Question about Cairns

[darkpantherbabe]

I adopted a cairn 3 months ago from a family. Sadie is 4 1/2 yrs old female, fixed(i believe). She loves to chase Rabbits, Squirrels, Chipmunks, Birds, Ground Critters, Cats... She does recall in mid chase quite well to me(even tho i was told she wouldn't, by her prior owners). Here's the problem. I dont like attaching Leash's to Collar's... But she has slipt out of 5 different harness's. Is there a type or a certain size that works best on Cairns? and She has a thing about feet.... She will stare at your feet, when you move a foot(even a twitch), she will circle 3 times, bark once and circle the room, then resume her position and stare at your feet and will do this ... I have tried correcting this behavior since i have a 5month old infant in addition to a 8yr old. She will look at you when you call your name, but then will resume the stare unless you call her over to you. but i've done this all the time and she will not let me correct this behavior... is there any tips anybody know of that works well with cairn breeds?

Thanks.

[JohnS33]

We have used the "Puppia" harness- there are other brands of the same design - would hope Sadie couldnt slip out of it - Dont know what to say about the foot fetish, but I am sure you will get some good advice here from others. Good Luck!

[darkpantherbabe]

what is the "puppia" harness??? And sadie came to my family as a neglectful case. she was way over due for a grooming.. the long winter coat was way past grooming... i have a cousin who is a groomer and i told her to "have fun" on getting her into a summer coat appropriate for the breed. and she has had alot of prior problems... she was neglected in a 'busy' household. only time she was given any kind of attention was when they let her out into their backyard. thankfully she hasnt had seperation anxiety and she isn't a barker(hardly even barks in fact). She had to adjust to regular walks and in fact we had to start small and work our way into a nice walk and even then its not a lengthly walk. To name a few of the issues and problems that her 'n i faced and resolved.... Any help on the feet fetish is appreciative.....

[darkpantherbabe]

the second picture was sadie being exhausted after a 10 block walk on way on july 4th to the july 4th parade in the town then a 10 block walk back home after the parade.

the third picture was sadie's first night here. June 7th.

You can see the radical difference.... in the first picture. it has before and after grooming pictures. first shaggy picture was june 7th, the 2nd "shaved" picture was june 24th. her grooming day was june 24th. we went a little extreme on the short coat and did a slightly longer then puppy coat due to how hot it gets in the summer months and how much she had to suffer in the heat with that long shaggy coat on.

My cousin really out-did herself when grooming sadie.

[_whits_]

My Addie is an escape artist and hasn't made it out of any of the Puppia harnesses.

I have this one: http://www.gwlittle.com/product/puppia_soft_vest_dog_harness/dog_harnesses but it's a little less adjustable than most harnesses, so make sure you get the sizing right. I love it more than any other harness though, because it's really easy for me to get it on and off her so I can just slip it on when I'm taking her out for potty, walks, etc. while being really hard for her to get out out herself.

I also have this one: http://www.gwlittle.com/product/puppia_soft_dog_harness/dog_harnesses It's more adjustable than the other, but harder to get on and off. Which might be a good thing, but can be inconvenient.

Addie also has a thing with feet: she loves chasing and biting them (she's a puppy). In training she's been learning the "leave it" command and once she seemed to understand it fairly well I started using it when she went after my feet. It seems to have solved the problem. She still attempts to go after them but if I tell her to "leave it" she stops her attempt.

And congrats on your new addition and a warm thank you for taking in a dog that needed the love.

[josie&holly]

Cannot help you with the foot fetish apart from saying that perhaps she watches feet because she was pushed away by someone using their feet?

However, Holly came to me at four and half but she had been a breeders dog [shown then had two litters] and had lived with 10 Cairns in kennels. She hardly barked for the first year she was with me but now 3 yrs on she does bark! Also, Holly was difficult to walk at first and I use a fairly basic harness but also have a Puppia Harness which you can find on the internet - Holly would not walk at all [and still will not] if the leash is attached to her collar.

I think you have to give Sadie a while to settle into different surrounding and with new people.

[Dempsy's Mom]

Glad you adopted Sadie - she is a sweetie. You will find that her behaviours will change constantly as she gets adjusted to your families love, attention and routines. I have had Dempsy two years now and he has little changes all the time to his routines. He used to sleep with us, but just this week he had decided not to. Kinda miss the little stinker, but he adjust his world however makes him happy. Maybe Sadie will grow out of the foot thing. Thanks for introducing Sadie and welcome.

[pkcrossley]

congratulations on adopting sadie and on realizing that a harness is critical, despite her apparent willingness to recall --she could change her policy on that at any time. a harness is indeed wise as compared to a collar. cairns have some susceptibility to back and disc problems, which can be greatly aggravated or even caused by collars.

both my cairns wear the ruffwear harness, for different reasons. it is very light, easily washable, extremely comfortable, the closest to indestructible you can find, and neither of mine have got out of it (if that's a problem, the neck is adjustable to a size where they cannot get through the front). they have both put their front legs outside the proper loop, but that is a long way from getting out of it.

it is not cheap, but it will last a very long time. when you first see them they look a little clunky, but they are so light and well padded that my dogs both love them and wear them all day and night. the handles are a life-saver, in the case of one of my dogs. vets get very happy when they see these harnesses, especially a cairn. i used the puppia style harness (i think mine was four paws) very successfully (though they don't last a real long time), but switched to the ruffwear when my older dog had apparent back problems and needed an assist. we could go back to the woven harness, which is safe and comfortable, but now we are all addicted to the handles and my dog is happy in the ruff wear, so there we are.

[ScruffynMag]

This is a Puppia Harness, scruffy has always had this one and never been able to wriggle out of it. scruffy has a thing for feet and will circle them as you walk and will try to bite but if told to 'leave it' he's almost stopped now but will still stare at them.

Ooops, sorry Whits, just seen your links for the same.

[Idaho Cairns]

You really have acquired a beautiful little Cairn--lucky you. I prefer that full natural coat look but then I live in an area where there is little humidity and no fleas! I wouldn't be too concerned about the "feet" thing, one of the things I have learned about rescued Cairns is that the dog you initially get isn't the one that you will necessarily have later. Cairns have some quirky personality traits anyway and who knows what this one is doing at the moment. As you dog rocks in to her new home, she will change in lots of ways, most of them positive as the adjustment takes place. I don't spend much time trying to figure out why mine do what they do--just enjoy them. If you can call your dog off a squirrel chase, you have well over half the battle most of us fight with out dogs, won right out of the chute. Just sit back and enjoy your Sadie, I am sure she will provide you years and years of love and enjoyment.

[Hawkeye]

Hi and welcome to forum. Sadie is a real cutie and it's wonderful that she found her way to your home. I don't really have much to add but did want to welcome you to the forum. We are a real friendly bunch here and someone is always around to help you or just listen to some great stories. It is so true that the Sadie you have now will change a few times over. Even thou she's been in your family for about 3 months, she still needs more time to adapt to her new surroundings. Sorry I can't give any thoughts on the foot fetish thing, but hopefully it's just temporary. Good luck and please let us know how she does.

[pindrop]

Hi and I too want to welcome you to the forum. I would also like to add my thoughts on rescuing Sadie. Thank you. We have an 11 month old named Layla and she too would and still does occasionally go for our feet/ankles. She is learning that it is not acceptable behavior and when we now say "no" - it's starting to sink in we mean what we say. We also walk Layla with a puppia harness and a flex leash and there is no way she can wiggle out of it. Time and patience on your behalf re the foot fetish and I'm sure it will just disappear. Good luck with Sadie and please keep us posted on her.

[darkpantherbabe]

First of all I wanted to say "Thank You" to all the warm welcomes and all the tips and help and advice. She is the joy of our family even being here for a short 3 months it seems like we've had her since she was a puppy.

the puppia looks like a mesh breathable harness, Here are the ones i have tried... as you can see they are all different... and she managed to escape ALL of them....

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3046157&lmdn=Dog+Collars%2C+Tags+%26amp%3B+Leashes

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3450982&lmdn=Dog+Collars%2C+Tags+%26amp%3B+Leashes

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11147475&lmdn=Dog+Collars%2C+Tags+%26amp%3B+Leashes

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2751397&lmdn=Dog+Collars%2C+Tags+%26amp%3B+Leashes

http://www.petco.com/product/107959/AKC-Faux-Leather-Adjustable-Dog-Harness-in-Brown.aspx

She doesn't neccessary try to attack or bite feet, just stares at them and when you move she goes "bonkers" is what i call it. lol. i find it funny, my mother not so much, lol. She is having to learn commands.. simple ones... sit, lay, off, down, up, leave it. she caught on fast to lay, sit and leave it. working on down, up and off. She also learned "jump" and that is only used for when she goes in the car. off is for off you(person), down is off furniture, up is to jump onto furniture. She is really people friendly. She scratch's all the time, no flea's on her. I changed her diet to a all organic healthy diet(Newman's Own Organic Food), she was being given Beneful(and thats junk food basically), she doesn't eat as much of the Newman's Own as she did the Beneful and goes potty on a regular basis. She has adjusted quite well from a house environment into an apartment environment. They claimed they ran out of time for her but loved her dearly. but she hadn't been groomed in nearly a year. yes they had infants but so do i. and I still devote tons of time for her and take care of my 5month old infant and my soon to be 9yr old daughter and my older mom plus working part time various parent activities with school(my oldest is in year round schooling) plus starting my own business(pet bed making). So i dont buy their "we ran out of time" excuse for not caring for her. She is having to learn how to heel and to walk "pretty" on a leash(as in no pulling, lol). I personally dont care if she never stops the foot thing for i find it cute. I adopted her because one, i loved her, two it broke my heart to hear about her living situation, and third my oldest needs a therapy pet for at home for her ad/hd.

My oldest has informed me that she wants to be Dorothy from Wizard of Oz and Sadie is to be Toto, for halloween. She loves sadie, we all love sadie. I have never bought a dog or cat, have always rescued or adopted cats and dogs but since i have developed allergies to cats my cat ownership days are forever gone. I dont have anything against ppl who buy from breeders, i just have never been able to afford it.

Comment about coat .... We live in Nebraska so we have a hot 'n humid summer and a bitterly cold winter... Coat length she's in right now i plan to keep her at. Once colder weather gets here, i plan to have it a bit longer to keep her warmer for our walks.

What color name is her coat? I thought it was a wheaten coat? or is it a tan?

I have heard her bark.... at strangers when she's inside, or when her 'n i are walking at night before turning in to bed. she just doesn't bark constantly or all the time.... she is demostrating protective traits that i am pleased with... i live in an apartment and my entrance has 10 apartments in it and she doesn't bark when the other residents enter and quite alot they are noisey.

[Idaho Cairns]

Your Sadie is Wheaten and she is a pretty girl. If you clip/shave that coat too short too often you run the risk of losing the outer heavy coat permanently--many Cairn owners have no problem with that, my daughter for instance, prefers her Cairns with a soft coat. I think it is a matter of preference. I like the dual coats and I like them heavy but, that's just me.

[josie&holly]

That is a lovely photo of Sadie with your daughter! Looks as if they are very happy to be reading together!

[darkpantherbabe]

yes they was.... except my oldest was coloring but that coloring book has words in itand is a "puzzle" type coloring book.... The coat that you see her in, in the last picture, its going to be her everyday coat.. we just had to go extreme on the first grooming appt cause it was 100+ without heat index for 3 weeks straight afterwards and it had been that way for a week prior... We was in a Heat Advisory Warning for over a month before it finally broke for us. My oldest has AD/HD and Sadie is to help her calm down and to rethink actions and her hyperness... Now i know, terriers arent that good of a dog for this sort of thing, but they arent always hyper and i needed a typically hyper(high energy) dog for when she gets hyper and its okay for her to run around. We take sadie to dog parks on the weekends i'm off to allow her freedom of a fenced in area to run, romp and play with Kristin(the baby, Jessica, stays with my mom on those outtings).

She's picked up a quirk, when light reflects off a mirror or window or a shiny object she will perk up and run and stare at the reflective light on the floor or wall, and will chase it when it moves... Doesn't do anything but chase it.... I dont see a problem with it, i just wondered if it is a typical cairn trait that they demostrate out of bored-dom? and She doesn't do the foot staring thing all the time anymore, so thats good...

I researched the breed before getting her(in 24 hrs, lol. as we arranged for me to get her the next evening after i saw her picture and we met at a outdoor shopping mall off I-80) but i wasn't able to discover everything i obiviously needed... She was a "haste" adoption but its one i dont regret.. normally i am a logical adopter/buyer... but with her, i did it spur of the moment and i am glad i did...

My cousin who is a groomer told me about that(she loves doing cairn's) and We discussed clipping it just slightly longer then puppy coat during that time and by time the next grooming apt would come she'd be at a weather appropriate coat length... Since temps can and do get below Zero degree's from december through march, would it be wise to have her in the traditionally scottish long coat? or keep her in the "short" coat?

[bradl]

Personally I believe a 'traditional' coat is better in both hot and cold weather. I don't have scientific data to back it up. I read somewhere that at least for some northern breeds who were tested, the thicker natural coat was better at regulating heat than shaving them. Something like nature's thermos, in reverse - keeps hot things cooler and cold things warmer.

Cairns seem to shed some of their *undercoat* in hot weather on their own, which suggests to me that raking out the undercoat is likely to make them cooler than cutting off the outercoat. The outer harsh coat is entirely different in both density and type than the close, furry undercoat. I have to believe they serve different purposes, and cutting off the outer coat changes nature's balance.

However, it is certainly true that many shaved dogs seem just fine. For me it's just another one of those "It's a problem if it's a problem; if it's not, it's not" things. If you're happy and the dog seems happy, who's to say otherwise?

[kjwarnold]

Congrats on Sadie and for taking her in!

We're here in Missouri and we get the hot, humid summers and some cold winters, although not as cold as many of our Cairn families. I like the natural coat look and find that mine stay cooler in the summer with a full coat rather than with a shaved, short coat. That natural double coat serves as insulation, so don't assume that it makes them hotter. But everyone has their own preferences to how they groom their Cairn, so do what works for you.

[Lynn in TN]

I believe the coat is personal preference also. I live in Northeast TN. Very hot humid conditions, My preference is like Idaho and Brad. I hand strip Kelly's coat. By hand stripping you are pulling the outer coat only out. It doesn't seem to hurt them and I want to keep the outer coat coarse because it repeals dirt and water so well. They rarely need a bath. You can do a search on this site about hand stripping the coat and it will help you. I hope you continue to keep us informed she is beautiful. Welcome to the forum.

[darkpantherbabe]

thank you.... She was soo matted and dirty when i first got her that it was neccessary to 'start from scratch' basically. Instead of trying to manage/get control over a bad coat, we just went to bare bones and now i know what condition her coat is in. my cousin said she stripped it first then started shaving it after realizing that it was just "too much".... She was alot cooler when she was shaved off but then considering she was longer then the traditional scottish long coat, that says something. she was 6months over-due for grooming when we got her. She has a grooming appt Friday and We just plan to do a bath, nail trim, anal, ear cleaning, and a stripping. and a trim but no shaving or anything like that. I appreciate the advice and tips... I do plan to just do a strip during the winter time and let her coat grow out but maintained 'n healthy.