Cairn Terrier

A brindle Cairn Terrier

A yellow or cream Cairn Terrier

The Cairn Terrier is a breed of working dogs. It is one of the oldest terrier dog breeds. It is a small terrier from the Scottish Highlands. The breed was used for hunting among the cairns (a cairn is a pile of stones in the Scottish Highlands).^[1]

Cairn Terriers have rough hair or fur that helps to protect the dog from water and dirt. The fur can be blue, red, sandy, gray, or brindle. Pure black, and white are usually not permitted by breeding groups. The Cairn Terrier's hair should not be cut with scissors. The old hair is removed by pulling it by hand.^[2] This is called hand-stripping. Removing the dead hair like this will let new hair grow.^[2]

References

1. Mary Ludington, The Nature of Dogs (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007), p. 61
2. Eileen Geeson, Ultimate Dog Grooming (New York: Firefly Books, 2004), p. 194