33 replies to this topic

[Kit'sOwner]

I went through two rounds of beginner level training with my 10 month old Cairn (she was quite younger then) last year and it was a struggle to pass both times (hence doing twice). I just wonder if I should register her in the intermediate group or if it will be another miserable, panic attack laden spectacle. Sometimes I don't know if it's stupidity or stubborness.

[Kit'sOwner]

stubborness or stupidity on my dog's behalf LOL! I KNOW she can do basic commands; she just CHOOSES NOT TO and I feel that I need to keep on top of her hence my wondering if she's ready for round two. Any one have success? We go to PetSmart. It's what we can afford money and time wise.

[Nikki]

are they using a clicker to train her? maybe find a high value treat to motive her. She is still young and stubborn. do you just work with her just during your class time? Or do you spend like 15 mins a day working on what you learned in class?
I am not sure where you live but petsmart is more expensive than alot of the better trainers in my area.

[kintra]

I don't know what PetSmart prices are but it was around $10 or so a session with my trainer. I did it mostly to fine tune us for obedience (I have terrible nerves when it comes to performance events) but there were a lot of pet owners just wanting basic obedience in the lower level classes.

I would suggest talking with your trainer. If you feel they are qualified in the area, they should be able to help you decided what is the best option.

[MacFluff]

Training r us. Do our Cairns ever stop training us?

Back when I found myself with Four Cairns, I hired a trainer to come to the house. Yes, it was expensive. But, I was having trouble with Micki (10) having issues with the pups, and I wanted to gain control of the situation. It was a lot of work. I had homework every day with four dogs individually. But, it paid off. I do not regret spending the money. I learned more from him than I did in all the past 'classes' I had taken. Just little things that made a big difference.

Now, there's Gracie. She's 7 mos. and my wild thing. Oh, she'll sit, and stay (when the mood strikes her), and she loves to go to the dog park. But, she's in for an awakening when the weather turns. I'm going to be going out in the front yard with her on the long lead squirt bottle near by for car traing, and we're going to get down to business. My most wonderful gentleman, Sully, and very good sweet Sarah do NOT attempt to get out of the car until I say 'let's go'. I am truly amazed at this, and very proud of them.

Then, there's Gracie. But, training, training, training a few minutes every day does pay off.

So, keep up the good work. Our little guys are smart. They'll teach us.

[oscar's mom]

check out your local SPCA or something like they may have training classes. i think petsmart is a great idea, but hearing they may be on the expensive side, i would also check craigs list in your area for trainers.

[bradl]

Wheee, training terriers is fun and challenging. Stupid and stubborn are not the only two options.

Someone who does not understand our language or respond sensibly to our conversations is not necessarily stupid; they may merely be pre-literate in our language. It is often the case that our dogs simply do not understand what we are really asking of them. Being busy, full of their own ideas, and a bit hard-headed can make Cairns doubly challenging.

Another sometimes frustrating obstacle is that dogs do not seem to generalize all that well. I'm not saying they don't at all, rather that they may not be as good at it as we seem to be. Knowing how to do a trick in the kitchen, at home, in the morning, is not necessarily the same thing as knowing how to offer the same behavior at the park, outdoors, in the afternoon. This is one reason I believe that "housetrained" is not a knowledge-thing so much as a habit-thing.

Yet with some consistent work, behaviors can be pretty well generalized. Sit, stay, and down (and hopefully, "going outside") are three that are important to generalize so that they are universally usable.

I would definitely do a price-check to compare training with a dog club vs PetSmart, if possible. If not, don't worry ... the most important thing is to spend quality time with your dog, exercising both of your brains

[kjwarnold]

You might check your local animal shelter. Ours offers both beginner and advanced obedience classes and they're very good. They are less expensive than other trainers (6 weeks for $48) and I think they do a better job. Also ask your breeder for suggestions.

Don't give up! Be sure you practice every day but not for long periods. They do get bored. And remember that they are terriers and are bred to think on their own. That's good, but doesn't always make them easy. Have fun and enjoy the challenge!

[BEARCATJER]

We just brought our new Cairn puppy...PIPER...home from the breeder a week and a half ago.What a sweet and fiesty little girl she is! Like most folks, I guess, we bought a couple of books on Cairns to help understand how to go about training her in housebreaking, getting used to using her crate etc. So far we havent had as much success as we hoped or expected in the housebreaking area.She has even had one accident in her crate which we understand is a last resort for a dog.We have established a routine of her sleeping in her crate all nite which she does with no problem. We get up early in AM and immediately take her out and she starts the day off well in doing her "duty".Thereafter, however, it is hit and miss in spite of our taking her out no less and every 1 1/2 hours.We give her a treat for every successful trip outside and use a leash with a small harness instead of a choke type collar which i dont like for such a small puppy. I always try to take her to the same area in our yard, praise her lavishly when she does her business outside etc.

Piper is only 10 weeks old and we know it doesnt happen overnight,but we havent had a puppy for about 30 years so Im just trying to see if we are overlooking any specific tips or techniques to successfully housebreak her.We keep her confined in our house to a large area of the kitchen and sizable hearth rooms which we have gated and that has worked very well.The only real frustration is when we take her out, she doesnt do her business, and when we come back into the house she then suddenly does in the house! We have had a Miniature Schnauzer and a Llasa Apso during the last 20 years..both died from old age..so we are experienced dog folks, but we just cant understand why our new puppy wont "go" outside on some occasions ,but then does as soon as we bring her inside.

In any event this is one sweet little puppy and I know we will overcome the training issues over time. I'm just wondering by what age we should expect ourselves to have a fully housebroken dog if we consistent work at it with her.

Thanks for any helpful tips or other insight anyone can provide.

[jimnconnie]

Hi, Bearcatjer, & CAIRNGRATULATIONS!! on your new puppy. Piper is a great name for a little Scottish Cairn lass. It sounds to me like you've got a pretty good handle on the potty-training idea. The one thing I might suggest is when you think it's time that she should go but she doesn't, take her back into the house and put her in her crate for about 30 minutes, then take her back out to try again. If she still doesn't go, back into the crate for another 30 mins. & then try again. Repeat this until she is successful, then praise her and play with her a little before going back indoors. She's still really young so, as you know, occassional accidents will happen. Good Luck!
Jim

[Zekey's Mom]

Zekey just went to his first obedience class tonight. I can tell I'm going to have issues -- he growled a lot at the other dogs, which he NEVER does on our walks!

One of our homework exercises is to sit (meaning, I sit on the floor), and have Zekey lie down next to me, and he can't get up for 30 minutes! Yikes! It's to teach them who's in charge. We're supposed to do this 3 times this week, more if possible.

As for costs, I bit the bullet and am paying $200 for six 1-hour sessions, maximum of 6 dogs in the class. I did look into a cheaper, 10-session class at a K9 Gym, but it doesn't start until April, and I've already wasted enough time. I want to get us through this, so that we can start agility.

Bearcat -- welcome! You've found a great place for answers. Try all of the advice offered, and remember that it's going to take months! Good luck!

[pkcrossley]

not confusing stubborn and stupid is good, since they are definitely not the same. i know some cairns are smarter than others, but none are stupid. as for learning commands and then refusing to do them, that is class a typical cairn behavior. when they are learning the commands they get paid for doing them, as soon as they have "learned" them the payment stops. dimmer dogs keep going, but cairns aren't suckers. no payment, no performance. operant conditioning, in which the dog obeys pretty much without thinking about it, doesn't work all that well on terriers. they are bred to do their own thinking, and in their original environment their lives depended on that.

this is just my experience, but the best way to get a cairn to actually do what he or she knows is being requested is to develop a relationship with the dog in which she respects you and wants to please you. there just comes a point where a light goes on and you can tell by the look in her eye that she has decided to go along with things because she likes you and wants to do what you want. this may not happen while your dog is young (and kit is very young), but these dogs get pretty deep as they mature. if you can outstubborn her, outsmart her and outbrave her, you will pass a kind of test, and you may find that she gets less and less fixated on defiance and stubbornness.

[Kit'sOwner]

Excellent advice, indeed. Right now, none of that respect is happening at all. It irks me to no end because she DOES have that respect for my husband, who did NOT WANT to get a dog (but has grown to love her) and therefore has not been taking her to classes or doing most of the work of dog ownership. It's not out of spite, it's just because he knows that she will do anything for him (maybe because he doesn't fuss her up and talk to her like a baby and therefore give in to her every whim) and says I need to work to get her to be that way with me, ie: to respect me.

Long story short, I have decided to go for the intermediate level at our local PetSmart, where we have an EXCELLENT trainer. I have little faith that she will pass as she is at that point you mentioned where the food isn't really doing it for her re: command execution. It's going to be an exercise in frustration for me for sure but I have to keep working with her because she is so. bloody. stubborn.

On our walk last night, she was CRAZY. All over the place, freaking out on other dogs and parents pushing babies in strollers. Horrifying. People looking at me like "get your animal under control".

[little feet zip]

when I started trainning classes with Zip he was a year old and we had him for six months. In that six month period i had done alot of reading on the breed and wondered what I had gotten into. My primmary goal was to get him somewhat under control so that if anything happened to us he would have a better chance of being rehomed. So when we started classes I told him it was a 50/50 deal if he would listen 50% of the time I was ok with that.After several more classes we slowly got up to 60% then 65% and so on so after 3 1/2years we are up to about 90%. I hope to grow old with this little guy and maybe some day get to 100%. So you just have to keep at it and not get to frustrated.

Rich

[kjwarnold]

Wow, sitting there with you for 30 minutes right off the bat?