While summer is winding down, there is still a risk of heat related illness for our dogs. In some parts of Canada late summer can be very warm. Heat related illnesses are a progression from mild symptoms to life threatening … Read More

A study of microbial contamination of household items found that dog water bowls were the 4th most contaminated item in the home, after kitchen sponges / dish rags, kitchen sinks, and toothbrush holders!  (https://www.nsf.org/blog/consumer/clean-germiest-home-items). Worse yet, a UK study found … Read More

One Easy Hack to Fix Your Dog’s Behaviour – Really??? Have you seen those ubiquitous facebook ads offering easy, instantaneous, and guaranteed fixes for your dog’s behaviour? Phrases that figure prominently in these ads include: ‘amazing results’, ‘works for all … Read More

The CGN program is conducted by the Canadian Kennel Club. Margaret Armstrong and MacTavish recently were awarded their CGN title and share their experiences. Meet MacTavish! MacTavish,(Gaegordon’s Beau Bristle), is an exuberant, loving, intelligent, determined, enthusiastic four year old Cairn … Read More

Is it ok to play ball? Recently, there has been a controversy raging behind the scenes about whether or not it is safe. to play ball (or fetch) with your dog.  Proponents say that ball play / fetch / frisbee … Read More

2023 is the 50th Anniversary of the Cairn Terrier Club of Canada. The CTCC was first formed in the spring of 1952 by a small group of Cairn fanciers; with the first meeting of members held in Agincourt, Ontario. The … Read More

Dogs are considered overweight when they are 10-20% above their ideal body weight. A study by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention in 2018 showed that that 56% of pet dogs in the USA are overweight. A study in 2019 … Read More

Other dental issues   Retained deciduous teeth The deciduous teeth are the baby teeth. The deciduous teeth should fall out as the adult teeth start to develop and should be gone by the time the adult tooth erupts. Permanent teeth … Read More

Caring for your Cairn Terrier’s Teeth • Monitor your puppy as the adult teeth come in for retained deciduous teeth and problems with the bite. • Regular dental care at home can reduce the risk of gingivitis and periodontitis. • … Read More

Cairn Terriers and Dental Disease: Part 1 Did you know that dogs over 3 years old have an 80-90% risk of having some degree of periodontal disease? Dental disease is common in Cairn Terriers. Studies have shown that the incidence … Read More

The history of the evolution of dog training methods goes back to the early 1900’s. Pavlov set a foundation for the understanding of animal behaviour with his experiments that showed animals could make a link between a neutral stimulus and … Read More

‘Find it’ is a great game for your dog.  This game is especially good because it engages their scent detection skills. The dog’s nose is vastly superior to the human nose and a large proportion of the dog’s brain is … Read More

Since the outset, the SARS-COV2 pandemic has resulted in a huge increase in demand for puppies as families have flocked to take advantage of working from home to integrate a puppy into their household. Some had already been planning for … Read More

Why do dogs do dog stuff? By Susanne Shelton (Austerlitz German Shepherd Dogs) Originally posted in Pandemic Puppy Raising Support Group (Facebook) Reprinted with permission of the author. I wish that everything in life was black and white. I like … Read More

This week I was happy to see the return of one of the tiny puppies in my training class. The previous week he had been absent from class because he was under veterinary care for marijuana intoxication. The veterinary clinic … Read More

With much of the Canadian landscape under a deep and protracted polar vortex, making usual outdoor activities with our dogs much less pleasant and sustainable, now is a good time to think about indoor enrichment activities to keep our dogs … Read More

This has been a very atypical year with many challenges and we can all use a little humour and a little inspiration. Here are a few links to entertain and bring a smile – and hopefully inspire you to teach … Read More

  Halloween brings with it some safety concerns for our pups but also provides great opportunities to train some really valuable skills. A bit of planning and prep work can help make sure that your puppy not only safely survives … Read More

In the last blog post we looked at some of the challenges of getting a puppy in the context of COVID lockdowns and travel restrictions. This blog will examine ways you optimize your puppy search and prepare for a puppy … Read More

Puppies and COVID   There has been a remarkable increase in the demand for puppies since COVID lockdowns began. Many breeders have experienced an extraordinary number of puppy inquiries – often 5 to 10 times their usual number of inquiries. … Read More