The Isle of Skye located in Scotland has been known to keep little hunting dog breeds for as long as 200 years. Some of these breeds are currently famous among canine enthusiasts by the names of Skye Terrier and West Highland Terriers. From these breeds, another small hunting terrier comes to exist and it is known around the world as the Cairn terrier, which is also the last of the Scottish Highlands terriers to be introduced to the kennel clubs.
The Cairn terrier remains as one of the oldest working breeds in Scotland. Decades back, this breed has been used as vermin catcher and would often vigorously dig out burrows underneath big rock piles, a place where rodents and other pests live in, in order to flush out pests. The rock piles are called cairn in Scotland and this is what the Cairn Terrier was named after.
In a glance, the Cairn terrier looks rugged and alert because of its shaggy coat and glistening intelligent eyes. Its standard size should range only from 14 to 18 pounds in weight and 10 to 13 inches in height but due to some irresponsible breeding, there are Cairns today that come out smaller or bigger than the standard size. The little size of the Cairns makes them suitable as pets because owners can just place them easily on the laps and at the same time they can make good vermin hunters inside the house.
The Cairn terrier has a double coat and its outer coat appears dense and shaggy while its inner coat is smooth and less messy. This dense coat also serves as a protection for the Cairn against harsh weathers of the region. The coat colors of the Cairn are often seen in either red, wheaten, gray and cream; and some are in brindles of black, white, and black and tan.
The coat color of this breed keeps changing until adulthood so you can never really state the exact color of the Cairn. Some colors may become lighter and there are some that become darker even to the point of becoming pure black. If there is a white colored Cairn, the American Kennel Club would list it as a West Highland White terrier.
Even then until today, the Cairn still manifests that same interest in hunting and digging out preys. Although these dogs are now mostly domesticated, you can still see them trying to hunt down rodents, rat, otters and other small games. Today, the Cairn is regarded as a household pet but its hunting skill is still as strong and excellent as before.
The Cairn terrier has a superb intelligence that is why it can be trained to do tasks and commands. However, this breed is also known to have an independent and stubborn spirit that's why trainings may take a while before fully accomplished. Take note, however, that even though the Cairn has a mischievous side to it, positive and gentle reinforcements should only be done in order to avoid hurting the feelings of this tiny lovable creature.
Today, the Cairn terrier can often be seen living amongst humans in small apartments or big households. It adapts well with children that's why many families opt for it as a family pet. It does not take too much to groom this dog as well for it only needs its coat to be hand stripped in order to keep it in shaggy style and keep the dead hair away at the same time.
- The Rough Looking Border Terrier by Troy Richardson The Border Terrier is a medium sized terrier breed that originally came from the region between Scotland and England. This dog came from the line of Scottish terriers primarily the Dandie Dinmont and Bedlington terriers. Currently, the Border Terrier is a favorite companion of many people that......
- The Argentinean Big-Game Hunter Dog, The Dogo Argentino by Leonardo Robles The Dogo Argentino is a huge hunter breed that shows off a white coat and well-muscled body and which came from Argentina. This dog is also fondly called the Argentine Dogo and Argentinean Mastiff. Around the world, the Dogo Argentino is known as an outstanding big-game hunter......
- Dog Training Washington - Tips And Hints Around Proper Dog Training To be a responsible doggy trainer you must go through a vital process which is Dog training. A lot of pet owners think that having a healthy dog is enough but basically in some states it's illegal if you ever don't enroll your doggie into a doggy instruction camp......
- Are You Hurting Your Animals' Feelings? Animal Communication can help pet owners in a number of ways. It will help you to understand and pick up vital information regarding your animals' health and happiness. Having the ability to feel an animal form their perspective allows us to move from placing our own thoughts and judgements......
- First Generation Plug-In Chevy Volt To Cost $40,000? Anyone else think that they are trying to scare the public away from being interested in electric cars again? It's bad enough that the American car manufacturers keep telling us that higher MPG standards will add thousands to the cost of new cars...but yet the Prius gets 45 MPG......
- How to Use Hunting Decoys Learning how to make use of hunting decoys can be a very important part of your hunting experience. Regardless if you are new to hunting, or if you are a seasoned veteran of the fields and forests, learning how to use decoys as part of your hunting can advance things......
- Fun Facts about Winter December 22 is the first day of winter for all the folks in the Northern Hemisphere! The sun is the furthest away from the equator, shining directly over the Tropic of Capricorn (Alice Springs, Australia and Sao Paulo, Brazil are just a couple of cities along the Tropic of......
- Can You Train Your Dog to Be Agile? [/caption]Many people - especially those living in cities - don't particularly think that their dogs need a lot of their "natural" abilities to survive. And they're right. Dogs today live relatively well; they're taken care of, they're fed, and they don't have a lot of challenges to overcome. But for......
