Home Alone

Michelle says...

Tucker's gig at doggie daycare ended when he turned a year old. I'm feeling pretty anxious over the whole thing. He's still very high energy and inquisitive (as in always looking for the next mischief to get into). I don't want him to become one of those dogs that bark continually or chew the house up. I've felt so bad these last few days. It isn't as bad as it seems. My office is very close to our home and I've been going several times a day to check on Tucker and to take him on a walk at lunchtime. I'm just being an emotional "Mom". What scares me the most is that he'll go out his doggie door and get bored in the yard and dig under the fence and get run over by a car. My husband works from home a lot so there are days when Tucker isn't left home for much time at all. But he really enjoyed having that daily playtime with his little cousin doggies and he's pretty baffled by not getting to go anymore. He gets up in the morning and creeps into his carrier, curls up and waits for me to take him in the car. And I have to leave him behind instead.

Tucker says...

I don't know why I don't get to go every day over to see Sadie and Mollie anymore. Maybe I was a bad boy. When Mom leaves me at home mostly I sit on the back of the couch and look out the window and wait for somebody to come back and play with me. Sometimes a squirrel runs through the front yard and I bark at him, but I think he knows I can't get him.

Cairn List

I found this list by Michele Stadnick on the Col. Potter Rescue site recently. I found myself nodding my head a lot as I read through it.

TOTO: The Other Side of the Story

So, "The Wizard of Oz" is your favorite movie, you just LOVE Toto, and have always wanted a dog just like him? A dog who's small, cute, lovable, and doesn't shed all over your couch? You've done your research and learned that Cairn Terriers are (take your pick):

• Good with children
• Friendly
• Loving family dogs
• Adaptable to living in small apartments as well as large homes

Well, YES and NO. Probably NO ONE ever told you that Cairns will almost INVARIABLY:

• Chase squirrels
• Chase bunnies
• Chase bugs
• Chase bikes
• Chase paper fluttering down the street
• Chase anything that moves
• Chase things that aren't moving, just to GET them moving so they'll have something to chase
• Bark at cars
• Bark at bikes
• Bark at birds
• Bark at trikes
• Bark at trucks
• Bark at the phone
• Bark at fireworks
• Bark at thunder
• Bark at the doorbell
• Bark at the doorbell on TV
• Bark to hear themselves bark
• Bark just to get your goat -- or your attention
• Or both
• Bark sometimes just cause it feels so damned GREAT
• Dig up that mouse hole
• Dig up your tulips
• Dig up your roses
• Dig up your lawn
• Dig under your fence
• Dig under your shed
• Dig up your linoleum
• Dig up your carpeting
• Nip at people's feet if you haven't redirected their intense prey drive
• Nip at your hands too, if not trained properly
• Try to control their universe and everything in it -- INCLUDING YOU
• Will succeed at this unless YOU intervene. And even then, they'll try again. And again. And again and again and again and again.
• Lunge at other dogs on leash
• Lunge at people, unless trained not to
• Lunge cause it feels good and they're in a hurry to get where they're going, and you're the only thing holding them back from experiencing the next exciting adventure around the corner or around the world.
• Bolt out any open door in the blink of an eye
• LET ME REPEAT THAT: THEY WILL BOLT OUT ANY OPEN DOOR IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
• And won't return until they're good and ready.
• Sometimes not even then
• Refuse to come -- unless they want to
• Refuse to sit -- unless they want to
• Refuse to stay -- unless they're bored silly, and if so, that's the BEST time to move around to stir up the action anyway
• Refuse to stop barking -- unless there's something in it for them...like a fabulous treat
• Refuse to do what you want at the PRECISE moment that it's most important that they do...like when you're trying to show off how obedient and well-trained they are (which is, of course, a grand delusion on your part).

Nor, it seems, has anyone told you:

• A Cairn can never, ever, ever be trusted off-leash, EVER.
• Not even for a second.
• Regardless of how well-trained you have deluded yourself into believing he is.
• That all the dogs you've had before and have trained so well don't matter...if they weren't Cairns. Because Cairns are different.
• Very different
• That they're generally NOT the best breed for a home with small children.
• That one bears repeating: Cairns are generally NOT the best breed for a home with small children.
• That Cairns WILL shed a little (or a lot) if you don't groom them properly.
• That they're relatively resistant to housebreaking (don't expect them to be housebroken in a week, or even a month)!
• And even when you think they're housebroken, if they've got something else on their agenda at the moment, they're likely to conveniently "forget."
• That they are affectionate -- on their terms, not yours.
• That they are stubborn and hardheaded, not to mention incredibly independent
• That obedience training is a necessity, not a luxury. And that it's just the FIRST step in the process.
• That you should read the previous sentence again, and forget everything you think you know. If you haven't owned a Cairn, it doesn't apply.
• That they were bred to hunt and kill, and their intense prey drive can NEVER be trained out of them. Toto may not have KILLED those flying monkeys, but that's only because Toto KNEW they were fakes. Otherwise, they'd have been dead, not merely outwitted.

What they SHOULD have told you is:

• They're wonderful for THE RIGHT OWNER
• They're loving -- IF YOU LOVE THEM, TREAT THEM WELL, AND HAVE EARNED THEIR RESPECT
• They're smart -- PROBABLY SMARTER THAN YOU
• They're sweet -- WHEN THEY WANT TO BE
• They're funny -- VIRTUALLY ALL THE TIME, IF YOU ENJOY DEMENTED, DEVIOUS, DEVILISH HUMOR
• They're good with GOOD, WELL-BEHAVED CHILDREN WHO HAVE GOOD, RESPONSIBLE PARENTS. And if they haven't had a bad experience previously with ill-behaved kids. Otherwise, it's a recipe for disaster.
• They're strong
• They're hearty
• They're brave
• They're relentless
• They're devious
• They're insightful
• They're indomitable
• They're energetic beyond description
• They're intelligent beyond belief
• They're the BEST dog you'll ever own
• BUT...they just may be the WORST dog you can imagine.

THAT PART IS ALL UP TO YOU!

Oh, and by the way, Toto was actually a GIRL!

Going Racing

Tucker says...

Yesterday I had a really fun day. Mom and Dad took me on a car ride and when we got there, instead of just a walk, I got to meet bunches and bunches of other doggies. It was a Cairn Picnic! I also got to see my Grams who bred me and meet my half sisters Tilly and Molly. There were so many people and dogs it was a little scary and confusing, especially when some of the dogs weren't very nice. I love everybody and I only growled once when another dog started it first. I did like the puppies best, Mom should have brought one home with us. I thought I was in trouble one time though because Mom was sticking me in a box like I had to lay down for a time out. But it turns out that box opens up on the other side and I got to run out and chase a squirrel. It was a fake squirrel though so I didn't see the point of running all that hard.

Michelle says...

We had a good time at the Cairn Races and picnic. Tucker behaved like an angel and he tried not to be embarassed by the amateur grooming I've inflicted on him and by his pudgy body compared to all of those show dogs. I think he's perfect. We tried a few of the events. The first one was the "Kissing Contest". Normally, Tucker is crazy for kissing humans, but when I tried to get him to kiss me he was too distracted by all of the whooping and hollering going on with the racing across the field and he scored a big fat ZERO! Of course, the rest of the day, he enthusiastically kissed any face he could. Then we decided to give the racing a go. Tucker was scared to go in the the starting box because he didn't know what it was all about. Finally I managed to stuff him in butt-first. He did pretty good on his two practice runs, he came out of the box and ran all the way to the finish. In the main event he was in the sixth heat and we decided John would put him in the start and I'd try to get a picture of him running. Unfortunately, without John at the finish calling him on, Tucker decided he didn't need to run all the way to the end. It started to rain about then and we thought it was a good time to head for home, so Tucker missed his chance to really shine in the hot dog eating contest. He also missed the costume contest, though we were a little ambivalent on whether Tucker would be humiliated to wear his borrowed devil costume anyway. When we got home, Tucker was living up to his registered name of "Furclan All Tuckered Out".

Hurricane Heartbreak

The destruction hurricane Katrina brought to the Gulf Coast of our country is heartbreaking. The magnitude of the suffering is difficult to comprehend so it is the small scenes that can wrench so deeply. I couldn't sleep last night with the TV news image repeating in my mind of a tiny little dog tossed to the side of a highway by a policeman as her devastated owner was put on an evacuation bus. Perhaps many wouldn't consider pets to be worth our thoughts with the suffering humanity is experiencing, but I think that for those who have lost everything including hope, the comfort of a pet would be a lifeline. My heart aches again each time I think of that poor little dog with the confused face and what her owner must be feeling. So, along with your prayers and donations to human relief efforts, remember our pets who depend on us for everything. Here are some relief organizations who are on the ground and making a difference:

North Shore Animal League America
The Humane Society of the United States
Noah's Wish
American Kennel Club Canine Relief Fund
Louisiana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Grooming

Michelle says...

One of the books I read on Cairn Terriers before I got Tucker said that when it comes to coat, Cairns are "the lazy man's terrier". I say hah to that! Dogs with higher maintenance coats you can just take to a good groomer, pay some money and pick up a dog that looks good. Take a Cairn to a groomer you're just as likely to come home with a dog whose coat texture has been ruined by being clippered instead of stripped and that looks like a Schnauzer or a Westie! When I got Tucker I had no idea what hand stripping was. I still am really bad at it, but I try. My main effort is to try to make sure he looks like a Cairn, that his coat and skin are healthy and that I'm not too embarrassed to show photos of him to his breeder. My husband and I have a philosophical difference about his ears though. I'd like to clean the hair off the top 1/3 of the ear like Cairns are supposed to be groomed but my husband really likes the ear tips to have that long hair on it. He says it's "character". We'll see.

Stripping isn't too hard on the main part of the body. I use a stripping stone, which is basically a piece of pumice stone. You stroke it with the growth direction of the hair and it pulls the dead top coat hairs, which are loosely rooted, out. I've not managed this with a stripping knife or just my fingers like the experts can, but the stone does the trick for me. The legs and tummy are another story though. I've given up doing a true strip in those areas and use a grooming tool called a coat king, which has a blade you draw through the hair that cuts the top layer out sort of like thinning shears.

Another thing I read said you should never or hardly ever bathe Cairns because it softens their hard coat. That's not going to happen with a dog who sleeps in my bed thank you very much! Though he definitely doesn't need bathed as often as many dogs, Tucker does get shampooed every two to three weeks. I just use a shampoo specially made to preserve the texture of harsh terrier coats.

Tucker says...

Today my Mom tried to pull all my hair out with a ROCK! She said that's what she was supposed to do. I can't believe somebody would tell her to do such torture to me! And my Dad said to quit being a whiner and hold still for it because my sisters who are show dogs (hi Ellie and Heidi!) have it done all the time. Well I don't care, I didn't like it! By the time she was done, there was hair everywhere. There was a pile of hair the size of another doggy! My hair is still longer than the girls' though. Mom got tired and sneezy and said we would do some more another time. THEN I had to have a bath. But I dried faster because of the hair pulling. You can see my eyes better now and I don't have such a thick ruff around my neck. Anyway, everybody write to my Mom and tell her that's not what was meant to be done at all and that what really needs done is "more treats and walks".

This is my sister, she doesn't look that much better than me, I think my Mom's putting me on about this whole pulling it out thing...

The Wellspring of Delight

Tucker says...

Do you like to play in the water? I love to! When I go on my walks, there is this fountain that I get to play in that is really exciting. The water comes up out of holes in the ground and I run and run and try to catch it. The bad thing about catching it is that the water can go up my nose real hard, so I mostly just chase the water and don't seriously try to catch it. At home I try and get my Dad to turn on the garden hose and let me play with the water as aften as possible. That is LOTS of fun. He sprays the water and I try to bite at it and chase the spray around the yard till I'm completely soaked and out of breath. When he stops I bark at him till he does some more! One thing though. I went to the beach a couple of weeks ago and that water I did NOT like. A big wave came and tried to knock me over and it made me scared so I only played in the sand by the edge of the water.Michelle says...

Tucker's love of playing with the garden hose was an accident. One day he was being obnoxious and barking about something so my husband gave him a squirt with the water spray hoping it would startle him into being quiet. Wouldn't you know it, Tucker thought that was great fun. Now he goes outside and sits next to the hose and moans to himself and looks at us hopefully till we give in and let him play in the spray. I've never seen him run so hard and so fast as when he is chasing the end of the water spray. Luckily his coat is the kind that doesn't hold dirt much and that dries fast. This is not the case with his little friend Sadie the Maltese! She and Tucker had a grand time playing in the water a couple of weekends ago... after which I had to give Sadie a bath... I couldn't return her home the way she was! And speaking of baths, why is that Tucker loves to play in the water but does his best to leap out of the laundry tub when I'm bathing him? When he was tiny he was fascinated by the water running from the faucet and barely realized he was getting a bath. Now he struggles and looks pathetic and generally makes it more difficult than it needs to be...I guess it's that shampoo part of it.

What a Cute Boy!

Michelle says...

When he isn't being a total brat, Tucker really is adorable. That bed he's lounging in in this picture is an interesting story. We couldn't get him to go in it for anything for the longest time. We thought he just didn't like it and was mad that we'd taken away the one he'd had since he was little but had outgrown. Then for some reason it got moved to the area between our dining room and living room and he instantly flopped himself into it and acted like he'd been using it all his life. Apparently it was the bed's location not the bed itself that mattered. He does have a weird fleece addiction though. Every couple of days he will go up to his bed and attack it. He will dig at it with his paws till great clumps of fleece fuzz come out and he somersaults upside down into it. All the while the bed is scooting across the room. At times he digs so hard the bed flips over on top of him and he rolls around under it like it's another dog he's playing with.

Tucker says...

I am NOT a fleece addict. I could quit any time.

Chewing

Tucker says...

I love to chew. So many things are perfect to put my teeth on. I have learned those things that will get me into trouble bigtime for chewing though. Like shoes and books and furniture (including my doggie bed), and the contents of laundry baskets. Mostly I can resist temptation. Except the socks. If I can reach socks, they are fair game as far as I'm concerned. You snooze, you lose Mommy.

But that still leaves a whole world of chewing possibilities. Of the sanctioned items, my favorite would be my Booda Bimple cornstarch bones. Those are good chewing! In a week I can kill off the size meant for dogs that weigh 75 pounds. Rawhide is ok too. And I'm getting more into my Nylabone. I always get the tube from the toilet paper and the paper towels and those are pretty good, though I hate it when my Dad makes that "doo-to-doo" noise through the end of the tube at me. I bark really loud when he does that. And I definitely like Greenies, but they don't last long enough to really put into the category of good chewing, they are more like a good snack.

Then there are the not-so-sanctioned things that I like to chew. The aforementioned socks of course. And Keenex! I love to hold a tissue between my paws and rip pieces off and fling them. Very satisfactory somehow. Anything crinkly that falls on the floor is exciting. Sticks are good, and sometimes I get to chew those without being scolded, but they worry I'll swallow slivers. The apple trees are dropping lots of fruit on the ground right now and I tried them...eeew sour! But they are fun to carry around and chase like a ball.

Michelle says...

Cairns have teeth that surprise most people when they see them. They are big! Tucker is what is known as an "aggressive chewer". It is really something to see when he gets in a chewing trance. He sits with his Booda bone between his paws, ears flopped back, his eyes glazed over and chews for what seems like hours. Speaking of Kleenex, Tucker has made the connection between a human sneeze and Kleenex. I used to think he was just being sweet and concerned when he came running and looked up at me every time I sneezed. Now he's gotten bolder. He runs up and if he can, he GRABS the tissue off your nose! I'm just glad that he isn't a problem chewer as far as furniture and rugs and that sort of thing. I wasn't amused the day I had to chase him around the back yard trying to get a pair of panties he'd stolen from the laundry back though!