Videos Cairn Terrier Breed Information
Country of origin -
United Kingdom
Classification and breed standards
FCI:|Group
3 Section 2 #004|Stds
AKC:|Terrier|Stds
ANKC:|Group 2
(Terriers)|Stds
CKC:|Group
4 - Terriers|Stds
KC
(UK):|Terrier|Stds
NZKC:|Terrier|Stds
UKC:|Terriers|Stds
The Cairn Terrier is a breed of dog of
the terrier category. It is one of the
oldest terriers, originating in the Scottish Highlands and recognised as one of
Scotland's earliest working dogs,
used for hunting burrowing prey among the cairns.
1. Appearance
The breed standard can be found on the Cairn Terrier Club of America website.
The current standard was approved on May 10, 1938 and it was
adopted from the The Kennel Club of Great Britain.
According to the American standard, dogs should weigh 14 pounds and
stand 10" at the withers. Females
should weigh 13 pounds and stand 9.5" at the withers. A
Cairn's appearance may vary from this standard. It is common
for a Cairn to stand between 9 and 13 inches (23-33 cm) at the
withers and weigh 13 to 18 pounds (6 to 8
kg). European Cairns tend to be larger than American Cairns. Due to
irresponsible breeding, many Cairns available today are much
smaller or much larger than the breed standard. Cairns that have
had puppy mill backgrounds can weigh
as little as 7 pounds or as much as 27 pounds.
The Cairn Terrier has a harsh, weather-resistant outer coat that
can be cream, wheaten, red, sandy, gray, or brindled in any of these colors. Pure black,
black and tan, and white are not permitted by many kennel clubs. While registration of white
Cairns was once permitted, after 1917 the American Kennel Club required them
to be registered as West
Highland White Terriers. A notable characteristic of Cairns is
that brindled Cairns frequently change color throughout their
lifetime. It is not uncommon for a brindled Cairn to become
progressively more black or silver as it ages. The Cairn is
double-coated, with a soft, dense
undercoat and a harsh outer coat. A well-groomed Cairn has a
rough-and-ready appearance, free of artifice or exaggeration.
2. Temperament
Cairn Terriers are intelligent, lively, strong, and loyal. Like
most terriers, they are stubborn and strong-willed, and love to dig
after real or imagined prey. Cairn Terriers have a strong prey
instinct and will need comprehensive training. However, they are
highly intelligent and, although very willful, can be trained.
Although it is often said that they are disobedient, this is not
the case provided correct training is applied; they are headstrong
though, and should always be walked with a leash.
Cairns are working dogs and are still used as such in parts of
Scotland. Many Cairn Terriers are very independent and do not make
good "lap dogs". The image of Cairn Terriers being like
"Toto" from the Wizard
of Oz is a partial misconception. In reality, these dogs do not
always like to snuggle and would heartily object to being kept in a
basket.
3. Grooming
Cairn Terriers should always be hand stripped. Using scissors or
shears can ruin the dog's rugged outer coat after one grooming.
Hand stripping involves pulling the old dead hair out by the roots.
This does not harm the dog in any way. Removing the dead hair in
this manner allows new growth to come in. This new growth helps
protect the dog from water and dirt.
4. Health
These dogs are generally healthy and live on average about
fifteen years. Yet breeders, owners and veterinarians have
identified several health problems that are significant for Cairns.
Some of these diseases are hereditary
while others occur as a result of nonspecific factors (i.e.
infections, toxins, injuries, or advanced age).
Some of the more common hereditary
health problems found in the Cairn are:
* Cataracts
* Ocular Melanosis
* Progressive retinal
atrophy
* Corneal dystrophy
* Krabbe disease (Globoid cell
leukodystrophy)
* Hip dysplasia
* Legg-Calvé-Perthes
syndrome
* Craniomandibular
osteopathy (Lion Jaw)
* Von Willebrand
disease
* Hypothyroidism
* Portosystemic shunt
* Luxating patella
* Entropion
Currently, the Cairn Terrier Club of America along with
the Institute for Genetic Disease Control in
Animals maintain an open registry for Cairn Terriers in hopes
of reducing the occurrence of hereditary diseases within the breed. Breeders
voluntarily submit their dogs' test results for research
purpose, as well as for use by individuals who seek to make sound
breeding decisions.
5. Famous Cairns
* Terry, the dog who played Toto in the 1939 screen adaptation of
The Wizard of
Oz, was a Cairn Terrier. Due to the identification of the
State of Kansas with the original story The Wonderful Wizard of
Oz, a resident of Wichita,
Kansas has begun a drive to make the Cairn Terrier the official
dog of the State of Kansas.
* In the UK, popular TV Presenter Paul O'Grady often features a Cairn
Terrier called Olga on his prime time chat show; dark in colour,
Olga was a rescue dog.
* Also in the UK, Pauline Fowler actress
Wendy Richards in the BBC TV show Eastenders
had a Cairn she fondly named "Betty".
Copyright (c) 2008 Kitt Killion Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
Taken or modified, in whole or part, from Wikipedia.org
