Finn's BIG Weekend

[finncaraid]

After waiting all these months, Finn will finally have his opportunity to try earthdog this weekend at an AKC event. I'm so excited & nervous, you'd think I was the one going down the hole. I'm really hoping he'll give it a try since he seems to really enjoy anything resembling a dark tunnel. But who knows what he'll do 'cause he has about zero hunting instinct except for leaves & robins. And I'm really hoping he's not the only Cairn there: we went in November to check it out even though he was too young to enter & he was the only Cairn. There were numerous Westies, Scotties, Borders & even Norwichs but no Cairns. Been waiting for this event so he can finally get a good bath/stripping after, another thing I'm nervous about because this is my first effort. He'll be 10 months already this weekend: can't believe how fast the time has gone. Keep looking at his baby pictures & wondering where my baby Finny has gone. The first pic is him in August, 5 weeks old: the 2nd is earlier this week, 9 months later. It's amazing how many memories he's already made for me- can't imagine what it'll be like in the years to come. Hope this is posted in the right place- since he's not really a "sporting" dog yet, thought it might be appropriate here.

[2littleterrors]

He is such a beautiful boy! Same color as my Kenzie! Good luck with the earthdog!! Someday I would love to raise a Cairn from puppyhood so I can do some of that stuff with them!

Take plenty of pics of him doing it!

[janis]

He's beautiful! Good luck! Wish we had those here. Think of the norwich as a short cairn and the westies a pale cairn!

[bradl]

WooHoo ... have fun! Don't worry about a thing. Pass, no pass, whatever ... the dogs have a ball and you should too.

(I love that pose in the second pic.)

[pindrop]

Exactly what Brad says - it's not important if he passes or not, the fun is in the trying. Go out there and just enjoy the experience. Your Finn has certainly grown up. I know just what you mean - Layla was born in Sept. and she's almost 8 months - where has the time gone!

[Lynn in TN]

He is handsome. His coloring reminds me of a wolf. He'll do great and have fun regardless.

[Dempsy's Mom]

Just like what I said about Layla - I can't get over how much they grow in such a short amount of time. Finn is really impressive looking - have fun!

[Idaho Cairns]

I'll bet your dog has fun and I envy you the experience. I have always wanted to see what my dogs would do at an earth trial. We want a full report on Monday--tell us how the dog did.

[josie&holly]

Finn is a very handsome boy and I hope he enjoys his new experience!

[Hawkeye]

Finn has grown into a very handsome cairn! Enjoy earthday - sounds like lots of fun.

[Sam I Am]

I think Finn will be a star! Just look at that regal gaze, that self confidence,

that bring it on I AM CAIRN

[janis]

Can't wait to hear how he did! Good luck!

[ScruffynMag]

He is a gorgeous boy and don't they grow up so quickly! I'm sure he'll enjoy his new adventure.

[bradl]

Looking forward to the report-ou!

Sorry to say that Dundee had no particular interest in the rats today (they were introduced after our earthdog club finished digging in the dens). Even with Echo barking and digging up a storm to show him how. Dundee was still more interested in the other dogs. On the plus side, he went through the Junior tunnel OK, even though he didn't do any work when he got there. Well, he's young yet. We're hoping the Intro judge next weekend can work some magic with him. Some yahoo from Washington state. Heard a few good things about him

[finncaraid]

Finn had the time of his life at earthdog! And, as usual, he turned it into a real event for me. We tried Intro to Quarry & he may just be a real earthdog someday. When we went in the fenced area & his collar came off, he picked up the scent, went right to the mouth of the tunnel to check it out, smelled around it & decided zoomies were the way to go. After running in a circle around the area for about 2 mins., he made a mad dash inside the tunnel. He got to the end because I could see an ear in the small hole at the end of the tunnel. He was in there for quite a while (I started looking around thinking he'd pop up someplace else 'cause it's Finn) & the judges were making real faint tapping noises on the top, but, alas, he did not bark (he's not a big barker). After about a minute, he backed out. He then decided to cheat, I think, 'cause he walked on top of the tunnel to check out the other end. The judges then asked me what he thought of rats. Didn't know since he'd never seen one. So out came the caged rats for an introduction. At first he showed no interest but then decided they were pretty cool. The judges then put the rats back in their end, opened the doggy end, at which point Finn jumped in & sat there looking very proud of himself. The judges suggested we try practice sessions with other dogs so he'll know what to do next time. They asked his age & realized he was still young which, as they said, explained the zoomies. They told me for such a young dog, he was very smart & would probably do well when he was a bit older, like 2, because the tunnel didn't bother him. While we were talking, Finn just stood around so they figured he was probably tired from running so hard (they don't know Finn). That's when he decided that a 2nd zoom session was in order. On this round, he saw a judges' water bottle laying on the ground & grabbed it going past. The 3 of us then proceeded to try to corral him which is always wasted motion 'cause he's very good at evasion. And, of course, we were all laughing at this point so it just encouraged him. Fortunately, he was the last entry so he didn't disrupt the proceedings. We finally caught him & the judge told him he could have the bottle but, of course, he didn't want it when it was offered. He's such an incorrigble but endearing character I'm starting to think I need to get over being embarrassed by his antics. The sad part is I got NO pictures or video- it was just Finn & me & I was too busy trying to keep him on target. But I'm still laughing about our latest experience. Can't wait for the next trial!!!--------Sorry to be so long-winded (I always am) but DH tells me I'm a storyteller by nature so I can't help myself.

[bradl]

Oh my, excellent recounting of Finn's escapades indeed. I can just see him grabbing the judges water bottle. Hee.

[cairnsby3]

That's very good, lots of dogs take awhile to go under ground, so he got that. My boy's prey drive is finally getting strong at 5.

[Lynn in TN]

I loved reading the whole account of your earthday. Finn Realy must be somethig else.(Of cource they all are) I would have loved seeing pictures, but understand that completely. Thank you for the good laugh I realy needed it today.

[hheldorfer]

What a wonderful day for both you and Finn! You should be proud of your little guy. I sure wish there was a video, but your vivid description had me laughing just imagining Finn's antics. I think an extra treat or two is in order.

[jo_]

Thank you for sharing! Your description painted a very vivid picture of Finn and made me chuckle. Reminds of the book "Born to Bark: My Adventures with an Irrepressible and Unforgettable Dog" by Stanley Coren. He had his Cairn in obedience competitions. I'm sure you can all imagine what that would be like! A humorous read if anyone's interested.

[Islander]

Thanks for sharing a great story about Finn's big weekend! I could totally visualize him zooming around with the water bottle, impossible to catch.

Sounds like a fund day for you as well!

[bradl]

The judges suggested we try practice sessions with other dogs so he'll know what to do next time.

Here ya go ... put this in Finn's iPod and he can practice along with Echo all day and all night

http://www.cairnterr...570-echo-works/

[finncaraid]

Are there rats in that box that Echo is after??

[bradl]

Yep (well there's one - in a test there would be two).

[Kathryn]

I'm surprised those rats don't die of fright...

And the Coren description of his cairn "swimming" across the floor during the long down is heart-warming to anyone who has ever tried to obedience train a cairn...