Were you prepared for your first Cairn Terrier?

[Hawkeye]

After reading the previous post titled 'Article', I started to think about my first experience with a Cairn.

When we got our first cairn, we were young and knew nothing about the breed (going back over 20 years ago). We answered an ad in the local newspaper "puppies for sale". Mandy came from a private party and we had no idea what we were getting ourselves in to. She was a "true Cairn"; she flunked out of puppy training, chewed on the phones, was full of energy and ran around like a maniac with my two kids. I had never owned a dog before so I thought this was normal. It wasn't until she flunked puppy training that they told me how independent and stubborn terriers can be and that I will have to work extra hard on the training. That's when I started to educate myself on the breed and have loved them every since. I guess I can be stubborn too!

How about everyone else, were you prepared?

[hheldorfer]

Can anything truly prepare you for the incredible joy and wretched frustration of sharing your life with a Cairn? It's one of those things you just have to dive into and pray that you can swim!

[Zekey's Mom]

Not at all prepared! I went to the SPCA to look at another dog (who was taken), and Zekey was in the next kennel, barking and growling his head off! Up until then, I had been researching beagles, heeding warnings that beagles were difficult, may not be a great choice for a novice dog owner... I knew a cairn (or any terrier) would be a challenge as well.

Luckily, Zekey was a year old, past most of the chewing phase, somewhat housebroken. And completely adorable! Every day, I feel so lucky to have him, that I must do right by him (plenty of walks, training, etc.)

The thing that I think has most prepared me, though, is being a cat owner. They NEVER pay attention, so if I can get Zekey to respond to one command, I feel like I'm doing just fine!

[tlwtheq]

In a word, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO".

Holdsworth was just this little dynamo, into everything and the

"fastest gun in the west" when it came to squatting on the carpet!

(One of his nicknames was "Doodle Dog". We had to discard that rug when we moved.)

When we brought him home, he was small enough that, just out of curiousity, we put him

in the cage with our Guinea Pig, Guinevere. The cage had a lot of tubes and shelves,

and they got on famously! And certainly, nothing amazed us like the strength

of his front legs. Baby gates weren't any good because he could climb!

When charging at squirrels, he used to hug the tree and got up around 6 feet.

And, of course, those running sweeps in large circles, in the evening when all our neighbors

were saying "Goodnight" to go in. That little sucker knew just how close he could get

and still dart out of the when we tried to catch him. He was just not ready to go in!

Even into his 18th year, Holdsworth was a most beautiful spirit. Now I have to stop typing

or my keyboard will get tear drops on it. I love you Doodle Dog. Mommy

[pkcrossley]

in a way, yes, but only because my mother liked westies and we grew up with them. cairns are a step beyond westies (you can call 'em white cairns, i call 'em tame cairns), but it was at least a kind of preparation.

[dianer]

No not at all. Many years ago my first cairn was also my first dog. Of course we went to training and the instructor called him "little mister independent". He was a wild dog but I loved him. My roomate taught him to come when called. His friend taught him not to jump on people. I learned along the way how dogs must behave to live with us all. What really made him the perfect dog for me was the tough and quick survivor in the small package.

[josie&holly]

I just wanted a little adult dog and had never had a dog before so did not want to be involved in housebreaking etc. Sandra contacted me via the ISP Forum to say she had found out that this breeder had a bitch he was retiring and so Holly came into my life.

I was not prepared for a dog that could be so stubborn as to refuse to move on a walk unless she had a bit of biscuit, refuse to get in the car if she decided that was not what she wanted to do, refuse to eat her food because she wanted something different!

I was not prepared for a little dog that would end up twining me round her little paws, following me everywhere, want to stand on my lap when she wanted some fussing and I was certainly not prepared for a little dog that I would love to bits!

I was not prepared for a little dog that would I just want to watch patrolling round the garden because I was fascinated by how she looked at things and cause me to neglect housework!

I was prepared to have a dog that I would give holidays for unless I could take her with me, to spend money on - these were all things I had considered before I looked for a dog.

And so now I have a stubborn but lovable Cairn who greeted me as I collected her from groomers today with a kiss!

and yes I do love her and would miss her enormously if anything happened to her.

[Tracy A.]

OMG AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

LOL I had read tons on the little terrorists... but nothing really gets you ready until you have one or two of your own...havoc and mayham.

[lindasue]

NO! Terrorists is right.....and I've had many dogs. This will be the first one that will probably never be allowed off leash...

[carolinaila09]

i think i was pretty prepared...but i think i got lucky with the puppy i picked. i have had very few horrors...minus the flea problem as a puppy and the occasional bathroom slip ups...

i had read about every post on here so i was definitely prepared for the worst! lets just hope the second one in a year or 2 will be as good as paisley has been...i know, wishful thinking.

[kjwarnold]

<Snort>, yeah, right! I had absolutely no idea what I was in for when I got Willie 21 years ago. He's been gone 5 years now, and we've got Packy & Kirby to carry on the terrierist tradition!

[Oliver's Mom]

Though I am still roughly new to the Cairn way I most definitely was NOT prepared (and am still trying to get prepared ). I did do a ton of research on the internet and read that if you are not tough and stick to your guns they will run all over you. Little did I know that even sticking to your guns could result in being run over by a Cairn! Even though he is quite a handful at times my husband and I are addicted!! I love never knowing what you're gonna get

[Brianne_Kathrine]

My mom has a cairn and a westie and so I thought I was prepared for my first cairn terrier. I might have been if my first cairn terrier had not been neurotic. Benny totally caught me by surprise. I can remember a day about 4 months after I got him. It was July and I was sitting in my back yard. Here is this little 6 month old terrorist who was tearing through my back yard, not listening to me at all, and I was just crying. I could not stop thinking "what the heck have I gotten myself into..."

Slowing Benny improved, mostly from the time he turned 1 to the time he turned 2. He improved so much that by the time he was nearly 2, I was brace enough to get a second dog. Sally has more energy than Benny ever did, but she is not neurotic.

[hheldorfer]

Most of all I guess I wasn't prepared for a dog that is smarter than me!

[Tillie'sMom]

hahahaha! Tillie is the only dog I have owned (aside from family pets as a child) and I was 20 and a single college student. I was not at all prepared even after doing a ton of research. I picked a cairn because I had an ex boyfriend who's family had 2 cairns and I loved them. Tillie is the ultimate little monster. It took me FOREVER to potty train her or teach her any manners. But it was totally worth it. She makes our family complete. My husband showed up when she was about 8 months old and I think she freaked him out a little at first lol.

[jimnconnie]

We just weren't prepared to fall so completely in love with a dog! Through the years, as our children were growing up, we had owned other dogs, a GSD, a Beagle, and a beautiful Brittany. We loved them all, and provided for them throughout their long lives, but somehow they never had the effect on us that Bailey & Sophie have. It is amazing how these two little munchkins have weaseled their way into our hearts & our everyday lives. It seems that now whenever we make a decision we have to take into condsideration how it might affect our 2 furkids. Obviously they have filled the void left by our children becoming adults and moving on with their own lives. My DW who always claimed that she was "Not a dog person!", and really didn't want another dog after Lady, our Brittany, crossed the Bridge, now gets on her knees every morning before leaving for work so that she can give & receive kisses from her 4-legged babies. Our children accuse us of spoiling our dogs rotten, and of course we do, but Bailey & Sophie give us so much more than we could possibly give them. No, we weren't prepared for them, and now we could never be prepared to be without them.

Jim

[beccadiane374]

Absolutely not!!! We'd always had rather tame, quite dogs before Tanner & he was a shock! But, like others have said, I wasn't prepared to love him as much as I do, either. There are times when I hold his little face & he licks my nose and I think..."I didn't know. I didn't know it was possible to love a dog as much as I love you." Perhaps the struggles of puppyhood & the battles with stubborness are what make the sweetness of their affection so much stronger.

[goforette]

I thought we were prepared - but really we had no idea:

I had always had terriers - Westies before Cairns. But chose the Cairns this time because my past Westies had such tremendous allergies and I liked the no-shedding. We considered Yorkies, but thought they were much too small for us, and thought bringing home two baby Cairns at the same time would be a piece of cake. They'd keep each other entertained and out of trouble... not the case. Double trouble. Double the destruction, double the potty training, double the attitude, double everything.

Our sweet little Cairns quickly showed us just how naughty they could be. Eating kitchen table legs, baseboards, kitchen cupboards, flooring... how could such little dogs have such mega jaws? They were so headstrong they rarely listened, and when they did it was "selective hearing." Both super smart, but adorably manipulating...

I'm so thankful that we brought them home, as ill prepared as we actually turned out to be. They have made the best and most loving furbabies and two beautiful companions for our special needs son. They are so much work, but worth every ounce of it.

[Sue G]

Prepared? <snort> Hardly! I lost my beloved Border Collie to CHF 11/08 and swore off dogs for awhile. Awhile ended up being almost a year. I thought that I was the ultimate dog trainer because my BC was SO good. His tombstone reads "The Best Dog Ever" by the way. Boy was I delusional! But just like everyone on here states, I also had no idea I could love Ozzy like I do. He's like the polar opposite of Brody, and I'm actually very glad for that. There's no comparing the two as they are night and day. Guess who's night? LOL.

[Nikki]

yes and no

Angel was such an easy puppy for a terrier. It took a while for the potty training with her. But as far as commands she was really easy. Very happy go lucky. I wouldn't say she is the typical cairn. But we fell so much in love with her that we got another cairn only a few months later.

I don't think I was prepared for the Scotty boy monster what so ever. He is a force to be reckoned with. lol hasn't shown too many signs of slowing down either and he is almost 4 years old. that article almost seems like it was written about scotty there so many things on there that he does. {especially about chasing anything that moves and barking at everything} But we love them just they way they are. Scotty and Angel are like night and day. Angel is all about socializing {with humans and dogs} and playing with doggies and Scotty is all about toys and getting the critters.

I have been without my doggies for weeks b/c of a injury I have. I miss them terribly. I really don't know what I would do with out them. Right now where I am recovering I make my husband bring them over to visit. Though he doesn't bring them over as much as I would like. If it were up to me and if it was safe for me they would be with me all the time. I fear the day when I will loose them b/c they are just such a huge part of my life. They aren't exactly what I expected but they are just so much more!

[Tracy A.]

yes and no

I have been without my doggies for weeks b/c of a injury I have. I miss them terribly. I really don't know what I would do with out them. Right now where I am recovering I make my husband bring them over to visit. Though he doesn't bring them over as much as I would like. If it were up to me and if it was safe for me they would be with me all the time. I fear the day when I will loose them b/c they are just such a huge part of my life. They aren't exactly what I expected but they are just so much more!

Speaking of which, how are you doing?

[Nikki]

got stitches out yesterday. I'm back in the moon boot. lol still no weight bearing. I got to go back in 6 weeks for another surgery to get one of the rods out. then I get the joy of starting physical therapy.

[TigerBearMommy79]

LOL...no not at all. We have had little Tiger for about four months now...(our first dog together for my fiance and I). I grew up with Yorkies ...my mom was a breeder and she would always keep one or two from each litter so we had LOTSA yorkies!! Anyway I am writing this as Tiger is chewing on my hair roller that he quickly stole after it fell to the bathroom floor and ran out the puppy door with it...it's his now...lol.

We have fallen absolutely head over heals in love with this stubborn little guy...who does not listen to "come" for nothing...he loooovoes to chew...he does flips for us now..too cute. He is the smartest dog I've ever owned and my fiance agrees. I want to get another cairn so he will have a friend but the fiance says no no we are not ready for all that yet!! Anyway we treat him as if he is our child..he is really..and he goes with us everywhere..but we were in no way prepared for the little munchkin!

[Laura Schoenheider]

I actually got my cairn mix from a family that had allergy problems, i've had her for 2 months and could'nt imagine life without her. She just graduated from beginner obdience training, and she is a true cairn.. loving, too smart for her own good ,independent, and a polite troublemaker.

[Napi'smom]

Not at all, my son bought him and I ha dno clue what I was in for, now he is my sweetie and he is my protector!!

I love him to death and don't even want to think of when he is gone..hopefully we have at least another 10 years toegether.