So, just how do you spoil your Cairn?

[kayharley]

I thought of this topic while I was hand-feeding Madison her breakfast because she turned her nose up at her bowl.

I know they won't starve themselves but I just hate it when she sniffs at her food and then walks away without even taking a bite or two.

So here I am, late for work while I scoop up small amounts of Nutro dry/tiny amount of canned food and she's eating it like there's no tomorrow.

I guess I could say I have her eating out of my hand. Just not what I had in mind.

[MikeC]

How do I spoil Duffy, let me count the ways........Well, first off, every time we go to Petco or Premium Pet, he gets a new stuffed squeeky toy. In the morning while I am having my coffee and before I go to work, he gets a treat and when he goes into his crate he gets another one. At night when I am cooking dinner and he takes up his favorite spot in the kitchen, he gets a bite of fresh vegatable, especially carrots, and during dinner he will get little morsels handed out by either myself or Jim. He will sit and put his paws up and make little "throaty" sounds for human dinner treats, while he won't for his doggie treats. Also, he is not reprimanded when he steals any of our shoes, socks, etc. and carries them off under the bed. We just laugh and go get them back. At night when he quites down and sleeps on the couch, we will pick him up and cradle him and scratch his belly. He LOVES that. I guess you could say Duffy is pretty spoiled, but he is SO worth it!

MikeC

[CarCarDawn]

Hi! Riley is so so spoiled - - he is the center of our universe!!! We pick him up and cuddle and kiss him all the time!!!!! He doesn't get a lot of special treats because of his liver shunts - - can't tolerate a lot of different foods - - but I do make him special dinners every so often and I fill his kong up with liverwurst which he gets around 8 in the evening - - every nite!!! We all play with him -- he gets in a lot of "fetch" and "chase"!!!!! . . . . .but mostly we just love him to death!!!!!!!!!!

[wags]

Well now that you brought up the topic, let me tell you what happened to me about a year ago. That was when Wes would act like a little vacuum cleaner and suck everything off the pavement.

I couldn't put him under the library bench, because he's eat everything including the bench legs. So I put him on my lap.

A grumpy oldtimer came out of the library and stared at us. "What a spurled brat. I betcha he pertecks ya!"

Anyway the man kept saying, "He's jist a dawg!" and I couldn't take much more.

So I said, "He's my kid!"

The woman sitting next to me said that man should've minded his own business. Still I felt pretty bad about the whole thing. I do feel Wes is my child. I love him, and he's not JUST a dog.

[kayharley]

Yesterday I finally got the old BowFlex out from the corner, dusted off the bench and got down to some serious exercising. Madison would not leave me alone. So here I am trying to do stomach crunches with her sitting on my lap, licking my face everytime I crunched up. Didn't have the heart to make her get down.

I can't believe how much I love my dogs and even when they're naughty they are just too funny to get seriously mad at.

[CallisMom]

LOL - I have often fed Calli out of my hand when frusterated that she wouldn't even look at her food. Why do they eat it out of our hands and turn their noses away at their bowl?? Anyway - I am out of control - I've been feeding her Wellness but she is the pickiest eater in the world - I have taken to cooking her food for her - in advance and filling up little tupperware containers for the week. Yesterday - I went to the grocery store and did my shopping. Later I went back to the grocery store with the kids to get all of the Calli food ingredients (which I forgot to get) with the kids. Now, if you knew me - you would know that was true love because I'm not sure I would go to the grocery store twice for ANYTHING!!

And I agree, how can yout stay mad with those little eyes and perky ears cocked at you?!!

And Calli slept with us on our bed last night for the first time at home (she has done so at the farm before but never at HOME home)! I couldn't bear to be separated from her last night!!

[newcairn]

Hmmmmm, let's see. I am new at this but I will give it a shot...Everytime I cook meat I on the grill I take the plate juices and poor them over Digby's food, or if I open a can of Tuna he comes from far away as soon as he smells it so I poor the spring water over his food. He loves it! Then I take any left over fat from meat or appropriate veggies and I cut them up into baby size bits (very time consuming) and put them in a tupperware for a week or so of rationing a mix into his food.

How else do I spoil him? I take him EVERYWHERE I go, including department stores that allow it-I call first to check of course. Although I am rethinking this since the other day he jumped out of the carriage at Lowes and landed pretty hard on the concrete floor and knocked the wind out of himself. It was really sad since he couldn't cry and he was looking to me with just about the saddest look I had ever seen. I was just glad he didn't break his neck, Phew!

Anyway, I guess the best way spoil him is to respect him and love him with all of our hearts. He seems to really appreciate that more than anything else.

[Eliz222]

My two are very spoiled too! I can't resist buying dog toys, especially the furry ones! Scout sleeps with us and the puppy will, once she gets older. They spend alot of time with us and sometimes we leave parties, outings, with friends because we want to let them run around before they have to go to bed. Anyone else do this? I feel guilty leaving them when we go out, especially on a day when we were both gone all day at work!

My two love baby tomatoes. We are growing lots of tomatoes in our backyard. Instead of sharing the extra with my neighbors, I have been giving them to Scout and Finch as treats!

Yea, they're spoiled!

[toomanypaws]

My 3 girls are definitely spoiled! I don't have to worry about hand feeding them tho, they are all little pigs when it comes to meals. They actually get up on their hind legs dancing while I'm preparing their food! If they see me get out an egg carton, they go crazy waiting for their scrambled eggs, which they get once a week.

Don't even ask about toys around here. Their toy basket is overflowing yet I can't resist buying them something new. Now having 3 cairns, you have to buy them EACH a toy. Once they get their new toy, they guard it w/ their life. Once the newness wears off, they'll share but each of them seems to have toys that are special to them.

Kiara likes her bed fluffed at night. When it gets cooler, she likes to be covered w/ a light blanket. Both Abbey and Hannah have their favorite blankets and stuffed animal they sleep w/ in their crate. Hannah, being the baby, still takes a nap w/ me almost every day.

I've heard it said that females aren't as affectionate, well these 3 sure are. They love their hugs and kisses and insist on being picked up and held. Maybe it's because we've always carried them aroun so much. Kiara is 3 and today she insisted on sitting w/ my dh on the recliner. We bought a couch recliner so my husband, daughter and myself could sit comfortably w/ our 3 cairn girls on our laps.

[abe's dad]

Abe gets his share of the tble scraps he will sit Patiently most of the time and look at you with those eyes asking "are you sure you really want that last bite?" we normally just save him the last bite of what we are having.

If we have been out for a while he will meet us at the door and everybody has to hold as we come through the door. I would bet it looks pretty strange , the first person through the door picks him up and gives him some luvin' then passes him off to the next until we all get inside.

Abe sleeps with me and my wife and yes he gets the middle. Which leads me to how he got started sleeping there in the first place. Abe is our first indoor pet. When we first got him Val said "No Dogs In My Bed!!" . I work THe evening shift and usually don't get home unti around 3:30 in the morning,Abe never has done well in a crate so we fixed him a bed beside ours and that worked out well. I would come home and as soon as I opened the door I could hear his tags rattle and then the sound of little feet coming up the hallway to greet me. Then at about the 3 Month mark I came in and didn't hear the tags or the feet, so I went on with my routine and when I went to get in the bed Guess what I found on My Pillow Snuggled up next to MOM on Her bed? Well that is where he has slept ever since .

[kayharley]

I just saw an ad in one of my dog catalogs for doggie pajamas!!!

They were the cutest things I ever saw and just wondered how my girls would look in them.

Next thing will be fluffy slippers..

[jendubois]

I think one of the best ways to spoil your Cairn is to take them with you whenever possible. Molly has been on two road trips (from FL to PA) and has also fled from the hurricanes with us. We started taking her on road trips when she was just 10 weeks old and now that she's almost a year old, she's veteran traveler! She's also doing very well with going to other people's houses - she minds her manners and loves being the center of attention. Even a short trip to the drycleaners is a treat.

[Carolinasmom]

My spoiled pup likes to crawl under the covers and snuggle against my tummy towards morning. She doesn't stay very long, maybe 10 minutes. DH isn't too thrilled about it!

[Guest Guest]

...................sheesh!!!!!!!!

Did "Abe's Dad" just give away my and Abe's secrets???!!

I admit, I am guilty as charged ....BUT its Abe's fault!!!!!......anyway, thats my story and I am sticking to it.

MoMoFaBe

[bubba]

I got Cooper, the cairn, a puppy! Thought he needed a friend, so Yoda, the schnoodle now lives with us. They should be called Katz and Jammer...the two of them are a sight to behold. Yoda has even calmed Cooper down a tad, which I appreciated.

pat.