New Cairn rescue mom with questions

[hheldorfer]

I adopted a Cairn from a shelter yesterday and she's a complete sweetheart. This is the first time I've owned a purebred, but I've had several terrier mixed breeds before and they've all been great dogs. I'd like your opinions on two issues: 1) I have no experience in grooming, but I have ordered the grooming guide provided by this website. Assuming I acquire the right tools, how difficult is it to learn to groom a Cairn? 2) I have previously trained dogs to stay in the yard, despite the lack of a fence that surrounds the entire area. Is this possible with a Cairn (assuming the dog is trained with basic commands)?

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

[SparkyJonesMom]

Grooming isn't bad at all once you get the hang of stripping your Cairn. You just give his hair a tug, and the dead hairs are ready to come out. And you only have to strip them two or three times a year, or less if you prefer. And I would never trust a Cairn in a yard without a fence. They are a breed that must always be on a leash. I follow this rule with absolutely no exceptions. Their instincts are just too strong and they will give chase to anything they deem worthy. I know that some (but probably not all) Cairn rescues require you to sign a form saying that you will never allow the dog outside without a leash.

[Shazza]

I wouldn't trust my 2 off leash for anything!

Cairns love to chase squirrels, bunnies, birds, most anything that moves..lol

As SparkysMom said, grooming isn't all that hard once you get the hang of it, search the site for "stripping" and you will find a whole host of posts on the subject.

[Tracy A.]

Hi & Welcome to the Forum!

Cairn's are hunting dogs, so in general instict kicks in and well.... they chase it down. My yard is fenced, but not Cairn proofed, so Mett & Bratt have to be on a leash at all times. It's a recepie for disaster if they are not on a leash. The hand full of times they've gotten loose were heart stopping episodes.

When I say we have to Cairn-proof the fence, it means making it gap and dig proof.

Here is a link to one of my posts with photos and instruction hand stripping Home Hand Stripping Photos

As for hunting instincts- here are a few *prizes* from last year, all this they hunted/caught while on leash

[josie&holly]

There is a whole thread somewhere on Forum about Fenced or unfenced. Here is England most garden tend to be fenced [and not as big as your yards!] so it is just a case of making sure that the fencing/wall whatever is dog/Cairn proof. I have metal gates so put some plastic wire fencing over the ngates to ensure Holly [aged 5] could not wriggle out when I got her last August but she has so far never attempted to escape from garden.

Different story outside - I keep her on lead attached to harness - and one occasion was at a local country park when the lead somehow came away from the harness - and Holly was off after another dog! Took me a lot of biscuits, help from other people to get her back to me - and I was in a terrible panic - as we were between a lake and a carpark with lots of other dogs/squirrels/ducks as attractions! So now I check the harness and lead regularly and make sure she is attached to me! Now I am just not sure whether she would come back to me but intend taking her for obedience classes when I find a local one that is not a Sunday morning!

[pkcrossley]

congratulations on adopting a cairn! you will be rewarded mightily (in heaven).

i agree with the others here who have been skeptical about the training-in-the-yard-thing. no self-respecting cairn is going to "learn" to stay in a yard, no matter what kinds of heavy weapons you bring to the task. if you don't have a real fence (not climbable, can't be dug under, can't be chewed through), just keep the dog inside when you can't be outside yourself.

let's just assume leash is required at all times, at least until your dog is very used to every sound and sight in your neighborhood. then you might be able to play with toys together in the yard. but even then, i would keep a harness and trailing leash on her. you won't believe the speed with which she will take off on impulse. terrible things can happen, an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure.

[hheldorfer]

Thanks for all your stories and advice (and especially for the mole photos). Now that I've accepted the fact that she'll have to be kept on a leash in the yard, here's another question: I love gardening and spend a great deal of time in the yard during the warm months and my previous dogs have always enjoyed keeping me company. What about putting her on a tie-out while I'm outside with her? It would be rather difficult to work in the garden while holding a leash.

[Thistle]

I think you'd be fine to have her on a tie out while you are in the yard with her. Its too dangerous if they are unsupervised (other dogs wandering into yard or some stealing her) and being left tied out can cause some dogs to become aggressive. But she would enjoy being out in the yard with you and you would be there to intervene if something were to occur. My only suggestion would be to tie her out with a harness as collars can be slipped out of a lot easier than harnesses.

[jimnconnie]

Thanks for all your stories and advice (and especially for the mole photos). Now that I've accepted the fact that she'll have to be kept on a leash in the yard, here's another question: I love gardening and spend a great deal of time in the yard during the warm months and my previous dogs have always enjoyed keeping me company. What about putting her on a tie-out while I'm outside with her? It would be rather difficult to work in the garden while holding a leash.

Having your dog on a tie-out while you are working in the garden is a great idea, as long as you are there to make sure that she doesn't get hung up in some way that could choke her. A big plus to the idea is that if you make the tether long enough, she can get right in the garden and do all your digging for you!! Cairns are great little diggers, just stand back and watch the dirt fly!

Jim

[bradl]

Tie-out could work. There are some additional options depending on your particular conditions.

Over the years we've made frequent use of short (24") vinyl-coated garden fencing and/or 30" ex-pens stretched out as temporary fencing. Neither are suitable for unsupervised use, but for blocking fence-gaps, protecting new plants, or isolating construction projects while you are out there with the dog, they can work fine. Ex-pens are somewhat expensive, but they last a long time and have a multitude of uses.

[hheldorfer]

Considering the layout of my back yard (long and narrow), I was considering using a "clothesline" running between the house and the garage, then clipping a lead to the clothesline and to her harness on the other end. This would allow her to run back and forth without getting tangled on anything. Sound reasonable?

[angelscairns]

We use a clothesline type run with our cairn when we are camping, that way he has some freedom when we are all hanging around the campsite. It works great.

[pkcrossley]

she'd love that. she can help you with your gardening, you know. especially with the spring turnover.

[hheldorfer]

I have a feeling that she'll dig where she wants, not necessarily where I want. On the other hand, maybe she'll give me a few new ideas.

[Tracy A.]

We have a system we use when we are in the back yard for the boys. We have a 5 foot steel stake in the ground and 20' flat cloth leashes on it. When we are in the yard we'll but the boys on the leads... we use a harness rather than attaching a leash to their collars (even for walks we use a Harness).

It works well enough for us while we are working in the yard, or sitting out in the back yard. They do tangle themselves up from time to time, hence we could never leave them unattended while 'on the post' as we like to call it. But it allows use to have them out in the yard with us while we are doing yard work or relaxing.

[jodi0553]

Welcome to life with a cairn! I have the clothesline the length of the yard like you mentioned and love it. I have something like this product. It was very easy to install - the two ends had corkscrew-like fixtures that I put into trees 75 ft apart about 8 ft off the ground. Then a 12 ft lead attached by a nice trolley system with a leash latch at the other end. It goes really smoothly and gives the dog free reign of a significant area. Of course, he always sees something off to the side and is straining to get to it or he finds himself wrapped around one of the trees. We can play catch along the line, as well.