Need your expertise

[sgerding]

I've read through several of your posts and have enjoyed looking at your adorable dogs. My husband and I are currently in the researching phase of finding a puppy. We have a few breeds that were interested, Cairns being one of the top. Once we narrow things down a bit more we intend to spend some time with the puppies and adults with a potential beeder. We do not have children, yet. Nor do we have any other pets. Based on everything I've read. My husband's aunt and uncle have a Cairn and he seems very calm, yet playful. But, he is older. I have found MANY reasons to have a Cairn for a dog. Of course with that come the unknowns, which are of course concerns. Please share with me your any information you may have regarding the following things or anything else you feel I should know:

1. 
   

The digging concerns me. I don't want the dog to dig it's way out of the yard. Does anyone have trouble with this or is this a trainable behavior?

Many forms of information have talked about the mischevious and high energy of a cairn. My husband and I fully intend to play with the puppy a lot

and take it on daily walks. Could this still be a problem?

Even when trained do the bark a lot?

We do both work full time but are fortunate to have a regular schedule. Does anyone else crate their dog?

Thanks for your time

[Puddlesmama]

Welcome!

My girls have a knack for digging when they are bored. I managed to break them of it gently by making sure they are well excersiced and have a bounty of things to do to deter the digging. I have finally broke down and made them a small area that they can dig in. Because Cairns do LOVE to dig...least mine do. And they are spoiled.....

As long as you slate a time everyday to play and excersise with your dog I dont think it is a problem. They are high energy and I have found that useful and now deem them my "personal trainers"

My girls do not bark alot at all.. Iris seems to be the one who likes to voice her opinion on the neighbors cat in the yard. Puddles is almost too quiet...shes a stealth as I call her.

I crated the girls up until they were a year old. Now they have free rein of the house when i am home..and a room to go into while I am gone. The crate was the best thing ever introduced to me with 2 puppies.

[cairnsby3]

Mine love to dig, but only if there are vermin, since I live in a subdivision and don't have moles, voles or ground squirrels they don't ever dig in my backyard, but when I walk them in a tall grass field, they would dig until they dropped. Mine also don't bark alot. When they first run out in the yard they bark, but then either stop on their own or if I tell them to (if they don't they get brought back inside). If you purchase a puppy from a reputable breeder, the breeder can pick out one that's more laid back for you. My first one Spike was very laid back. In Spring and Shiner I wanted more energy, because by then I was into agility. By the way, I have never been able to pick my puppy, each came from a different breeder and the breeder always picked. I have been overjoyed by their choices. Their energy level also seems to be determined by what they adjust to. Mine come to the office with me each day. They are tied up and each have a crate with an open door. They sleep all day, because that's what they are used to. (we do go for walks in the morning, or play ball before work)

[Tracy A.]

My two boys are very prey driven and would dig to China for a Vole if given the chance!

They are such adept diggers, that we are still (3 years) Dig proffing the yard (Back yard is half acre)...

My suggestion might be to look into getting an older dog who is over the puppy phase.

Cairn mature slowly...let me say that again.... they mature slowly

A Cairn is more like having a human toddler then a puppy.

[josie&holly]

Holly is an adult so never had a Cairn pup but she does not dig in garden - she will have a peer under plants and is very interested in them but does not disturb them! She also does not bark very much unless to alert me to someone at door or post arriving.

I got a crate for her as she originally lived in kennels and she likes going in there when I am out. She has spasms of being playful and will chase around garden but her favourite occupation is sleeping!

I love the fact that she is an adult and I did not have to go through puppyhood in some ways but other ways I may have missed something. I am glad though I have a Cairn as she is so loving and good.

[Idaho Cairns]

I have had Cairns for a number of years, when I was working and now retired. Well trained Cairns can be left alone, uncrated in a home for extended periods of time with no problems. Some will dig and others never--they can be trained not to dig. They can be hyper-active but, that again, can be a matter of training.

What you need to know is that Cairns are an unusually intelligent breed of dog--they are smart and that makes training a bit easier than with other dogs.

Ours have never been barkers because we don't allow barking and unless we get a doorbell ringing or a knock on the door, ours are silent. Ours cannot resist a visitor and always greet with plenty of noise--we haven't been able to control that one bit of mischief.

Cairns are clean, don't shed and none of the Cairns I have been around have ever had any "doggie" odors so typical in some breeds.

Ours have been excellent with children of all ages--we have never had a bite due to anger--a couple of accidental bites from rough play (trying to take a dog toy from their mouths--that sort of thing).

Ours have been healthy and long lived--never picky eaters--great for pre-washing dishes.

We have a six month old puppy that was crate trained tho we no longer use it regularly, the dog will retreat to the comfort of the crate at night--she prefers to sleep in it, even tho she could sleep with us. We do take it in the car with us because she is calmer in her little cave.

I am, obviously, a great fan of this breed but my enthusiasm is from experience--I have had pointers, setters, Labs, Springers, poodles, Shelties, a Basset (!), and mutts throughout my lifetime and chose the Cairn for my final choice of a companion dog.

We have traveled extensively with Cairns using motel rooms and now, with a motorhome, and they are great travelers--never a problem in an urban setting, in a campground, or in the wilds.

Best advice I can give you is to take your time, find a good series of breeders, talk a lot, ask questions, and don't be afraid to step up and pay a good price for a quality puppy.

Reading and posting here was an intelligent move--reading over the various threads will give you a good idea about the breed and the kind of people that adore these little dandies. Enjoy.

[kintra]

My Cairn has never tried to dig and I can't think of any of my breeder's Cairns digging either. I have heard of a lot of people placing river rocks around the base of their fence to deter digging.

In my experience, Cairns seem to be mischievious no matter what, but ultimately do want to please their masters. If my house is ever silent for more than 10 minutes while Zach is loose, I'm inquiring about it.

I also have never really had a problem with barking. Zach barks at very predictable times: when the vaccuum/blender/printer is being used, somebody is at the door, or he's loose in the yard and the squirrels are teasing him. I allow him to bark minimally at these times because its his way of alerting me that something is different.

My Cairn is typically always crated during the day when nobody is home. We do have a 6x15 kennel run in our basement that Zach is allowed to go in sometimes during the day, especially during the summer. My brother comes home over his lunch to let the dogs out and they're perfectly fine.

Good luck picking a breed that works for you!

[Kramersmom]

My first Cairn Missy we had bought 2 weeks before our wedding. Missy was a digger, escape artist (never got away) but tried. Not a real big barker only for good reasons. Missy passed away at age 17. We have a male Cairn, Kramer who is now 4. He was never a digger/chewer. Crated when a puppy but he was a very good boy and never crated again around 6 months old. He was very good at potty training and no accidents. Since he never chewed furniture nothing as a pup he was able to have free run at such a young age. So you can see one female and one male two same breeds, totally different. Kramer is a yapper. When he wants attention he will stand on top of the couch and look at you and bark, well more of a piercing bark when he wants your attention. Missy never did that she was a loner and very independant, never played with toys. Kramer loves his toys and favorite sqeaky balls. Kramer loves people/animals and wouldn't hurt a flea. Missy was aggressive, dislike all animals but loved humans on her rules.

I love the Cairn breed, have ever since a child and I will never be without one. I feel for us a Cairn is a great breed.

They are small but tuff. I can play ball with Kramer and we can also wrestle. He loves to play tuff guy and we have a ball. We go for car rides to walking 5 miles. They go with the flow and have energy that needs to be burned off. They're a lot of fun but read alot on the breed and the terrier-tude. Kramer adores little kids, Missy did not but protected our son when he was born and adored him threw life. Kramer is very lovable, cuddler lap dog, Missy was not. I think in general Male Cairns are more affectionate. Good luck on your choice of breed.

[The Cairn Farm]

We have a female Cairn named Chloe that was 1 in December. She is my first Cairn, but my sister in law has a male Cairn who was 1 in September I believe and she lives a couple houses down from us so we see him all the time. Chloe was and is an awesome puppy. She was 100% potty trained in 3 weeks, doesn't bark unless my husband isn't home and she hears a weird noise. She was crated as a puppy but hasn't been since she was 6 months or so, even if we leave the house for the day. She is very protective of our family. She is a cuddler but yet loves to play. She dug some last summer, but I think it was something I was able to break, because I havn't found any holes yet this year. We live on a farm and she is great with all the animals. We have cats and a ferret, both of which she is great with. She loves kids. She loves to swim and go for walks. I think my only complaint about her is that she is a hunter. You never know what you are going to find at your front door when you go to let her in (because she isn't tied when she is out to go potty, she and our Lab/Coonhound know our boundaries). Last summer she brought back 7 woodchucks that she had killed, she has also brought back a ton of moles, caught a couple birds right out of the air...can't think of anything else right now. Overall I couldn't have asked for a better dog. My sister in law's Cairn is almost the direct opposite of Chloe. He is a cuddler when he wants to be but its more on his terms. He isn't super daring and I don't believe does any hunting. I don't think I have ever seen him dig or seen any holes down there. There are definitely a slight range of the "different" types of Cairns you can get, but at least the two I know I still love both the same! They are the best!

[kittdog]

Out of my 4 cairns, 1 is an extreme digger. If there is mole/gopher scent he will dig until he can't dig anymore or I stop him. One of my other cairns is not as extreme but still quite the digger. My other two don't really dig, they might try sometimes, but aren't as into it as the other two. They don't dig for no reason, there is always a reason, gopher/mole, etc. I think some breeders have gone for breeding the cairns that don't have this instinct as much so probably that's why some dig more than others.

As for barking, all of mine bark if there is a reason. Some more than others, but it depends on the circumstance. They can be very loud too. You can train them to be quite though.

Find out if the parents are diggers and/or barkers, if they are then chances are the pups might dig or bark too, but every cairn is different.

[sgerding]

Thank you all so much for your wealth of knowledge. Your personal accounts have made my husband and I settle into this breed even more. I'm glad to hear that many of you have had a great number of experiences with Cairns and with other dogs, it makes your statements even more credible. We do live in a city/suburb area and don't have to many vermin hanging around. We have plenty of squirrels and a mouse here our there but I have yet to see any evidence of a mole or vole, hopefully that will curtail the digging. I am thrilled to hear of the breeds intelligence and most of your experiences with being able to trust them out of a crate pretty early on. I think we're ready to take the next step in visitng a breeder and asking more questions. Hopefully I'll be back around June introducing our new puppy!

[cairnrescueleague]

Responding late to this because I'm out-of-town, but because I do rescue, I have experience with dozens of cairns. Barking and digging are usually not a problem. As far as crating is concerned, they shouldn't be crated all day, even if you come home for lunch. Four hours is usually the rule of thumb in terms of crating, but not four hours in the morning, home for lunch, and then crated for another four hours. Some people do this, and then also crate the dog at night. Definitely way too much time in a crate.

As far as children are concerned, we don't recommend cairns for homes with small children - http://www.cairnrescueleague.com/faqs.html...d_with_children. Also, we worry about children, or their friends, inadvertantly leaving doors open or not being able to close doors quickly enough and the cairn getting loose. If there was only one thing I could tell people about cairns, it's that they can never be off leash unless they're in a securely fenced area (e-fences are not recommended for cairns).

I would recommend getting a cairn either from a responsible breeder (links on this website) or from rescue. They are a relatively healthy breed, but health issues are less of an unknown if you adopt from a responsible breeder or from rescue. Temperament will have been evaluated also. Best of luck!

[Puddlesmama]

Sqeeee! Im excited..Knowing you have researched this breed makes me even more excited to see a Cairn going to a wonderful home... Cant wait to hear more

[Sandi16]

Cairns are wonderful dogs. I just love mine to bits!! He is mischievous. Like someone said earlier, it's like having a toddler in your home. You know how a toddler is bad, but they look at you with those big eyes and you just melt? That's a Cairn.

We got Louie last October, and our Louie is a barker. If I stand right there and tell him no bark, he reigns it in, but when I go inside he goes nuts if someone is running a lawnmower or a weedwhacker. He digs too, but not too bad. Usually we say leave it and he quits. Other than that though, he's a wonderful dog who makes me laugh all day long. Just today, I was cutting the grass and left the gate open while I did the front. My son let Louie out, who immediately ran out of the gate to check it out. I sharply called his name, and pointed to the gate, he lowered his ears and slunk into the back yard. I've never taught him that, he just knew he was doing wrong.

I still don't trust Louie out of the crate. Just the other day I missed a potty break and he peed upstairs. He's 10 months old. Its always my fault though when he does that. So if I'm gone for longer than an hour or two, I crate him.

[mrseggcup]

WOOF! Eli here.

I am the Grand Pooh-bah of CUR: Cairn Underground Revolution. I am boss b/c I thought of it first. We plan to take over the world by creating mayhem when our uprights aren't looking. Or in the bathroom. We do not, however, advocate willy-nilly destruction of property.

I am 4 years old now. The Alpha B thinks I am maturing. HA! That is just what I want her to think. That will make it easier to take over the world. I have never been a digger, it looks like too much work to me. I prefer to RUNAROUNDALLCRAZYBARKINGMYFOOLHEADOFF, that is my idea of a good time. I have cut down a bit on that just to keep the Alph B guessing.

I think you should get a Cairn. And let it have computer access like some of us do.

WOOF!

Eli

[Dixieandme]

We just got our 2nd Cairn and she is 8 weeks old. We wouldn't have any other breed, they are smart , fun and so sweet....................We also love the fact that they don't shed, we had no problem with digging and the only barking was when another dog came into our yard or if the doorbell rang.........Also we love the fact that our Daisy was so good with the grandchildren. We are very excited to have another Cairn and would encourage anyone to adopt one of these sweet little furbabies.....................

[Idaho Cairns]

shrake, what a beautiful puppy! This one is definately a keeper. Goodness.