| Cairn Terriers: the most honest dog breed review you'll ever find. Information about Cairn Terrier personality and behavior. |
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My book, Your Purebred Puppy: A Buyer's Guide (published by Henry Holt & Co.), includes a full-page profile of the Cairn Terrier, including these excerpts:
"Toto, the Cairn Terrier in The Wizard of Oz, looks exactly like what most people picture when they hear the word "terrier."
This sturdy little dog is everything a terrier was designed to be: game and hardy, up on his toes, confident, plucky, spirited.
The Cairn Terrier loves to play and needs his daily walks, but is adaptable to any home in which he can be a full participant and busybody and where his bold terrier traits are kept under control.
Adult Cairn Terriers may be friendly or reserved with strangers, but are always alert and quick to announce guests.
He can be scrappy and bossy with other pets, but will co-exist with them more readily than some other terriers. However, strange animals may be a different story, as the Cairn Terrier was bred to hunt and will chase anything that moves.
He is inquisitive, so a leash or fenced yard is essential at all times.
Assertive but cheerful, with typical terrier stubbornness, he must be shown that you are in charge. He does respond well to consistent discipline and to obedience training that focuses on treats and praise.
Cairn Terriers can be possessive of their food and toys. Being respectable terriers, they are enthusiastic diggers and barkers."
History
The Cairn Terrier was developed in Scotland to hunt fox, otter, and weasel. He takes his name from the piles of rocks (cairns) where his prey took refuge.
Size
10-11 inches and 13-16 lbs |
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Cairn Terriers
What's good about 'em
What's bad about 'em
- Is small, yet sturdy and tough -- not a delicate lapdog
- Has a natural appearance
- Needs only moderate exercise
- Makes a keen watchdog
- Doesn't shed too much
- Co-exists with other pets more willingly than some other terriers
A Cairn Terrier may be right for you.
| If you don't want to deal with... |
- The dynamic terrier temperament (see full description below)
- Providing enough exercise and activities to keep them busy
- Aggression toward other animals -- chasing instincts
- Stubbornness
- Digging holes
- Barking
- Regular brushing and clipping of the wiry coat
- A considerable number of health problems
A Cairn Terrier may not be right for you.
| If I were considering a Cairn Terrier... |
My major concerns would be:
- The dynamic terrier temperament. Most terrier breeds are remarkably similar. The same words are used over and over -- quick to bark, quick to chase, lively, bossy, feisty, scrappy, clever, independent, stubborn, persistent, impulsive, intense.
- Providing enough exercise and mental stimulation. Cairn Terriers are active go-getters. They MUST have regular opportunities to vent their energy and to use their busy minds to do interesting things.
| Terriers were never intended to be simply household pets. I strongly recommend that you get your Cairn Terrier involved in obedience classes at the intermediate or advanced level, in agility (an obstacle course for dogs), or in an earth dog club (terriers dig and tunnel after small critters who are secured in a sturdy cage so they can't be harmed). |
- Animal aggression. Cairn Terriers are less scrappy toward strange dogs than many other terrier breeds, but they are still a determined force to reckon with if they decide to initiate or accept a challenge to fight. Most terriers have strong instincts to chase and seize small fleeing creatures. This can make for conflict if you own a cat. It may be much worse than that if you own a pet rabbit or hamster!
| Terriers cannot be trusted off-leash. They will take off -- oblivious to your frantic shouts -- after anything that runs. |
- Fence security. Many terriers are clever escape artists who will go over or under fences in search of adventure. You may need higher fences than you might imagine for their small size. You may also need to sink wire into the ground along the fence line to thwart digging. Gates should have the highest quality locks.
- Barking. Terriers are often too quick to sound the alarm at every new sight and sound. You have to be equally quick to stop them. If you work all day and have close neighbors, terriers are not the best choice for you. For the same reason, terriers should NEVER be left outside in your yard, unsupervised. To make matters worse, some terriers have high-pitched barks that can set your teeth on edge.
- Mind of their own. Cairn Terriers are not Golden Retrievers. Though they are more amenable to training than some other terriers, they must still be taught at an early age that they are not the rulers of the world. The toughness that makes them suited to killing vermin can frustrate you when you try to teach them anything. Terriers can be stubborn and dominant (they want to be the boss) and will make you prove that you can make them do things. You must show them, through absolute consistency, that you mean what you say.
| To teach your terrier to listen to you, "Respect Training" is mandatory. My Cairn Terrier Training Page discusses the program you need. |
- Defensive reactions. If you need to physically chastise a terrier, and you go beyond what THEY believe is a fair correction, terriers (as a group) are more likely than other breeds to growl or snap. It may be because they were bred to become more fierce when their prey fought back, i.e. terriers are apt to "return pain" if they "receive pain." As an obedience instructor, I'm always extra careful when putting my hands on any terrier for a correction.
| I do NOT recommend terriers for small children. Many terriers will not tolerate any nonsense from little life forms whom they consider to be below themselves in importance. Many terriers are quick to react to teasing, and even to the normal clumsiness that comes with small children (accidental squeezing of their ears or pulling of whiskers or stepping on their paw). Many terriers are possessive of their food and toys and will defend these from all comers, including children. |
- Grooming. To keep their wiry coat free of mats, Cairn Terriers require regular brushing, and also clipping and trimming every few months.
- Serious health problems. Cairn Terriers are plagued by more health problems than most other terriers.
| Not all Cairn Terriers are alike! |
- There are energetic Cairns, and placid Cairns.
- Hard-headed Cairns, and sweet-natured Cairns.
- Serious Cairns, and good-natured goofballs.
- Introverted Cairns, and Cairns who love everyone.
| If you acquire a Cairn Terrier puppy, you can't know for sure what he or she will grow up to be like. Because a good number of purebred puppies do NOT grow up to conform to the "norm." |
| If you're considering an adult Cairn Terrier... |
There are plenty of adult Cairn Terriers who have already proven themselves NOT to have negative characteristics. If you find such an adult, don't let "typical breed negatives" worry you.
When you acquire a puppy, you're acquiring potential -- what he one day will be. So "typical breed characteristics" are very important. But when you acquire an adult, you're acquiring what he already IS.
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