Cairn, no interest in toys, just chews herself

[BellaBooski]

Hello all!

I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how to get our girl interested in toys. A little background...

Her name is Bella and she is approximately 7 years old. We got her a few months ago as a rescue and really have no information on her past, so we are learning with her is we go. We don't believe she was socialized with other dogs much by her previous owners and we don't think anyone ever played with her. She's wonderful with people and just a laid back loving soul that listens very well for the most part.

With all that said, she chews on herself all the time. She does have a few skin conditions that we're working through, but I think she chews herself out of boredom or habit. She will not chew any types of toys that we get. If I put treats in certain toys, she will eat the treats and then leave the toy never to return to it until it's loaded with treats again (I don't want to load her up too much with treats).

We've tried a variety of toys (nylabones, kongs, rope, stuffed animals...), but no interest at all. If you try to play ball with her, she just looks it, and then looks at you like "ok, what am I supposed to do with that". Lol

We are very thankful that she doesn't chew any of our stuff, but her toys would definitely be preferable to chewing on her body. 

Does anyone have any ideas on how to peak her interest in chew toys?

Thanks,

Lorne

[Idaho Cairns]

Our first Cairn, a rescue at about 6 years old, had a couple of toys in her pen when we "discovered" her at a Humane Society adoption day event but she never showed any interest in those toys of dozens of others we bought her over the years.  Still she was a wonderful companion dog for us and our other Cairns that came later.  Some dogs simply could care less about toys and, in a way,  the incessant squeaking of toys, the compulsive "throw this ball for me!" of toy addicted Cairns is a real pain in the butt.  Might want to thank your lucky stars that your new addition doesn't pay attention.  Unless she is breaking the skin with her self chewing I wouldn't be concerned--some dogs are compulsive about gnawing on their feet and tails.
 

[gd4]

Hello, I've noticed that Trina Joy is far less interested in her toys than  ---us, people, even the television! She has so many toys but all she wants to do is root out in the yard and get a hold of things that she should not have! She wants to be with us all the time! She seems to want to chew on our hands still - a lot for a new 8 mo. old puppy. Hmm.

Edited January 23, 2018 by gd4

[BellaBooski]

Good morning! I've heard some cairns like to dig. Bella loves to be outdoors, but only to walk or bask in the sun. She can't stand getting wet or dirty. 

When I say she chews herself, I mean incessant chewing with hair loss and blood if we allow her to continue. At night I often put on one of those inflatable collars and she goes right to sleep without a hitch. Without it, she wakes us up at night gnawing away, like part of her (pick a part, any part) is her own personal chew toy. Very frustrating...

[hheldorfer]

It could be that the lack of interest in toys and the chewing are totally unrelated.  You said you are working through some skin issues.  Has the vet diagnosed her with allergies (either environmental or food sensitivities)?  Is she on any medication?  The problem with a dog chewing on herself is that the chewing increases the irritation, which leads to more chewing, which leads to more irritation - a vicious cycle.  Sometimes steroids will help in this situation by breaking the cycle.

I wouldn't worry too much about the lack of interest in toys.  Remember that she has developed habits over 7 long years and her personality and likes/dislikes aren't going to change quickly.  If she's happy with you and is a good companion, congratulate yourself on giving her a wonderful, loving home.

[Sam I Am]

Rosie our 5 yr old Scottie also is totally disinterested in toys...however if Sam looks interested, suddenly as far as Rosie is concerned, nothing is more valuable.😋

[sanford]

You are hardly alone... Like others here, Ruffy, who was adopted at 3 yrs of age shows no interest in balls or most toys (nylabones, kongs, rope, etc.👎) with the exception of stuffed toys that he can attack and shred, which I'm happy to let him do, given his lack of other interests. Treat balls and interactive puzzle toys hold his attention, only until he solves them (fairly quickly) and retrieves the treats. From that point on, they become treat-dispensers...not good for his waist-line! However "treat balls" keep him occupied as he rolls them around for a good period of time and I only put in 3 or 4 small treats to hold his interest. I even made the holes smaller to keep the treats from coming out too fast! 

Like Bella, he loves people, and with a few exceptions shows little interest in other dogs. 

Bella's chewing is troubling, especially if it is to the point that might require medical attention and I hope your vet will be able to offer you guidance to deal with it. I understand that the over-use of chicken and its by-products, which appear universally in most dog foods, are now considered to be possible allergens. I have no idea if this is true, but in case chicken is the culprit, it might be worth considering a switch to one of the many meat alternatives that are easily available. Ruffy had skin conditions and itching when I adopted him. Things cleared up when I switched to a different brand of food without chicken in it. Also, chewing on paws is generally thought to be an allergic reaction.

Let us know how things progress with sweet Bella. Good luck! 

Edited January 23, 2018 by sanford

[Kathryn]

Our one rescue cairn, T Bone, came with no interest in toys and with an itchy skin infection which caused red blotches all over his stomach.  The interest in toys never changed: T Bone was a busy dog, but not a playful one.  He did keep himself occupied prowling the fencelines in our backyard, and watching out for squirrels and dog walkers out the front window.  He wished desperately to catch a varmint -- and finally did, just a few months before we lost him to a seizure. But he never showed any interest in chasing balls, playing tug with a rope, or any other human/dog games.  He did love watching sports with my DH on the giant television in the mancave, all the while getting his belly rubbed.

The skin problem we cured with a good diet and regular baths with a medicated shampoo.  The vet thought the rashes/itches were seasonal, and probably related to the environment rather than food.  He recommended we be safe, anyway, and use one of the dog foods for sensitive dogs.  These actions worked, his skin problems went away, and they never recurred.

As several have mentioned, the chewing is troublesome, and I would been persistent in seeking good advice to stop it.  

[BellaBooski]

Hey all, thank you for your responses! Yes, I do know that she has a variety of allergy issues. We tried several different foods and I came to the conclusion that she is allergic to chicken and grain products. I have her on Wholehearted grain free wet foods now and she's doing much much better with that. Also changed to hypoallergenic laundry detergent and fabric softener. Last thing I did was switched from shampoos to bathing her with baking soda and then using apple cider vinegar and water as a conditioner. That has made a huge difference as well.

I think she still has some seasonal allergies, we will find out now that we are back in Ohio if that changes (snow/cold). We had been in Florida almost the entire time we've had her. Florida is just one giant ball of allergies. LOL

Overall, she seems to be a happy girl  and  you can't complain about that for sure. Agreed with getting her into effect though. I didn't care for the couple that were in our area in Florida...

[hheldorfer]

It sounds like you're following a good plan.  I'd still check with the vet and see if steroids or some other meds might help her.  

One other thing that popped into my mind while reading your last post:  You mentioned bathing Bella - which of course is fine! - but that may be drying out her skin if it's done too often, especially during the winter.  Cairns generally don't need a lot of bathing; regular brushing seems to keep their coats in good shape.

[BellaBooski]

I had that thought too about bathing too much too. Was doing once a week for a while.

I/we made a big mistake in getting her trimmed. We knew nothing about the breed or their coat and she was really scraggly looking when we got her. We took her to PetSmart and told them the trimmer up real nice, which they did. Then she started shedding undercoat all over the place and it became quite a mess. It seemed that along with that though, her skin oil balance off too. Overall it seems to be getting better as her coat is getting longer now. Her skin gets a little oily at times and gets a little rancid smelling. We are learning a lot as we go. I am going to try to get her into the Vet sometime next week. He may have suggestions on that too.

[sanford]

2 hours ago, BellaBooski said:

... her skin oil balance off too...Her skin gets a little oily at times and gets a little rancid smelling. We are learning a lot as we go....

Another unique feature of this breed is that they have no natural body odor in spite of the fact that many are bathed infrequently, (only once or twice a year - and some, never)! So smelly, oily skin definitely indicates that something is amiss with Bella's skin and needs attention. Many groomers, including some at Petco have never even seen a cairn so they don't know how to groom to the standard. Instead, they shave or clipper them, taking off too much coat. When I have Ruffy groomed, I bring pix of cairns for groomer to use as a reference/guide, so he doesn't end up with an Airedale face and a Scottie skirt!  Bella has a really good, typical cairn "look" about her, but her coat needs to grow back in before she will look like the other cairns on this site. The good news is that coats always do grow back... Many of us uprights have also survived bad haircuts!☹️

Like many others here, myself included, you are learning as you go. The curve can be steep at first, but we all get there eventually!😀

P.S. In addition to over-shampooing, the wrong shampoo might have affected Bella's skin, causing it to be oily, smelly. Oatmeal shampoos and wire-haired shampoos are 2 that have been recommended on this site. Some advise not to let groomers use conditioners - they soften the coat and contribute to the oiliness. (I've heard good things about apple cider vinegar that you mentioned)!👍

Edited January 23, 2018 by sanford

[Kathryn]

When we did bathe T Bone- in medicated prescription shampoo - we only did so every 3 weeks when symptoms were present. After it cleared up, he never got another bath (though he did get sent for stripping every other month). And he took the occasional swim...

But he smelled great! His coat took on the odor of whatever he walked thru - grass, leaves.  I don't think under usual circumstances cairns need baths very often at all.

[LindaMC]

On 1/23/2018 at 4:46 PM, BellaBooski said:

Her skin gets a little oily at times and gets a little rancid smelling.

This concerns me as Cairn's usually do not smell.  When a dog's coat becomes smelly, it usually means that it's yeasty so you might want to look up things to do for dogs with yeast (just a thought).   I've read that an oatmeal based shampoo isn't good for dog's with yeast, you might want to try a shampoo based with Tea Tree Oil.  Hope you get to the bottom of this.

My girl Maisie has been struggling off and on with breakouts on her skin and she is now on her second treatment of antibiotics due to a staph infection caused by the breakouts.  Maisie was tested for environmental allergies and it came back negative, it's not an expensive test, we had it done by her vet.  We're now pretty sure it's from a prescription food she was on.

Bella is adorable, love her coloring. 

[BellaBooski]

Okay, I ended up getting her into the Vet early, is she ended up with a bad ear infection. Not only one ear infection, but two, one side is a yeast infection and the other is bacterial infection. Turns out that she has a bacterial skin infection also that we have been keeping at bay with our method of bathing with the baking soda and vinegar, he recommended keeping at that until things clear up, as it does treat the skin effectively. He figured that the food allergies triggered everything else. So now she is on an antibiotic and two different types of ear drops. It's only been a couple of days and her incessant chewing has subsided quite a bit. A new/better vet was the answer.

[hheldorfer]

That's good news!  Some vets don't give these issues the attention they deserve.  Glad you found a good one!

[bradl]

Such a relief when there is actionable information. Glad you persisted.  

[pkcrossley]

what a lovely dog. she'll look a bit more cairny when it grows out. hope she is more comfortable with the skin treatments. evidently some dogs in all breeds just do not find toys interesting. they are into people and exercise and watching everything around them. her eyes just swallow you up.

[BellaBooski]

Oh yes, she does love her walks. Her personality fits that description to a T! Her coat is I'm about halfway there and her skin is doing a ton better with the antibiotics. Definitely not chewing on herself so much anymore, definitely a plus.