[JoRobertA]

Greetings,

My wife and I have decided since all the kids have moved out, to get a puppy. My wife has fallen in love with a Cairn Terrier, 8 weeks old. If anyone as a Cairn Terrier, I am hoping for some advise.

We would like a puppy that we can train, using a leash, sitting...et, are Cairns Trainable?

We would not want a puppy that barks a lot and bites a lot and chews furniture a lot. Can Cairns be trained not to do these things?

How long would it take normally to house break a puppy?

Do Cairns require a lot of grooming?

Any advise or comments are very welcomed,
Thanks in advance,
Joel & Catherine

[Randi]

We would like a puppy that we can train, using a leash, sitting...et, are Cairns Trainable? All dogs are tainable, you just have to have patience.

We would not want a puppy that barks a lot and bites a lot and chews furniture a lot. Can Cairns be trained not to do these things?
ALL puppies will chew when they are teething, so provide it with lots of toys!! You can train a pup not to bark.

How long would it take normally to house break a puppy? It took me about 2-3 weeks to house break my poodle.

Do Cairns require a lot of grooming? not a whole lot, but 1-3 times a week is best.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

[Alderi]

I have a Cairn Terrier that's a year and 2 months. He's a good dog when you show him who's the boss. They do dig and chase birds and squirrels (which I wish I could break that habit). They love to play all the time. About barking,.he does run around the yard and bark..but if I tell him NO he usually listens. They also love to get held..mine always wants to get held after a bath. I hope this info is helpful for you.

[JoRobertA]

Thank you, you have all been very helpful. We have a little puppy with us right now, she is a Cairn Terrier, 8 weeks old, her name is Karlye Su.

We will probably be visiting here quite often because we have found friendly people [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] and helpful information. This is the place to be!

Happy Holidays,
Catherine, Joel & Karlye Su

[Alderi]

Hi, this is Alderi's husband adding some details.

With terriers, it is very important that the terrier knows that you are the boss. They will try frequently to undermine your authority. When this happens: example: they may snap at you if you do something they do not like (like touching its toys or food when in use). I have found that a sharp "No" and occasionally rolling the terrier on its back(submission) seems to be enough to keep yourself as the alpha wolf of the pack.

The cairn has a small bladder so will have some problems till it is near a year of age.

As far as training a cairn, compared to a german shepard, a shepard being a 10, a cairn is a 2. Our cairn, though very sweet and loving of people, is selfish deep inside and will not do anything for the purpose of pleasing its masters. Our cairn knows tricks but will pout and look at you funny and pause long enough to let you know it does not like to take orders.

Jumping and barking is a problem. We managed solving the jumping problem.. must have taken a million "No"s of consistant correction. Barking is not so much of a problem inside the house, but is a problem in the backyard. Telling our cairn to stop will help for about 5 mins.

Cairns need to be groomed. We keep his hair short so we tend to groom quite a bit.

Chewing is a problem. Cairns cannot be left alone in the house. We put him in a crate at night and when we are out of the house. No number of "No"s and submission holds have taught our cairn not to tear up things when we are not around. He gives us the "guilty" look when we find the destruction, so he knows its wrong, I guess he just cant help himself.

Conclusion:
We love our cairn very much, he wants alot of attention and love and needs alot of supervision. The small bladder problem is very tiresome when they are puppies. Staying the alpha wolf is very important.

[Victoria]

I am a new Cairn owner. I have a 3 month old male. I have had him since he was 8 weeks old. He is full of energy & is very smart. He will be starting "Doggie" school in April. He already knows the sit, down & wait commands. He also relieves himself on command. I do not allow my dogs to bark. He is learning the "No Bark" command. This is a bit of a challenge since terriers are very vocal little dogs, but I think he is doing well. I have always wanted a Cairn. They are so cute as puppies & adult dogs I think he is wonderful! However, Terriers are not for just anyone. Keep up with your research.
Victoria