I have been reading the blog for several days now...

[Barbi]

I do not have my Cairn yet...but I will on July 7th...He will be flying to Knoxville Tennessee from Florida...I am so excited and I have learned a lot of things from y'all..Here is a picture of him at 6 weeks old. When he gets here I will post a newer picture for you. He looks like he is waving at us...His name is Peyton (after Peyton Manning who played football for the University of Tennessee)..Anyway...I have enjoyed listening in and I hope to learn a lot more..Thank you!

[Nikki]

oh he's very cute!

[Barbi]

Why thank you Niclole...This is my first try at a Cairn...I love the terriers..Your puppies are very cute too...I think cuteness just goes with this breed...I can't wait to see Peyton and take him to his new home.

[pkcrossley]

oh my what a cute baby! mine is wheaton also but as a puppy he was dark.

[Barbi]

That is something else I have learned..That they do change colors... His mama and daddy are both wheaton...So I suppose he will change too...I sure do enjoy reading about the cairns...I have searched the internet to find out about them and I pulled this site up...It is so much better to just read about their personality..care...feeding..grooming etc..from people that are just like me...It is going to be great to have somebody around to keep me company..I just retired from my job after 30 years and I needed something to keep me busy...I bet this puppy will do the trick..

[Darcy's Folks]

I just want to eat him up. I love how it looks like he's waving hi to you! Ohhh, melts my heart! Can't wait to see more pictures from you when you get him next week!

[wellygoggles]

Oh he'll definitely keep you busy Barbi cos they are very busy little dogs.

I had to stop work for health reasons 2.5 years ago and getting Fergus, my red brindle Cairn, was the best thing I could ever have done. He makes me laugh, smile, yell - sometimes all at once, and after having moved to a new city, it was the best way to meet new people as who can resist not stopping to pat and chat to a Cairn. You'll have a fabulous time with your wee man

[Logansmom]

Barbi welcome. Peyton is gorgeous and he is already showing you just a small portion of the love that he'll be giving you with that wave. Either that, or he's telling you "mamma, you don't need to tell me anything. I got it covered. Don't you worry one little bit."

[Barbi]

I just got my instructions for picking him up next Saturday...I am so excited about him..It is almost like planning for a new baby...Wow..Yep the breeders have told me how much personality he has..They said they almost kept him...but decided that they already had enough cairns...So I am very lucky! Peyton just doesn't know how much I will love him...I hope I don't spoil him crazy...I have empty nest syndrome..and I have experienced this for a very long time..Now I will have a friend I can spend time with that won't argue with me..I know there will be times that my nerves will be on edge when he chews up something or pees in the floor..but he is a baby and I know all that will pass..Hey..I can't wait till next Saturday!

[Shazza]

You will love the Cairns! They absolutely have their own little personality

We started out with one, when she reached 5 months old, we decided to get a boy, her half brother (same father)

This breed of dog has to be the best of all the dogs I've ever owned.

Enjoy him and yes, you will spoil him

[sheila and Misty]

[ ]very cute-reminds me of Misty at 9 weeks color -she also had the very dark muzzle but as you can see her black muzzle ended up unde her chin. her father was pure black brindle and her mother pure wheaton- Mistys a forever changing rainbow of all the colors but leaning more towards the wheaton. had to have her chipped I ws afraid if I lost her for a week I wouldnt recognize her.

I still havent figured these pictures out yet cant get the double off. but you get the idea. being that you already dealt with the terrier breed you should be ok but cairns always have special surprises for you......yooull seee enjoy your new puppy-best weightloss program I ever been on!

[Barbi]

Wow...these pups are really precious... Everybody here has beautiful animals...I had read about the different breeds when I decided to be a dog owner again..When I saw that these animals loved people and children...I knew that is what I wanted... I have two granddaughters (7 & 4) and I did not want a dog that might bite or snap at them for no reason at all...The girls will be kind and gentle to Peyton and they are as excited as I am...

[Scully'sMom]

Welcome to our family of Cairn lovers! What a handsome baby doll Peyton is - I could just squeeze the stuffing out of him. You are in for a lifetime of love from him. Lots of antics too but trust me, everything is well worth it. Scully is my second Cairn that I've owned (or rather, she owns ME) and they are a terrific breed of dog.

[mrskti]

Hi Barbi, welcome to the family! I have two cairns that I got in Caryville, TN two years ago. It's just north of Knoxville. You will love the breed, they have such expression, which is good for them when they get into trouble!!! Your new baby is so cute, makes me want to get another one......

We travel in a motor home with our two, back and forth to FL, we have a winter place just north of Lakeland. They are excellent travelers and have been coast to coast. We'll be heading to FL mid july to close on another house, it has a dog yard!!! wooohooooo!

cant wait to see more pics from you......

terry

[maggie]

He is so cute! I bet you can't wait 'till Saturday. Our first Cairn is Kai-lee we got her March of 2005, we had such a great time with her that we decided to add a second, Keegan came home June 2006. They are addicting!

Can't wait to see more pictures!

Maggie

[Eliz222]

Welcome to the world of Cairns! Cairn puppies are amazing! They are cute, funny, and are quick to learn.

Enjoy....they grow up soooo fast!

[kayharley]

Hi Barbie and welcome...

He is a doll and I just love his name!

I have 3 Cairns right now....Winnie who is almost 14, Madison who is about to turn 4 and Remington who is 10 weeks.

This breed will keep you on your toes but once you are smitten, there is no hope of ever wanting another breed.

Enjoy and keep us posted on his antics.

[Janet]

Soooooooooo Gorgeous!!

[Barbi]

Thank you for all your welcomes and compliments of Peyton...I have heard two different stories about the dogs. First of all I have read that you should never clipper a cairn but you should have it stipped about 2 times a year. Then I saw that unless you are going to show your cairn, you don't have to strip them. What does everyone do? I have bought some stripping combs and I have tried to see how the process works where I could try to do the grooming myself. I want Peyton to always look well groomed but then I don't want him to get skin problems because I have bathed him too much etc. I thank you for any advice you might give me. Is their skin real sensitive? Every day gets a little bit closer to Saturday..My friend was kidding me and told some people I will probably have a marching band waiting at the airport to play "You Ain't Nothing' but a Hound Dog" when Peyton is brought to me at the baggage pickup...

[pkcrossley]

cairns are supposed to look "rough," so to me that makes grooming easier (i couldn't deal with a pekingese or even a skye terrier). a lot of people get their cairns a "summer cut" --the groomer just runs clippers run over them till their fur is about a quarter inch long. it is cool for them and a nice thing to do at the beginning of summer, also allows them to start on a fresh coat for the fall (though i think a summer cut makes the dog look a bit silly for a couple of weeks). i use a stripping device that i bought for my horses's manes --it is a kind of comb that has blades that flip through the comb's teeth when you switch it. it is not as tedious or as annoying to the dog as stripping, and it helps control the length of the coat as well as getting rid of the old fur. if you want to show your dog, or have peyton look like he could be shown, none of that will do. you'll need professional advice.

cairns really don't shed much in my experience and their fur has a very nice texture. you don't have to bathe peyton frequently unless he is soiling himself or has a run-in with a skunk. brushing the fur will keep the oils distributed and give his coat a bit of a shine (not much --cairns are "rough" terriers, so they aren't supposed to look silky or shiny). he's a wheaton, so you'll know when it is time for a bath --his golden fur will start looking a bit dull and even brown. some terriers do have sensitive skin, or can develop it, so i wouldn't recommend a bath more than once a month, and perhaps not even that often.

if peyton gets smelly and there isn't an obvious reason (like a roll in a pile of deer poop), you might think about what he is eating and maybe even get the vet to check his stool for clues before starting to bathe him a lot. cairns should not smell, even if they have gone a month or so without a bath. basic grooming should be good enough to remove dead fur that might make him itchy or unsightly, and it will give you a chance to check his skin regularly to make sure he doesn't have fleas or ticks or "hot" patches.

what you can have fun with is his ears! my cairn has kind of big ears, so i try to keep them trimmed pretty closely to minimize the size. the grooming guide i got when my cairn was a puppy said rather sternly that the ears should never be allowed to get "hairy." but, i have seen plenty of cairns not only with naturally hairy ears, but positively sprouting tassels out the top. i think that's cute! so long as the ears are clean and the fur on them is brushed, i like happy, furry, ears with tassels and streamers as much as the close-trimmed ones. you'll have to decide how peyton looks best.

[Barbi]

Thank you very very much...That helps alot...I am so happy that I have found this forum...Everyone has been great and I really appreciate your information and advice..This site is wonderful....

[Sarah]

Hi, Barbi! Welcome! Peyton is a cutie!

I was as excited as you are about getting my puppy. It's great, isn't it? You'll have lots of fun with Peyton!

Re: grooming: I hand strip mine, but I'm very bad at it. I get the job done, but he's definitely not beautiful. I've decided that dog grooming is a skill that I just don't excel at! You'll get the hang of it once you have Peyton and can practice, though.

I have a foster right now that has been shaved/clippered, and his coat is very, very soft compared to the coat of my dog. Otherwise, I don't see where any harm has been created by his owners grooming this way.

I'm just down the road from you (in Knoxville), so let me know if you ever decide you want to have a cairn playdate. I have a 1 year old (Henry), and 2 fosters right now. I absolutely love cairns and love having a yard full!

[toomanypaws]

Hi Barbi,

Welcome to the Cairn Forum! Peyton is adorable! I have 3 Cairns, Kiara is 6, Abbey is 3 1/2 and Hannah is 3. I also have a close cousin of the Cairns, a Westie pup who is 9 mths. You are about to enjoy life like you never have before. Cairns love life and will give you years of laughter and love.

[OzGirl]

Hi and welcome!

Your little guy is sooo cute... you must be in countdown mode waiting for Saturday (when your life will be changed), these little dogs are just the best.

[KPrice92]

Congratulations! I don't have a Cairn yet either, but I want one, and I am trying to learn as much as I can. It'll likely be a year or two before I am ready - my daughter is only four and we have one elderly cat who would not take kindly to having a puppy inflicted on her.