Do cairn's shed alot?

[Guest Princeton]

Hey, my family is interested in buying a cairn, but we need to know if they shed alot.

~Thanks

Princeton

[Anna_525]

No, cairns don't shed a lot. Allergy sufferers usually do well with owning cairn terriers with a few exceptions.

[Guest Princeton]

Okay , Thanks!

~Princeton

[Jen]

My Cairn sheds alot even though I brush him every other day. I am constantly picking up hair balls off my wood floors. The amount of hair reminds me of when I had my Cocker Spaniel. When I was researching the Cairn Terrier the literature stated they were non shedding but not hypo-allergenic. I have been disappointed in the fact that he does shed as much as he does. Cairns are great with kids. My daughter can do anything to ours and he never snaps or growls at her. This includes putting him in her doll stroller and racing around the house with him in it. They are not that good with listening but I keep hearing train, train, train. This issue and housebreaking is the only one we have with him right now.

[Maggie15]

yeah i'm surprised too at the amount of hair i get off of a non-shedding dog! cairns do not 'shed' but i think the dead hair will fall out if the coat is not maintained weekly (not just combing!)....this is my first cairn, and perhaps others here who "roll" and/or "strip" their dogs can confirm that that process of grooming will result in a lot less dead hair falling out...(vs. just letting their hair grow out or trimming) that has been my experience, that she was losing that dead puppy fluff like crazy at the last few weeks before we stripped her (before that i barely noticed any hair) and after stripping there was not much hair to be found coming off...

a

[Carolinasmom]

I notice that after a bath, they will shed for a few days. That's why it's good that they don't need bathed often!

Cairns definitely don't shed like other dogs, esp. if their hard, outer coat is in. It's that darn undercoat that comes out. Carolina loves to get her back scratched and I notice some of that soft coat comes out then.

[caesar22]

I have no idea on what kind of Cairn you have but they are known for not shedding. I was laying on the floor at my breeders playing with their 4 Cairn's before I picked up my puppy and had at the most 4 or 5 hairs on me. Ask your breeder first on the what kind of traits your dog might have. They should be able to provide you with a history of the parents. About the Cairn itself and it's temperament, be careful. They are very loving and devoted dogs but read all the literature you can find. My breeder was very leery about my children. You need to make sure that the dog knows he is last in the pack otherwise he will take over the house. These dogs are extremely inteligent. I have had mine now for three days and he is awesome. I have never walked so much in my life but it is worth it. He took some time to warm up to my kids but once he figured out they come before he does he is just fine. Good luck.

If you are not going to a good qualified breeder and are purchasing from a store or a puppy mill then good luck. You never know what you will get.

[wags]

"...My daughter can do anything to ours and he never snaps or growls at her. This includes putting him in her doll stroller and racing around the house with him in it...."

I'm bad- sometimes while we're watching TV, I pull Wes' tail and drag him a few inches around the floor. He looks back wondering where his butt is going.

But I think your relationship has to be secure first before "You try this."

Wes doesn't shed and we're not allergic at all.

My son had a terrible allergy to a German Shepherd once. My son's eyes swelled shut and he got hives. We're all allergic to cats. But our cairn is Human, and they say he has "hair" as opposed to "fur."

[wheezie23]

If the coat is maintained properly, they shed very little if at all. To those two posters who are getting balls of hair off the floor, I would recommend getting a Mars Coat King to go over the coat with that about every three weeks. You'll be amazed at how much hair comes out, and also how little they will shed after that.

Thela

[toomanypaws]

I do have one of those sticky hair rollers for my clothes, being I prefer the color navy. The roller is not because of the cairns, it's because I also have a siamese mix cat who is very light and sheds alot. Thank goodness I bought a Dyson Animal vacuum. I agree w/ Wheezie. My cairns don't shed, but I do brush them alot and I use the Mars Coat King on them. I do a little stripping too. I have never had hair on the floor from them, unless they were playing w/ eachother and tugged some out. They run daily, jump and play in their pool and get towel dryed. I never find a bunch of loose hair.

[Chocklit]

Hi, everyone! I am new here. I thought I would add this link because it has a lot of information on the unique nature of the Cairn's coat. I found this site while researching skin problems in our Cairn cross (which I will put up in a separate thread in the health care section).

Col. Potter's Cairn Rescue Network.

There is an excellent section on grooming your Cairn, which explains the importance of stripping or rolling the hair, the danger of bathing them too frequently, and how proper grooming helps promote skin and coat health. It also explains the unique nature of the Cairn's coat.

The site also has links to sites on Cairn grooming and care.

[savannahsmom35]

No one believes me when I tell them that Savannah doesn't shed but she really doesn't shed much at all. If you pick her up and hold her, you MAY have one or two hairs on you at the most, much different than most dogs or cats. I hand stripped her as a pup and try to brush her as often as I can (although I have to admit, this isn't as often as I would like becuase she thinks I am trying to play and will "attack" the brush!!) I also use the Mars on her every so often and it is great! I have NEVER found a clump of hair from her and I hardley ever see hair on my clothes, floor or couch.

I am allergic to most animals, dogs and especially cats, and I have had NO problems having Savannah. She stays inside most of the time and often finds herself in my lap. we have had her for 5 months. I would recommend this type of dog for anyone with allergies if the other traits of the Cairn fit your needs. Good Luck!

[Guest girliejr]

Sally, I pull Jack by his tail sometimes too! I actually saw a TV show on Animal Planet about Cairns and they said the tail was used to pull the dogs out of the rabbit holes. Ever since I saw that, I use it as a tool to get Jack to stop or come, whatever the case may be! It obviously doesn't hurt the dog....he's never seemed to mind me pulling him by his tail (except, of course, that I am keeping him from doing what he wanted to do! ).

Jack sheds a little bit, but I think it is because I don't stip him like I should (I am lost on how to do this!). If I stripped him instead of getting him groomed (trimmed), he probably wouldn't shed as much. Even now, though, he doesn't shed bad at all! I've seen MUCH worse!