New Poster, New Puppy

[saskcairn]

Hello Everyone!

I'd been lurking for a few months before I joined, and then lurking even more since then, reading through the old posts for tidbits of information, and great stories and photos. I've been in contact with a breeder who had a litter that was born at the end of April; I've gone through the pre-screening process and she has picked out a pup that she thinks will be the best suited to me and my situation.

Sorry they're small, but that's him. I've decided on Chewbacca as a name, or likely just Chewie for short. He is 8 weeks old, and I'll be picking him up sometime next month. Apparently his fur is a little soft at this point to be considered 'show quality' but that's ok, because I don't plan to show him. I'm really excited for my new little friend and my first dog, having been patient for a couple of years until I was financially capable of purchasing and keeping a dog.

I'm interested in several activities to do with him, some that I'm sure I'll have to wait until he's older. I'm really interested in scent training, and maybe even search and rescue (as inspired by a poster here, as I'd never imagined a cairn would be suitable for that kind of work). I will definitely be enrolling us in obedience, and probably RallyO as well. The idea of training as a therapy dog also has piqued my interest, as I'd love to be able to give back to my community with the help of my little four legged pal. I'm not sure if there are any earthdog groups nearby, but that might also be fun for us both.

Thank you to all the members of this forum who've posted in the past, you've already been a big help in educating me, and thank you in advance for all the questions I will have as I prepare to bring this little guy into my life.

Cheers!

saskcairn

[pindrop]

Hi Saskcairn You must be very excited to be finally in a position to have a Cairn. Love the name Chewy - hope he doesn't live up to it (although he probably will.) I'm glad you found the topics posted to be helpful as I know this forum was for me being a first time Cairn owner. He appears to be gorgeous and would love to see more of him once you get him home. Good luck and hopefully we will see you again real soon.

[hheldorfer]

Welcome! Chewy is a cute little fellow and I love his coloring. You have quite a schedule set up for him! I bet he'll welcome the challenges of training. My Cairn always gets a sparkle in her eye when I get out the training treats and she really enjoys learning new things.

We'll look forward to seeing more photos once Chewy is home. Ask all the questions you want - that's what the forum is for!

[Idaho Cairns]

Welcome Sask! Good thing you put yourself down as "male" because I was going to call you "Dorothy" in honor of that little pictured Cairn that looks like "Toto". If he stays anywhere near the color shown you are going to have a lot of fun with him because every time you two appear in public, people, kids particularly, are going to be expressing--"Look, it's Toto!"

I'm of the opinion that Cairns are suitable for almost any outside endeavor, short of what hunting dogs do, but they are tough enough to be an excellent outside companion for active adults. I wouldn't spare the activity at all, get that little boy right in the mix, they are great that way.

Glad you lurked long enough to get yourself a Cairn and we, as you know from lurking, expect frequent updates and pictures on all puppies--it is sort of a "adoptive" aunt and uncle thing we do here--satisfying our vicarious need for "puppy stuff" using the fortunate few who get new little Cairns for us to enjoy.

[Lynn in TN]

Welcome to the forum. I think chewy is a little darling., and like pindrop said i hope he doesn't live up to his

name. I found a wealth of information on this site also. I don't know what I would do without these fine people.

I'm a new puppy person. I've had Kelly for a 2 weeks today.

Like Idaho said we love updates with pictures and are looking forward to them.

[Dempsy's Mom]

Welcome to the Cairn world. Chewie is adorable!

[tomatosandwich]

Welcome! Love those puppy pics!

[ScruffynMag]

Welcome and I love the name you've chosen. He's adorable and can't wait for more photo's and hearing your stories and yes, he'll probably live up to the name too

[janis]

Welcome! He is so cute! I love the name (Starwars Fan - hate to admit it but saw Luke and Laya the first time out!) I have often thought my Kirby looked like an Ewok! Great site, great people and advice and support here! Especially when he eats the label off your best yarn, won't come when called, and poops in the dining room! Please post lots! We love to ohhh and ahhhhh over pictures and laugh over stories!

[lindasue]

Chewey is a great name - we have a pug in the neighborhood w/the same name and he's a cutie too.

[Hawkeye]

Welcome! Chewy is absolutely the cutiest, I love his color. It's so much fun preparing for the homecoming...shopping, shopping and shopping.

[saskcairn]

I know how much everyone loves pictures, of puppies especially, and I'm getting more and more excited and want to share with you all. So here is Chewie's most recent picture, 9 weeks old.

15 days until I pick him up!

[Lynn in TN]

Chewie is still a little darling. I know how you are feeling right now it has not been long since I was waiting for the day I could pick up Kelly. The waiting was horrible. Good luck. I'm at the edge of my seat waiting with you. I can't wait for the photo's of chewie at home.

[Luke Bizzy]

Chewie looks ready to go! Ears are just about 100% up at attention already. Colors look excellent too. May Chewie and you bond quickly. They have a way of setting up shop in your heart in a hurry, and in your case, even before he hits the house.

Hope you'll keep us up to date in your experiences.

[pindrop]

oh my - he is a darling isn't he. I too can remember the waiting - waiting - waiting. Poor Lynn, we all waited with her too and she finally got her little Kelly. The time will drag but when it does, you can come in here and get your fix and/or moan and groan to all of us - and we'll all understand as we have been there before. Are you sure you have everything - perhaps you should have a check list and we can add things for you that you may have forgotten or just not even thought of. btw....will someone be at home with the puppy?

[finncaraid]

My Goodness! What a handsome little chappy he is! And how nice that you're planning on lots of interesting activities for him. Start watching for a pet expo near you- there's generally lots of info on SAR & therapy work at these. Since you're interested in serious skill training, I'd recommend starting training within hours of bringing him home. Finn came home at 8 weeks & started "working" within 12 hours. By the end of his first full day, he understood the clicker & knew his name. After 3 days he knew sit. After 3 weeks, he knew sit, down, here, pose, pray, sorry & leave it (the most important thing he needed to learn). I, too, am on the same page as you: earthdog, agility, SAR, therapy, maybe even show business That's why I started training immediately. Figured if he started "working" right away, it would make all future training easier on him. He's now almost a year & grasps things quickly, is super easy to train & very responsive. As the Cairn seems to be a natural born problem solver, early training really develops this talent. The down side with Finn, at least, is that he's very creative with his mischief. And there's no such thing to him as an obstacle: he has enough confidence to know he can figure out a solution. To me, this confidence will be the single most important quality he'll bring to what I hope he'll ultimately do. Congratulations, Good Luck & Welcome!!! And may the Force be with you & Chewie in your future!!!

[toomanypaws]

That is a gorgeous puppy!

[Hawkeye]

What a cutie pie. Forgot to mention earlier that Chewy looks as thou he is being primed for showing. He stands very nice!

[beccadiane374]

Welcome! Congratulations on your little cutie!

[gt_mustang_gal]

He is absolutely adorable! I also know how hard it is to wait until time to pick them up. My advice - use this "waiting" time to go all through your house, clean, and make sure everything is puppy-proofed!!!