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[CallisMom]

Just wanted to say hello - I am new to the forum but have been lurking here for awhile. (Yes, I have read every post from the beginning). I will be picking up a precious little Cairn rescue pup in a couple of weeks named Calli. We (husband, two children, and I) cannot wait!

I suffer from overpreparedness so I have a collection of brushes - pin, slicker, Mars, Mars mini, combs, stripping knives, rubber thumbs . . . nail clippers (and of course medistyp powder) and toothbrush . . . seatbelt . . . ID tag . . . toys up the wazoo . . . and my handy, dandy clicker and treats! (Yes, I am a fan of clicker training - for those of you out there that have done this - how has it worked for you with your Cairn(s)?) I've got my Nature's Miracle all ready to go!

I have owned 5 dogs in my lifetime (including childhood) but never a Cairn. To be honest it wasn't my first choice of puppy - but she was a rescue who came into our lives at the perfect time. Now that I have read (and read and read and read . . .) all about these energetic little guys I cannot wait!

I'm sure I will have lots of questions for you all soon!

Soon to be Calli's Mom

[bradl]

Welcome CallisMom.

I suffer from overpreparedness

A kindred spirit We put a blown-up puppy picture of our future first Cairn IN her waiting crate, which was filled with waiting toys, for a couple of weeks before actually getting her. I guess we were excited. Good luck and have fun! Keep us posted.

[Melanie]

Congratualtions on being prepared. I am a fan of it as well because then you can truly enjoy the little one when they come home. Maxwell is my first cairn as well and is now almost 2yrs. I still stare at him in amazement on a daily basis and can't believe how different he is from my 3 other dogs I have had the gift to share my life with. I think the best trait is there ability to make people laugh. Max always entertains himself and others by whipping his toys around the house, even ended up with a stuffed rubber crab on top of a cake once! They hide everything, love socks and are serious little energy bursts just when you think they should be about pooped for the day. I just stand back and let him literally tear up a rug as he bangs into garbage cans, flips back the throw rugs in my house.

Enjoy your new little love!

Melanie

[kayharley]

Guaranteed you will love your Cairn from the very beginning. There will be times where you will question your sanity but when you look into his/her eyes, there will be no doubt. They really are an exceptional breed....here's an example as to how they win your heart.

I've been working with my 9 month old, Madison and it seems the command "Come" seems to be the most difficult for her to master. (am I alone....I think not?)

The other evening our neighbors had company and they brought their dog along. Well, Madison heard/saw some activity and bolted to the fence to make quite a commotion. She would not stop barking and running up and down the fence. I must have called her a dozen times and she was being totally obnoxious. The I said "SIT". Not only did she stop and sit, she rolled over in the most adorable pose. Come may not work but sometimes other commands will.

Cairns do have their own minds but it's so easy for us humans to re-adjust our minds to accomodate theirs.

[Charms]

I've also been lurking, since before my/our final decision was made about adding a cairn terrier to our family in February. We brought Conan home when he was 8 weeks old. It's true - he owns our hearts.

Charms

[Guest posting as: Karen]

Good Evening All,

I must admit that I have been a lurker here also. We have a little 5 month old Cairn girl named Carrie. She was born on Christmas Day 2003. We ADORE this little girl! She has stolen every heart in the house. But I will say she is quite a handful. And like most Cairns, she has a mind of her own.

I have found this forum most helpful in answering any questions I've had about Carrie although this is the first time I have posted. I do have a question about ''Puppy Kindergarden''. Can anyone give me some imput on this? Carrie is a smart little girl. She already knows sit, lay down, and stay....but sometimes she still gets very excited when when she hears someone coming in the door. She will jump up, do her little doggie piddle and puppy bite, then she will calm down.

So if anyone can give us some info about this class it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance.

[toomanypaws]

I'm new here too, lurked a little but knew I wanted to join. I'm about to get my 3rd cairn as crazy as that may sound. My oldest is a 3 yr old red brindle named Kiara Joy, the next one is a 7 mth old wheaten named Abigail Lee (Abbey) and the newest addition is only 3 wks, not sure the color. She's dark right now but may end up a cream brindle. Her father's a cream brindle w/ blk points and the mother is a black brindle so time will tell. Her name is Hannah Skye. I have the baby gates all in place for Hannah. I'll have my hands full but as my dd says, now each of us will have a cairn. My dh took over and made Kiara a daddy's girl and Abbey is pretty much my dd's, so now I'll have Hanah. We also have a yellow lab to add to the enjoyment around here. My dh has a moluccan cockatoo and I told him the mess and work of that bird will be equal to 3 cairns, lol.

[Guest Smiley]

Congrats to all the new Cairn mums and dads... how brave you all are, especially those with multiple devil-dogs in your households

Your Cairn's think they are the "sun" and everything revolves around them. You cannot convince them otherwise, so just get used to it now

[Logansmom]

Hey all,

Karen, Carrie is just like our Logan. He was born December 26, 2003. You made me laugh with the spin, the piddle, the dance and then he waits for the lov'in to start. They do steal your heart. How on earth did you train her to lie already? Good Lord, I'm still working on," Pay attention to me please...just this once..."

Smiley, how right you are, these little guys will swear to you that they were put here to make sure the earth continues its rotation.

[wags]

Logansmom, when you said "lie," you made me think of Wes.

Sometimes he is a little faker- He will PRETEND to pee. Either he will lift his leg or squat, and say "Okay, I made! Give me my treat!"

But we're on to him. He's been doing that for almost a year!

[Logansmom]

Sally,

That is so funny. He does the same thing in the evening. If he sees the treats or knows that it is close to dinner time you would think that this was the worlds fastest dog. " I swear I went mommy...I swear..." Reminds me of when my son was little oh so long ago