Is a Cairn right for me

[Guest posting as: Kathy]

My family used to have a beagle pup that we were head over heels in love with - but he was stolen. We have been trying to decide what type of dog to get next, as our beagle was very independent, destructive but very loving. I want a small lap dog, very affectionate, good with children, no excessive barking and I will take him/her for daily walks. He/she will get lots of attention and will probably be spoiled rotten. Is a Cairn right for us - or would you recommend something else?

Thanks for your input!

[Milopup]

Hi,

I guess it depends on the pup. My pup is just about 14 months old, and is very easily excitable, thus he barks quite a bit. His barking has decreased a bit, and he used to be even yappier. Cairns have pretty high pitched yips, so that is something you need to get used to. Cairns are great with kids, from what I can tell when my pup plays with children. He is more willing to sit on my lap these days, but he is pretty independent and always has something he needs to explore and investigate in the house. He does like walks, and is always eager to go outside.

When I first got a dog, I wanted a small, affectionate lapdog, and was talked into getting a Cairn. He is by no means a lapdog, but I still love him like I never thought possible.

Cairns are wonderful, intelligent loyal pups, but they are a lot of work in the beginning (at least mine was) - but definitely worth it.

[MikeC]

My experience has been almost a carbon copy of Milopup's. My pup just turned 1 year and he is just now sort of starting to calm a little bit. This is my first Cairn after years of owning Springer Spaniels and the traits of the Cairn Terrier have taken some getting used too, I must admit but he is a wonderful, funny, loving little guy and we absolutely adore him.

MikeC

[bubba]

We have both Cooper the cairn, and Yoda the schnoodle. Cooper has never been a yapper, but he will bark outside at the squirrels or people walking by. His bark however, is low and sounds like a big dogs. He is a lap dog, and I usually have both of them in my lap at night, once Cooper starts calming down. Yoda is quite a bit calmer than Cooper, and we got him for Cooper, so he would have a companion. We also thought it would calm him down, which it has. However, Yoda is not as calm as I thought he would be, I think he has picked up some cairn traits from Cooper! All in all, they are a perfect match. Both love the grandkids, but Yoda is much gentler with them than Cooper is. I only have to tell Yoda no once, whereas Cooper has a mind of his own, and often has to be told several. Their ages now are Cooper 1.5 years, and Yoda seven months.

The reason Cooper is a lap dog is because from the day we brought him home at ten weeks old, whenever I would have him in my lap, I would always hold a rawhide chew in my hand for him to chew on in my lap and he just grew accustomed to being there. I'm sure they will both always be like that.....

pat.

[Arf-arf]

We have owned many dogs over the years and our Cairn who passed over the "rainbow bridge" late last month was the best we ever had. He touched the hearts of so many people over his 14.5 years and will never be forgot. So my answer is YES!

[toomanypaws]

Maybe the question should be, are you right for a cairn That's hard to answer because every cairn is different, just like children. Everyday it seems like another book is published about raising children, parenting, problem kids and so on. I'd like to see more books on cairns out there. I have 3 and each of them is different. My oldest one is the most independent one. She was a stubborn one to train as far as coming when called but she is doing much better now. She loves adventure and loves nothing better than hunting in the backyard. She is my vocal girl. I swear her and I communicate! I know exactly what each sound she makes means. She does love sitting next to you in a chair or on the couch. My middle one has been the hardest one to housetrain and she can be quite a yapper. She makes up for it w/ the way she jumps up for hugs and will melt right into you when you hug her. My youngest is probably everyone's dream of a cairn. She housetrained very early and never cried in her crate. She prefers the royal treatment and could be carried around all day. She loves being in my lap. I can pull her up in bed w/ me and she will fall asleep right on my chest. She is the only one out of my three that will howl at me when she wants something.

There's alot of small dogs that fit the requirements you are looking for. You might try looking at http://www.puppydogweb.com/profiles.htm if you want to check out other breeds. I've always been an owner of large breeds but had this secret yearning for a cairn someday. All I can say from my experience w/ my 3 cairns now is that I am so in love w/ cairn terriers that our family will never be complete w/o one, or two, or three . . . .

[Scully'sMom]

our family will never be complete w/o one, or two, or three . . .

Or FOUR!

Scully is my second Cairn and I would recommend this breed to anyone, especially with children. I personally don't have children but we have a lot of kids in our neighborhood. Both of my dogs just wanted to run and play with the kids and neither one was ever a problem with kids. Or anyone.

Both turned out to be lapdogs, Scully loves her dad's lap and especially loves to lie on the sofa between us. Scully is more of a barker, but only if she is outside and someone goes past because she wants them to come pet her, not because she's "mad." She does have a "mad" bark if she sees someone come to the front door, and I don't mind that at all.

I just can't say enough about the Cairns, they're terrific in my book.

[toomanypaws]

I just wanted to add that I have an 8 1/2 yr old dd who is great w/ the cairns. I think a cairn is the perfect "small dog" size for children. They're not so tiny that you can step on them or worry about a child squeezing them too tighly (except when they're very young). They're a tough little dog which a huge heart! My dd loves running w/ them in the backyard as much as they do.

[Carolinasmom]

Beth, your post reminded me of something. My DH and I are waiting to adopt a baby and when our caseworker visited us at home last year, the first thing she said about our dog was that it's a great dog to have with kids b/c they are sturdy!

Marsha

[Eliz222]

We had Cairns when I was growing up. They are very sturdy dogs and are great with kids!

BTW, we had 8 kids on our family!

[toomanypaws]

Sorry for my all of my spelling mistakes, how embarrasing! Sturdy is the perfect word to describe a cairn. I am hoping my youngest one gains a few more pounds so that she can run w/ the big boys. She's just about 9 lbs at 7 mths. It's funny because I can't remember when my other two stopped growing. I think Abbey was 11 lbs at 7 mths and is now 12 lbs at one year.