Cairn Nation

Cami in her PJs

2010-05-12T13:10:00.015+08:00

This is the 2nd time Cami is fully stripped, the 1st time by a professional Cairn breeder from Australia, whom visited our home back in 2008. Which means, this is the first time I am doing a full strip for Cami. All the while, I have been using a stripping knife bought from the States to keep her hair groomed but my thumb always ended up with a sore spot after using it for a short while.

Finally, determined to give Cami a good strip, I had a friend of mine help order and hand carry a set of McClellan stripping knifes from the States. These knifes have rubber curve handles which allow your thumb to sit comfortably without giving you a blister. Perfect! :) My friend Viv was kind enough to help me shop around online for the lowest price and lo behold, she ended up buying the set from CPCRN (Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network), talk about coincidence.

Here are some photos of Cami prior to getting stripped. These were taken one fine afternoon after her bath. As you can see, she has a lot of hair and it made her look more like a yak than a Cairn.

Cami

Yak
Spot any similarities?

Anyhow, with my newly purchased McClellan knifes, I started working on Cami quickly, starting with her back and working my way to her side, legs, neck, followed by her tail. I decided to strip one side first so that I can show the difference before and after stripping. I forgot to record how long it took to complete the stripping process but it was roughly 1-1/2 to 2 hours before I was satisfied with the results.

Top half done

Right side done

Full body done. Check out the amount of hair removed

Cami's beautiful brindle undercoat

After a long day, I decided to wait and strip her head and face another day.

Head/face stripping completed

The end results; she looks like a pup again

It will take 2-3 months before her outer coat grows out again and it will be (hopefully) rough and healthy.

The Stripper

2010-04-14T13:36:00.001+08:00

Ever wondered how it feels to be a stripper? It feels great to have a satisfied customer and all it takes are some skillful moves and the right tools. This is definitely hairy business but it is worth all the time and effort. Don’t let your thoughts run wild as I am referring to stripping the hair off most wire coat dogs, definitely a necessary grooming necessity for all Cairns.

Unlike other breeds, Cairns have hair which does not shed (at least not much). The hair will just grow and once it stops growing, it becomes ‘dead’ hair which remains on the skin follicles until it is removed manually. Until this dead hair is removed, new healthy hair will not grow in its place. As a result, the hair becomes soft and unable to keep water and dirt off efficiently. A Cairn with a healthy coat would seem like he’s wearing a rain coat all the time. He just needs to give himself a good shake to dry off almost instantaneously.

Ever since we got our Cairns, they have been given some basic stripping sessions with a stripping knife and a Mars Coat King. I’ve also used my fingers to strip the dogs manually which is more effective but takes a longer time. Let me go through the different methods:

1. Stripping Knife

I would recommend using a stripping knife if you’re thinking of doing some serious stripping business. This is because it is the fastest method with the best results, especially for large areas. First, you need to hold the knife like how you would hold a regular kitchen knife. Then, grip some of the longer hair between your thumb and the knife. Hold your Cairn’s body around the area you are gripping with your other hand to steady him. Finally, gently pull out the dead hair with one quick stroke in the direction of his hair growth. Your dog should not be yelping in pain but may just feel a slight discomfort if he is not used to the process. Do start from the top portion of his body and work your way to his neck, legs, underbody, and finally his head. Further instructions are available here:

http://www.cairnrescue.com/general/groom.htm#strip

2. Fingers

This method works very well for me when I strip Cami’s face especially around her ears and neck area. Just grip the hair between your thumb and index finger and pull. I find that pulling quickly and switching sides tend to keep Cami from getting too agitated. When you use your fingers, you can actually feel how easily the hair is coming off and hence know whether you are pulling dead or healthy hair.

3. MCK

I found out about the Mars Coat King through the cairn forum. It is a stripping tool made from Germany which strips but also slightly cuts the coat quite quickly. It is easy to use as you just need to use it like a brush and it practically removes a lot of dead undercoat. However, be careful not to overuse this or your Cairn will end up bald! I normally use the MCK when I want to give our Cairns a quick makeover and keep their hair tidy.

It is recommended to fully strip a Cairn down to its undercoat twice a year to promote new hair growth. So far both Axle and Cami have been fully stripped once in their lifetime. It definitely takes time and patience to see the end results but it is a funny sight once they are stripped down to their PJs. You may be surprised to find the bright and colorful undercoat your Cairn has been wearing. So if you have the time and is looking for a challenge, do consider stripping…

Darn Ichigo!

2010-03-02T15:49:00.005+08:00

Have I not promised to keep the blog more up to date now that it's a brand new year and it calls for a fresh start to better and more frequent posts? 'Gomennasai' to all my avid readers (ahem, as if) but we've been too caught up watching BLEACH! Due to the numerous fights Kurosaki Ichigo and his companions keep getting caught in, it is tough to get unglued from the TV considering that over 200 episodes are already in my hands and this series is still running. Hence, please stay tune for more posts on CNY 2010 and Cairn happenings...

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-04T13:37:00.017+08:00

As I looked back at my blog I was shocked when I saw that my last post was in February last year! It is now the year 2010 (a beautiful number by the way) and it seems like my blog needs to be rejuvenated with new and more frequent entries to keep up with the minimal blogging standards. OK, I will try my best but I blame last year's poor performance to the 'shooting photos in RAW' strategy whereby post processing of the photos are required to tune the light, color, tint, and so on. To keep it fair for year 2009, I dedicate this post to a snapshot of what are thought to be the highlights of the year. Although there were less doggie events in the Klang Valley area, Cami was still able to compete in other states i.e. Penang & Johor, thanks to her very competent handler imported from KL.

1. January: Our new addition to the family

2. February: There is always time for a Bully Stick

3. February: CNY, the most festive time of the year (at least in my books)

4. March: Winnings at PetnYou Agility Trials @Kulai, Johor

5. To be loved by our new family member

5. May: Winnings at PAA Agility Trials @Penang

6. June: Fun & Games in the garden

7. June: Puppycom Agility Trials @KL

8. June: The premier of Transformer 2, Revenge of the Fallen and along with it came many transformer toys...

9. July: Fun at PetnYou MidValley OB & Agility Trials

10. August: Dogathon 2009

11. Sept: Another PAA Agility trials

12. October: Birthday celebration for the 1-year old

13. October: Shortest Peacewalk ever with Waggie Tails & PetnYou against animal violence

14. November: Yet another PAA Aglity trials (kudos to them for organizing so many trials in a year)

15. December: Red Tomato fair makes its tribute. Cami won fastest rat (treat) smeller title (*--* that little stinker)

16. December: The 3 mouseketeers remain buddies

Last but not least, we would like to pay tribute to our Cairn buddy at Penang whom ate poison while playing at the beach in December, may he rest in peace. So everyone, please be careful and not let your dog pick up unknown stuff from the ground.

Cheers~

Visitor

2009-02-17T15:47:00.008+08:00

Prior to Christmas 08, we had a visitor stay over for a weekend while his owners were away having fun in Singapore. This visitor was none other than Groovy, the hyper JRT with endless energy and incredibly long-lasting stamina! It was his 2^nd sleepover with us so he is no stranger to our home and is good friends with Axle and Cami.

Compared to his usual active lifestyle, it was definitely a change of pace for Groovy. Needless to say, there were no exciting outings to pubs and restaurants but more resort like with plenty of R&R. The Cairn resort is a place to relax and rejuvenate with plenty of sleep, good eats, and scheduled playtime.

One good thing about our Cairns is that they are not picky eaters (except after Cami’s heat then we need to keep switching kibbles on her and add in dollops of wet food to get her to eat). Hence, it’s each dog to him/herself when it comes to food. Groovy, whom is normally a light weight when it comes to eating, tends to have a better appetite whenever he checks into the Cairn resort. Could it be that his food somehow tastes better here or that he fears the circling Cairn vultures?

Where's the food???

The (3) doggieteers begging for their dinner

Yummy...

Cami: Are you done yet?

Axle & Cami checking to make sure there is no food wasted in view of the slumping economy

Cami: You need to lick up everything. Let me show you how it's done...

Did I already mention that sleeping is the way of life in the Cairn resort? It sure didn’t take long for Groovy to get accustomed to the resort culture.

Groovy: Somehow the resort pillow is more comfortable...

Snoozing under the teak bench

And of course, what is a dog’s life without playtime…fortunately, our garden now has grass suitable for running, unlike Groovy’s first visit when our garden was overgrown with weed.

Frisbee maniacs

Testimonial

Groovy: So far so good...I think I will be back for more Cairn company. I even had time to take some handsome self portraits...

New Addition...Here comes trouble!

2008-11-24T12:13:00.008+08:00

After a long wait...the day finally came.

Hhmm..anything in that giganto tummy?

We have a new family member, baby Nicolas, born on Oct. 17th 2008 after a long labor (that is another story). So far, both Axle and Cami have been very well behaved. Once in a while, Cami hovers around Nicolas' cot, trying to get a peek and wagging her tail with glee whenever she catches a glimpse of him. She also acts as his personal body guard , letting out barks whenever she hears or sees anything suspicious. Axle so far has been indifferent with the baby around, being his normal cool self.

Cami: I see something in the playpen!

Keeping watch...

The key thing for us is to still pay attention to the furkids whenever possible so that they don't feel left out. Need to keep to their usual routine as much as possible with daily walks and scratches.

Axle: Is it time to play yet?

Another year, another birthday

2008-09-16T14:48:00.007+08:00

Goodness gracious; time does fly pass quickly. I remember starting this blog last year and writing about Cami's 3rd birthday mini-celebration at home with the family. Since then, we have reached an agreement to combine Axle's birthday together with Cami's since we really do not know when his actual DOB is.

Can't you just say the 'OK' word???

Anyhow, this year called for another eventful birthday bash that was celebrated together with our Pet-N-U pals over our usual Sunday morning training. Baked the first doggie cake which I labeled as: Carrot ala Bacon Bits Dog Cake (that's a mouthful) which was later nicknamed as 'Agility Cake' as everyone started to use the cake to tempt their dogs during agility training. Made fresh the night before, the cake was enjoyed by the dogs and some of the humans as well!

Photo session. Cami and her birthday cake

Testing the dogs' will power

Angel asking for more

Russell looking on

Groovy tempted by the bacon flavor

Brandy performing a trick for a taste

There were some leftovers which we later brought home for Axle to enjoy. The balance in the fridge are for our funny Cairns to enjoy later through the week.

Not forgetting the big boy Axle

Wishing a very Happy Birthday to our little Cairns...cherishing every moment we have with them.

Faces

2008-08-11T14:44:00.011+08:00

Here are some different faces of Axle & Cami for your enjoyment. The fine work of a DSLR Canon 450D.

Axle

Cami

Now everyone can be a pro...

Dog Olympic Day

2008-08-05T11:19:00.011+08:00

The last dog event was organized by Puppy.com at Bandar Utama Park in conjunction of their annual doggie olympics which mainly consisted of numerous games, schutzhund trials, and a rare agility dog trials!

Random Photos

It has been a long while since an agility trial was held by this organization which was found to be a waste considering they have the best looking agility equipment around Malaysia. Although there was only one class for each maxi and mini, it was definitely a good start in promoting agility games in the country. Needless to say, a group of us from Pet-N-U decided to participate (us crazy people seem to join close to every agility event) including Cami. We figured that Axle's food was running out and he seems to love ProPlan so we were rooting for some bag(s) of doggie food prizes. The outcome of the agility trials were a little bit of a letdown as the course was quite extraordinary. Unlike the normal smooth paths in conventional courses, this time it seemed like a maze to both dogs and handlers. There were many confused handlers who were looking around in vain for the next obstacle while running their dogs midway during the course. This resulted in many faults and eliminations due to dogs running around, wrong sequence, etc. Luckily, the rules does not call for an immediate elimination if a wrong sequence is taken otherwise those prizes will need to be saved for Puppy.com's next event!

Joanna & Odie

Fawn & Groovy

Chan & Kimi

Amanda & Pacco

Melissa & Amber

Lawrence & Cami

Hannah

60-Weave Pole Challenge

Long story short, we and our doggie pals managed to haul back some prizes including some from games such as Simon Says, Fastest Recall, 60 pole weave, and hurdle race. Cami took 2nd place in the agility trials, 2nd in 60 pole weave, and 2nd in hurdle race. Looks like the curse of #2 is getting serious and we need to find a way to break this curse...However, we were generally quite pleased with her performance and needless to say, proud of her achievement especially in the weave pole and hurdle races since she is quite a mini size dog competing against many other stronger and bigger opponents. Way to go mini-cam!

Agility Winners

Shiny Throphy & Medals

Group taking a break

As usual, all winnings will benefit big-bro Axle who waited patiently at home for the good news.

Axle: Excellent...

Hide-a-way Bag (out-dated post)

2008-05-15T11:34:00.008+08:00

As we will be traveling to Singapore over the Wesak weekend, we had the tough task of figuring out how to settle the dogs' well being while we are away. After much thought, we figured that Cami can probably board with a friend while Axle, who is more independent and tough can be sent for boarding. As we have not boarded our dogs in Malaysia before, we are a bit cautious as Axle can get a little out of hand sometimes especially during his walks. However, after checking the facility at our vet and considering that Dr. Edmund has been exposed to Axle before, we felt somewhat comfortable and decided that Axle should be fine there.

For Cami, Groovy's owners were kind to agree to take care of her. Hopefully, there will be no regrets after her stay! As Groovy lives in an apartment and gets carried in and out of the apartment building in a bag, we had to train Cami to do the same. Groovy's mum loaned us a bag to practice with Cami over the week. The aim is to have Cami sit still in the bag with a towel covered over her head while she gets transported in and out of the apartment. Now, mind you that the only time we stuffed Cami in a bag was when we first had her around 9-10 weeks and we carried her in a little handbag in a shopping mall back in the States. Some people noticed her but I think the majority did not as the handbag was black in color and she kinda blended in with the bag. She could have passed off as a a little stuffed toy dog at that time.

The results ...

Looking comfy...

Hard work hiding away

Didn't do too bad, ei?

For some exciting stories on how Cami spent her holidays at Groovy's, you can check out his website...

Petworld @Mid Valley

2008-04-08T13:35:00.008+08:00

Firstly, many apologies for going MIA for nearly half a year. Maybe it's the slow internet connection that hampered on-going thoughts of updating the blog or maybe it was just plain laziness! :P

Anyhow, I'll start updating from the most recent event which was the Mid-Valley show known as Petworld, held two weekends ago at one of Malaysia's major shopping mall. Surprising isn't it? Finally an indoor venue for dog lovers to bring their dogs and enjoy the air-conditioning while visiting the many booths selling/promoting pet related items. The main attraction was of course the obedience and agility trials conducted by Pet-n-U. In the morning throughout the early noon, OB trials were held followed by agility in mid-afternoon. OB trials consisted of many classes ranging from Pre-Novice to Open while agility trials involved Jumpers to Novice class. Still waiting for an Open class for agility so that spectators can witness how difficult a course could be and the teamwork required between handler and dog to complete the course with the least amount of faults.

Intermediate Obedience - Broad Jump
Surprisingly large crowd

Dog Fancy Dress

Of course Cami did not miss this chance to compete in the Elementary and Novice class, trying to achieve some clean runs to be a step closer in winning Pet-n-U's M.A.D. (Malaysian Agility Dog) title. Alas, she got disqualified for both runs in Elementary as she kept jumping the wrong sequence (a possible handler error there...?) whereby she got an immediate 'peeeppp' from the judge. However, she did us proud by taking the 2nd spot in Novice, behind Archer (Min Schnauzer) and ahead of Groovy (JRT).

See any similarities in jumping style? Top: Cami; Bottom: Groovy

Novice Agility Price Giving (clockwise): 1st (Archer), 2nd (Cami), 3rd (Groovy)

Got a nice little trophy to add to her collection and not forgetting a bag of Eukanuba to feed her for the next month. What did Axle get? Well, he didn't go to the show due to his lack of social skills but he did get himself a freebie bag of Happy Dog food so that will keep him well fed for the next month as well. Now, better hope that the next trial is coming soon before their food runs out...

Cami: Do I need to share my goodies with bro again???
Axle: Huhuhuhu....

Got Milk???

2007-10-30T17:13:00.000+08:00

This was a first time experience for all of us but Cami auditioned as a frisbee catching dog in a milk commercial last month and got the job. This said commercial is not to be aired (or so they claimed or we should have asked for more mulah) but instead submitted to one of the media awards as a concept commercial.

Anyhow, Cami spent half a day at a field, doing what she loves most which is playing with her frisbee. As she displays her natural enthusiasm for her frisbee, the camera rolled and she 'acted' alongside Ben, who used to bring his dog to Pet-N-You for training. It was a tiring and happy day for both us and Cami considering the experience gained from the filming. There was also a fake stuffed dog which was Cami's stunt double, to be used against the blue screen for special effects.

We finally got back the finished product last week and to our surprise, it turned out fairly nice and funny. Don't worry but we have safely stashed away her earnings to be used later on food and toys. Enjoy...

The Carnival is in town

2007-10-03T15:57:00.000+08:00

OK maybe this is a bit outdated but since I have the photos, might as well post on this event. This event was organized by the Pet-N-You committee with the generous sponsorship from Eukanuba. It is mainly an event dedicated to dog sports fan and activities ranged from obedience and agility trials to basic canine games. The turn out was fairly impressive considering we had more than 60 over entries, indeed a positive outlook for all canine lovers in the nation. It was an early morning for some of us whom were helping to set up and make last minute preparations prior to the crowd's arrival.

Setting up and enjoying a short break

Although we were all huffing and puffing like maniacs, in the end we managed to pull it together to kick start the trials at a reasonable time of 8-8:30am. Most competing canines were kept in their kennels by their anxious owners to shield them away from the smoldering hot sun. Guess having the sun is better than the rain...

A fan... ; Participants waiting for their turn

Sissy, looking ready to rule ; Mine, all mine

Big winnings throughout the event with participants from different dog training organizations taking home a chunk of the prizes. Cami took part in Novice agility and gamblers, and managed to take the 2nd and 3rd spots respectively. Groovy, the dog to beat, was the winner of both classes while Archer, the MS, took 3rd spot for novice agility. Sissy, the mixy, was at her peak as she swept the 1st prize for maxi jumpers class and 2nd prize for maxi novice. Our other mate, Angel took home the 2nd prize for gamblers and 3rd prize for maxi novice.

From top left: Susan & Archer, Lawrence & Cami, Mun Yee & Groovy, Yvonne & Sissy

All in all, it was a fun day in the sun and prize bags were everywhere. I must say that very rarely do we see prizes filled up to the brim of the bag so a big kudos to our generous sponsor. Cami is already looking forward to the next event as she continues to help us chase our quest to fill up the display cabinet with more of her trophies *grin*

Pooped out

Happy Birthday to Me...!

2007-09-18T13:52:00.000+08:00

Hi hi...it is Cami here. I decided to take over this post and share with all you readers on what happened over this 15th September 2007. It was my 3rd birthday! I had to share with my brother Axle since he just can't remember when is his own birthday... Duh...Anyhow, Mummy keeps saying what a big girl I am now. I used to be this tiny little pup with my mini ears and nose whom was always asleep by 9pm.

This birthday was a special one. I had homemade puppy-licious Apple pup-cakes, specially baked for the occasion.

Hot in the Oven

Luckily, I did not have to share my cake with my bro since we each had one. It was all yummy since I love apples and we both finished up the cake in no time. I spied in the refrigerator yesterday and saw that there are 4 more cakes for us. The rest were shared with our friends during training. Can I have one tonight puh-lease...?

Happy Birthday Axle & Cami

Yummy Cakes

Wolfing down the cakes

Enjoying...

Besides that, we did not have our usual kibbles for dinner but instead shared a can of delicious Avoderm wet food. We have both talked about it...we need to make Mummy and Daddy celebrate our birthday everyday.

Visit to Penang

2007-07-17T13:36:00.000+08:00

PAAPP Trials

The Pet-n-U team went to Penang on June 8-10 to participate in a series of agility trials which were organized by a canine agility organization up in Penang, known as Penang Dog Agility Association (PAAPP). As it was over the weekend, our mates left for Penang on Friday to spend two nights in Penang while we were only able to join them on Saturday due to leave limitation.

As we arrived in Penang, both Axle & Cami got very excited to know that they will be sharing apartment unit with their training buddies, Russell & Archer. Although Axle was previously cool with Archer, given the different environment, it was a whole new ball game and he tried to get at them both, barking continuously. We had no choice but to keep Axle in the room and took turns to run in the living room.

Pet-N-U dog squad

Angel, Groovy, & Cami getting ready for the trials

The trials went smoothly and I am proud to say that the team manage to sweep all 3 spots in the mini class while Angel dominated the maxi class. Cami took home 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place titles respectively for the elementary, jumpers, and gambler trials. However, no clean run for her as she refused to jump through the tire, that little stinker! But I must admit that the tire looks somewhat different...Our mates, Archer and Russell did get one clean run each, adding to their previous clean run profile, nice.

Elementary & Jumpers Result

Anyhow, it was a great day and everyone from the team deservingly won something so it was fairly encouraging. At the end of the day and we had to re-organize the trunk to fit all the dog food and treats we won. Axle was a happy camper to see all the goodies and quickly proclaimed his half of the portion.

Axle: Mine mine mine!

Cami: Do I need to share?

Dog Olympics @ Bandar Utama

2007-06-06T13:23:00.000+08:00

Cute German Shepherd Pup

A participant all dressed up

One of the dog organization organized a dog event on 27 June 2007 at Central Park near 1 Utama. The turn out was quite impressive as we saw many dog owners and dogs of all kinds of breed having fun and taking parts in the games. These games were mainly fun games to encourage participants. By the time we got there, it was mid-morning because we are tied up with our weekly dog training at Pet-N-U. Dropped Axle off in one of our relative's house and headed to the event with Cami. We couldn't afford to bring Axle with us or we will be banned from the center ring.

What's up?

Cami looking cute in her top

Initially, we did not think of participating in any events but finally took part in a game called 'Dog Walk'. Each dog owners is to walk his/her dog from start to the finish line using a toilet paper as a leash! The catch is to turn 3 circles with your dog before walking and by the end of the walk, the toilet paper cannot be damaged. Fairly imaginative I must say...

Can you spot Cami and Dad (hint: white T-shirt)?

On your mark, get set go! At first, Cami was out of sight and definitely NOT one of the top contenders. Everything happened too fast and it was a blur so the organizers decided to disqualify the first walk and re-start. The next time...Cami got 2nd place (yey!) and got herself a bag of ProPlan dog food and another bag of treat. See how we are trying to get our dogs to self sustain?

Cami and I

Posting No. 2

2007-05-23T09:47:00.000+08:00

Finally had time to put up some pictures of the dogs. As you can see, we have two beautiful Cairns which although are from the same breed, looks vastly different in color! One male and the other female so you may be wondering -> Hey, why not breed them? Ans: Cause Axle was neutered when he was picked up as a stray by A.D.O.P.T.

Hence, it did cross our mind to look for a 3rd Cairn but no luck so far. Only option is to import another male Cairn but this will take time as we will need to go through lots of research to find a suitable breeder whom will agree to sell his/her pup to someone who resides in a different country. I won't say that we have closed down this option as we are still hoping to breed Cami and introduce more Cairns to this country (another main reason is so that we can have one of her pups). We did consider the possibility of importing from Australia or New Zealand as to avoid quarantine. FYI, there is a list of countries posted by our national veterinary department whereby animals coming in from any of the countries listed do not need to be quarantined :)

Anyhow, still a thought as two dogs are already a handful and at this point, we may not have the time to tend to the needs of a pup. We will leave it to fate.

Starting Out

2007-05-21T18:01:00.000+08:00

This is great. I did not think it was this easy to start a blog.

Finally here is a place to dedicate a space to our two pet Cairns which we transported all the way from the States when we moved home two years ago. As we venture into the new yet familiar territory, it was great that we found some dog friends (humans and dogs) who are as crazy with their dogs as we are.

Through this blog, there will be postings on the only Cairns in Malaysia (as far as we are concerned, Cami is the only registered Cairn in MKA while Axle is the 2nd in line although without a cert since he is a rescue dog).

Anyhow, a salute to this beautiful breed, which is a close cousin of West Highland Terriers (Westies). In fact, they are pratically the same except that we can get them in all kinds of colors except white. White is a big no-no for Cairns.