new to board

[ppipho]

Hi--I have enjoyed reading this board for a long time--finally decided to join. My Cairn is about 8 months old--same issues as I have been reading about.. Is kind of in a biting mode now, although I can usually get him to stop by standing up and turning my back. He loves going to the dog park, although I need to keep him in the small run because he is real lousy at coming when I call, so am afraid I might not be able to catch him if I let him loose in the big park. He runs along the shared fence with the big dogs and seems to have a lot of fun. I take him to a pee-wee play group at the local humane society which is an off leash play group for dogs under 20 pounds. The trainer their says he is a little 'rude'--gets in the o ther dog's faces, but usually plays pretty well. One issue I do have that maybe you can help me with--he will not walk with me away from the house. If I take him in the car somewhere and then walk, he will do that for me, although never that far-he seems a little skittish on the leash. Anyway, sorry for the long post--I have never had a dog before and to start with a terrier was a stretch for me, but I think we are doing quite well :-)

[Idaho Cairns]

Welcome to the board. Sounds to me like you have a standard Cairn pup going for you and what a nice choice for your first dog! I went thru a bunch of different breeds before I settled on the Cairn as dog of choice. You saved yourself a lot of disappointment with getting a Cairn out of the chute.

Your dog isn't being "rude" (silly term to describe an aggressive breed like the Cairn!)--he is just being what Cairns are. Every one of the Cairns I have had get into other dogs' faces--Cairns are generally fearless and curious--it is what they do. They play well but they play rough--not hurtful, only rough.

Ought to get him to mind you--I have successfully used treats to get my dogs to come when called--it is important to have good verbal control of Cairns--they are hard headed under the best of circumstances and need solid discipline from the owner.

Not sure what the leash problem close to home is--your dog should get excited when the leash is first displayed--it should represent fun and adventure for him. Give it time, probably some little odd ball behavior that your dog has that will change over time.

Stay with the forum, you will probably see that your dog and his behavior is completely normal--at least it sounds so to me.

[josie&holly]

Welcome - I had never had a dog before I acquired Holly last August - but she is not a pup but now aged 5. She had lived in kennels before and so for her to live in house was new so we both learnt about things together!

This Forum has been of great help to me in my learning - just a shame Holly cannot read some of it itself!

I was not sure what sort dog was going to have but am very happy to have a Cairn - she has brought me great deal of pleasure and love.

[jodi0553]

Welcome! Glad to hear you are having fun socializing your new puppy! My pup got kicked out of an under 20 lbs play group when he was about 4 months old and less than 10 lbs because he was too "big" in his playing style for the other dogs. Honestly, he just really hated a male chihuahua puppy that got in his face so he flattened him a few too many times. He also may have been a little to rough for the trainer's cavalier king charles....never good to beat up on the trainer's dog! He did much better once we mixed him with some bigger (25-40 lb) dogs.

I have an idea for your walking dilemma. Is there a treat he just cannot resist? I always used liver jerky treats or zuke's minis peanut butter for training when mine was a pup, since they were soft enough to tear into small pieces and did not take much time to chew. Bits of cheese or lunch meat would work in a pinch, too. Anyway, if you do not have one yet, find a treat he cannot resist. Get him very excited about the prospect of the treat, even giving him a little taste so he knows what it is, then stash a baggie in your pocket. Hooki up the leash and give him little nibbles as you start off on your walk. The first few times might take a lot of treats but if you choose something flavorful enough, you can use small bits. When I used the Zuke's minis I would break one mini (about the size of a pea) into 3 pieces on a regular basis and he loved it so much he'd do anything for a nibble! Associate the walk with the treat and then give it less and less as you go...eventually you should be treating only after the walk. good luck!

[Shazza]

Welcome

[little feet zip]

Welcome. Cairns are the thinking mans dog,you always have to think one step ahead of them. If not they are to smart and start to think for you. Practice & patience. What a good way to startoff being a dog owner then with a cairn. Many happy years too you & your dog.