Cairn Terrier Info. Owners only please.

 Have you ever had a terrier? Fiesty little dogs.

I'm not a Caring owner, but I do have expierence with that breed, and terriers in general. Carin's are prone to skin problems, so staying on top of that is a MUST. They are very active dogs, all terriers are - and must be given time to run and play off leash. Any dog can bark if you let it - you have to train them not to.

What happened to the chihuahua you were getting?

Mechanical Angel

Could a few cairn owners tell me some of their pros and cons? 

I am a cairn owner!

Pros -

Independent, spunky, feisty little characters (which is a pro if you like that kind of thing). 

If groomed correctly they should not shed, or if they do it should be minimal. 

Very smart.

Cons - Independent, spunky, feisty little characters!  You do need to be firm with these guys, but not harsh. 

Don't think that just cos they're small they dont need training!  THEY DO!  Teach them what to do, you won't like it if they make their own rules.

Some dig.  TERRIER, from the latin word for "earth".  What is it you guys say.... "go figure"? 

Mechanical Angel

What is their energy level?

All terriers were originally bred as working dogs, so you can take that to mean most terriers are born to work.  This means a high energy level.  These guys can run for an hour or two solid and still be raring to go.  That might be a pro, or a con for you, I don't know.

Mechanical Angel

And how good of  apartment dogs are they?

Well, they are small, so they don't take up much room, and as I say they shouldn't shed. But their activity level is high, so when I say "they don't take up much room", you could call that a lie.  They take up about 3 times the room of a large dog that just wants to sleep all day (like a greyhound).

Mechanical Angel

Plus I have a baby so I don't need a yappy dog that will bark a lot and wake the baby.

Any dog could bark if bored or stressed out.  My cairn is quiet and only barks on cue.  He doesn't even bark at passers by or delivery men.  Mind you, he could just be unusually quiet.  I personally think teaching him to bark on cue has helped make him a non-yappy sort of dog.  He occasionally howls when he is excited, or again if he is cued.  I also have a baby and I've never had a problem with him being woken by yapping.

Mechanical Angel

My personal indoor dog tastes lean toward hairy dogs that don't shed but need regular hair cuts and grooming.

Yeah that's a cairn.  They do better stripped though, rather than being cut or shaved.  If the coat is not cared for properly then you can say goodbye to the no-shedding factor.

Sorry if I missed this, but what happened to the chi?   

erica1989

I'm not a Caring owner,

You mean a cairn owner surely???!!!!

erica1989

Carin's are prone to skin problems, so staying on top of that is a MUST.

I have never had problems in this regard.  In fact, I'd have a cairn again, I've found them to be remarkably hardy little dogs, ne'er a sniffle.  Maybe its because they are not one of the "popular" breeds....  And may it stay that way..... 

haha, yes - I did mean Cairn..... oops!

But the few that I have met (no, they really aren't a popular breed!) have had skin issues. Maybe it's the ones I met. The one we've been treating for 2 months now, and he's only a bit better, I can show pictures if you want to see! Very bad skin issues.....

 You did it again!  Hee hee!!

I suspect the skin problems could be more of an owner problem than a breed problem (you work in a shelter right? so you may not see the best cared for examples!)  I could be wrong though.  Hopefully the OP will look it up! (right OP?

More prominent health issues is the breed are luxating patella (not unommon in a lot of small breeds); lion jaw (don't ask me for the proper name, cranio mandibular something or other) and heart murmurs.  My dog does have a slight heart murmur but it is very slight.  I think epilepsy is starting to get more common now too.
 

I have three Westies which are very closely related to the Cairn Terrior.  In fact, they look very much alike.  Westies are white, whereas, Cairns are different colors, such as brown or black, etc.  I absolutely love my Westies and will always have a Westie.  I would agree with everything that Chuffy said.  I have three grandchildren and have no problems with them being around my Westies.  My son also has a Westie--he has 2 children--and he said that when they no longer have Oliver they will get another Westie.  I think they would make great apt. dogs as long as they get some walks.  My girls shed very little--in fact, I hardly ever notice it.  They are terriers, so you do have to train them, but they are quick learners and really want to please.   As Cairns are closely related to the Westie and my experience with my Westies, I personally think that a Cairn would be a great dog to have.  I wouldn't mind having one myself and if the opportunity arose I would accept one. 

As testament to how smart, quick to learn and eager to please they can be, here's my dog (13), just learned a new trick:

http://forum.dog.com/forums/t/80006.aspx

Great job!!! They are very smart and eager to please.  I know my dogs have been very easy to teach them the things that I've wanted them to learn.  They also mind very well.  They just love to snuggle and love and be loved.  As you also said, they can go and go and go.  But they are also happy to have time to just lay around and take it "easy".  I think Cairns would be a wonderful dog to have.

 I loved your video and your little dog did an awesome job--but I am not at all surprised!!!!

dang.... today is just not my day!!! lol

I think it was more of a dog/owner combo problem. He's had bad skin all his life, but the vet his owner took him to put him on steriods to try and fix the problem, which it didn't. We've had him on all sorts of medicated baths, supplements, antibotics, and he's cleared up a bunch, but he's still not as good as he could be. I've seen a few more with skin issues, but this could be because of where we live (lots of allergy problems).

He's a great little dog, smart as a whip - and friendly.

http://www.cairnterrier.org/index.php

lots of good info there (does talk about allergies).

what kind of research have you already done MA?

tiffy

Have you ever had a terrier?

erica1989

What happened to the chihuahua you were getting?

I have Possum and shes a great little puppy. She loves walking around the enclosed sunroom and she has her own basket downstairs because she is an independent puppy and sleeps there at night. She has to be carried down stairs now but will soon be able to handle it.She is a sweety!!!!

Very good - I think a chihuahua and a terrier would have similar energy needs, although the terrier may have more need to run than your chi pup.