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 Gemma for being the Wacky Wednesday model this week!

Some highly recommended and great Cairn-Friendly Products for 2011!

Written by Reggie & Gemma's adoptive Mom

Happy New Year!! These are some of the items that may not have made your holiday lists this year. They are the staples in our household- suggested by other dog owners and by our dog trainer, they have proven to be the best. Hopefully, they can help you out as much as they have helped us:

1. Merrick Pet Treats: Our Reggie is allergic to grains, so we needed to find a grain-free treat that he'd enjoy but would also keep him healthy. If your dog has food allergies or is prone to weight-gain, it's important to take treat ingredients into consideration. The grain-free treat we've found that both Reggie & Gemma love are the Beef or Lamb Filets by Merrick. They have one ingredient, are low fat and are all-natural. A bag of filets runs about $15-$20, but each treat can be broken into about 10 separate pieces so they're very economical.


2. Thundershirt: Someone actually noticed Reggie's Thundershirt in a previously posted picture! For dogs that are fearful, the Thundershirt is a sort-of security blanket. It works similarly to swaddling for infants. The tight fabric gives the dog a feeling of being safe and protected. We'd put it on Reggie whenever new people came over or we were in a new place and it would improve his confidence significantly. The Thundershirt was one of the most important tools we used to rehabilitate our Reggie. They're about $25-$30 and well worth the money. They look really snazzy too! These can also be purchased through our CP Mall.

Reggie wears his thundershirt!

3. Gentle Leader Easy Walk Dog Harness: Gemma, our 9-month-old bolt of energy, is a little over zealous on her walks. Some traditional collars and harnesses not only can damage your dog's throat but also can trigger a natural reflex to pull harder. The Easy Walk Harness is designed to counteract this reflex. It puts pressure on the shoulders and directs the dog's attention back to you if they pull too hard. It is a little pricey but it gets the results promised- Gemma finally walks like a lady! I got one on ebay for about $18 but they are $25 at major pet stores. They have lots of sizes including “tweener” sizes for dogs that aren't necessarily a S/M/L! (FYI: Gemma is a small)

Gemma models her Easy Walk harness

The Buddy System and other tips for Socializing your rescued Cairn

Written by Reggie and Gemma's Adoptive Mom

Reggie is the black brindle and Gemma is the red wheaten cairn

When we got Reggie, he was a recluse. He lived under the coffee table and didn't want to do much of anything except for sleep and eat. Toys were lost on him and walks were full of fear and uncertainty. One day, out of curiosity, I decided to bring him to the local dog park. I didn't expect much and wasn't planning on staying long. You can imagine my surprise when as soon as Reggie hit the ground, it was as if someone had flipped a switch. His tail was up and wagging, he was running around with the other dogs, and he had a huge, doggy grin on his face. I couldn't believe it! We ended up staying for a few hours because I didn't have the heart to take him home.

It has been absolutely crucial to Reggie's progress that he gets regular interaction with other dogs. Whether it's at a dog park or in a friend's back yard, socializing your dog is incredibly important in building confidence and it building a relationship with you. There are certain things that, try as we may, human beings just cannot accomplish in the dog world. Other (well-behaved) dogs can teach your dog to be brave, to be friendly, to trust in their owners and to play!

We ended up taking this philosophy to another extreme when we adopted our Gemma. Since living with another Cairn, Reggie is a new man! He picks up toys and chews bones, he zooms around the living room, and he approaches our guests like a little gentleman when they come over. If you don't know what else to do with a Cairn that just can't come out of his or her shell, try putting your trust in other dogs. Join a local puppy class, find out about dog-friendly parks and beaches, or organize a play-group with other dog owners. For tips on how to safely socialize your dog, you can visit this website which we found to be very helpful.