“THE CAIRN TERRIER MUST, ABOVE ALL, BE BALANCED.”
skin and to protect the Cairn from the teeth of his prey. The outer coat is pro- fuse and harsh and most importantly, the outer coat should be approximate- ly the same length all over the body. Any resemblance to the “jacketed” or “sculptured” look of the more stylized terriers is objectionable and should be severely penalized. The undercoat should be short, soft and profuse, but will vary somewhat in density, depend- ing on the season and climate in which the dog lives. The Cairn Terrier comes in an array of colors, including cream, wheaten, red, red wheaten, gray and silver. Brindles occur in all the above colors, as well as a black brindle. The dark “points” on the muzzle, ears and tail tip, are desirable and typical, adding to the distinctive look of the Cairn. Black and tan markings or patterning of any kind (other than brindle) are objec- tionable. There is no preference for any color. SIZE AND CONDITION There has been a progressive increase in the average size of the Cairn Terrier in the last 25 years.
Historically, the Cairn has varied some- what in size, but the Standard says the Cairn should be 13-14 pounds and stand 9½ to 10 inches tall. The Cairn Terrier must, above all, be balanced. The pro- portions given in the Standard must always be applied. When a Cairn Terrier appears square, or close to square, he is in direct contradiction to the Standard, regardless of his height. A Cairn must also have medium bone. Nothing about the Cairn is delicate or refined and nothing is coarse or bulky. The Cairn is a solid little dog, surprisingly heavy for The Standard says the Cairn should be shown in “Full good coat” which means plenty of coat, dense and prop- erly straight, although a slight wave is permissible. The coat should be two to three inches long over the entire torso, not stripped down on the back with long coat on the sides and belly. The head of a Cairn Terrier should have a natu- ral, somewhat untidy look and there should be sufficient hair on the neck to protect this working dog. The coat of a Cairn Terrier should be worked entirely his apparent size. IN THE RING
by hand, never cut by scissors or knife. Scissors may be used only around the feet and tips of ears. A Cairn Terrier’s tail is one of the more distinctive characteristics of the breed. When a Cairn is presented in a proper coat, the tail will naturally be densely coated, especially at the base, groomed to be shorter near the tip, longer at the base, like an inverted ice cream cone. The Standard calls for the Cairn to be shown on a loose lead and this is most important for the natural appearance of the dog. A loose lead should have a moderate amount of slack in it. Exhibi- tors handling the Cairn Terrier should be on their feet. The dog should be standing free and even moving about, like the lively, active dog he is. When gaiting, the dog should trot freely and gaily by his handler’s side. The Full Illustrated Guide to the Cairn Terrier is available for purchase from the CTCA website at: http:// cairnterrier.org/index.php/Publica- tions. (Illustrations by Darle Heck, Movement Photo by Mika Huol- man, Brindle Cairn bitch photo by Lotte Thomsen)
200 • S how S ight M agazine , J uly 2018
Powered by FlippingBook