meet the Cairn Terrier

The Cairn Terrier used to earn their keep by chasing vermin from the rock piles (called cairns) commonly found in Scotland.

The breed is cheerfull, confident, independent, spirited and curious. Nothing escapes them, and they are always active and playful. Alert and highly intelligent as they are a Cairn should know from the first that someone else is in charge, if there is any question about that he'll run the house himself.

Therefor trainingsessions are recommendable however as a cairn is also very sensitive, harsh punishment is not desirable. Training should be fun and challenging, not overly repetitious. Walking or jogging is an excellent excercise for Cairns, it must be done on a leash as it's almost impossible to train a cairn to resist the urge to chase cats, rabbits, birds... Cairns were bred to hunt.

Cairns are rewarding pets when they live in close contact with the family, they are friendly with everyone they meet, and the Cairn has an inborn affinity for children. However dogs should not  be teased or mistreated by children, supervision is essential.

True to his heritage the Cairn has large teeth, large feet with thick pads and strong nails (the better to dig with) strong muscular shoulders and rears, and a fearless tenacity that will lead him into trouble if the owners are irresponsable.

Don't ever leave a Cairn in a manicured garden without supervision, he can turn your garden into a moonscape in no time. The safest arrangement is to give your Cairn his own securely fenced plot.

A Cairn Terrier is dog others will admire and one you can take pride in owning.

Many Cairn owners say: the only thing better than owning a Cairn is owning two.

Anne-Marie Vlieghe