Cairn crazy over critters

[hheldorfer]

Now that the outdoor wildlife is waking up, wandering about and looking for mates, every morning walk with Nattie has become an episode of Critter Hunt.  She is without a doubt the most prey-driven dog I've ever had the pleasure to own.  Buffy definitely had the prey instinct but . . . my God . . . Nattie is totally crazed by them.  We regularly see them on our early morning walk - skunk, rabbit, opossum, raccoon - and Nattie goes bonkers.  She makes a high-pitched squealing sound and pulls like the devil to go after the prey.  Thank heavens it's no longer icy around here (for now, anyway) or I'd be breaking a bone every day.

She walks nicely during the day when there's nothing to chase (except the occasional squirrel).  I doubt that anything I do will train her to walk nicely when there's a skunk in sight because that's what Cairns are bred for - not would I want to "train" her to ignore her instincts.  But I'm certainly going to keep checking that local kennel club web sit for Barn Hunt classes!

 

 

[Sam I Am]

Yup same with Sam.......critters like 🐁🐇🐿bring out the worst Cairn scream of death in Sam which I swear could wake up the folks in the next town. 

[kjwarnold]

Oh, yeah.  Kirby and Phinney are the same on our walks around the farm.  And they know stuff is out there wandering around so they’re on high alert watching out the windows inside.  We had raccoons out the front door the other evening; they sat and watched out the windows the rest of the night.

Periodically I’ll do training walks using the prong collar with the Flexi we usually use in walks around the farm.  They know the prong means they’re “working” and it reminds them that they need to listen to me even if they’re on the Flexi.  

[Hillscreek]

Squealing and screaming that's Angus too. My friend tells me he's still that way. Out the door in a blur in the morning and voicing his desire to catch the rabbit hopping away in the long grass.

[sanford]

2 hours ago, kjwarnold said:

...They know the prong means they’re “working” and it reminds them that they need to listen to me even if they’re on the Flexi.  

Like you, we use a Flexi lead, but I had to change from a regular collar to a harness when Ruffy and I are on squirrel patrol. He lunges so suddenly and fiercely that I worried that his collar might sprain his neck and a prong collar was never an option...Unlike Kirby and Phinney, Ruffy would endure the pain of the prongs and injure himself, rather than let a critter escape! He tries to scale up the side of the tree, getting as high as 3 or 4 feet off the ground! A sight that never fails to stop passers-by in their tracks!😜

Ruffy has an interesting strategy - If the squirrel darts around one side of the tree, Ruffy will always charge around the opposite side in pusuit... Clever tactic, but he hasn't caught one yet. I assume he might have learned this from other dogs, during his first 3 years, growing up in the country.

Ruffy's friend Maggie, is an older Scottie who lives down the street from the park where we hunt. The owner tells me that when they hear Ruffy's loud barking, Maggie goes charging out the door, dragging the owner to join Ruffy in the hunt. Its quite a sight to watch them work as team!😀

[hheldorfer]

5 hours ago, Terrier lover said:

Yup same with Sam.......critters like 🐁🐇🐿bring out the worst Cairn scream of death in Sam which I swear could wake up the folks in the next town. 

Oddly I have not yet heard the Cairn death screech from Nattie, nor does she bark.  When she spots prey, however, she begins "squeaking" and whimpering - very high pitched, but certainly not the death screech.

[sanford]

39 minutes ago, hheldorfer said:

Oddly I have not yet heard the Cairn death screech from Nattie, nor does she bark.  When she spots prey, however, she begins "squeaking" and whimpering - very high pitched, but certainly not the death screech.

As with you and Nattie, I never heard the death screech from my cairns, and wondered for years what it would sound like, until only some months ago, while trying to restrain Ruffy from taking off after his prey, he began whimpering and squeaking  just like Nattie... And then it turned into screeching which became louder and more high pitched, stopping just before my eardrums and the windows in the neighborhood shattered!

So hang in there, Helene, Nattie might surprise you one of these days!😜

Edited February 24, 2018 by sanford

[kjwarnold]

Sanford, just like Ruffy, Kirby will also scale a tree!  😆.  It’s amazing how high they can jump and then climb up, isnt it?

[sanford]

Here's something for Kirby and Ruffy to aim for:

[pkcrossley]

ha ha! only a cairn...

the embarrassing thing about the screech of death is that people who don't the breed think the dog is suffering and dying --and that it is your fault. 

[hheldorfer]

2 hours ago, pkcrossley said:

ha ha! only a cairn...

the embarrassing thing about the screech of death is that people who don't the breed think the dog is suffering and dying --and that it is your fault. 

One summer day a long time ago:  Some people were walking by our house and Buffy saw they had a GSD with them.  Buffy hated GSDs and began screeching like a banshee.  I heard one of the walkers say to the other one:  "My God!  What are they doing to that poor dog in there?".  

[Sam I Am]

You are so right PK! A few weeks ago we were walking along and a jackrabbit happened to be noticed by Sam. The sound that came from Sam sounded like he was being tortured ...I am sure people were looking and wondering if the SPCA should be notified. I was mortified.🙄