Insightful Articles on Cairn Terrier
A curated selection of articles related to Cairn health of interest to Cairn owners. These do not reflect the official views of the CTCA and are for information and educational purposes only.
Fun Things to Do With Your Cairn
Here is a list of activities that are fun for Cairn Terriers and their owners!
Agility
Mastering the teeter board is only one of the fun elements of agility.
Dog agility is a sport where you direct your dog through a pre-set obstacle course within a certain time limit. Courses typically have between 14–20 obstacles, which can include tunnels, weave poles, jumps, teeters, dog walk, and A-frame. At each trial, you and your dog will race around the course designed for that day. This is done with your dog relying solely on the cues and body language you use to direct them on course. Faults are assigned if the dog touches or knocks down jumps, takes the obstacles out of sequence or misses an obstacle, or goes over the course time. The complexity of the courses increase, and the time allowed decreases at the higher levels of competition.
Weaving through agility poles is a necessary agility skill.
Most organizations that teach agility require basic obedience skills before they will allow you to train your dog in agility. Most Cairns, if properly introduced to the equipment, absolutely love agility and participate with great enthusiasm. Positive techniques such as treats and praise are used to train the dog, and negative reinforcement or corrections are seldom, if ever, used either in training or in competition. Your dog must be in excellent physical condition in order to compete in agility.
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Barn Hunt
Barn hunt utilizes the Cairn's natural ability to find vermin
Barn Hunt capitalizes on the Cairn's natural ability to find vermin. The courses are designed above ground using bales of hay to create tunnels. Rats are placed in aerated tubes to keep them safe and are hidden within the course for the dogs to find. To add challenge, other tubes are hidden on the course, and these can be empty or contain soiled bedding but no rat. Barn Hunt also tests the ability of the handler to ‘read’ the dog when they have found the rat tube. The dog's reactions can range from the seemingly very ‘obvious’ action of vigorous digging and scratching to more subtle indications of a slight wag of a tail, a perk of ears, or prolonged sniff and look.
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Canine Good Citizen
This pup successfully completed the Canine Good Citizen test!
The Canine Good Citizen title is a title that you can earn through the American Kennel Club. The skills that are learned provide a wonderful foundation to having a well-behaved Cairn. The CGC is recommended for dogs that will be training in agility and in therapy dog work.
There are 10 skills that the dog and owner must master to become a Canine Good Citizen.
The 10 Skills
For more information and to find an evaluator near you, contact:
Conformation
Standing on the table for judge's examination.
Each AKC recognized breed has a standard that describes all of the characteristics that make up an ideal representation of the breed. Conformation dog shows provide an opportunity for qualified judges to determine which dogs most closely resemble the breed standard. A dog that conforms to most of the items of description in its individual breed standard is said to have good conformation.
Dogs need to be trained to gait properly, to be familiar with the different gaiting patterns a judge can request, to stand and “stack” so the judge can examine the dog hands on.
Dogs who the judge deems have won over the other entries can win points toward their AKC championship.
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Dock Diving
Cairn learning to dock dive.
Dock diving is a sporting competition in which dogs compete at either distance or height jumping from a raised platform, usually known as a dock, into water. Dogs can be judged on distance (between the dock and where they land in the water), speed (how fast they retrieve a toy at the end of the pool), or height (how high they can jump to retrieve a toy suspended over the water).
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Earthdog
Cairn competing in earth dog trial.
A wooden earthdog tunnel is used for both practice and trials.
An earthdog trial tests the working ability and instinct of terriers. Cairns were bred to hunt vermin and other quarry which live in underground dens. Earthdog tests involve man-made tunnels that the dogs must navigate, while scenting a rat (the quarry). The dog must follow the scent to the quarry and then "work" the quarry. Depending on the sanctioning organization, “working” means barking, scratching, staring, pawing, digging; any active behavior. The quarry is protected at all times by wooden bars across the end of the tunnel. The hunting encounter is controlled, and neither the dog nor the quarry are endangered by the activity.
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FastCAT
Cairn terrier running FastCAT
The Fast CAT Test is a timed 100-yard dash for puppies of at least 12 months of age. In this electronically timed race, the dog chases after the “bunny” lure and the speed of a dog is converted into mph. These times and the size of the dog is taken into consideration. AKC also has a list of each dog and the average speed of each breed. FastCAT provides a terrific opportunity to introduce new participants to the world of AKC sports as one of the few events where all that is needed to compete is a dog’s natural instincts.
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Obedience
Obedience is one of the AKC’s oldest sporting events, and it’s open to all dogs. From walking on- and off-leash to retrieving and jumping, or demonstrating your dog’s ability to stay, Obedience trials feature dogs that are well-behaved at home, in public places, and in the presence of other dogs.
Rally
Rally is a team sport similar to agility in that the handler guides the dog through a course. The difference is that the course is made of different signs that indicate obedience-like skills the team must perform before going on to the next sign. The team attempts to correctly complete all the signs in a specific order in the quickest time. Skills on the signs include things like sit, down, stay, and heeling.
Both the dog and handler develop strong teamwork skills in Rally. It’s also a great venue for the dog to learn self-control. Dogs of all breeds (and mixed breeds) love Rally!
Rally is much less formal than traditional competitive obedience and less physically demanding than agility. You may talk to your dog the entire time and use many different cues while doing the course.
Scent Work
Cairn locating a hidden, scented object during a Scent Work trial.
In Scent Work, dogs are trained to find specific “target odors” in a variety of search scenarios. The dogs use their incredible sense of smell to track down these targets. Dogs get to work like professional detection canines. It’s the job your dog always wanted!
Scent Work was created by a group of former professional K9 handlers who began scent work training shelter dogs as a way of providing mental enrichment. When the shelter volunteers saw how much fun the dogs were having, the sport of Scent Work was born. This sport has been steadily growing, and now that AKC has added Scent Work to their list of events, it has been booming.
Therapy Dog
Cairn therapy dog visiting a patient.
Cairns can make wonderful therapy dogs. You and your dog train as a team so that you can be certified to visit schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and special events. It is suggested to go through some basic obedience training and the Canine Good Citizen test to make sure that your dog enjoys this type of work and will do well with it.
