Cairn Terrier
The Cairn Terrier is a terrier breed from Scotland, standing 9–13 in at the withers, weighing 10–16 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–17 yrs.
- Breed group
- Terrier
- Origin
- Scotland
- Height
- 9–13 in
- Weight
- 10–16 lb
- Lifespan
- 12–17 yrs
Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Cairn Terrier is taller than 6% of the measured breeds, heavier than 8%, one of 31 in the Terrier group, one of 10 from Scotland.
Living with the Cairn Terrier
Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Cairn Terrier’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row.
- Affection with family
- 4 of 51 independent · 5 devoted
- Good with young children
- 4 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
- Good with other dogs
- 4 of 51 not suited · 5 very good
- Openness to strangers
- 4 of 51 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend
- Watchdog / protective nature
- 4 of 51 unbothered · 5 vigilant
- Energy
- 4 of 51 couch potato · 5 busy all day
- Exercise needs
- 4 of 51 a short walk · 5 a job to do
- Playfulness
- 4 of 51 only when invited · 5 non-stop
- Barking
- 4 of 51 only to alert · 5 very vocal
- Shedding
- 3 of 51 barely · 5 constantly
- Drooling
- 1 of 51 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel
- Tolerates being alone
- 1 of 51 poorly · 5 well
- Tolerates hot weather
- 4 of 51 poorly · 5 well
- Tolerates cold weather
- 4 of 51 poorly · 5 well
Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.Cairn Terrier on AKCCairn Terrier on DogTime
Breeds that look like the Cairn Terrier
A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Cairn Terrier.
West Highland White Terrier
Xiasi Dog
Bouvier des Ardennes
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Portuguese Podengo (Medium)
Portuguese Podengo (Large)
Height 0–38 in
- Cairn Terrier9–13 in
- West Highland White Terrier10–11 in
- Xiasi Dog18–20 in
- Bouvier des Ardennes22–24 in
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi10–12 in
- Portuguese Podengo (Medium)16–21 in
- Portuguese Podengo (Large)22–28 in
Weight 0–220 lb
- Cairn Terrier10–16 lb
- West Highland White Terrier15–20 lb
- Xiasi Dog35–50 lb
- Bouvier des Ardennes62–77 lb
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi24–31 lb
- Portuguese Podengo (Medium)35–44 lb
- Portuguese Podengo (Large)44–66 lb
Lifespan 0–20 yrs
- Cairn Terrier12–17 yrs
- West Highland White Terrier~12 yrs
- Xiasi Dog12–14 yrs
- Bouvier des Ardennes12–14 yrs
- Pembroke Welsh Corgi~12 yrs
- Portuguese Podengo (Medium)no recorded figure
- Portuguese Podengo (Large)10–15 yrs
Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust.