New Cairn mom

[ProvidenceCain]

Hello! 

I’m new to forum as I just got my 5 (almost 6 mo) cairn pup a few days ago. So far so good... he has the usual terrier idiosyncrancies, potty training is decent. 

Im just curious ... a lot of online info says these pups need lots and lots of exercise, and can be rambunctious in doors regardless. 

So far he gets a few fetch n walks lasting about 20 min and seems to entertain himself. Otherwise he’s often by my side. He’s learning the ways of the leash and stairs which terrify him. And his barking... comes and goes (my biggest concern with the breed and I’m hoping to catch and try to train him early) 

Is this something the grow out of? I’m hoping not because I love my cuddle buddy and will be sad to see him become a rebellious teen who doesn’t need his mom 

[bradl]

Welcome to CairnTalk. These little guys do go through phases but they never outgrow being the best little pal. Or cuteness. 

When he does become a rebellious teen who you think does not need you ... that may be the time he needs you most. For firm, loving, patient guidance. 

[Idaho Cairns]

Get on the barking early and often--with hand and eyes call your pup's attention to his verbosity--by hand I mean when he barks, wrap your hand around his muzzle force him to look you in the eyes as you say, firmly and loudly "NO BARK".   When you are not close, stamp your foot to distract and then shout the command.  Eventually you will stop most of the gratuitous barking--you will never stop the knock on the door, mailman, there's a squirrel, rabbit, dog barking--that is a Cairn trait.  However you can moderate and eliminate most barking.
As far as lots of exercise go--yes Cairns need it because they can become couch potatoes and get out of shape pretty darned fast without regular runs.
Have fun, these are wonderful, smart, and very trainable little canines. 
Keep in touch, let us know how it is going.

Edited February 6, 2019 by Idaho Cairns

[ProvidenceCain]

Thank you @Idaho Cairnsand @bradlI really appreciate. 

I really love terriers - they’re so smart and loyal and he’s such a sweetheart. I’ll definitely take your suggestions so far. But each day is something new! He decided he wanted to bark in his crate for the first time so that was tough but I’m hoping he and I will learn together. 

[Kathryn]

My little guy looks a lot like your little guy! Here is my five-almost-six month pup Angus (just before he had the puppy floof stripped off). As the second photo shows, he is also a cuddler.  So it five-year-old Oban, and this is a typical evening cuddle when I am reading. 

Both of our guys bark like crazy at dogs walking by, squirrels in the yard, knocks on the door -- never have been able to train that out of a cairn.  Would love to hear ideas if someone has.  

The good news about two?  They exercise each other, so we have just kept to two regular daily walks and left the rest to them.  We are on vacation in CA, and it is easy to take long walks right now (much easier than in our hometown Minneapolis, which in the last week faced dangerously cold weather of 30 below, warmed up and faced an ice storm, and it now clearing out after a snowstorm).

This is a great  place to get info on cairns, so I hope you visit often.

 

[Sam I Am]

My experience pretty much mirrors Kathryns. Once a squirrel, rabbit or someone knocking on the front door all bets are off to listening to any command we give. Rabbits definitely bring  on the infamous “Cairn Scream of Death”. If you have not experienced it it will make your hair stand on end. Having said all this I never reprimand Sam for alerting us to strangers in our area that he notices at night. He is the best alarm system going.

[ProvidenceCain]

@Terrier loverand @Kathryn

Beautiful pups! I wish we could have two because I know they love company and it would definitely help with the zooms. 

As for the barks, I’m not too surprised so far. My family has a cairn terrier mix and he’s constantly barking and being on the road with my trucker dad didn’t help with that either (he used to bark cuz of the hum of electrical transponders). Shaking cans of pennies, water, loud clapping. Nothing works besides picking him up and walking away. He’s almost 10 and still acts like a puppy. Love him to bits either way. 

So far, he’s seen two rabbits and idk if it’s because he’s figuring life out or had a ball in his mouth but he hasn’t barked. Definitely smelled them and wanted to engaged. I have a feeling the barking will come. 

I wouldn’t worry about barking as much if I didn’t live on a college campus (where I work) but hopefully he’ll chill when im not home. 

I know one suggestion was to hold their muzzle and tell them no when they bark. But so far I’ve tried distraction and ignoring. Distraction more when I’m in public and need him to chill, but again, not much opportunity for practice. But I’ll have a treat and call him over. Sometimes I’ll make him sit, just to keep him focused on me a bit longer and that seems to help when he’s overexcited. Time will tell! 

[Idaho Cairns]

" I know one suggestion was to hold their muzzle and tell them no when they bark. But so far I’ve tried distraction and ignoring. '

OK!  I will offer up another possible way to cure the Cairn from the gratuitous barking that they are prone to.  Old posters on the forum will now start to yawn since I have traipsed this other method of bark control across these pages for years.  Here we go--"ignoring" is to be strictly ignored--you cannot and must not "ignore" bad Cairn habits because Cairns will not "get it" and will merely continue on.  Now distraction is another thing entirely and it can work and way I have distracted my dogs in the past is with a simple ball cap--when the dogs started to bark I would fling that ball cap at them screaming "No Barking!"--I either threw the hat at them of near them--purely to get them to unfocus on what they were barking about.  It works, the hat or the shadow of the hat did frighten and distract them at the same time.  Even after the hat is thrown the verbal berating continues with "Bad Dog!"  "Shut UP!" or whatever.
This became so effective in controlling barking that when it started I made a command and when the dogs looked at me, all I  had to do was touch the brim of the cap and they would immediately duck and stop the unwanted behavior.
The ball cap shortened the physical distance between me and the dogs and that was good.  Now the method does require that you wear or have handy a cap or an object that can be flung and won't hurt the dogs--a soft frisbee would work I think.
Distraction is a very good way to go--make that Cairn stop focusing on that outside influence and make it focus on you--won't be long that you have a good understanding between each other.

[Sam I Am]

A spritz of water in Sams way usually stops the Cairn Hysteria...to the point now that all I have to do is pick up the bottle . 

[Kathryn]

Idaho - I loved this suggestion when you mentioned it a few years ago, about the time Oban was as puppy. DH, lacking the furry head of hair cairns have, often wears a baseball cap. In the winter, he may even wear a stocking cap in the house to keep his head warm (we are big on keeping heating costs down). So a cap would easily be at hand.

Oban went into a "do not walk your dog by my house" frenzy, DH threw the hat - and Oban grabbed it and led a merry chase through the house.

Outsmarted by a cairn - again.

[sanford]

18 hours ago, bradl said:

When he does become a rebellious teen who you think does not need you ... that may be the time he needs you most. For firm, loving, patient guidance. 

Brad... That was beautifully put!

[sanford]

11 hours ago, Kathryn said:

.... this is a typical evening cuddle when I am reading. 

Kathryn - I couldn't help but notice the white wine spritzer(?) so prominently close at hand. I assume this is a subliminal message to ProvidenceCairn as a way to cope with barking, when all other methods fail at discouraging it!

Edited February 7, 2019 by sanford

[Hillscreek]

What a great looking cairn pup. Can't add much to above except to barking is what cairns like most terrier do. It may be modified but never eliminated. I crated Angus when I was out. He curled up and went to sleep - no squirrels UPS men etc to see.

Think you may have to experiment with methods to discourage unwanted behavior. Throwing something near my Angus when young meant a chance catch, spritzing with the water bottle caused him go into attack mode - growling and biting at the bottle ignoring the water. Physically he was too wriggly for an older weakly person to hold still. Eventually I found shunning worked for me He was such a sociable little guy wanting to be where things were happening. He hated being deprived of this. However I must say this was a very tiring and exhausting way to go. At first when I put him away say behind a gate or in an expen for a few minutes he would go right back barking biting destroying or whatever he was up to when I set him free . It seemed like I was always getting up and going back and forth. But I kept at it  and being smart like all cairns he fairly quickly understood I meant what I said. Things eased up considerably.

A cairn pup can just about drive you crazy and Angus would have me except that he was so amusing and such fun. The reward for the struggle is the best little bud in the world that's for sure.

[ProvidenceCain]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I really appreciate it. 

I don’t mind barking thankfully... as I’ve been used to it growing up. I hope I can get him to recognize the when and where and as long as the students on campus don’t care, I’m good  

As for crating, it’s been rough. He was not having it this morning so we’ll see. Overall I really love the little guy. He just follows me everywhere.

On a side note I m hoping to take him to the off leash park this weekend and get him socializing! 

[pkcrossley]

idaho's idea of throwing something harmless is terrific. many years ago i read a book by a trainer who made a big deal about the fact that dogs are stunned and intimated by human's ability to throw things. the theory was that it is something so far outside their world that it is like magic. you can yell, but they get that. they can yell louder. you can stamp your feet or run around but they get that too. you can use things to make noise, big deal. but throwing things --this trainer was convinced it makes a very deep impression on dogs. of course, he never met my redmon --he could throw toys three or four yards and chase after them. maybe this works on cairns only in the distraction sense, as idaho describes.