Cairn puppy as boy's first dog...

[DawnandTuk-tuk]

My son really wants a dog of his very own, and has for awhile now. He's six y/o turning seven in May and I've been putting him off with the wait till your older for two years now--which I'll do for one more year. I think eight is a good age, plus he's motivated. He bought a book on dog training last fall even though he can't yet read (he doesn't want me to read it to him, he's saving it for when he can read it himself, cute isn't it?) so he can learn. He loves boarder collies but I told him we don't have the time and space for a dog like that, we need a smaller dog to which he replied "I'd like a Cairn." I don't see any reason why not except that Cairns aren't like labs and some other dogs that are super loyal, at your feet all the time sort of dogs (we all know and love the independant streak!). Tuk-tuk does follow me around all the time, but not all Cairns-at least from what I've read on some of the posts here-are like that.

So, what do you guys think? Would a Cairn make a good first puppy for a boy at eight years old? Would the puppy respect (I don't know if this is the right word I'm looking for, but I hope you catch my meaning) him enough with me helping with training, would the puppy be his dog so to speak?

I hope I'm making sense here. I'm kinda afraid that if we get a puppy who is a bit stubborn and I have to help alot with the training the dog will hang out with me instead of my son--dogs migrate to me for some reason. My mom always says I've had a way with dogs since I was very small and I don't want that to mess up my son's experience. I know we're more than a year away, but I'm a super planner, especially when it comes to making the commitment to having a pet. And you all know Cairns best and in a variety of situations so you're like experts, who better to ask!

[Idaho Cairns]

I wouldn't hesitate to use a Cairn as a child's first dog so long as the child was made aware of personality of these dogs. With one exception all my Cairns have done well with children--grandchildren. Mine prefer to hang out with the kids when they are here and do--I think they recognize a kindred spirit in children. Cairns are certainly rugged enough for child play so long as the child realizes they cannot be manhandled to the degree a larger dog can. Cairns play hard, are intelligent, easy to care for, don't shed--what more could a kid want?

[DawnandTuk-tuk]

I'm not worried about my son, he's very good with dogs and loooves them. We brought Tuk home when he was just 3 so he's been around dogs since then, the dog park and all and does very well. He's very motivated to learn how to train and work with dogs too. He was so cute the other day he was worried he would not wake up in the night if his puppy had to go out and pee! I am an animal lover so we spend lots of time talking about the importance of respecting all animal life anyway.

Educating him on the personality of the dog is a good idea, when it gets closer we can start reading in his many dog books about that. Thanks for the tip! Tuk has always been great with kids too, and kids who visit us always think he's funny and love to play with him.

[Idaho Cairns]

Dawn, interesting timing on your post! Our three granddaughters, ages 2, 5, and 7 showed up last night for the weekend (love babysitting those little girls!) and this was the first opportunity to see how our 17 week old pup would do with the little ones. She has been great! After the first go around with the mouthing and getting the little ones to not jerk their hands away, the puppy has been hanging out with the kids, watching television, playing dolls, getting toted around, tug of warring, and doing everything she likes to do--all without a problem for the kids or the puppy. I am amazed with how quickly the puppy learned to live with and enjoy children in her house.

I know from having talked to some Cairn owners that individual dogs can be difficult with children but our experience has been the opposite--seems like the energy level of children and Cairns mesh well. Our four year old is much the same way with children--patient, playful, loves the attention, and capable of retreating out of the way when she wants some peace and quiet.

Might want to get other opinions tho--I tend to be way too enthusiastic about this breed of dog--I think they are perfect animals and that bias probably covers some sins that you need to be aware of.

[Nikki]

well I have one cairn (angel)that is great with kids and one cairn (scotty) that doesn't do well with younger kids but is okay with kids about 10 yrs and up. scotty mostly isnt good with kids b/c he doesn't know his own strength and will knock them over and really young ones he doesn't like I wont let him out when kids comes over. I think it could work as long as you don't pick a puppy that is really dominate.

[sheila and Misty]

I dont see a problem long as your son sticks to the rules -and learns to play more gentle if the dog becomes too excited.

[DawnandTuk-tuk]

That's good you all feel that way! I was mostly worried about the independant/stubborn tendancies Cairns can have with a novice plus a very young dog trainer. So many breeds are simple to train and are so often what a person thinks of when choosing a pup for a boy (labs) but we have allergies in our house (plus I'm not a lab person, nothing against them I just like a different look to my dogs-and my son's a border collie person) so that eliminates a whole bunch of breeds and many rescues right off the bat for us. I'm still considering the rescue option too, but like I said super planner!

[josie&holly]

Holly who is a fairly calm Cairn is very good with children - I was concerned at first with her being retired by a breeder[and having lived in kennels]. But the breeder had grandchildren and apparently they regularly played with the Cairns [not all 10 at once though!] once he had taught them how to cope with them. I am not sure if any breeders in your part of the world do as that chap did and "retire" show bitches after they have had a couple of litters but when they are adult you can see their temperment straight away! MInd you, as she is older not so easy to train!

[pkcrossley]

my impression is that if a cairn is raised around kids, then it accepts kid noises, gestures, and games as normal and fun. a mature cairn raised without children and suddenly thrust into a child environment (or children thrust into his) may have problems, but i think that is true for plenty of dog breeds. puppy cairns and toddler humans are probably a great combination! i would just watch for the fact that the cairn is going to learn faster than the kid about things like manipulation and bullying. so, the kids will have to develop some personality, enough to deal with a cairn attempt at getting the upper hand, whether "serious" or just a brief experiment.

[Deb]

Our Cairns are 2 yrs old. we got them when my kids were 7 and 4. My 7 yr old did puppy k with one and me with the other. She now does agility see our post in sporting cairns there is a video of her and her dog at their 2nd agility show. These dogs have always been great with the kids so from my experience I would tell you go for it. Deb.