new cairn tomorrow

[onesojourner]

just thought I would introduce myself. My wife and I are going to pick up our new little family tomorrow. since readings these forums I see a lot of you like pictures so here is one we were sent. we are going to be getting one of the darker 2 of the 3.

[wellygoggles]

Oh lucky you - how exciting

Which gender? What name?

Have you bought the prerequisite bedding, bowls, toys, food, baby gates, unscented baby wipes, carpet stain remover, spray bottle, not forgetting to put some small change in an empty can and tape it up ready to shake rattle & roll?

You'll have a magical time,

Cheers, Welly & Fergus

[pkcrossley]

aaaahhhh i want them all (for a few minutes)

[onesojourner]

they are both boys and thats kind of what we were looking for. As for a name we are leaning towards Baxtor or Bax but we want to at least meet him before we pick the name.

prerequisite bedding, yes

bowls, yes

toys, some

food, we want to keep him on the same food so the breeder is giving us some then we will get the same thing.

baby gates, yep

unscented baby wipes, what for?

carpet stain remover, yes

spray bottle, what for?

not forgetting to put some small change in an empty can and tape it up ready to shake rattle & roll? got it.

[pkcrossley]

the spray bottle is for spraying the dog when it is mishaving, to startle him and get his attention. put plain water into it (fresh and clean) because you might get some in his eyes. it works! use it to discourage him from barking for no reason and you will probably be doing yourself a big favor.

[c_c]

aww congrats on the new dog, and the baby cairns are so so cute i want more lol

[Nikki]

i cant look at puppies b/c i want to keep them all..cairns are addictive

[onesojourner]

ah got ya. thanks for the tip. What do you folks do when they are barking in the backyard where the spray bottle wont reach? I searched for info on the no bark collars but I didn't find anything.

[pkcrossley]

oy, lots and lots and lots of barking threads here. some people have good luck with some strategies, some people don't have any luck with any. if you have a yard and your dog is barking there, bring him in (yes, he will be training you, but you won't have the neighbors or police on your neck). if you are in an apartment, concentrate first on getting the noise level down however you can, then work on getting the dog to cooperate willingly.

i think there are desperate situations where apartment dwellers absolutely need to stop the noise or tragedy will ensue, and then the bark collars and other technology devices might be justified (hope people try sonic before shock). but if it is just a matter of convenience --you can't be bothered to train your dog to be more quiet, and there is no pressing reason to keep the noise down-- i don't personally think that the collars are justified. for myself, i would weigh the costs and benefits to the dog --some dogs are in danger of losing their homes if they don't quiet down right now. in other cases, it is just a matter of the owners' convenience. work with the dog and he will become quieter. BUT MAYBE NOT BEFORE THE AGE OF TWO.

[onesojourner]

I really could care less if my dog barked when it was in the back yard but I want to respect me neighbors enough to let them sleep in on saterday. they also have the water misting no bark collars. I am open to anything but I will not have a dog that barks early in the morning in my back yard.

[pkcrossley]

oh, you mean the spray collars --yes, they will probably work. i knew somebody whose terrier liked the spray in the summer time, and would bark to make the collar squirt. oh well.

[wellygoggles]

Unscented baby wipes = for wiping paws when you have been walking him through grass. Cairns have sensitive skin and are susceptible to allergies. Some of us find wiping their paws after being on grass helps.

Cheers, Welly

[jimnconnie]

I'm afraid that if your dog sees a squirrel, chipmunk, bird, another dog, cat, airplane, car, person, or who knows what else, he willbark. And the won't care if it's Saturday or any other day, or if it's morning or any other time. The best you can hope for is that the barking doesn't get out of control. When you hear him barking, go out and see what the cause is. Tell him firmly, and in a loud voice, "No Bark!". If he continues, bring him indoors. It will take some time for a puppy to learn good manners, so be patient. Even adult Cairns are yappy dogs, it comes with the breed. It is a problem that can be mitigated, but I doubt you will ever completely eliminate it. I would recommend that you introduce your new pup to the neighbors and let them know that you're going to do everything you can to make sure that he doesn't bother them. If he gets to know them, they will one less thing for him to bark at, and if they are normal people, they will probably fall in love with him and be more willing to overlook his shortcommings. These are wonderful dogs, and this is not normally a huge problem, although some become compulsive barkers. Congratulations, and Good Luck with your new dog. Baxtor is a great name!

[onesojourner]

well we got the little guy home. we decided to go with dexter or dex. we are having big potty training issues. hopefully things will go better when it gets light outside.

[wellygoggles]

LOL welcome to the Cairn baby stage

[onesojourner]

[jimnconnie]

Welcome home, Dex, you're a very handsome boy! How old is he? Good luck with the potty training, everything takes time and patience. I just discovered a chewed cord on a living room floor lamp this morning, myself. No doubt our 15 month old, Sophie. Just goes to show that the growing-up process isn't a short one.

[pkcrossley]

oh, sweet! he is so handsome!

[onesojourner]

Dex is 9 weeks today. He was born May 7th and raised in the the home. I have been thrilled with every thing the breeder did other than letting him pee on newspapers instead of going outside. last night was frustrating. I took him out several times but he still did it on the rug. this morning was much better. he went 4 times outside before I had go to work. Now we have to find a vet and look into getting his 10 weeks shots. I also need some flea/tick stuff. My lab has always used frontline. any opinions? what about heart worm medicine?

[jimnconnie]

Frontline Plus for fleas & ticks, and Heartguard Plus for heartworm have alway worked well for us, with no side effects. There is always the chance that your particular dog may respond differently to the flea & tick application, but it's a "wait and see" situation. Whatever you choose, it's important to start right away.

[kayharley]

He is a sweetheart.

Being the mom of an 11 week old little guy, I can definately understand your housetraining issues but it does take quite a long time for the process to become 100%.

I have found sucess using an ex-pen along with the crate. At such a young age they just cannot go very long without eliminating something! I keep the crate door open and he will sleep in it but if he has to do "business" he will go on the papers inside the pen. I don't use papers during the day, however.

I take him out every 1/2 hour or so and I've found he will go to the back door all by himself if he has to go but if I'm not there immediately to take him out....an accident and it's all my fault!

I also have another ex-pen outside so he's not tempted to check things out/eat mulch/play with leaves but do business! And the scent is in there to help him along.

I use Interceptor and Frontline Plus and although I was leary of starting the heartworm medicine because he's so young and small, my vet recommended it.

Enjoy your little fellow and keep us posted on all the fun you're having!

[fiddler927]

What a darling. How old is he? I see his ears are standing up quite respectably! Welcome, Dexter.

Laurie

[fiddler927]

I posted the last before I saw his age. Nine weeks, and his ears stand up already? Ellie was several weeks older before her ears stood up! Of course, the vet questioned whether she was really nine weeks old when we got her; he thought she must be younger.

Laurie

[Brody'sMom]

Cute boy! With regard to potty training, it is important that you take the puppy out on a leash (even if you have a fence) when he is being potty trained. We always told Brody to "hurry up" and then said "good boy" when he did his business. If you have a fence you can let them loose to play for a few minutes as a reward. That way they learn that outside is first and foremost for business. We took Brody out every two hours and after every play session.

We did the same with Mia, but we had a few more accidents with her because she and Brody would play together and she would pee immediately when play stopped which was often before we could grab her to put her out. The funniest (or most annoying?) thing about the dogs is when they had potty training accidents; they always peed on the rugs and not the hardwood floors. It was as if they knew they shouldn't pee on the floor! Still to this day, if we have an accident it will be on the carpet.

I think walking the puppy on the leash will help with barking too. My dogs bark for a short time after being let out (they have to chase all the critters out of the yard) and then they settle down. Our only issue is when our neighborhood deer don't run away when Brody and Mia bark at them. They have learned that Brody and Mia are contained by the fence and they will often stand within 5 feet of the fence and just stare at the barking dogs!

[GirlieJr]

He's so cute! Welcome home Dex! Good luck with the potty training.

As far as flea/tick and heartworm meds, Jack uses Revolution with is an all in one that goes on the skin. I love it because it covers him from fleas, ticks, and heartworms and he doesn't have to eat/chew/swallow anything. I just squirt it on the back of his neck (top of his back area) once a month.

I think that is something that your vet will work with you on to see what works best for you/Dexter.

Good luck with your new baby!