Breed # 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. ![A photograph of the Cairn Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/cairn-terrier.webp) 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. Compare the Cairn Terrier with another breed ## 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. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 4 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 4 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 4 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 4 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 4 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 4 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 4 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 3 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 1 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 1 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 4 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 4 of 5 1 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 AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/cairn-terrier/)[Cairn Terrier on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/cairn-terrier) ## 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. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/west-highland-white-terrier.webp)West Highland White Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/west-highland-white-terrier/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/xiasi-dog.webp)Xiasi Dog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/xiasi-dog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/bouvier-des-ardennes.webp)Bouvier des Ardennes](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/bouvier-des-ardennes/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/pembroke-welsh-corgi.webp)Pembroke Welsh Corgi](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/pembroke-welsh-corgi/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/portuguese-podengo-medium.webp)Portuguese Podengo (Medium)](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/portuguese-podengo-medium/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/portuguese-podengo-large.webp)Portuguese Podengo (Large)](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/portuguese-podengo-large/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Cairn Terrier9–13 in 2. West Highland White Terrier10–11 in 3. Xiasi Dog18–20 in 4. Bouvier des Ardennes22–24 in 5. Pembroke Welsh Corgi10–12 in 6. Portuguese Podengo (Medium)16–21 in 7. Portuguese Podengo (Large)22–28 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Cairn Terrier10–16 lb 2. West Highland White Terrier15–20 lb 3. Xiasi Dog35–50 lb 4. Bouvier des Ardennes62–77 lb 5. Pembroke Welsh Corgi24–31 lb 6. Portuguese Podengo (Medium)35–44 lb 7. Portuguese Podengo (Large)44–66 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Cairn Terrier12–17 yrs 2. West Highland White Terrier~12 yrs 3. Xiasi Dog12–14 yrs 4. Bouvier des Ardennes12–14 yrs 5. Pembroke Welsh Corgi~12 yrs 6. Portuguese Podengo (Medium)no recorded figure 7. 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. See the Cairn Terrier on the breed map Read about the Cairn Terrier on Wikipedia