Thursday, July 31, 2014

Muffy in Memoriam

Written by her Mom

Muffy at 15 years old


Muffy was a member of our family for seventeen years.  She was only half Cairn, and while she didn’t look like a Cairn, her personality was all Cairn.  She was our only child for six years and went everywhere with us.

Muffy loved to grab Dad’s recliner!

Muffy was a wild child when she was young, and she would race through the house like she was crazy, or zoom perfect crazy eights in the yard till her tongue was hanging out.  She had a strong prey drive and once, when she cornered a chipmunk behind something in the yard, she would not give up.  After several hours I had to pick her up and bring her in the house to rest.  Muffy could also be stubborn which I loved about her too.

Muffy didn't look Cairn...

When Muffy was an only child, she knew when bedtime was and she would head to bed right before us to pick her spot on the bed - which was usually with her head laying on one of our pillows!  When we came to bed, she would relent and give us our spot, but she had to lay right between us.  If she thought you were taking up too much room she would kick us to move over:)

...but she acted pure Cairn!
 
Muffy was super smart.  It only took her once or twice to catch on to any training I did with her.  She knew all her toys by name and always knew where each one was if you asked her to get a certain toy.  She would trick Dad by asking to go out and as soon as he got to the door, she would run and steal his recliner!  I swear she was actually laughing at him:)  Once when my girlfriend was over with her epileptic daughter, Muffy alerted us right before the daughter had a seizure. 

Muffy brought Mom & Dad to Col. Potter, thus helping many Cairns in need.

Muffy is the reason we became involved with Col. Potter.  She was our gentle, dignified, alpha girl, and was a wonderful mentor to all of our Fosters.  She loved all people and most other dogs, as long as they had manners:)
 
Muffy was one of those once-in-a-lifetime kind of dogs.  We have so many wonderful memories with her, and we miss her terribly.


I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

In Memoriam A.H.H. by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, excerpted from Canto 27.


Discover the Details about your Dog!

This Cairn puppy may like to steal and chew on shoes – unless, of course, he is just resting at Mom’s feet after a long walk?  Careful observation will help you make an informed decision about the Best next step to take!


"…Assumptions about a dog's understanding or capabilities, unless confirmed by careful observation of the dog himself, can lead to training problems, undermine or destroy your relationship with the dog, and in some cases, are tantamount to cruelty."    Suzanne Clothier

The Fine Art of Observation

The importance of observing what your dog can tell you
about himself, and how you can use that information
to make humane training decisions.

Understanding, analyzing and resolving behavior or performance problems requires a good deal of detective work.  As the famous Sherlock Holmes knew, no detail, however small, is insignificant.  The more acutely you are able to observe the dog, the more accurate your analysis will be.  Acute observation and attention to detail is the hallmark not only of great detectives, but of great trainers.

One of my most bemusing moments as a trainer came when I was working with a dog who had bitten several people.  As I worked the dog over a variety of obstacles, his owner commented several times, "I can't believe he hasn't bitten you yet!"  I never could decide if she was simply amazed or just disappointed.  I wasn't bitten because I watched the dog for even the smallest sign that he was beginning to feel threatened.

With this dog, subtle changes in his breathing pattern, a compression of the lips and a constriction of the pupils gave me the only clues I needed.  At that point, with no further clues and without pushing until I saw more dramatic signs, it was a simple matter to shift our activity to something less threatening and allow the dog to calm down.  Ignoring these clear but subtle signs would have undoubtedly caused the behavior to escalate until perhaps we had a full blown aggressive episode ending in a bite.  (This dog has gone on to become a wonderful companion who easily earned his CGC certificate, and a photo of him in Santa's lap at a "Photo With Santa" fund raiser remains my favorite of him.)

Dogs live and act in a world of exquisitely subtle signals in their interactions with each other.  Our observations and communications in our interactions with them must seem unbelievably coarse at times to these sophisticates of non-verbal communication.  Turned around the other way, we would perceive such inattentiveness to our subtle signals as rude, uncaring or perhaps simply stupid.  Fortunately for us, dogs bring to the human-dog relationship their wonderful powers of observation, allowing them to be highly aware of our posture, breathing, muscular tensions, and facial expressions, often reacting to changes of which we are not aware.  Training or behavior problems often result from the dog's response to signals we unknowingly have sent.  Unfortunately, the dog is often blamed rather than the handler.

Our responsibility as handlers and trainers is to attempt to be as skilled in our observations and non-verbal communications with our dogs as they are in their interactions with us.  Our reliance on verbal communication is perhaps one of the biggest stumbling block in the training process.  As a rule, any concept that cannot be fully explained in a non-verbal way is a concept that a dog will be unable to grasp.

Learning to become skilled as an observer requires that you practice these skills.  As the artist Frederick Franck said in The Art of Seeing, "We often look, but we rarely see."  Information gathered through careful observation is crucial.  Without such information, you cannot make any informed decisions on the dog's behalf.

A sad example is the Sheltie presented to me at an Integrated Approach seminar.  The handler's complaint was that no matter what technique they used, the dog was "lazy" and continued to sit crooked.  For over a year, she and her instructor had used increasing amounts of compulsion to force the dog to sit straight.  A quick observation showed that the dog moved with his entire body bent slightly to the right, and his tail did not hang straight but over his right hock.  Naturally, when he sat, he was unable to sit straight - he couldn't even walk in a straight line.  I found it shocking that not once did the handler or the instructor take the time to really look at the dog - the answer was there all along.  The dog was doing his very best, but had a real, physical limitation that prevented him from achieving the goal set for him by his handler.

Take the time to observe your dog carefully and often.  Like us, dogs change, have off days, injure themselves and get confused.  If you are observant about your dog's capabilities and limitations, you can make informed decisions.  Assumptions about a dog's understanding or capabilities, unless confirmed by careful observation of the dog himself, can lead to training problems, undermine or destroy your relationship with the dog, and in some cases, are tantamount to cruelty.


"Copyright © 2013 by Suzanne Clothier. Used by permission of Suzanne Clothier. All rights reserved. For more information about Suzanne please visit SuzanneClothier.com"

Read More Training Tips from Suzanne Clothier:


Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Wacky Wednesday!


Wednesday is the day to be WACKY! Each week we will showcase a terrierific cairn picture with an appropriate caption. If you have a terrierific cairn and would like us to consider YOUR picture and caption for an upcoming "Wacky Wednesday" send it to us at cpcrnblog@gmail.com! All photo submissions become the property of CPCRN and may be used for fundraising, promotion and/or outreach purposes.

 A big shout out to LB for being our Wacky Wednesday model this week!

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Simon Rubin Paddy Takes the Stage at Col. Potter!

Written by a CP Intakes Coordinator

Simon Rubin Paddy, an 11 year old Black Brindle Male


This distinguished gentleman found himself looking for a new home after his Mom got sick and could no longer take care of him. He is 11 years old and oh so handsome!  I am sure with the name of Simon Rubin Paddy he will have extreme good fortune in that his forever home is waiting for him just around the corner.

The name Simon Rubin Paddy is donated by Erin O. through Col. Potter’s Name a Rescue Cairn Program in honor of her first childhood Cairn Terrier who passed too soon.  According to Erin, he’s the one who started it all: Eight years later, when Erin was on her own, she got another Cairn Terrier!  Way to go Erin!!! 

The Original Simon Rubin Paddy, born on St. Patrick’s Day, a Lucky Charm and an inspiration to this day!

Many thanks to two special ladies, Lynne K. and Barbara T. M., who went above and beyond “helping” Simon down the road to his Foster Home!

Welcome Simon Rubin Paddy to the Col. Potter family!!!


Col. Potter’s Name a Rescue Cairn Program


Col. Potter Needs a Few More Paddy Wagons! 
Please Volunteer to Foster or Transport so we can bring every Cairn in need to safety!

Please  Consider being a CP Volunteer!

CP Foster Home Application form:

CP Transport Volunteer Driver form:

CPCRN Volunteer form:






Monday, July 28, 2014

Lovemuffin is Now on the Menu at Col. Potter!

Written by a CP Intakes Coordinator

Lovemuffin, a tiny 6 pound, 3 year old Black Brindle Male


Col. Potter was contacted by a shelter regarding a very sweet and friendly 3 year old Black Brindle Cairn with a very big problem.  Apparently, Lovemuffin must have crawled out under a fence without enough clearance, resulting in a painful wound all the way down his spine.  While the shelter cleaned the wound and provided antibiotics, they sought CP's urgent assistance so that this boy would receive proper veterinary care.  Within an hour, CP made arrangements to collect Lovemuffin and get him to the vet!  While under anesthesia, Lovemuffin's wound was debrided and a laser treatment was administered to boost healing.  It will take time and care, but Lovemuffin's wound should heal nicely.

Lovemuffin is now at his Foster Home where he will recuperate and gain some much needed weight.  This small boned Cairn will add a few pounds to his current 6 lb weight.  Despite all the turmoil in this boy's life, and the obvious pain from his wound, both the shelter and veterinary staff reported that Lovemuffin was active, friendly, and very loving.  All felt he was perfectly named!

Thank you Cindy M. for donating to Col.Potter’s Name a Rescue Cairn Program in memory of Donald S.  Cindy requested that the name be chosen by his wife, Kim, who chose the best term of endearment she and Donald shared – “Lovemuffin”.

Lovemuffin has a painful racing stripe, apparently earned during his escape

If you would like to contribute to Lovemuffin's veterinary care, please forward your donation to:

Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network
Lovemuffin Medical
c/o Danielle Rackstraw, Donations
PO Box 1354
Menifee, CA 92585-1354


Please join us as we say “Welcome Lovemuffin!”


Col. Potter’s Name a Rescue Cairn Program


Col. Potter Needs a Few More Breakfast Joints! 
Please Volunteer to Foster and help us set the table each morning for every Cairn in need!

Please  Consider being a CP Volunteer!

CP Foster Home Application form:

CP Transport Volunteer Driver form:

CPCRN Volunteer form:




Sunday, July 27, 2014

Sunday Sweets!

Sunday is full of SWEETS! Each week we will showcase the sweeter side of Cairns. If you have a sweet filled Cairn and would like us to consider YOUR picture for an upcoming "Sunday Sweets!" send it to us at cpcrnblog@gmail.com (All photo submissions become the property of CPCRN and may be used for fundraising, promotion and/or outreach purposes.).

Rye

Nessa

Teddy fka CP Tadd

Foster Timothy

Ziggy fka CP Ziggyman

Callie

Gina

Harry

LB

Tate









Friday, July 25, 2014

Friday's Funnies!

Off the Leash

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Oh, Baby!!

Contributed by Buddy’s Proud Foster Mom

Buddy fka CP Sainted Riley and his New Sister, Lena!


How to Prepare your Cairn for a New Baby!!

Our first Foster boy, Sainted Riley (now Buddy) was adopted almost 5 yrs. ago by a wonderful guy.  He then got married 2 years ago and, in early July, they had a new baby girl, Lena.  He wrote to me a few months ago and asked if I had any suggestions as to how to prepare Buddy and Mia (he also adopted his Foster girl) for Lena's arrival. 

The following tips worked great for them and they can work for you too:

  • Buy a large baby doll and wrap it up in a blanket;
  • Carry the wrapped doll around, rock it at night, and put it in the swing and crib various times during the day/evening; 
  • Allow the Cairns to sniff and lay next to the pretend baby, but teach them not to step on the baby or to yank or pull the blanket; 
  • After the baby is born, bring home a receiving blanket from the hospital that the new baby has been swaddled in - and the messier the blanket the better!  Wrap the doll in this blanket and repeat all the above; 
  • When you bring the new baby home, introduce the baby wrapped in the familiar blanket;
  • Set them up for Success!  Never, ever, under any circumstance, leave your Cairn alone with the baby!  It is your job to calmly protect them both and gently educate them both to respect each other to guarantee long term success.  This will take years, but is well worth the effort!


Read Sainted Riley’s Intake Story:

See Sainted Riley’s First Update and Video:




Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Wacky Wednesday!

Wednesday is the day to be WACKY! Each week we will showcase a terrierific cairn picture with an appropriate caption. If you have a terrierific cairn and would like us to consider YOUR picture and caption for an upcoming "Wacky Wednesday" send it to us at cpcrnblog@gmail.com! All photo submissions become the property of CPCRN and may be used for fundraising, promotion and/or outreach purposes.

 A big shout out to Mick for being our Wacky Wednesday model this week!

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Buddy fka Sainted Riley has a New Sister!

Written by his Proud Foster Mom

Buddy fka CP Sainted Riley and his New Sister, Lena!



Our first Foster boy, Sainted Riley (now Buddy) was adopted almost 5 yrs. ago by a wonderful guy in Ohio.  He got married 2 years ago and, in early July, they had a new baby girl, Lena.

Adam wrote to me a few months ago and asked if I had any suggestions as to how to prepare Buddy and Mia (he also adopted his Foster girl) for Lena's arrival.

I told him to buy a large baby doll and to wrap it up in a blanket and carry it around, rock it at night, and put it in the swing and crib various times during the day/evening.  I told him to let the Cairns sniff and lay next to the pretend baby, but to teach them not to step on the baby or to yank or pull the blanket.

I also told him to bring home a receiving blanket from the hospital that Lena had been swaddled in - and the messier the blanket the better!

He did all of those things, and they are doing great - especially Buddy!  They are always with them, as in right next to them at all times, but Adam and his wife are extremely please with the canine/baby bonding process.
 

Pam E.
Proud Foster Mom
Normal, IL



Read Sainted Riley’s Intake Story:



See Sainted Riley’s First Update and Video:




Sunday Sweets!

Sunday is full of SWEETS!  Each week we will showcase the sweeter side of Cairns.  If you have a sweet filled Cairn and would like us to consider YOUR picture for an upcoming "Sunday Sweets!" send it to us at cpcrnblog@gmail.com (All photo submissions become the property of CPCRN and may be used for fundraising, promotion and/or outreach purposes.).

Miss Emma is Turning 11 Years Old!

Foster Drum

Foster Morrie

Foster Ade Sue

Baris and his Bone!

Foster Katelyn

TJ
WiiGii aka Luigi Earl

Foster Meadow

Zander, Bea, and Neha