Old dog toys you'll need:

Rubber dog ball toy with bell inside (two holes needed)
Rubber dog teething ring

Other materials you'll need:

Twine

Instructions: Thread the twine through the ball. Then with both ends of the twine, tie the twine to the rubber teething ring so that the ball is actually inside the ring. Then create a long twine tail and connect it to the ring.

Results: Your Cairn puppy will pull the end of the twine hanging from the ring, and of course, the toy will follow and jingle. If the sound of jingling annoys you, you might want to get a set of ear plugs because Molly and Jack pulled this toy behind them throughout the house for hours! At least I knew where they were and what they were doing. :) Have fun!

Important Note: If your puppy is not passed the teething stage or likes to chew anything in sight, be especially careful that your pup doesn't chew and swallow the twine.

First let me say that all of the dog training techniques you have tried to stop your Cairn Terrier puppy from barking may not be considered positive dog training techniques. Although I can certainly understand why you have tried each of them. I had tried them myself before I found the magic of positive dog training.

I am quite sure your Cairn isn't barking to be mean. Generally a dog that barks excessively means the dog needs more socialization with humans or the outside world, or simply that the dog is bored. I know that sounds odd, but dogs are smart creatures and although the Cairn Terrier breed is small, they are very intelligent and a very social breed.

Cairn Terriers love people and they love to be part of the family activites. They want to feel like they are part of the pack. I'd suggest first easing your Cairn puppy into your social events with your friends and family. Just for a little while won't hurt. I expect you might just see significant behavioral changes in your Cairn pup. I'd also suggest rewarding your puppy for not barking when he might ordinarly do so. A reward can be anything your puppy wants or likes such as treats, praise, playing a game of tag or fetch with you, learning a new trick (I recommend clicker training), a non-routine walk, etc. A reward is anything that makes your puppy feel like he's being rewarded and it should come at a time so he knows exactly what he is being rewarded for.

Positive dog training techniques will work far quicker and last far longer than the old fashioned dog training techniques that most of us are accustomed. Clicker training worked very well with my Cairns, although Molly picked it much faster because I simply worked with her more. Cairns love to learn and this is especially true when they are puppies under the age of one year.

Your Cairn Terrier puppy is at that age I call the puppy "sponge-dog age". He is learning new things all the time, good and bad. He is learning when you least expect it and soaking up everything around him. A few months of teaching him what is acceptable to live with you in your world now will be worth it for the next 10+ years he will be living with you in harmony.

The best clicker training source I found is Karen Pryor's Clicker Training book. When I purchased my book, she sent me a free clicker. You can ask her for one; it won't hurt to ask.

Let me know how it works out for you, Michael. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me. I generally love to help pet owners of the Cairn Terrier breed. My Cairns bring me so much joy as I'm sure your little pup will too.

My other Related Articles you might find helpful:

• Clicker Training a Cairn Terrier
• Clicker Training DVD Videos

Wichita — Kansas often has capitalized on its designation as the home of Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz,” and now one woman thinks the state should honor Dorothy’s buddy, Toto.

Annette McDonald is leading a petition drive to designate Toto’s breed — the cairn terrier — as the state’s official dog.

The Wichita resident acknowledged that she has a special interest in the breed, having owned cairn terriers for 25 years and shown them in national shows. She currently owns five of the animals.

She said the breed exhibits a “true character” that “fits Kansas nicely.” They can be “a little ornery,” but are “jovial” and “game for just about anything,” she said. “They think they’re a big dog in a small package,” and they “love to be a full member of the family.”

Less than half of the states have designated an official state dog, and McDonald said some people have asked why Kansas needs one.

“Well, we have a turtle (official reptile) and salamander (official amphibian),” she replies.

McDonald has enlisted the help of Sen. Mike Peterson, who wasn’t sure at first that lawmakers would be interested in an official state dog, she said.

But after the Wichita Republican found some legislators positive about the idea, she said she started collecting petition signatures to prove the public supports such a designation.

She’s also seeking letters of support from dog lovers and asking Kansas veterinarians to display the petitions. In western Kansas, which has fewer veterinarians, she hopes county extension offices will promote the petitions.

“I think that’s a terrific idea that the lady had,” said Paul Miller, interim director at Dorothy’s House in Liberal, which has collected more than 100 signatures. “They all say, ‘Well, gosh, that’s a natural.”’

In Wamego, where The Oz Museum’s toll-free number is (866) 458-TOTO, more than 200 people have signed the petition, said gift shop manager Ellie Coots.

It's basically a bacterial infection that can be caused by any number of things but is most commonly found in dogs caused by seasonal allergies, lawn treatments, fertilizers, etc. Since we don't haven't done the latter two, we can conclude it's merely an allergic reaction to grass, weeds, or whatever else she gets into during her daily walks.

Molly and Jack got a good medicated bath last night and every day Molly will get an antibiotic. They will both get a medicated belly bath every day until it clears up. Today was their first belly bath, and they loved it! I tried to make it a pleasant experience and it was. Hopefully they will continue to cooperate with me every day until we get this cleared up. I'll keep you posted how this new daily routine goes.

Keep in mind though that Cairn Terriers were originally bred in Scotland to sniff out and chase rodents out and away from the stone cairns. Hence, the name Cairn Terriers. Cats are often considered rodents by some dog breeds such as the terrier group.

You also need to consider how well your cat gets along with dogs. If your cat has never seen a dog before or been around one you'll need to slowly get your cat used to the idea. If your cat is the nervous type and doesn't adjust well to change, bringing any dog into your home may not be a good idea. On another note though, it is possible your cat and new Cairn puppy could become great friends.

We have three adult cats and our Cairns do try to chase them if we don't correct the behavior when spotted. Our Cairn Terriers, Molly and Jack, both understand it is not acceptable behavior to chase cats, but it is part of their instinct.

On the flip side, our Cairns are also very friendly with all three of our cats. The picture above is Molly sleeping with our adult Persian cat, Queen Ann. We often see this type of cat/dog friendship between both of our Cairns and all three of our cats.

If you have additional questions about Cairn Terriers now or after you get your puppy, feel free to ask. That is why I am here and why I created this website.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together and then add the egg and water to form the dough. If the mixture is too dry, add a little more water.

Spread the 1 cup of cornmeal onto a pastry board. Form the dough into a ball, flatten, and then turn it over so that it is covered with cornmeal on both sides. This keeps the dough from sticking to your pastry board. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin to about ¼ inch thick.

Use a cookie cutter (dog bone cookie cutters work great!) to cut the dough into shapes. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until the bottom of the treats are golden brown.

Remove from cookie sheet. Let cool thoroughly and store in an airtight container.

Prior to getting your Cairn Terrier puppy, determine who in your family will be the primary trainer based on who will be around the puppy the most. Decide what you want to teach your puppy, and then prioritize the training. Most puppies are like sponges. They are just waiting to absorb as much as you will give them. They like to learn new things so that they can happily co-exist in the human world, and they like the attention they get during the training process. It’s never too soon to start training your puppy. In fact, the sooner you start and keep the routine going, the faster she will learn when she gets older.

After you have established who will be the primary trainer in your family, what you want your puppy to learn and in what order, decide how you will be training your puppy and make sure everyone in your family knows the techniques and uses the same techniques when the primary trainer is not around.

Important Dog Training Tips

If one family member is not being consistent with basic training commands and routines, the training process will take longer because it confuses the puppy. For example, the puppy may eventually learn the command “No”, but if one member of your family is saying “Stop it” and another “I said not to do that.”, then it isn’t the puppy’s fault if it takes 3 months to learn what “No” means in the human language rather than 3 days when being training with the same command consistently by all family members.

Positive dog training techniques are the most effective method and your puppy will learn what you want to teach him much faster. I can guarantee that scolding or bullying your puppy will have the opposite effect and any progress you made will go backward. Using harsh dog training techniques may completely fail, so don’t be surprised if that happens. However, positive dog training techniques will work 99.9% of the time. The key is consistency, routine, positive attitude, and lots of patience on your part.

After all, think about how much you would have learned in school if your teacher scolded you, hit or punished you each time you made a mistake. Now consider how difficult it would be for you to learn if your teacher was speaking to you in French or another foreign language that you were not familiar with. That is exactly what it is like for your dog. You are teaching your puppy English at the same time you are trying to teach him how to live in your household under your rules. Need I say more?

Clicker training worked the best for my Cairn Terriers along with positive dog training techniques. I started very slowly with Molly when she was 3 months old. Two minutes or less three or four times a day. Puppies have short attention spans. As soon as she lost interest, we quit until a later time. Each time we started her training, I asked her is she was ready for school. She quickly learned what school meant and she was eager to start.

3 Key Points in Training a Puppy

Make your dog training fun, positive and rewarding for the dog or puppy and it will work. Remember, the three key points to training your puppy:

1. Keep a positive attitude with a reward system of some type during your puppy's training. The reward can be a treat, praise, toy, or fun activity. Whatever your dog or puppy responds to the best is what you should make the reward. Some dogs are not treat oriented. My Cairn Terrier, Molly May, was not interested in praise. It took some time to determine what treats she would respond to as well. However, Happy Jack loves treats and praise especially Munchkin Talk. Each dog is different. Remember, you are learning about your puppy’s unique personality at the same time she is learning about you!
2. Be consistent with your dog training routines and your dog’s every day activities.
3. Be patient with your puppy. It is important that even if you feel like getting angry that you maintain control and not get upset. Quit the training process immediately before you loose your patience. Any negativity felt by your puppy will have the opposite effect that you want to achieve. Dogs have a sixth sense or instinct that humans don’t understand. They can feel things we cannot feel or see/

Training your dog should be fun for both you and your dog. When it isn’t fun anymore for either of you, stop. Then start again when both of you are in the right mood and frame of mind. The more fun you make training your dog, the faster she will learn.

In this way, they do not get bored with all of the toys being available to them at once. By having a toy box in each location, it makes putting toys away quicker and easier.

When Molly and Jack were puppies, I kept a small toy box of appropriate toys beside their crate, so that prior to going to bed, I let them choose which toy they wanted to take with them.

To this day, Molly will grab a toy as soon as she comes in from her last elimination trip outside for the evening. And then she trots off to bed on her own carrying her selected toy. Most nights she selects a different toy to take to bed with her. It's so doggone cute.

What Kind of Dog Toy Boxes Do I Use?

The inside dog toy box is actually a hollow foot stool near our couch in the living room. It was very inexpensive from the local Wal-Mart (about $20.00 USD).

The outside toy box is a hollow, hard molded plastic dog bone which is waterproof, of course. In the photo above, Happy Jack is sitting next to it. I purchased it online at one of my favorite dog supply stores. You can see a picture of Molly inside the outside dog toy box when she was a puppy.

The toy box in the van is simply a clear plastic storage bin also obtained from the local Wal-Mart or discount department store. The van's toy box has the least amount of toys in it because it's the place where my Cairns spend the least amount of time.

I try to keep specific toys in specific toy boxes if at all possible. Naturally, weather resistant toys can go in the outside toy box. Toys that I don't want my Cairns to have unattended to prevent choking, I don't put in toy boxes where I will not always be like outside or in the van.

There are many types of toy boxes designed specifically for dogs that are available. From basic to fancy and those that blend in well with your home decor. Whichever type toy box you choose, make sure it isn't something that you will not get too upset about if it accidentally gets scratched or chewed.

I bought 6 sets so I have extra inside liner bowls whenever I need to replace a dirty bowl with a clean one. In this way, I'm not under pressure to wash the bowl before I can use it again. With just my husband and myself, we don't have enough dishes to run a dishwasher load that often, so it only makes sense to have extra stainless steel dog bowl liners on hand.

The stainless steel finish goes with nearly any home decor and it maintains a clean, shiny look even when it might be dirty. With so many advantages to using stainless steel dog bowls, I wouldn't use any other type of dog food bowl. In fact, I cannot think of one disadvantage to using them.

Get more info: 2-Piece Stainless Steel Dog Bowls with Removable Liners

Your Cairns terrier puppy's attention span is very short. He doesn't remember that three hours ago he misbehaved. Nor does he understand that tearing up a box of tissues is a bad thing. It was sure alot fun for him at the time.

It is important that you understand that when you train your puppy, that behaviors you do not like are corrected immediately as soon as you see the behavior you do not approve of. Otherwise, you are confusing your puppy, and he's not going to receive the dog training that you are trying to provide him.

A good rule of thumb in training your puppy is if you do not catch him in the act, ignore it. Chances are it won’t be repeated anyway.

It took me a couple of months to train Happy Jack not to take toilet paper off the roll and tear it into bits. He did understand that it wasn’t acceptable behavior, but it was too much fun. So during that phase, and it was a phase that passed, we kept all toilet paper rolls on the toilet tank lid where he couldn’t reach them.