Buslife Update 12, Monday March 2018
Let me say that I am a professional dog groomer and pet behavior specialist. I have been raising and training dogs for twenty years. I have also raised and trained both doberman pinchers and rottweilers for competition in obedience trials.
With that being said.
I know all puppies are adorable. I have a beautiful 4 month old Cairn Terrier puppy. Her name is Meegan and I love her as much as parents love their children.
I post pictures of her constantly on Instagram and I'm told how cute she is. I can't disagree.
She's the third Cairn Terrier I've had in 18 years.
I wouldn't have another breed of dog.
But when I'm asked if they're good dogs I have to say no. And I'm not saying that because I'm selfish and I don't want anyone else to have one.
The reason I say that is because they are difficult dogs. What makes them so difficult is they were originally bred to kill mice,rats and birds. And they've remained true to their origin by having a prey drive equal to or better than any cat I've ever met. I had a friend living with me on my farm years ago. On any farm that feeds grain livestock the mice are a serious issue. The problem knows no season and needs to be dealt with constantly. There was a weekend when we had a challenge. She was sure that her cats would catch more mice. And I felt that my terrier would catch more mice. If she won the challenge she could get a kitten and if I won I could get another cairn puppy.
In the span of 3 days my cairn terrier alone got 29 mice and her two cats together got 17. The following weekend I got another puppy. And she moved out. 
They love to kill things even as a four month old puppy she plays rough. She's already found and killed her first mouse. Now she is constantly vigelent in her quest for more mice. There are some nights she hears a noise and she will dig at the wall until I put her in her box. And once they get an idea in their head it doesn't go away.
She also plays the entire time she's awake. She doesn't require interaction she's perfectly happy to find things on her own. When I lay in the bed with her she could easily spend an hour just wrestling with my arm.
She plays so rough that I wouldn't let her play with any of my friends kids. I wouldn't even let her play with their dogs.
I am retired therefore I'm with her 24/7 so I can stop her as soon as she exhibits a behavior I don't like. But that's not the case with most new puppy buyers. They purchase a Cairn Terrier because they say the size is perfect and they're adorable. Which they are.
I'm not saying there aren't exceptions to this rule. But the majority of Cairn Terriers are not good family pets.
As I have said this is not always the case but I just wanted to take the time and share my observations.
Here’s looking at you. Dogs have three eyelids, an upper lid, a lower lid and the third lid, called a nictitating membrane or "haw," which helps keep the eye moist and protected.
Thank you.
Your honesty is heartwarming! I don't know much about dogs as I am a cat person, but when I am ready to buy a puppy, which my husband and I want to do, I would like to consult you first! Your little dog IS adorable. I would probably think I wanted one!!
She's a beast. She's the equivalent to a cat except much more evil. I have cairn terrier stories about my last two that would make most people cringe. But they are just so different from the well behaved dogs of my past.
Nice pup, guess you won't be needing any mouse traps, haha. Glad you found your ideal breed. I want to get an Amstaff or Amstaff mix when my situation allows it. Had an Amstaff/Lab mix and she was the perfect companion for me. Loved to snuggle and loved to hike.
Thank you for the reply. I absolutely hate mice so it's match made in heaven And I'm a bit mean myself so it works out. I had a pit bull given to me when I was in Texas.Most loyal dog I've had in years. He'd been a fighting dog on the streets in Houston. Covered in scars but he was loyal and a good boy. I've never dealt with an actual Staffordshire Terrier but if they are anything like that pit I had they are great dogs. I love them all. Just a little tough to find places to walk any bully type dog as a bus dweller. My little cairn is probably meaner and no one looks twice😉
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