Cairn Terrier

All you need to know about the breed

The Cairn Terrier comes from the Isle of Skye, off the northwest coast of Scotland. A native of the land of driving rain, the Cairn Terrier embodies the old adage ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing’—their thick, resistant, double coats mean they’re not afraid of a little bit of that famous Scottish weather.

The Cairn Terrier was originally bred to hunt out vermin from the stone cairns that dot the windswept landscape of their native land. Their name may hark back to these austere origins, but the modern-day Cairn Terrier generally does not object to a less rugged lifestyle—as long as they have plenty of regular exercise, they don’t need a big garden. Their playful, bold and lively nature makes them a great choice for families—once trained, the Cairn Terrier gets on well with children.

Cairn Terriers are intelligent little dogs and they respond well to reward-based training. Take any treats out of their daily food portion, of course! They can learn an impressive number of tricks and commands with patient and thorough training. That training will be needed to curb Cairn Terriers’ enthusiasm for digging and barking, sometimes even at the same time.

Although Cairn Terriers should be fine with other dogs and even cats, their drive to chase smaller animals may be trickier to overcome. But if there are no rabbits, guinea pigs or other small pets around Cairn Terriers make a great addition to the family.