the Cairn Terrier, and decide to keep one as a pet, it's important that you do some research to see if this pooch is right for you. I will now state some basic need-to-knows about this breed, which could help you out in making your choice.

The Cairn Terrier is a small dog that doesn't shed that much fur, which makes it okay for it to sleep inside the house. However, it packs a lot of energy, which makes it restless if it's kept indoors all day. Being restless will lead to the development of some behavioral problems, which you of course woudn't want. To fix that, it's important that you give it some outdoor activity time. It loves taking walks, jogging, running, and even going up hill. Owners of this breed find themselves playing with it for hours, because it obviously enjoys doing so. Another thing that some dogs of this breed fancies is wandering.

They can go around for hours, and sometimes get lost. So having sturdy fences put up around your house would be great for stopping it from drifting off. Knowing the fact that it demands constant physical exercise, this pet won't be suitable for those living in apartments. As I've said earlier, it'd become restless from being locked up all day, which would then make it do more bad than good. Cairn Terriers are very affectionate - they love hanging around their human owners. This is great for people with passive incomes or are jobless; this type doesn't have much to do.

This dog needs plenty of time and attention, and bonding with the kids of the family. So if you can't give it the time and attention it needs because you're tied up with work, this isn't the pet for you. Cairn Terriers are fairly intelligent and learn tricks fast. This makes training much easier, but before getting there you've got to deal with its behavioral problems first. There are some that may or may not occur - as a pup pay attention to any signs of unwanted behavior and deal with it immediately. At this age, ingraining rules and basic commands into their heads won't be so hard.

From there anything plausible could be very possible, that is if you set your mind to it. These are some of the basic qualities that a Cairn Terrier may possess, which should be kept in mind before making up your mind. But for a more thorough description of this breeds' temperament and other attributes, I urge you to research more about this dog. If you already own one, and on the verge of giving up, don't. Whatever problems you're having with it, it's most likely due to the fact that you've been using the wrong methods. It's never too late to turn things around for the better.