Titan is home!

[Luke Bizzy]

Today finally arrived and the Mighty Titan is at his new home. He's 18 months old and an absolute delight. He's bright, playful and affectionate. What more could you ask? It's been a really long time since we had a puppy in the family and it's such a joy to experience again the energy and inquisitiveness they possess. We could not possibly be happier with the outcome. We're looking forward to working with him, housebreaking at the top of the list. He's tried to mark every stationary, floor level object in the house multiple times since coming home. Thank God for belly bands.

Next up, a trip to the vet next week to get him checked and in the system, though he's clearly in wonderful health. Wonder how long him sleeping in his crate will last....Our last two were our bed fellows. Maybe he should stay crated.

Cairn Terrorists. Nothing like them.

A few pics, as promised. Thank you for looking.

[Lynn in TN]

I'm so excited for you, and very glad he is fitting in nicely. He is so handsome and a beautiful color. Good luck with the housebreaking. Keep us posted.

[Dempsy's Mom]

Oh Wow. Titan is very handsome! Delightful to look at. Have fun!

[pindrop]

omg....is he a cutie or what! Love his coloring. He does look every inch a Cairn. Happy arrival day.

Now let's talk crating for a sec...I've never crated a dog before Layla - and yes, they have always slept on my bed but for some reason, I decided to continue to crate her and to some extent I am happy about this. I haven't mentioned this on the forum before but about two weeks ago, I started to try her sleeping on the bed and one evening, out of the clear blue sky, she peed on my bed. I was horrified and needless to say quite upset. I immediately put her in her crate, stripped off the bedding (goose down quilt + feather bed) and did laundry at midnight. We have since bought a new bed (not just because of her but added to the fact that the mattress was really old and we did need a new one) and since then, we have continued to use her crate. Now I realize Layla is still a youngster (almost 9 months) but I really don't want to have this happen again, so I suggest you take a wait and see approach and continue to use the crate till such time as you feel confident in his mastering his bladder.

Glad to see you all made it home safe and sound and would love to see more pictures as the time progresses. Enjoy your new bundle of joy!

[finncaraid]

Cairngratulations on your new family member! He looks like a bright & happy boy! Thanx for the pics! Just showed 'em to my husband- he said if our Finn wasn't right here, he'd think it was him. Good Luck with the training!!!

[Luke Bizzy]

Thanks for the kind comments. I'll post some more pics when something of interest occurs. He seems to be adapting well so far.

[kjwarnold]

Beautiful coloring! Pretty cool name, too. DH wonders if it has to do with rockets?

[utgaard]

Congratulations and welcome Titan! What a handsome boy.

As for crate vs. bed, good luck. For over a year our Loki slept on his blanket on the floor next to the bed. Then our furnace went out in November and it got pretty cold at nights. My significant other suggested letting Loki sleep with us "just until the furnace gets fixed." I explained that Loki was better equipped than we were to handle the cold, he would be fine with his blankets; plus if we let him in the bed for even one night he would think it was his right to be in the bed. For the rest of the evening the he would pat Loki on the head and say something like 'At least I still love you,' then look at me and sigh. I gave in. To be fair, the only thing he's had to say on the subject since is to suggest that we get a larger bed.

[cairnsby3]

My two sleep on the bed, but it is a privilege that is earned, after housebreaking is done. Also its good for them to be comfortable in the crate for other life problems.

[beccadiane374]

What a handsome guy you've got there! Congratulations! As for crate training, I waited until Tanner was abt a year & a half old to put him in bed with me. He doesn't make it through the night most nights, but hems never pottied on my bed. He goes to the foot of the bed & whines to let me know he needs out. He even does this on the rare occassion that he's been sick. Now that he's been in bed with me for almost a year & a half, I couldn't imagine him not there...he's just very warm & sweet in his sleep.

[Idaho Cairns]

Your dog is simply beautiful. I love the coloration, really striking. I don't know what to tell you about the marking, I have no experience with male dogs. I'm sure someone here will have an answer for you.

[josie&holly]

A very handsome looking boy! And what a mighty name for a little dog!

[hheldorfer]

Congratulations on your handsome new arrival! He's beautiful and looks happy in his new surroundings.

Our male dog marked in the house when we first adopted him. We found that a combination of the belly band, limiting his access to other rooms in the house, quick correction and quick clean-up did the trick. I filled an old spray bottle (properly cleaned, of course) with a mixture of vinegar and water and used this to clean the areas he marked. It seems to do a good job of removing the odor.

Good luck and keep us updated with Titan's progress.

[Hawkeye]

Welcome Titan to your new forever home! What a great name for him and he is so handsome.

With regards to crate vs. bed I had a very similar situation as Pindrop. Radar stopped using his crate and in place of it he had a doggie bed in our room but he wanted to sleep on our bed and during the night started coming up. I've never allowed any of our dogs on the bed but I started to soften with Radar until one day he was lying on it during the day and peed on it. He was put back in the crate for a while and not allowed on the bed. The happy ending is he now sleeps on the floor in his doggie bed and is never on the bed day or night.

[percy's_girl]

Oh, he's a keeper! Percy's previous owners didn't crate train her and she was allowed on their furniture (which I was not used to because it was not allowed with the dog I had growing up). I tried to break her of being on the furniture/bed, but that didn't last long once I figured out how warm and cuddly she is (especially in the cold winter months)! Can't wait to read about Titan's adventures!

[Luke Bizzy]

Titan slept in his crate by the bed for his first night and seemed to do fine. We'll stay with this plan, letting him become accustomed to being in the crate for bedtime. We did not crate-train our 2 previous Cairns. But Titan has been exposed to it quite a bit before coming to us.

We made the mistake of allowing the first 2 to beg at the table during our meals. It was misstake we made for not dealing with it while they were young. Titan was crated in our bedroom during dinner last night. That will be the plan now to help him get used to it. He was fed 1/3 cup of Blue Buffalo Salmon dry food for supper and breakfast this morning. He will get another 1/3 tonight. It was what he has been fed by his breeder, us not wanting to introduce a lot of change here at the beginning.

[pindrop]

Glad to hear Titan's first night went better than planned. I think crating him for the first little while is a wonderful idea - if just till he becomes accustomed to his new home. Also not having his presence while you eat is another good idea. Unfortunately, one of us in this household doesn't hold the same views and we have a beggar at meal times.

I hope Titan makes your family complete and laughter fills your home. Keep us updated and further pictures would be nice as well.

[KShep]

Beautiful dog! Looks just like Toto!

[janis]

He is a beautiful guy. And being from Tennessee, love the name Titan! Best wishes with your new fur kid!

[Luke Bizzy]

Beautiful dog! Looks just like Toto!

Thank you.

We chose that color so as to be different than our 2 previous beloved wheatens.

[Luke Bizzy]

We are in our 5th day at home. He's still wearing his belly band indoors until he's house trained. We started clicker training 2 days ago, hopefully to teach him to come at calling his name. Right now he's ignoring us when we try and call him to us. That needs to change pretty fast.

He's the first one we've had that doesn't bark a lot. Someone once told me that if a Cairn doesn't bark at least once every 3 minutes, they'll explode.

This weekend he gets his life jacket and his first swim in the lake. Of our last 2, Gretchen loved to swim, but the guy Alex hated it. But at bath time, they were just the opposite in how they regarded water. He loved his bath, she hated it. Weird.

All the critters in our yard have been given official notice. He's declared open season for squirrels, chipmunks, cats, coons and possums and any multi-legged mammal in the area.

This little pocket rocket has been a rolling party in our house. Needless to say, we love him!

[pindrop]

This is wonderful news. So glad you are enjoying him and have given the outdoor critters fair warning. Let us know how Titan likes the water as I'm curious. Come this Friday, I will officially be retired and plan on heading over to the ponds to test Layla in the water. Pictures are always welcome!

[dinib]

Look at that face! His name appears to fit him.

[Luke Bizzy]

Titan is so funny. In place of the usual "Terrier fit" (running full speed through the house from room to room), he occasionally chases his tail! We've never had a tail chaser before. Can't video it, because he's so quick to start and stop it. I wish I had that kind of energy.

We're working hard to get him to come to us. That's been really difficult for him to learn. However with the clicker/treat method 90% of the time he'll come to me. Will be glad to see him get consistent with it, for his sake and ours.

We wanted to take him swimming this weekend but it didn't work out. Will update with pics when it happens.

Have a blessed day, folks.

[Hawkeye]

He's the first one we've had that doesn't bark a lot. Someone once told me that if a Cairn doesn't bark at least once every 3 minutes, they'll explode.

That's great. Sounds like he is getting very comfortable at his new home, so glad to hear.