By Heidi Clayton
In 1939, a couple dropped off a little dog named Terry at the Hollywood Dog Training School, which was owned by Carl Spitz. Reportedly, they dropped the Cairn Terrier off because they could not stop the dog from going to the bathroom inside their home. The couple never returned to get the dog, which was perhaps for the best. Spitz trained the Cairn Terrier, who eventually was picked to play the role of Dorothy’s dog Toto in “The Wizard of Oz”. Spitz changed her name to Toto, who then went on to appear in 13 movies in total. Long before Toto’s stardom, Cairn Terriers were popular in the Scottish Highlands for their vermin routing abilities.
The Cairn Terrier is named after the rock formations found in the Scottish Highlands that were formed to mark graves or used as a property boundary on farms. Vermin would house themselves under these rocks, so a dog known as Scotch Terrier was bred to dig under them and kill the vermin. As early as the 1600s, these formidable little hunters took on rats, foxes, and otters. Legend is that a Cairn chasing an otter away latched onto the otter’s tail and went into the ocean with it rather than give up his prize. In 1887, the first breed standards in England were written to separate the Scotch breeds, which led to today’s Scottish Terrier, West Highland White Terrier, and the Cairn Terrier. Cairns made their way to the United States in 1913, and the official American Kennel Club breeding standard has not been altered at all since being written in 1938.
Cairns are small dogs with the girls maxing out at about 13 pounds and boys roughly 14-15. Make no mistake, despite their small size, they are “all terrier”. They are described as being intelligent, confident, and bold little dogs, but are friendly with everyone they meet. The Cairn Terrier Club of America stresses that they have a natural affinity towards children and must be a part of the family. They also stress that because of their fearless tenacity, early positive-based training will prevent the Cairn from assuming that they are the leaders of the household and keep them from getting themselves into trouble. The Cairns by all accounts can adapt to living in a large house to a small apartment as long as they are given ample exercise.
Cairns come in a variety of colors except white and have a waterproof double coat that is harsh or wiry on top and downy underneath. They are not a breed that needs to be sent to the groomers all of the time but will need regular brushing to prevent matting and stripping of the undercoat. Since they were ratters, their front feet and pads are bigger than their back feet to facilitate digging. And because they were used to dispatch vermin, they, like most terriers, have very large teeth in relation to their size.
The English Cairn Terrier Club boasts that their breed makes the best little pal in the world. Everyone I know who breeds them agrees and can’t say enough about how well they adapt to anything life throws at them. If you are looking for a loyal and loving family dog with a predictable coat and temperament, look no further than the Cairn Terrier. And if you live on the island, I promise you they will keep your yard rabbit-free!
Visit cairnterrier.org to learn more about these awesome little dogs.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
