New Puppy

[Guest natasha]

hello, we are considering getting a cairn terrier and i would like to know about the general characterisitcs of the breed and also what they are like with children and cats, what sort of activities do they like . Are they good to take on holiday? i realise this will depend on the individual dog and also on our home but some general pointers would be great!!

[LORI]

You need to get an informational book on terriers. They are a special breed and they take special handling. They are not for the uninformed novice. I encourage you to go to an area dog show and talk to the handlers and ask lots of questions. See if they can suggest a breeder in your area that you feel confident in to purchase a puppy from. These little folks can live to be 13-15 years old. It is a life time committment. They are never to be allowed off lead for they will RUN. Also, crate trainig is a good thing for them and you. Good luck and may the Cairn force be with you!

[Mama Kim]

We got our first cairn, not knowing a thing about the breed. I actually disagree that they require special handling. They are easy to train since they are quite smart, although a stubborn streak is present so they may not always do what you want, when you want them to do it. They are wonderful with children. Our first cairn was 1 year old when our oldest son was born and then she survived twin sons four years later, all with flying colors. She never once became cross with any of our children when they were little and was always very attentive and protective of them. Our current cairn has been great with all three boys, now 13 and 9. She loves to play with them!! And actually our first cairn was very trustworthy off the lead. It took some training on our part, but we could leave her off the lead in our front yard, with kids, dogs, etc., going by and she would not break her stay command. (We did have some trouble with her digging under fences to go exploring, though.) Both of our cairns have been wonderful travellers too. Each goes on very long car trips every summer, 16 hours to Wisconsin, 13 hours to New York, and are always extremely happy to be along for the ride. Piper managed to survive this summer on her first 16 hour car trip and overnight stay in a hotel at only 12 weeks of age. I also agree crate training is a good thing for both you and your puppy. We crate trained both our cairns. They feel safe and secure in their crates. I think cairns are all around great family dogs. I heartily recommend them!!

[LORI]

i must admit that Cairns are the best dogs for children. Ours just lights up like a candle when she hears childrens voices. She was wonderful when our six and eight year old niece and nephew were in town for two weeks. They can be alittle head strong. Eventually in time five or six years they can mellow out. They are just a special type of friend.