Good day, everybody!

[New Neptune]

Hello! I'm a new member on the forum and I'm in need of some good objective advice.

The thing is, I want to buy a dog sometime this/next year and I want to be prepared to invite a new family member in the house, how to properly take care of it. So I'm doing some sort of research, ask different owners about different breeds and so on.

My family has had two dogs (both shepherd) before, but I was a child so my parents basically took care of them. And since this time around I will be the "official owner" of the dog, I want to make sure that I will be able to take care of it on my own and take that responsibility.

I haven't completely settled with one breed yet. For some months I thought of getting a Jack Russell Terrier, but then eliminated it - JKTs are too active for me. Then I began to do another research and got to know Cairn Terriers. And while cairns are happy, not agressive, intelligent, strong, small and overall lovely and well-headed dogs, they are independent, which is in my situation a big plus. I'm a student right now but I'll start working very soon (in a year maybe) and will not be able to be at home with the dog during the day (from like 9am 'till 5-6pm). And their independence and the ability to find stuff to do while I'm away is an advantage, in my opinion.

Now here's a dumb question: do you think my logic is right and cairn terrier is the type of a dog that will be comfortable enough with me not being around for hours during the work days? Because that's my only concern. There are no problems with providing a good family/home, good food, walks and love.

P.S. sorry for a long post, but I will really appreciate your help and advice.

[sanford]

I'd like to commend you for the research & thoughtfulness you are investing in your search. It would be great if everyone did the same. There would be a lot fewer homeless/abandoned dogs if everyone followed your example. I'm sure you'll get some good guidance here.

The one issue I'll address is the fact that under the proper circumstances most dogs can be just fine, left to themselves for the day. In a perfect world we would always have our dogs with us, but folks in most/many households these days are at work, school, etc. Dogs sleep a lot when left alone. If all the dog's other needs are met, (love, exercise, social/play time, health care, etc), the dog can thrive and have an excellent life.

[avlsarah]

Like you, I did a lot of research when I was looking to get a dog. I settled on a Cairn Terrier for several reasons: the size is perfect for living in an apartment, but they are very energetic and active. I wanted a dog that I could take with me when I go hiking / backpacking. They are very sturdy, strong little dogs. Having decided to get a Cairn, I'm really pleased with how well it worked out. My dog Maxwell has a HUGE personality. He's really fun to be around; he's playful, curious, and full of life but he's also very affectionate and caring.

Maxwell is very independent. I often think of it not so much as 'he can keep himself occupied' but as 'he will do what he wants' because, with that independence comes a large sense of curiosity that tends to get him into trouble. Of course he keeps himself perfectly occupied, and really loves to play by himself, but he's not so independent that he can be left alone. I have Maxwell crate trained while I leave for work / school during the day. At first he didn't like it so much, but now all I need to say is "crate" and he gets very excited and runs to get into it. He LOVES his crate. However, I can't leave him alone in the house for even 10 seconds without him beginning to panic / cry. This something I have had a much harder time with. I have to agree with Sanford. I'd say that pretty much any dog could be crate trained, and some dogs can eventually be okay to leave out in the house by themselves. At this point, I can't leave Maxwell out of his crate at all, and since he likes the crate so much, I don't push it. I think that in this situation it may depend more on the individual dog (moreso than the breed) and how you work with the dog. I know plenty others on this forum are able to leave their dogs out during the day.

I'll also note that Cairns are pretty active little dogs, though maybe not as high strung as a Jack Russell. I once heard it said that "if you walk a Cairn for half an hour, he well be happy. If you walk him for a whole hour, he'll be even more happy. If you walk him for two hours, even happier." The reality is that I'm pretty much incapable of wearing out my Cairn. We go to the park for a couple hours most days, walk a couple miles most days and, after a nap on the car ride home or a little nap on the sofa, he's amazingly full of energy again. Granted, he does really well playing by himself but he has to be supervised; sometimes he gets so wound up and excited while playing that he'll shift from chewing on a toy to chewing on the furniture, or he'll destroy the toy he is playing with and drag its parts all over the apartment. He's also very excitable and playful with other dogs / cats so I have to watch him very close around our cat in the house, and even closer when we go to the dog park because very frequently his energy will start to annoy the other dogs who don't want to play with him.

This is, of course, just my experience. I can't say much for 'the breed' as a whole because Maxwell is the first Cairn I've owned and the only one I have ever met.

[pkcrossley]

i agree with everybody, "independence" with respect to a cairn does not mean the dog can be on automatic when you are out. my nine year old cairn is actually very good by himself all day long in the house, but it took him six or seven years to get that way. he will still try to take my kitchen apart if i am later than expected. these dogs also need a lot of physical exercise, particularly when young. in other words, cairns require attention, they become a very big part of your life.

[New Neptune]

First, thank you all very much for answering me, I really appreciate it

I completely understand that I will need to do trainings with the dog concerning not only it being alone at home, but also general things that will keep the dog busy and interested. And as I understand the best results of those trainings can be achieved when the puppy learns stuff at the young age. It is like that will all breeds, but crain terriers, being stubborn, especially should be trained from the early age so they can become well-educated, right? That's why I want to buy a dog in summer (if not this year, then the next year), so I can spend all day with the puppy and take care of it and start training it properly.

Speaking of traning, how affective is "crate training"? I read about this thing just days ago and it seems to me like a little unhuman thing to do to your puppy, but I read that's it gives very good results in the end.

And I'm prepairing myself to give enough exercise for the dog (I like to stay at home, but I think going out with a dog will do only good for me). But I live in the apartment (which is big enough for a small dog) in a big city and I'm not sure how often I will be able to drive outside the city. How can I provide proper exercise and reasonable amount of freedom to the dog while living in a city?

[Debknits]

While I'm still in the process of learning this breeds quirks, crate training is used across the board with most house dogs. It's not inhuman. My Aussie Shepherd got so she'd take her naps in the crate and go there when she needed a little down time. Think of it as their den or safe place. We kept it in the laundry room right off the kitchen and on laundry day, I had to go pull my son's underwear out of the back of her crate where she'd colleted them for safe keeping!

My new puppy, Gus, doesnt cry or whine at all when he goes in the crate. He snoozes or chews on his chew toy I keep in there with him.

And training begins on the day you bring the puppy home. It's not formal training--more like teaching thru playtime what the rules of the pack are, if that makes sense.

[New Neptune]

While I'm still in the process of learning this breeds quirks, crate training is used across the board with most house dogs. It's not inhuman. My Aussie Shepherd got so she'd take her naps in the crate and go there when she needed a little down time. Think of it as their den or safe place. We kept it in the laundry room right off the kitchen and on laundry day, I had to go pull my son's underwear out of the back of her crate where she'd colleted them for safe keeping!

My new puppy, Gus, doesnt cry or whine at all when he goes in the crate. He snoozes or chews on his chew toy I keep in there with him.

And training begins on the day you bring the puppy home. It's not formal training--more like teaching thru playtime what the rules of the pack are, if that makes sense.

Thank you.

And how long can a dog stay at the crate? For example, right now I'm still a student, but when I'll start working, I will leave at 8-9 am and come back at 5-6 pm... With the right crate training, will the dog feel comfortable alone there for that time?

[sanford]

Living in a big city can have advantages. There are probably dog walkers available on a short or long time basis, as well as doggie day care centers, depending on what you can afford. Best of all, from my point of view are enclosed dog parks/dog runs where dogs get to socialize, which is important and also get a huge amount of fun & exercise by playing with and chasing each other. Ask neighbors or other folks with dogs where the nearest/best dog parks are.

[New Neptune]

Living in a big city can have advantages. There are probably dog walkers available on a short or long time basis, as well as doggie day care centers, depending on what you can afford. Best of all, from my point of view are enclosed dog parks/dog runs where dogs get to socialize, which is important and also get a huge amount of fun & exercise by playing with and chasing each other. Ask neighbors or other folks with dogs where the nearest/best dog parks are.

I will do research, thanks

By the way I found a good training center not far from my apartment. Maybe it's a right place to learn some basic commands/rules and make friends.

edit: I don't think I can afford a dog walker + I want to walk my dog myself

I live in another country and here are not so many civilized places (better say "corners") for dogs to walk and play, as are in USA. Here people usually walk their dogs in the nearest green spot. Fortunately, I have 2-3 green places not far from the apartment and, as I said, a training center.

[DawnandTuk-tuk]

Tuk-tuk is the first dog I've crate trained and it was great. I read alot about it before I brought him home. Being consistent and positve is the key. I gave him a small treat every time he got in the crate (for any time I would be shutting the door). He had a blanket in there if he wanted it, which sometimes he would take it out. I used the crate when we would leave until he was two y/o. I've heard on here that you're supposed to crate for a max of 4 hrs. If you're going to be at work or something like that, invest in an expen (I don't have one, but I guess you can find them online or in pet stores) to put the crate in so the pup isn't crated for excessive amounts of time. I was at home when Tuk was a puppy so I didn't have the work issue, but my son wants a puppy so this summer it's a problem I will be facing.

As far as being inhumane, no way! Tuk-tuk's crate is his special place. I don't bother it except to wash his bedding, and my kids aren't allowed to mess with him in there either. I still have his crate even though I haven't used it (except for camping) since he was two (he's four). I have it in my bedroom and the door stays open. He has several blankets in my room on the floor and one in his crate with a pillow. He starts the night out on his blankets and about half way through goes into his crate on his own. I wake up to find him sleeping in his crate with his head on his pillow! It's soo cute! If he didn't like his crate he wouldn't get in there. In the summertime he prefers to sleep on the cool plastic in his crate, he pulls out all his blankets, but leaves the pillow, lol!

[New Neptune]

^ Aw, that's so cute! Thank you for the information.

So, as I understand correctly, I'll crate train my dog (+ buy that ex pen construction to use when I'm leaving for work), but when he will be around 2 y.o. and will be comfortable enough being alone I'll stop closing the crate and even using ex pen. Is that right?

P.S. I know I'm a pain in the butt, but I have to know all the details...

[jimnconnie]

So, as I understand correctly, I'll crate train my dog (+ buy that ex pen construction to use when I'm leaving for work), but when he will be around 2 y.o. and will be comfortable enough being alone I'll stop closing the crate and even using ex pen. Is that right?

Don't get a crate that's too small, or you'll wind up having to buy another down the road. A medium wire crate (24"L x 18"W x 20"H) should be big enough to last for years. Make sure the crate has a divider to fit inside , so that when you are potty-training your pup you can limit his space. While potty-training your puppy, you need to limit his space to only what he needs to stand up, turn around, and lay down. Dogs normally will not soil their living space, but if you give him too much room, he will use part of the crate as his indoor bathroom. You will find the x-pen (30"-36" high) useful for as long as you have your dog. Any time you need to know right where he is for a short period of time, you can plop him in the pen with a treat and know that he is safe. Baby gates are another great way to limit your dog's access to certain areas of the house. Good Luck!

Jim

[New Neptune]

^ Thank you, thank you!