Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Cairn Terrier Breed Overview
- History of the Cairn Terrier Breed. Where Cairn Terriers came from
- What the Cairn Terrier Looks Like
- How Much is the Cairn Terrier Puppy?
- Best Cairn Terrier Breeders
- Adopting or Rescuing the Cairn Terrier
- Cairn Terrier Growth
- The Temperament of the Cairn Terrier
- How Long Cairn Terriers Live
- Cairn Terrier Litter Size
- How Fast Cairn Terriers Can Run
- Good Names for Cairn Terriers
- How Intelligent are Cairn Terriers?
- How Popular are Cairn Terriers with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Cairn Terriers and How to Prevent Them
- How to Take Care of Cairn Terrier
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Cairn Terriers
- Other Things to Know About Cairn Terriers
Cairn Terrier Breed Overview
The Cairn Terrier is a tiny-sized dog.
The adult Cairn Terrier stands 9 to 10 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Cairn Terrier belongs to the Terrier Dogs group.
Dogs in the Terrier Dogs group, like the Cairn Terrier, were originally bred to go underground to hunt rodents and other small wild animals (vermin).
Terriers come in a wide range of sizes and shapes, but all terriers are energetic, highly intelligent, and territorial. Terries also have the tendency to escape. They require a securely fenced yard.
The fact that the Cairn Terrier belongs to the Terrier Dogs group is one of the reasons why Cairn Terriers have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Cairn Terrier is generally described as:
- Active
- Assertive
- Fearless
- Gay
- Hardy
- Intelligent
History of the Cairn Terrier Breed. Where Cairn Terriers came from
The Cairn Terrier appears to be alert and eager.
This little dog isn`t just a lapdog; they mean business.
They have a small head in proportion to their body, with enough skull breadth to support the strong muzzle.
The teeth come together in a scissors or level bite.
There is a distinct indentation or stop between the medium-sized and hazel-colored eyes.
The sparkling eyes are hidden beneath their distinctive shaggy brows.
The erect ears are small and set apart, the nose is small and black, and they have a longish neck that allows proper head carriage.
The Cairn Terrier has very strong muscular thighs with a normal build and a medium-length body with well-sprung ribs.
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What the Cairn Terrier Looks Like
The Cairn Terrier appears alert and eager.
This is no ordinary lapdog; they mean business.
They have a small head, but in proportion to their body with sufficient breadth of skull to support the strong muzzle.
In a scissors or level bite, the teeth come together.
There is a distinct indentation or stop between the medium-sized, hazel-colored eyes.
Their sparkling eyes are hidden beneath their distinctive shaggy brows.
The erect ears are small and spaced apart, the nose is small and black, and they have a longish neck that allows for proper head carriage.
The Cairn Terrier has a medium-length body with well-sprung ribs and very strong muscular thighs with a normal bite.
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How Much is the Cairn Terrier Puppy?
The average price of a Cairn Terrier puppy is $1650. The price of a Cairn Terrier puppy ranges from $1500 to $1750.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Cairn Terrier. These factors include what health records the Cairn Terrier puppy has, the lineage of the Cairn Terrier puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Cairn Terrier based on the many factors that determine the price of the Cairn Terrier puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Cairn Terrier puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Cairn Terrier breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Cairn Terrier Breeders
We have researched reputable Cairn Terrier breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Cairn Terrier breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Kristy Adams
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
B & R Cairns
Puppy Price: $1400
Shelly Althaus
Puppy Price: $1800
Home Raised
Puppy Price: $1,700
Northwest Cairn Terriers
Puppy Price: $1,500
Adopting or Rescuing the Cairn Terrier
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Cairn Terriers included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.
These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.
In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.
Below is an adorable Male Cairn Terrier named Ozzie that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Cairn Terriers like Ozzie on pefinder.com.
Donkey is the name of another Cairn Terrier (Male) on petfinder.com that is looking for a new forever home.
You can find more Cairn Terriers that are available for adoption on petfinder.
Cairn Terrier Growth
New Cairn Terrier owners need to know about the growth of their Cairn Terriers. This will help them plan their living spaces accordingly.
Also, knowing the typical growth pattern of the Cairn Terrier will help new owners catch the abnormal growth of their Cairn Terrier early.
See our calculator for predicting how big your Cairn Terrier puppy will get. You will also learn about the typical weight of the Cairn Terrier at different ages and how to catch abnormal growth in your Cairn Terrier
The Temperament of the Cairn Terrier
The temperament of the Cairn Terrier based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the Cairn Terrier for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Cairn Terrier here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Prey Drive | 76.2 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 58.4 percent |
| Energy Level | 54.1 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 53.5 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 52.8 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 49.3 percent |
| Stubbornness | 45.9 percent |
| Excitability | 45.7 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 39.8 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 39.6 percent |
| Owner Directed Aggression | 38.2 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 32.2 percent |
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 21.0 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 17.9 percent |
How Long Cairn Terriers Live
The lifespan of the Cairn Terrier is typically from 12 to 15 years.
Moreover, a few years back, veterinarian researchers performed a scientific study to determine the lifespan of the Cairn Terrier. In this study, the scientists collected data on how long 124 pet Cairn Terriers lived.
From the study, it was found that Cairn Terriers have an average lifespan of 14 years. Furthermore, the study found that it is not uncommon for Cairn Terriers to live as long as 18.3 years.
Note that you need to put in some effort if you want your Cairn Terrier to live long.
Cairn Terriers live long if they eat well, drink well, exercise well, and visit the veterinarian regularly.
There are also dog supplements that you can give your Cairn Terrier to improve your Cairn Terrier`s quality of their life.
Click here to learn more about how to make your Cairn Terrier live long.
Cairn Terrier Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 182 different Cairn Terrier birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Cairn Terriers can have is 4 puppies. Also, the Cairn Terrier can have as few as 1 puppies per litter and as many as 8 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Cairn Terrier will have depends on factors such as the age of the Cairn Terrier, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Cairn Terrier will have and how the litter size of the Cairn Terrier compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Cairn Terriers Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 196 different Cairn Terriers, the average speed of the Cairn Terrier is 17.8 mph (28.6 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Cairn Terrier ran in a race is 23.62 mph (38.0 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Cairn Terrier is 2.81 mph (4.5 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Cairn Terrier compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Cairn Terriers
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Cairn Terrier ranked by popularity:
- Unknown
- Toto
- Rusty
- Chase
- Bubba
- Pretzel
- Prince
- Harley
- Chico
- Max
How Intelligent are Cairn Terriers?
| Cairn Terrier | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 35 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Cairn Terrier has an obedience intelligence rank of 35 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Cairn Terriers in the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
This means that Cairn Terriers tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Standard Poodle | 2 |
| Miniature Schnauzer | 12 |
| Cocker Spaniel | 20 |
| Weimaraner | 21 |
| Belgian Malinois | 22 |
| Pomeranian | 23 |
| Irish Water Spaniel | 24 |
| Airedale Terrier | 29 |
| Welsh Springer Spaniel | 31 |
| Bedlington Terrier | 40 |
| Alaskan Malamute | 50 |
| Ibizan Hound | 53 |
| Pug | 57 |
| Chinese Crested | 61 |
| Great Pyrenees | 64 |
| Bullmastiff | 69 |
| Beagle | 72 |
| Pekingese | 73 |
| Bloodhound | 74 |
| Chow Chow | 76 |
How Popular are Cairn Terriers with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Cairn Terrier.
The popularity of the Cairn Terrier averaged over the years is Number 69 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Cairn Terriers and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Cairn Terrier is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Cairn Terrier puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Cairn Terrier breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Cairn Terriers for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Cairn Terriers here.
How to Take Care of Cairn Terrier
To take good care of your Cairn Terrier, you need to make sure that you groom your Cairn Terrier regularly.
Secondly, you need to find a veterinarian in your area that will routinely check the health status of your Cairn Terrier regularly, and give you appropriate recommendations on your Cairn Terrier`s preventative care.
Thirdly, you need to commit some time to exercise your Cairn Terrier daily. Regular exercise helps improve the health and quality of life of your Cairn Terrier.
Also, you need to feed your Cairn Terrier high-quality dog food, and the food should be of the right amount to prevent your Cairn Terrier from getting overweight or underweight.
See our recommendations on what to feed the Cairn Terrier and how much food to feed the Cairn Terrier at different life stages.
Finally, you need to make sure that your Cairn Terrier has access to clean water all the time. See our recommendations on how much water your Cairn Terrier needs to drink at different ages.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Cairn Terriers
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Cairn Terrier.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Cairn Terrier:
- Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever (81 percent match with Cairn Terrier). Learn more about the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever here.
Other Things to Know About Cairn Terriers
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Cairn Terrier that you need to know about the Cairn Terrier breed: