Those with more than 1

[DashellKc]

I was just wondering how life was with more than 1 cairn ?! I am considering a 2nd one. Dash is going to be 7 months on Sunday and I am hooked. The housetraining is going good. He has not had many accidents lately. I just love him. I am impressed on the easy upkeep too. If I get another, should I go Male or Female? Enlighten me please. My daughters absolutely love him, and my husband even said he is the best little dog ever. Am I crazy or what?

Taylor and Dash

[Teri9672]

for me it has been much harder having two, but I know Teona will get better as she gets older.... She has just been so devilish compared to Tabitha

[Brody'sMom]

We love having two Cairns, but the period of adjustment is tough. With one dog, you control a lot more and it makes things easier. For example, when we first got Brody, after a play session, we'd immediately take him out to potty. This worked great, we did not have many accidents. With Mia it was more difficult, we did not factor in that the dogs would play together and stop suddenly and of course Mia would tinkle! Also, each dog has its own unique personality. Brody is easy going (I swear he is half lab) and Mia is all terrier.

[Eliz222]

We have two Cairns also. I, personally, would wait at least until your first Cairn was 2 years old before adopting a second one. It really helps to have two full years to train your first dog before introducing a second one.

Having two is great!!!! Scout had just turned two when Finch was born. They are both females and get along great.....all the time!! They play constantly and keep each other company, which was our goal.

I don't think it matters if you have two of one sex, or a male and a female...what does matter is how they are introduced and how they interact with each other, and their humans from the first second they meet.

[toomanypaws]

I must say that I'm quite happy now w/ my 3 Cairns. What can I say, I love them!!!! For years now, I've had more than one dog and really enjoy it. Some people love having alot of children, I do better w/ alot of animals. I've told my dh several times that I should have gone into breeding Cairns, being I love them so. He said it would have never worked, because I'd never be able to sell a puppy.

I agree w/ Shoe and would wait until Dash was a little older before adding your 2nd Cairn. Kiara and Abbey are almost 2 1/2 yrs apart, a good age difference. Hannah was an unexpected gift, and is only 6 mths younger than Abbey. Hannah trained very quickly, and was housetrained before Abbey. I have this nurturing side of me that doesn't mind getting up w/ a pup, but it's not for everyone. Puppies are like babies and need alot of extra time, patience, and consistency. I sometimes feel I missed out on a little of Abbey's puppy months because Hannah was here. Abbey is my dd's dog, so she did get plenty of attention, but I'm not sure I would choose again to have two pups only 6 mths apart. Then there are the times when one Cairn may be frightened or sick and wakes you in the night. My oldest, Kiara is deathly afraid of thunderstorms and will carry on until we crate her. This of course wakes the others and causes them some reassurance. Abbey will bark at ANYTHING, which sometimes causes Kiara and Hannah to question her bark, think it's important, and join in. Hannah thinks she's still a pup who needs to be carried around and insists on going everywhere w/ me. Take into account their expense. Another Cairn means another vet bill, cost of heartworm, flea control (depending where you live), maintenance, food, and more toys!

Just know, that w/ each Cairn comes a unique, demanding little dog w/ it's own personality. Looking at my 3 Cairn girls now, I can't imagine my life w/o them. They are each so verbal and expressive and love nothing more than my time, my love and my hand giving them a treat.

[kayharley]

You are definately NOT crazy

I loved having 2 Cairns so much that I went and got a third. And I love having 3 so much that I would gladly add another if only I could sneak one past hubby

The only downside with owning more than one Cairn is the stereo barking (one starts for a reason and the others just have to go along with it)

There are no favorites....if one goes for a walk, they all go for a walk unless there is a reason to keep one at home. If one goes for a ride, they all go for a ride.

The medical costs will increase although my vet gives me a discount for mulitple pets....sometimes more really are merrier. Check with your vet about that.

Then there is the issue of housetraining. Sometimes the older pet will help train the puppy. It does take patience and a sense of humor but the bottom line is they will entertain and amuse you to no end.

Just my $.02 worth

[Scully'sMom]

I don't think it matters if you have two of one sex, or a male and a female...what does matter is how they are introduced and how they interact with each other, and their humans from the first second they meet.

Not to look stupid but what is the best way for them to be "introduced" to each other. Say you brought a puppy home, do you have to keep them separated for awhile and only allow them to be together for small bits of time? ((Putting on dunce cap))

[brin145]

I am so glad you posted this question. Crunch will be seven months old next week, and I have thought almost everyday about getting another one. Then, I'll have the worries about something going on with him (teething, itching, etc.) and I think...do I really want to double this? And he is still leaving occasional "presents" in my dining room. (At least one a week....yes, I know it's because I let him get out of my sight. He's fast..) I would like for him to enjoy a companion as much as we enjoy him. I'm getting from these posts the feeling that two years apart is a good age span difference. So, the two year olds like to play as much as the seven month old? My older dog (12 yrs.) ignores Crunch. I think he gets on her nerves.

[DashellKc]

Thanks guys. It will be next year sometime if I do. I probably will! I just have to talk DH into it. He is such a pushover sometimes so I think it will work. He loves Dash and so do the girls. He wants no more kids so this is a good compromise. There is a breeder about 10 minutes away that has a new litter and boy is it hard to pass it up! I am so tempted but....... I cant do it. Dash is my little Tonka Truck. He is a hefty little man! I am trying to get him on a diet. Maybe I will tell dh, baby or Cairn, take your pick!?! I know if its a female it will maybe be Violet. If we get another male, I dont know. I dont even know what color yet, well who cares. Thanks all.

Taylor and the spoiled ROTTEN Cairn Terror oh I mean Terrier

[Maggie15]

We were talking about getting another Cairn to keep Maggie company... my wife is still trying to convince me... the only thing the breeder says is to not get two males together, they will be territorial and dominance could be a problem... does anyone have experience with 2 males?? ...

a

[abe's dad]

We have 2 Males and they get along great. That again goes back to what was said about the personality of the dogs in question, Abe our oldest is the more assertive of the two, Scruffy who is a year younger is more timid so the 2 mix well. We really enjoy having 2 (you can always get a little puppy love). They keep each other occupied most of the time, both of them like to have their fair share of the attention and they do keep score on who gets the attention. If I had it to do over I would change nothing.

[maggie]

Taylor, I know you and I live fairly close and I wondered if you were willing to share info on the breeder 10 min away from you. You can e-mail or private message me if you can. Do you know the breeder, are they reputable? We are also wanting to add on, DH is all for it, just want to make sure on the timing. Everyone I found so far is at least 2-3 hrs away which is fine but 20 minutes would be great, if they are reputable. I even discussed with DH the possibilities of flying to get one and he was okay with it so

[DashellKc]

Maggie,

for some reason I cannot send a pm on my computer. Its not cooperating. try to send me one. I will let you know. I dont know if they are reputable. I just found them. I am checking into a couple. I know one is a retired couple with their first litter. The other, I dont know yet. I know she has puppies and the retired couples dog delivered yesterday.

Taylor

[TheScotts]

Its a blast. We have a brother/sister from the same litter. They are our little Wooligans (wooly hooligans). It is more than twice as fun as one dog. Sometimes its a huge pain, like when they both get diareah and you are getting up at all hours of the night.....but worth it!

[maggie]

Taylor, thanks again for the info, I'll have to check into it. Good luck with your search.

[Tracy A.]

I recall reading that if the males are neutered, it greatly helps the situation.

Tracy

[bradl]

DashellKc (and anyone else with similar experience) - you can't send/receive PMs because you never completed the registration process. If you look under your name at the left of your posts you'll see 'validating' instead of 'registered' - this means you haven't clicked on the validation link in the email that the board sent you right after you registered. If you are logged-in you'll see a "Resend validation link" link on the front page of the forum (after the list of sub-forums, if I recall). Click on that link and then watch your email for a validation email from the forum. Some mail programs will put automatically generated messages into a junk/spam folder. You may have to look for it there. All this assumes the email address you registered with is correct, no typos, etc.

[ZephyrandCleosMom]

We happened to get lucky with our two little Cairns from the local SPCA. They are a brother and sister and WHOA... does it show! I would have to say it really depends on the personality of the dog you already have, as well. Cleo is the ruler of our house (she and I have Alpha Dog issues) whereas Zephyr is our family doormat. I'm so happy we got both of them (it was close there for a minute!). The "chores" are double.. but so is the lovin'. The only trick will be walking both of them come July when we have another little baby HUMAN around the house!

I have also found (I'm not sure if this is personality or not) that our two are very social dogs. They love playing with my mother-in-laws dogs (one big black lab.. who Cleo is constantly dominating over and a mix) and seem to understand sharing a little better.

I can't imagine just one! You see, I'm a triplet with 2 brothers.. I was in kindergarten until I understood that "things" (ie people) typically came one at a time.. so "twins" from the same litter was the only way to fly!