Body
Body
Body: Well muscled, strong, active body with well-sprung, deep ribs, coupled to strong hindquarters, with a level back of medium length, giving an impression of strength and activity without heaviness.
Clarification.
A firmly put-together body with a heart-(or egg-) shaped rib cage, not barrel ribs, or slab side is correct. A level back is desired. A good topline is a combination of proper placement of the bone structure combined with correct angulation.
My Comments.
When considering a Cairn's structure, one must always keep in mind that the dog was bred to hunt and to go to ground, and that the Cairn must have agility and endurance, as well as strength.
Shoulders, Legs and Feet: A sloping shoulder, medium length of leg, good but not too heavy bone; forelegs should not be out at elbows, and be perfectly straight, but forefeet may be slightly turned out. Forefeet larger than hind feet. Legs must be covered with hard hair. Pads should be thick and strong and dog should stand well up on its feet.
Clarification.
There should be some body overhang in the front; the pro sternum should be fairly prominent with the front legs well back in under the withers. Front legs are straight and well muscled without a tendency of a fiddle-front, but front feet may turn out slightly for digging purposes. However, this does not mean "east-west" front feet. Front feet are larger that back feet (again for digging purposes) with good depth in the pad and strong pasterns, never down on the pasterns. Feet should be tight-with no indication toward a splayed foot. Nails must be kept short. Hindquarters,: bend of stifle should be in proportion to shoulder layback to allow for a smooth, even gait. Hindquarters muscled with straight hocks. Cow hocks and open hocks should be severely penalized. Gait: should move freely and easily with reach in front and drive in rear on a loose lead. When viewed from the front, the legs should be straight and show reach. Any tendency toward winging or paddling should be penalized-as should crabbing. When viewed from the rear, the gait should show drive with the hocks parallel to each other and not too close together.
My Comments.
The Cairn should be very well angulated, both front and rear. As with most short-legged Terriers, fronts are not always as good as they should be, and breeders must five them constant attention. If the dog does not have the proper amount of bone, he will be "weedy," or if he has too much bone he will appear "coarse."
Tail: Tail in proportion to head, well
furnished with hair but not feathery. Carried gaily but must
not curl over back. Set on at back level.
Clarification.
Length of tail should equal height of ears. A standing Cairn should be able to have a ruler parallel to the ground from the tail's tip to the ear's tip. The tail is set high, at back level, but the ideal tail carriage is not necessarily vertical and should never be curled over the back. A Cairn going around the ring and carrying its tail at one or two o'clock is fine.
My Comments.
I much prefer to see the tail carried perfectly upright. To me if a Cairn's tail is not carried upright, the tail is either low set, or the dog is not sure of itself. The Cairn should love the showring, and its tail carriage indicated this. The Scottish Terrier Standard states "No judge should put to Winners or Best of Breed any Scottish Terrier not showing real terrier character in the ring." This could be said of the Terriers, and most certainly the Cairn.