reach and drive is important. Lack of good muscle tone or poor angulation can lead to inefficient, short-strided movement. This fault is one of the cur- rent “drags of the breed.” Another fault that is being seen more frequently is dogs that are “tall on the hock” (lacking short hock-to-heel length), which pre- vents proper rear propulsion. TEMPERAMENT Cairns are generally outgoing and happy to meet everyone. Understand- ing judges do not penalize dogs that do not stand still during table examination, especially in inexperienced youngsters. This breed should not stand like wood- en soldiers in the ring but should be ever alert! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Lydia Coleman Hutchinson has lived with Cairn Terriers her entire life and has been actively breeding and show- ing them for over 60 years. Her par- ents’ and her WOLFPIT KENNEL has produced numerous top winners and top producers. Champions owned and or bred by WOLFPIT currently total 235, and WOLFPIT bloodlines appear in the pedigrees of dozens of other Cairn breeders. In addition to having actively bred Cairns for longer than anyone else in the US, Lydia is also the senior judge of the breed, having been approved as an AKC judge in 1964. Having judged large entries of Cairns in numerous foreign countries (including at the Centenerary shows of the Cairn Terrier Club in Scotland in 2010), she is quite aware of the cur- rent state of the breed worldwide.
“THE CAIRN HAS A LITHENESS, FLEXIBILITY AND SCOPINESS ABOUT IT AND SHOULD BE WELL-MUSCLED WITHOUT BEING HEAVY OR THICK.”
strong. The length is generally on a line with the top of the skull. CORRECT BODY, WEIGHT AND CONDITION Although the Cairn should have deep ribs well-covered with flesh, its body should not feel like that of a Scot- tie or Westie. The Cairn has a lithe- ness, flexibility and scopiness about it and should be well-muscled without being heavy or thick. Most Cairns are “good do-ers” and can tend towards
being overweight, which takes away from their workmanlike quality. A lean (not thin) dog is preferred to an overweight one. TYPICAL LEGS, FEET AND MOVEMENT Bone is of medium density and cor- responds to the overall size of the dog. Strong feet with thick pads and strong pasterns are essential, given this is definitely a digging breed! Coordinated movement with balanced
This puppy’s head shows great promise for the future. The proportions are correct, it appears to have a good stop, and the expression is “varminty”.
A female version of a wonderful head. Even with her dark brindle coat her piercing expression can be seen. Grooming of this head is preferred to that of the male’s head.
282 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , J UNE 2017
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