Swimming

[Guest posting as: Anthony]

Hi, I'm interested in buying a Cairn, but i'm usually at the beach fishing, do Cairns like to be near the beach? and will they like chase a stick or something into the water?

Anthony

[Guest sandy's mom]

Sandy loves the water - will chase a stick and retrieve it. However, she will also chase birds and gulls and can is easily distracted...sometimes she'll come when called and sometimes she'll laugh at how silly we look calling for her! We never let our cairn off leash in public areas, since we can't be sure she'll come when called. She's only off leash in fenced areas.

[wellygoggles]

I take my 7 month old male Cairn for a walk along the beach every day and he loves chasing seagulls and oystercatchers. So far he has only gone into the sea chest-deep, but apparently Cairns do like to swim so it might be because he is young that he hasn't swam yet. I only let him off his lead when there is another dog for him to play with on the beach, otherwise I think he would be off like a rocket investigating sights, sounds and smells.

[jansop]

I wouldn't trust my 7 month old cairn off his leash............jan

[Teri9672]

I wouldn't trust my 7 month old cairn off his leash............jan

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I can't trust my 6 year old off the leash

[bubba]

Cooper likes to go by the water, but will not go in past his dog-knees. Our old cairn, Pluto, would jump right off the boat and into the sound...he loved to swim!

pat.

[Kramersmom]

My Kramer 9 months old loves to swim with his life jacket. I never let him off leash.

[wellygoggles]

I only let him off his lead when there is another dog for him to play with on the beach,

You are all saying you don't let your dogs off their leads. Does this mean my Fergus is (as I suspected) SUPERDOG?

I recently bought him a bright blue raincoat and when hubby put it on Fergus, I said it looked like Superman's cape, so I promptly jumped on the Net and found an adhesive Superman decal to stick in the centure of his jacket. We are now praying for rain!

[Eliz222]

My two love water too, but I wouldn't trust them off the leash at a beach, or anywhere else. I know that in an ideal world, our Cairns would have a BLAST running around the beach, running in and out of the water, chasing kids and other dogs...but....I think it's just a disaster waiting to happen, and not a risk worth taking.

My two love their kiddie pool and have fun laying in the water. Even Finch, who hated the pool at the beginning of the summer, now loves the water....maybe because it's been in the mid 90's all week???

[Maggie15]

maggie likes to go fishing with us.. she's 4 1/2 months... she doesn't like to run into the water, but if we take her out there with us she'll swim like mad to get back to shore, she's a good swimmer and surprisingly fast! ...on the boat we bring her kennel and she mostly stays in there and comes out sometimes to see if mommy is cathing a bigger shore lunch than daddy!hahaha!

a

[Scully'sMom]

I can't trust my 6 year old off the leash 

Teri, you meant your Cairn, not a kid right???

Scully's "swims" in her Nemo pool in about 8 inches of water. Does that count?

[Guest mrskti]

Ellie LOVES the pool!!!!!! Dori is getting use to it, she loves the raft.

[Linda]

Trapper (4 next week) LOVES to swim & fetch floaty toys in the water. He loves to chase seagulls too. Murphy (2 1/2) LIKES to swim as long as I bring her in & she swims to shore. Cools her off too. She loves to chase Trapper chasing seagulls. They BOTH love running off leash on the beach. It's so cute to watch Murphy run up ahead of my husband & I and run right back to us. Her expression seems to say, "Wow, mom, it's this so cool?" They both acknowledge the pack (us) and are good about coming to us when we call them. I DO, tho, use the time on the beach to practice their recall commands. Over & over!!! I have lots of tiny treats and recall them. It works very well. They never stray far. I usually only have them off leash at uninhabited islands & before/after popular beach hours at busier public beaches. This limits any problems. When I see a large dog, I recall them & put their leashes on. Murphy was attacked in the Bahamas this winter. I learned fast.

[Guest girliejr]

I only let him off his lead when there is another dog for him to play with on the beach,

You are all saying you don't let your dogs off their leads. Does this mean my Fergus is (as I suspected) SUPERDOG?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you have a Cairn that ALWAYS comes when called (even when distracted by squirrels, cats, cars, or people), then, yes, I would say you have one SUPER Cairn!

I would still be very careful about letting a Cairn (or any dog for that matter) off leash. They are still dogs and they have instincts to chase and I just think it is safer to always keep a leash on them.

You have to post a pic of Fergus in the Superman raincoat! That sounds so cute!

[wellygoggles]

Fortunately the beach where I live is well away from busy roads and I would definitely not unleash him if there wasn't another dog for him to play with. I believe as long as he is interested in something, he won't bolt. I also ensure the dog he plays with comes when called to his owner, that way it makes it easier for me to catch Fergus. We don't have squirrels here in NZ and I've yet to see a cat on our beach

Unfortunately I don't have a digital camera, only a web cam. If I can manage to keep him still sitting on my computer chair, I'll take a pic of him in his superman coat