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SmallTerrier Group

Cairn Terrier

The Cairn Terrier is a small short-legged working terrier from the Scottish Highlands and Isle of Skye, bred to bolt fox and vermin from stone cairns.

Calculate Cairn Terrier age
Lifespan14 yrrange 13–15
SizeSmallTerrier Group
Weight13–14 lb5.9–6.4 kg
Senior at8 yrgeriatric at 12

Gallery (3)

About

About the Cairn Terrier

The Cairn Terrier is a small short-legged working terrier from the Scottish Highlands and Isle of Skye, bred to bolt fox and vermin from stone cairns. Toto in the 1939 Wizard of Oz film was a Cairn. Among the oldest working terrier types.

Aging

How Cairn Terriers age

RVC VetCompass gives a median 14.0 years (n=3,724). Globoid cell leukodystrophy (Krabbe disease) is a defining breed-specific inherited neurological disease — DNA-testable and near-eliminated — with Legg-Calvé-Perthes and von Willebrand's secondary.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 14 yr · range 13–15Senior careSenior at 8 · geriatric at 12Common health issues5 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
13–14 lb(5.9–6.4 kg)
Height
9.5–10 in(24.1–25.4 cm)
Coat type
Wire
Colors
BrindleCreamGrayGray BrindleRedRed BrindleSilverWheatenCream BrindleBlackBlack BrindleRed Wheaten
Temperament

Temperament

How Cairn Terriers tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

alertcheerfulbusyindependent
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Moderatetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~2 yr

    Patellar Luxation

    Description and veterinary guidance for Patellar Luxation land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Moderatetypical onset ~6 yr

    Adult-Onset Cardiac Disease (Echocardiogram)

    Description and veterinary guidance for Adult-Onset Cardiac Disease (Echocardiogram) land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
45min
per day

Cairn Terriers are satisfied by around 45 minutes of daily activity (energy level 3/5). Short, regular outings beat one long session.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.