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The Cairn Terrier

The Cairn is a small dog that is equally suited to indoor or outdoor living. He is very people-oriented and happy with children. They are excellent hunters, which might cause a problem if they try to dig in the wrong place to ferret out a mouse or mole. Farmers are known to have few problems if they keep these little dogs on their premises.

The Cairn has few problems with cold weather because he is a double-coated breed. This breed has a thick wooly undercoat with a long harsh topcoat that is weather-resistant. The Cairn is not an untidy dog although he looks shaggy when his coat is fully grown out. The Cairn may be any color except pure white and to date there have been over twenty color variations and mixtures. It is difficult to determine what an adult Cairn color will be when looking at a young puppy. The color of a pup at 2 months may be completely changed at 6 months. The color coming in around the eyes has been known to help determine the true final color of the dog.

Cairns are not high-strung dogs as a general rule, but are very loving and extremely intelligent. They have a “foxy” look about their facial expression and are very protective and loyal towards their family. They get along well with children and are known for romping with young boys and play gently with young girls and their dolls. They don’t pick a fight as will other terriers, but will stand their ground with remarkable fierceness to protect from harm. Although they are not generally barkers, they will warn if anything is out of the ordinary.

History

It has not been determined the exact origin of the Cairn Terrier, but a writer of the 15^th Century notes that there existed a small dog that was used for hunting fox and badger in Scotland. In the 16^th Century, “Earth dogs” from the Isle of Skye were noted by historians. It is immaterial whether the Cairn originated from the mainland of Scotland or the Isle of Skye, but it is a fact that the Cairn is one of the oldest pure British terrier breeds. It is believed that these dogs were the ancestors of the present day Cairn and perhaps also the modern Scottish Terrier. The word terrier comes from the Latin word “Terra”, meaning “earth”. The small terriers would go down in the holes and bark at the fox or badger until it would go up where the hunter could kill it. The oldest strain of Cairns was believed to have been founded by a Capt. MacLeod on the Isle of Skye. Two other pioneers of the breed were two women, Mrs. Alastair Campbell and The Hon. Mary Hawke, who by their perseverance, were instrumental in getting the recognition of the breed by the British Kennel Club in 1910. Prior to this the breed was shown under the Skye Terrier classification.

Cairns were first registered in the United States in 1913. At that time the Cairn was ranked in the top 15 breeds and still remains there today. It is considered to be one of the most popular terrier breeds.

<font=12>*This article was written by Cichlid Lover from our forum and may not be copied or reproduced without written permission from her.

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