Dog Training for a Cairn Terrior

Originally from the Isle of Skye in the Scottish Highlands, the cairn terrier was bread to kill vermin. Stone cairns, or rocks that are piled on each other, often marked property borders. The terrier was trained to flush the small animals out of the cairns and dispose of them. Like Labradors, the cairn wants to please and is very intelligent. Because of this, they need training to have manners. This also helps them from getting bored and looking for trouble.

  1. Establish A Routine

    • Like children, cairn terriers thrive on routine. Feed, walk, train and with your dog at about the same time every day. The person who is around the puppy the most should be the person who trains the dog. Once the dog is trained, other people who use the same words or cues should get the correct response from the dog. If the training is not routine, meaning that it happens occasionally, the dog will not remember between sessions, and will likely do only what it wants to do. This can also happen if the order of the routine is disturbed on a regular basis.

    Consistency

    • Consistency works hand in hand with a regular routine. Not only do you have to stay consistent to the routine, but also in the way the dog is being trained. For instance, if you are house-training your dog, and want it to respond to a certain command when it is okay to eliminate, you need to use the same command consistently. Another example of this is teaching the dog "no." If you say "no" to the dog when it has done something wrong, but somebody else uses "quit it," then the dog will be confused and will not listen to either of you.

    Positive Attitide

    • Dogs pick up on their owner's attitudes, so being positive is essential when training your cairn. It is important to reward the dog when something is done right. This reward does not need to be food, it can be enthusiastic praise, a quick toss of a toy, or some other fun activity the doge likes. Each dog will respond to something different. As you train your dog, they are learning as much about you as you are about them.

    Be Patient

    • Patience is part of training. The dogs will make mistakes, and it is important that they do not feel your frustration with them. If they do, they may act up, or end up being nervous and afraid. If a training session gets too stressful for either you or your cairn, take a break and do something else for awhile. You can come back to training a little later or wait until the routine time the following day. This gives you both a chance to relax and be ready for the next session.