We have two Norwich Terriers, 3 yrs and 9 months. We have always kept them on a leash when walking, and never out of the fenced yard or house at home. We were told by the breeder that if we let them loose on a walk or in a field they would take off and follow their noses, and might never return. They have never been trained to come when called because there was no reason. I would like them to be able to run in the field or on the beach, but I am afraid to let them loose. Surely they must be trainable, or they would have disappeared from the earth hundreds of years ago. Does anyone have any experience with this breed or similar, and can you tell me how to train them to come on command ? Any help would be appreciated.

TIA.
Dale

Hi Dale,
I have a friend with a cairn terrier, and he comes when he's called! They just trained him as you would any other dog. It's hounds that can be bad at recall when they go off on a scent - there isn't usually a problem with terriers.

Mind you, it's best to start the recall training (like any other training) as soon as you get your puppy home - you'll have to work hard with them at that age!
:)

Dalie,

I've had Cairns and every breed book and UK and US says virtually the same, "do not let them off lead unless you are in a fenced garden." I expect the same is true for Norwich, which your breeder confirms.

It's not that a terrier will not come if called, it's that they are not as reliable on recall as other breeds off lead. If they spy a squirrel or fox or varmit their instinct will take over and they will be off. They will come back, eventually. They have no more interest than any other breed in running away from home, but they can get too far away from you to retrieve them and if you are a long way from home you are taking a risk. The biggest problem is if they are off lead near cars, of course.

I have several friends that breed Cairns. One lives in the countryside and there are literally no roads with traffic near her house. Access to her home is by a dirt road and the nearest building is a farmhouse quite far away. She will let her dogs run free (but supervised) when they are not kenneled. Her attitude is, "where are they going to go?" She trained none of them on recall, but again like most dogs they do not want to stray too far from master/mistress and home. She has had one or two take off over the years and not come back long enough to be a worry. However, she is not attached to them emotionally and if one took of permanently she would not feel the same as I would with my Cairn.

It also depends on the dog. Another friend who breeds Cairns (and Norwich) has had one or two over the years that are clingly and not interested enough in squirrels or whatever to wander. However, they are unusual.

My own 9-month old Cairn puppy I would not trust off lead. She is a lovely dog. I walk her on a 16 foot flexilead and she will ocassionally check to make sure I am still near her. However, she will also dive under hedges after birds or squirrels and if she was off lead she would be into my neighbors gardens and out of sight. There is light traffic in my immediate neighborhood, but I am sure she would happily dart in front of a car to reach a squirrel. Not to mention she loves people and runs to them - whether they are walking, jogging or on bicycles. Hence, she's on a lead.

Don't feel guilty about keeping your Norwich on leads. They do not need free running outside of your garden to be healthy and happy. However, if you really want to try them then train them to come on command in your garden first and then see what happens elsewhere. You can train a dog of any age. Recall is sometimes harder with an older dog because they are so excited to be off lead. It's one of the reasons I use a long flexilead with my pup, she's used to not clinging to my side as she would be on a short lead. The first time you try outside the garden I'd recommend using a very long lead - a clothes line or rope will do -- so they are fooled into think they are off lead, but you still have a tether to reel them back if needed.

Stacey

I'm not at all sure that your 3 year old could now go off lead but so much depends on you and your relationship with the dog in question - only you can answer that yourself. I vere to the other end of the equation - terriers are never happier than when running free and on the chase. When I was researching my breed I spoke to all the major UK breeders and the best advise I was given was that if I couldn't provide the freedom they needed to be a happy, contended dog - don't get one. I live in a city but everyday we find a safe environment where she can run or walk to her hearts content. But - we did this training right along with the lead training as a puppy. In fact, now she knows where she goes on lead and sits waiting for me.

What breed of terrier do you have that breeders advised you to let it off lead? I'm just curious because as in my post above, this is something where the advice is contrary for Cairns and many other small terriers. In fact, it's one of the few downsides that I considered when choosing to to get another Cairn. One of my friends in the States was absolutely marvelous at training her Cairns. She had actually taken two through Utility obedience and was next going to train them for tracking. Even she would never have routinely trusted her two star performers off lead on a recall when working against a distraction like a squirrel.

Australian Terriers, which are also small, are much better at obedience than Cairns. Soft coated wheaten terriers as well. I wonder if it is something to do with the fact that both these breeds were orginally used for herding, in addition to hunting vermin.

Stacey

I find some of these comments about never letting a terrier - especially a Cairn - off lead very interesting. I grew up with Cairn Terriers, have been with them for 30...years, my folks had three and although they were kept on the lead at the appropriate times - they had lots and lots of time off lead. One in particular adored water and was like an otter when she was in it. In all those years, only once did one run off and take a while to come back. We spent a huge anount of time camping, almost every weekend when I was young, every weekend we would go for long walks in woods etc. We never let them off lead when we were around livestock - one would find a cow and stand under it while it pooped - loverly:D.My only negative memory of them was how stubborn and grumpy they could be:D If they wanted to lay there - then there they lay:D oh and greedy - food lasted seconds.

Pam n the boys(cockers - not cairns, because I wanted a change)

Him Pam (and the boys),

Cairns are naturals in water, they would go after otter in streams, never mind acting like otters.

Both the American and British national Cairn Terrier Clubs little books of advice for puppy buyers state that Cairns should never be off lead, except in a fenced garden. So do most of the breed books.

Are you sure your parents had Cairns and not some other small breed in a shaggy wig? I've never met a grumpy Cairn. One of the reasons I chose the breed was because they are perpetually cheerful, love fun and are clearly glad to be alive. Stubborn .. sometimes. Another reason why they are not reliable on recall and are not about to surplant border collies in the obedience ring. They will stick close, but not all the time and not necessarily when required.

Speaking of cow poops - poop is another reason I would not let my Cairn off lead. As it is twice in the last two weeks I have had to wash off the afformentioned substance after a walk after my Cairn managed to intentionally roll in it while we were on our morning walk. Odour de fox wee I can almost accept - but not poop.

Stacey

Yes Stacey - I do know a Cairn terrier - and they were Cairns all of them.

Pam,

I was joking! I wasn't in any doubt that you did not know a Cairn terrier from another breed.

Stacey

Sorry Stacy - I misinterpreted:D :D :D

Pam n the boys

Welsh Terriers

Thanks for letting me know the breed. Funnily enough, after seeing the spot on Terriers during the television programme for Crufts, Welsh Terriers are on my short list for another dog. The comment made during the program was that they are one of the calmest of terriers. :-)
The KC standard lists their characteristics as affectionate, obedient and easily controlled. They sound like a wonderful breed.

Stacey

Compared with many other terriers, the Welsh is calm to live with and yes, the breed standard does say obedient and easily controlled. They are good natured dogs BUT the prey drive is as powerful in a Welsh as in any other breed PLUS they can run faster, covering more ground and for much longer than either a Cairn or Norwich. At this time they are completely back to basics and totally relient on their own judgement. I do not know what the breed characteristics of a Cairn are according to the KC, but I know a great many and in my experience they are far more likely to have attention re-directed towards playing with their owners (ie frisby/ball play). A WT might do it for 5 minutes and then want to do their own thing.

I also saw the Crufts segment and out of the 4 breeds featured, I would not have described Nye as the calmest of the four - quite the opposite. I think it cruel to have a Welsh and only lead excercise. Apart from anything else you'd either be walking for hours on end (I do 2 - 3 hours every day off lead) or the dog would get fat.

I do not wish to get into a dispute about this - it is only an opinion - the only reason I replied was your over reliance on the words "calm, obedient and easily controlled"

The words "obedient and easily controlled" are from the breed standard for Welsh Terriers. I have had the pleasure of knowing lots of different terriers -- so I understand those are relative terms when it comes to terriers. :-) As clever as my Cairn may be, for example, I would never expect her to respond to commands the same way my GSDs used to respond.

You are correct in that Cairns are very people and play oriented so they are fairly easy to redirect, however, most are like my Cairn in that they are not fussy which people they are directed toward. I am afraid I would take second best to a complete stranger, so in that sense they are not reliable.

Lots of Cairns do very well as city dogs with no off lead running, but I agree with you that every breed is different. Although one of my GSDs had very bad dysplasia from a young age and could not exercise for long my other GSD would trot around for miles. She could not have been fit in a garden or on a lead - unless I was a long distance runner, which sadly I am not.

Stacey

Hi Dale,
Is it the Norwich or the Norfolk which has the dropped ears? I always get them confused, but then they are basically the same breed.

Anyway, today I met a woman with one of the ones with the drop ears, and he was off the lead, and always is unless they're near a road, and he comes when he's called. So yes, they can be let off the lead and, if trained, will obey.
:)
Edited to add: She wishes he'd run about a bit more!

I remember it as NoRIDGE is upright and NorFolk is floppy!!

That's clever, Val! That'll make it easier to remember.
:)

I need simple things for a simple mind! ;)