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Is a Cairn right for me?


Beth V

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I am a 22 year old graduate student moving to NC for a masters program within the next few months. I have been wanting a dog for a long time but decided to wait until I was settled after the move, and out of the undergraduate college scene. I am looking to get a dog in december of this year so I will have a month of free time to devote to puppy training and play time! However I have done a good amount of research about Cairns and have found a lot of conflicting information. As I have learned from my parent's dogs it is important to figure out if a dog breed will fit your personal lifestyle. My parents own two westies and a golden that I grew up with. I have heard that westies are very similar to cairns which made me believe I have a good idea of what to expect. I love my westies' energy, playfulness, and companionship. However, I dislike how their white coat gets dirty so easily and always look like they need a bath. So thats when I started looking into Cairns due to their light brown and black coats. I understand the "terrier" personality and I love it. I do want a dog that will be attached to me and have learned from our westies that the level of attachment depends on the dog. I am curious if that is the same with cairns as well.

Another concern is that I will be living with one other person in a small apartment. I will have a somewhat flexible schedule due to being a student so I will be able to return the the apartment to let a dog out during lunch time and maybe more. I just want to make sure that a cairn will not get to upset being home alone for a few hours. My westies do fine at our house but they have each other so they don't get bored and lonely. I enjoy being active so giving the correct amount of exercise will not be a problem.

Overall I want to be sure that a cairn will be happy with my lifestyle. I am a huge dog lover. I am so close with my dogs living with my parents that I really want to have a dog of my own to come home to everyday! Thanks for your help!

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I wish I could help but I waiting on my first one. There are alot of good people on this site that can help though. I think one of them has a Westie. Read all the older post also I'm learning alot reading those. Good luck to you.

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First I want to commend you on doing your research on the cairn. One thing that concerns me is you said you will have a month of free time to devote to puppy training and play time. It will take more than a month to accomplish the puppy training. You may even want to consider a little older dog. I got one of mine at 9 months and by passed the early puppy stage. I think you are the best judge if you feel you can handle graduate school and taking on a pet. I don’t know how intense and demanding school is at this time for you. I also have a westie and do agree with you that the westie and cairn are very similar – I feel the cairn can be a little more active, but the fact that you are familiar with terriers is a big plus. I would also suggest that your roommate be completely on board with having a dog as they may need to help you out at times.

There are a lot of new puppies on this forum right now, take a look at some of the other posts. This may help you in your decision on whether you are ready for a puppy at this stage. I think that fact that you are reaching out to us and asking questions tells me that you are a very responsible person. I think a cairn would be a great breed whenever you’re ready to take on a dog. It sounds like you have a lot of love to give and will be a great pet owner. Good luck on making your decision!

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Although a Cairn is usually ready for anything at any time, they will also happily sleep the day away if the house is empty. (An experiment with our webcam suggested that they sleep almost all day, with two or three choruses of barking and/or ArrOooOOOoOOOoOOOs when the mail comes, if UPS drops by, and often about 15 minutes after leaving. )

Our dogs who are used to our working schedule are usually *exhausted* by the end of the weekend from keeping up with us when we are around the whole time, and practically beg us to go back to work on Monday so they can get some rest. But over vacations and the like they very quickly adapt to a different schedule and tend to align their schedules with ours. Cairns are very adaptable. They aren't prone to boredom either ... they WILL find something to do if left to their own devices with energy to burn. Puppies especially.

As someone who lives in an area affectionately known as the Pacific NorthWet - I fully agree that Cairns rule when it comes to matching coat to environment :P

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I did my grad work in NC! I'd ask you where you're going, but that would be rude I guess on a public board. ;)

I'm just now in the trenches with my first Cairn, so I'm not a Cairn expert. But I can speak a bit about the grad school schedule and raising training a puppy. On the one hand, I would have loved to have had a dog as a companion while attending. Yet, realistically, once my first semester was over, I was so incredibly busy...classes, teaching, tutoring, attending special after hours events, etc....that I'm not sure I could have it and training a puppy well at the same time. My stipend wasn't enough to really live off of by itself, so I had to take other part-time teaching and tutoring gigs to make ends meet. Thus, my schedule was pretty hectic and stressful. Perhaps your situation is different, though.

So, in a nutshell, I guess my advice would be to try a semester at grad school first. You might find that your schedule is busier and less flexible than you're expecting. But maybe not!

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tomatoandwich has very wise advice. an adult cairn has the qualities you are looking for. since you understand the terrier personality, you might do very well by adopting an adult. a puppy is extremely demanding, in terms of time and also in terms of mental energy. and they are not gown up after a year, or even two. in fact, depending on the dog, things will only get more challenging as you go from year 1 to year 2. i think a cairn might well be for you --but a puppy, i'm not so sure!

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Welcome! I agree with PK and tomatosandwich: An adult Cairn would probably fit into your lifestyle better than a pup. Our Cairn was adopted from a shelter at the age of approximately 1 year. She wasn't yet completely housetrained so we had to work on that for a month or two before we could leave her alone (without being crated) for more than an hour. We also had to train her in the basic commands, which she learned quickly. (Cairns are smart!) It was around the 6-month mark (when she was 1 1/2 years old) when she finally "got it" and settled in to our routine.

So, in your situation (student in an apartment with a somewhat varied schedule)I think an adult Cairn would fit in nicely.

You're doing the right thing, taking some time in making your decision. And you're right about Cairn coats, too - they're definitely low maintenance. :)

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Hi and welcome to the forum. There are tons of old threads which will educate you on the trials and tribulations of owning a cairn. I too am on my first Cairn Terrier - I previous had a Westie. Little Layla is now 6 1/2 months and a definate handful. Tomatosandwich has some very valid points to consider. We are not trying to discourage you in any way from owning a Cairn, just that perhaps a puppy might be more than you can handle at first, considering your schedule. Advice already given is to wait till your first semester is over and see what time you do have available is excellent course of action. Good luck and keep us posted on whatever you decide.

Husband and dog missing ...25 cents reward for dog

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Be patient. Even though your goal is December that doesn't mean it needs to be forced. Take your time with school - get a good feel for it - get a good feel for your roommate (they may not be as much as a dog lover as you and a puppy will have accidents and loves to chew - roomy might not be to impressed). Keep in touch with this forum - look at some humane society sites - go to the Col. Potter Cairn Rescue site and read about some of the lovely dogs that are waiting for homes. I think that you will be fine with whatever decision you make. My biggest worry is your roommate. Thanks for being a responsible dog loving person. You will make a wonderful companion for some lucky pooch. :thumbsup:

Elsie, Max, Meeko & Lori

 

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