Cairn Terrier Q & A
“THE BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION I HAVE SEEN ABOUT THIS BREED IS THAT THEY ARE SO STUBBORN THEY DO NOT LEARN THINGS EASILY. This is absolutely not true. They are smart and learn things very quickly but unless the owner learns to understand their Cairn, they may not see the signs that they have learned something.”
SYDNEY DIXON I am Sydney Dixon and I have been a Cairn Terrier breeder for approximately 15 years. I live in Hurricane, West Virginia and I can tell you that Cairns are not the most popular breeds in my area. When people see my dogs, they think they are very cute and ask what breed they are. Until I tell them that they are the breed that “Toto” from the Wizard Of Oz was, they do not have any idea about them. I am told that Cairns are #69 out of 192 AKC breeds and that is fine by me. The more popular they become, there seems to be a higher chance of puppy millers trying to overbreed them and this is not what we want for our breed. If someone wants one of my pups and they have no information about them, they may fail to understand the breed. Having to do research and learn about the breed from good sources tends to make better owners. Cairns were originally bred to kill small vermin in rocky Cairns. They have stayed true to their history in this. A Cairn can spot a lizard, rat, squirrel, etc. quickly and their ability to dig and their intentness when they hunt is very strong today. A Cairn is also an excellent alarm system for your home. While they are not a breed that barks constantly, they will alert you when a stranger comes. They are vigilant and will guard you and your home until you tell them it is okay. Cairns make a perfect pet for the home. They are not too small nor too big. They are usually around 15 to 20 pounds and they are very strong. They do not shed like most dogs. As long as you keep them clean and brushed or combed once a week, you will have very little hair shedding. They do no bark a lot although they will bark at any new thing they see until they check it out. They need daily exercise but unlike larger dogs, they are fine with a walk or outside playtime once or twice a day. They do a thing we call “zooming” which we believe is a form of exercise for themselves. It is where they take off running around your home as fast as they can for several minutes. They appear to be running like track stars do! It is a fun thing to watch. The biggest misconception I have seen about this breed is that they are so stubborn they do not learn things easily. This is absolutely not true. They are smart and learn things very quickly but unless the owner learns to understand their Cairn, they may not see the signs that they have learned something. As an example, one of my female dogs learned quickly to go outside to do her “business”. However, she continued to do it in the house as well until I noticed that she would come sit in front of me and look at me. If I did not react, she would leave. A few minutes later, she would come back and do it again. If I still did not react, she would pee in the house. If I reacted at the proper time, she never peed in the house. Once I learned this, I knew to watch her closely for signs that she did know other things that I was trying to teach her. A
Cairn owner needs to be careful to be the Lead Dog in the home or the Cairn will train them to do what they want! A female Cairn is a sassy and independent girl. She will love to have you hug her and play with her but if she is not in the mood, she may walk off from you quickly. A male Cairn is a lover. You will find that they are the sweetest of the breed although they can be strong willed too. They aim to please more than the female. From an economic and social standpoint, a Cairn is a good breed to own. Given yearly vet visits, good food, and certain levels of grooming, they have a long life. They do not have a lot of illness if taken care of properly and that is a plus. Of course,, there are some that have allergies but they are not the rule. From a social standpoint, there are few dogs better than a Cairn to own! They love people - children included. They generally get along with other breeds of dogs as well. They love to travel with you and to do activi- ties with a family. As a breeder, I have found that at about six weeks, you start get- ting a real look at how the pup will develop in its personality. At 14 weeks to one year, you will know if the pup is likely to be a good show dog. For this reason, I never release one of my dogs to a non- show home until they are over 14 weeks old. At dog shows, there are many different judges. The ones that I have liked to show my dog to are the ones that take a minute to get the dogs attention. They may whistle or make a noise to see how the dog responds—I think this may give them an idea about the personality of a dog. I also want a judge to base their evaluation on the breed standard as much as possible. I have seen dogs so far away from the standard that have won Best of Breed and that is not acceptable for me. A new judge should not pick a dog just because it is cute, they should judge according to the standards. Most do, some do not. When I sell a pup, I recommend that the new owner join a breed club if possible, I also tell them about things they can do with their Cairn to keep both them and the pup happy. This includes tak- ing them to field events and/or to obedience training where they will learn to interact with other breeds. I give them information on grooming, feeding, and anything else I think they should know. I offer myself as a mentor for as long as they need me. We become friends! This is important to do. I believe this gets them interested in doing a lot of different things with this breed. My ultimate goal as a breeder is to offer people a healthy, friend- ly and long living dog/companion. Showing a dog is not fun for some people but having a healthy and friendly and loving dog is. I would love to put all mass breeding facilities out of business. These people do not care what happens to a pup, to its parents or anything at all about the dog except money. A good breeder does not make money—they make great dogs!
324 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , J ANUARY 2020
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