# Mice



## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I have come to the occlusion that I have a mouse in my house. I have found the poop, he seems to be hanging out in the kitchen. I have no clue how it's surviving with 5 cats and 5 dogs in the house , but I have seen no signs of any of them taking interest in a spot where it might be. I am ground level, with no basement. I can caulk the area but that isn't going to help if its in the house when I do so. I didn't notice the poop until it got cold. In the spring I can caulk. Poison is out of the question because of my pets. Is there anything I can safely put down to deter the little boogers? My house is an open plan and I have nowhere to put anything that is harmful out of harms way.


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## lkcheertex (Apr 20, 2011)

WE had this problem in our garage. We put down glue traps in spaces that were so small that there was absolutely NO chance that our dogs could get them and accidentally step on them.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

lkcheertex said:


> WE had this problem in our garage. We put down glue traps in spaces that were so small that there was absolutely NO chance that our dogs could get them and accidentally step on them.


I have no place like that. I envision the golden puppy with it stuck to his nose


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

And I don't want to hear them crying when they get stuck, by they I mean the mice. They don't scare me, in fact I think they are cute, but I know they can carry disease, which concerns me as far as the pets are concerned


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## misfits (Jan 13, 2011)

I took a box my work boots came in, cut a small hole in the side, set the trap inside and securely taped the top on. Dogw couldn't get into it but the mouse did. If you're worried about the dogs tearing up the cardboard, a small plastic bin works well too.


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## Sp00ks (Nov 8, 2013)

misfits said:


> I took a box my work boots came in, cut a small hole in the side, set the trap inside and securely taped the top on. Dogw couldn't get into it but the mouse did. If you're worried about the dogs tearing up the cardboard, a small plastic bin works well too.


Simple but genius!!! They do similar outside office buildings. If you pay attention you can see little black boxes in the corners. Same principle.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

The shoe box is a good idea but I don't have anywhere to stick it, everything is wide open


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

You rarely (if ever) have one mouse. If you see one, chances are you already have a family living in your home. Pretty soon they'll bring in their cousins, uncles, aunts, neighbors...etc. And then they'll multiply. 

The mouse poop could have been from a scout mouse, brought in from the cold to find a nice place to colonize. Perhaps one of your cats snatched it up before it was able to return to blab about the nice place it found. 

If I see/hear any indication of an invasion of mice I'll take a glue trap and wedge it in between my fridge and the cabinets. The dogs can't reach it, but I can still see if I take any prisoners. 

They can come in through the weep holes in brick, scurry their little bodies under doors, through walls etc.


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## Okin (Feb 27, 2013)

If he is in the kitchen do the dogs get up on the counters? I get them from time to time the best way I have found to catch them is get two of the glue traps and put them in a narrow area and put some peanut butter in between them. That way they have to walk over the glue to get to the peanut butter.


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## Springbrz (Aug 13, 2013)

Try putting the shoe box in the a lower cabinet with the door just ajar keeps the dogs and cats away). I used a similar technique using 3-4 traps lined up in the box. mouse had to climb on a trap just to get anywhere in the box. I didn't use cheese (never works for me). Mice love peanut butter and grass seed. I put the peanut butter in the trap and sprinkled grass seed all around the inside of the box/on the traps. My record was 5 mice in one day using this method (in my garage). 
If you have to have the trap box out in the open you could try heavy duty double sided tape (like carpet tape) to stick it to the floor. Then you would just have to use "leave it" for the dogs. 

Good luck!


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Okin said:


> If he is in the kitchen do the dogs get up on the counters? I get them from time to time the best way I have found to catch them is get two of the glue traps and put them in a narrow area and put some peanut butter in between them. That way they have to walk over the glue to get to the peanut butter.


Well I do have a nosey golden puppy that is in training as far as counters go(a whole other thread), but the cats do go on the counters. I'm concerned about putting anything under the cabinets, because my oldest can open those, even with child safety locks, got a video of that one. If she hears anything that sounds in distress she wouldn't hesitate to get to it.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Anyone ever try peppermint oil on cotton balls?


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## Daydreamer (Jan 25, 2010)

We get mice from time to time (comes with living in the country) and use humane traps. You just have to make sure to release very far from home or they will come back! Last winter we had a mouse gnaw a hole in the ceiling of our pantry. Husband managed to get a trap set up and we caught it. Released that morning and got another that night. This went on for a few days and we started to think we had a bad infestation. I jokingly said maybe you should mark the mouse to make sure it's not the same one. Husband did it and we caught the same mouse 2 more times! The last time hubby took him for a car ride. So far no more mice.


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## OUbrat79 (Jan 21, 2013)

You can buy those no touch no view mouse traps. We used them when we had a cat. It worked really good at getting rid of the mice without hurting the animals. They have to black ones that won't go off until the mouse is completely in it so it won't go off it a cat sticks it's paw in it. They work really good.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Please do not glue traps. They are horrible and inhumane and they die an agonizing death. Just because we don't like mice doesn't mean that you should torture them. Better use a snap or live trap. And yes, release them far away from your home. It will be good for your karma.


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

Snap traps are more humane. At least the little critter's neck gets broken right away, so there's no suffering. I used a glue trap once, and was awful. I had to smash it to kill it. Never again! 

I have the black plastic ones and they work very well. I hate to have to kill them, but they'll overrun my house in the fall if I don't get rid of them.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I really want to avoid killing them , it's really not an option. My mom used glue traps once . It was crying and it was awful. It took me a couple hours to get him unstuck. My mom was not happy with me, but the little guy lived.


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## Blanketback (Apr 27, 2012)

I didn't want to kill them either. But they'll multiply so fast otherwise...it's the only way to keep them out of your home. Think of it this way: if you let them live, and then they know your house is the best house, and one of your neighbors poisons them, and they come back and your cats get them, and then your cats have secondary poisoning - it's not worth the risk. That's how I look at it anyhow. Since I've found poisoned mice in my yard and freaked out about them, I've been much better about killing them myself - with a quick snap.


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## katro (Feb 26, 2013)

I've heard peppermint oil is a natural rodent deterrent - the smell is too intense for them and will drive them away. I also found this "recipe" that is safe for pets to be around/won't hurt dogs or cats if they ingest it:
Safe Mouse Poison

There are commercial rat poisons on the market that are safe for all pets and humans. Eradibait is a natural rat poison which is safe to non-rodents due to its plant material composition. It kills rodents by capitalizing on their unique digestive system. The poison causes dehydration, which induces blood thickening and circulatory collapse. The mouse will then go into a coma and die. This particular poison is only sold in the UK and must be bought online. There is also a homemade poison you can try that is made with baking soda. The homemade concoction kills rodents by causing an internal carbon dioxide build-up. Make this pet-friendly mouse poison following these instructions:


1. Mix 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of baking soda in a bowl

2. Place small amounts of the mix onto small plates

3. Spread peanut butter or other food around the edges of the plates

4. Put places into highly active rodent areas of the house
Mouse Poison Safe for Dogs - Pest Control - Seva Call Blog


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

I used to use the ultrasonic mouse repellent plug ins. They get mixed reviews, but really seemed to work for me. Then, I got rabbits and guinea pigs. There were warnings against using them with small animals. After I stopped using them, the mice came back.

My German Shepherd wasn't much of a deterrent and I don't have cats. Then - I got the beagle/JRT mix. Haven't had a mouse problem since.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I'm seeing good things about the peppermint oil and those plug ins worked for a friend of mine. Maybe I will do both.


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

I keep my horse feed in my garage because of the rats in the barn, and when my cat died my garage became infested with mice, it was disgusting, they didn't get into my house because of my 2 house cats, but I would see the filthy vermin in the garage blatantly just crawling over everything, I started putting my 3 terriers , 2 Cairns and a JRT in the garage during the day while I was at work and that did it! I came home to massacred mice for days, than I adopted 2 kittens from the shelter and raised them in the garage to go up in the rafters and yard, and now no more mice, I can leave a peanut butter cookie tray on the counters and there won't be one bite, plus, the female Cairn I rescued form the shelter has decimated the rats in the barn, she is an absolute killing machine, it's quite impressive, she massacres the squirrels as well, she's worth her weight in gold!


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Aren't terriers great? Ironically, though, my little guy isn't killing them. The mice just don't come around any more, since he moved in.


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

Yes, I love terriers, and it's really neat to see dogs do what they were bred to do, my Cairns are actually much better killers than my JRT is, I'm wondering if it's because they are not popular and therefore still retain the true nature of their breed, where as the JRT's are so popular now, the Cairns go from sun-up to sundown on the hunt, I even have to physically bring them in the house, cause if they are on a scent, forget about it, they have NO OBEDIENCE at all!!!!


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## Dudes mom (Apr 25, 2013)

Hiya! I can sooooo help with this one! An inexpensive mouse repellant you can pick up at any walmart or grocery store! Safe for pets and small children. Peppermint tea bags scattered throughout the house, in all your cabinets and closets. Mice can't stand the smell. I change the teabags out every 6 months and I haven't had a mouse in 3 years. Really! Try it!


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> I used to use the ultrasonic mouse repellent plug ins. They get mixed reviews, but really seemed to work for me.


They do work. The wild life center where I used to work used them and the result was that the feeder mice population stopped breeding. When we unplugged them, the feeder mice went back to breeding and the wild ones came back.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I got the plug ins, two came in the pack. I'm going to put them near where I think it is or where I have seen poop . I'm getting peppermint something this weekend. When I bought the house there was tons of mint and I got rid of it all, I read its a good deterrent. Looks like I will be replanting some around the perimeter of the house this spring.


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## volcano (Jan 14, 2013)

dont feed the cats for 3-4 days. Problem solved


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I've come to the conclusion that none of my dogs or cats would kill or hurt the mouse, they probably think its a new pet....


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## Wetdog (May 23, 2001)

I used to have Cairn Terriers as well. 

What LARHAGE says is true. They are not the sharpest pencils in the box. But definitely the most fearsome and dedicated hunters ever. They were originally bred in Scotland where a Cairn is a pile of rocks used as a marker or sign---but it also means a cellar for storing food, sort of like what we'd call a "root cellar" over here. They were bred for 400 years to control rats and mice in Cairns, hence the breed name. They can be black or blonde, and sometimes brindle. Around 1900, a Cairn breeder by the name of Col. Murphy accidentally shot his favorite dog while hunting. At the time, white was a disqualifying fault for Cairns(it still is)---and any white pups were routinely culled. In order to give his dogs higher visibility and avoid a future accident, Col. Murphy who was a top breeder began collecting white puppies of good breeding before they were culled, and eventually bred what came to be a separate breed-----the West Highland White Terrier. Westie's have a slightly different standard than the Cairns, white and slightly larger now----but the breed originated from culls out of the Cairn breed.

In my experience, you will not have mice if put a little grain out where the mice can find it and the dogs have the floor traction to give chase. All you will see is little mouse tails slurping down like pieces of cooked spaghetti.

Cairns are also very good to have around if you have problems with flying monkeys. (Toto was a Cairn Terrier)


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

Wetdog said:


> I used to have Cairn Terriers as well.
> 
> What LARHAGE says is true. They are not the sharpest pencils in the box. But definitely the most fearsome and dedicated hunters ever. They were originally bred in Scotland where a Cairn is a pile of rocks used as a marker or sign---but it also means a cellar for storing food, sort of like what we'd call a "root cellar" over here. They were bred for 400 years to control rats and mice in Cairns, hence the breed name. They can be black or blonde, and sometimes brindle. Around 1900, a Cairn breeder by the name of Col. Murphy accidentally shot his favorite dog while hunting. At the time, white was a disqualifying fault for Cairns(it still is)---and any white pups were routinely culled. In order to give his dogs higher visibility and avoid a future accident, Col. Murphy who was a top breeder began collecting white puppies of good breeding before they were culled, and eventually bred what came to be a separate breed-----the West Highland White Terrier. Westie's have a slightly different standard than the Cairns, white and slightly larger now----but the breed originated from culls out of the Cairn breed.
> 
> ...


That was very informative. Thank you!


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

put the glue traps in a closket and close the door. put the
glue traps in the kitchen cabinets but make sure the dogs
can't open the cabinets. put the traps on the kitchen counter
but push them back far enough that dogs can't reach them.
put a trap in the kitchen sink. under the refrigerator but push it
under enough so the the dogs can't get to it. a mice can be
anywhere in the house.

now you can always wait untill springtime and it'll probably
leave. lol.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

one of the play areas in the woods that i go to there's a
Cairn Terrier that attacked my dog twice. the onwer of the Cairn
an i exchanged phone numbers so we could avoid each other
when we go to the woods. the owner told me his dog was attacked
by a GSD and since then he goes nuts when he sees a GSD.

thanks for the info about Cairns and Westies.



Wetdog said:


> I used to have Cairn Terriers as well.
> 
> What LARHAGE says is true. They are not the sharpest pencils in the box. But definitely the most fearsome and dedicated hunters ever. They were originally bred in Scotland where a Cairn is a pile of rocks used as a marker or sign---but it also means a cellar for storing food, sort of like what we'd call a "root cellar" over here. They were bred for 400 years to control rats and mice in Cairns, hence the breed name. They can be black or blonde, and sometimes brindle. Around 1900, a Cairn breeder by the name of Col. Murphy accidentally shot his favorite dog while hunting. At the time, white was a disqualifying fault for Cairns(it still is)---and any white pups were routinely culled. In order to give his dogs higher visibility and avoid a future accident, Col. Murphy who was a top breeder began collecting white puppies of good breeding before they were culled, and eventually bred what came to be a separate breed-----the West Highland White Terrier. Westie's have a slightly different standard than the Cairns, white and slightly larger now----but the breed originated from culls out of the Cairn breed.
> 
> ...


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

I don't know, my Cairns are wicked smart, so smart in fact that they trained me, not the other way around , which come to think of it is a terrier trait !!


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## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

Wetdog said:


> Cairns are also very good to have around if you have problems with flying monkeys. (Toto was a Cairn Terrier)


Whew, I was just wondering how to get rid of those pesky flying monkeys!


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## pets4life (Feb 22, 2011)

your cats will find it eventually and eat it, sometimes i would get mice but sooner or later the ones who come into the house get eaten, it is a short life expentency for them in a house with cats


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

pets4life said:


> your cats will find it eventually and eat it, sometimes i would get mice but sooner or later the ones who come into the house get eaten, it is a short life expentency for them in a house with cats


I don't even know how they are making it into the house, there are lots of feral cats outside, I see them and now their footprints all around my house. I haven't found anymore poop and my house smells like a candy cane( peppermint oil seems to be working along with plug ins)


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## Saphire (Apr 1, 2005)

My Cairn Terrier was by far the toughest dog I have ever owned. He earned a CD title and a standing ovation from the judge for high in trial on leg 2 so he also was a smart one.


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## dogsnkiddos (Jul 22, 2008)

The cats demand a snack every morning at exactly 6 am after their breakfast. Being well trained I always oblige. Last week Husband left for a conference on Sunday night and it was a whirlwind getting him out the door. Monday morning I stood in front of the cats thinking about all the things I needed to add to the routine with him away. While I was truly engaged in this thought process, a stream of consciousness still payed in my head in the background as I was on autopilot for the usual stuff. It went like this:
Ok, they are all here, let's wait for them to get in position. Why is Lola not in place- what is she doing. Ugh she got spaghetti off the stove- wait all the dishes are in the dishwasher...we didn't have spaghetti last night
and at this point I snapped full attention to the cat and realized THAT IS A MOUSE TAIL IN HER MOUTH...ewww..that is the BOTTOM half of a mouse. I had Boy look around for the top half and never found it.


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

Mice are like spiders. They don't come unless you're feeding them. Take an inventory, secure all the food sources, and let your multiple cats take care of the stragglers  honestly, the only reason they're there is because you're feeding them somehow, some way. 


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

Pet food bowls are the first place to start. Feed the pets, pick up and wash the bowls. Mice can survive on whatever the dogs and cats don't lick clean. Don't give them that chance. 


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## zyppi (Jun 2, 2006)

didn't read all the posts, so apologize if this is redundant, but buy some peppermint oil ( health food store has it). put on cotton balls around the area. I kid you not, mice will retreat.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

Well I finally seen the little booger. He ran across the room and I lost him, from the angle he came I would say he is living under the dishwasher, where I didn't put any peppermint. Now there is peppermint under there. Looks like live traps are next. Now I understand the saying quiet as a mouse. I don't think he can leave on his own, there is a foot of snow around the house. There is no food anywhere for him, I am vacuuming every day. Can they live under the snow? I seen a picture of a fox hunting them pretty far under the snow.


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## Wetdog (May 23, 2001)

I really should clarify about the Cairns not being "the sharpest pencil in the box".

That is not very accurate and that is my fault for giving the wrong impression. It is not that they are not very adept at figuring things out-------they have an abundance of ability in that area. That is not what I had in mind at all either. No, what I had in mind is that that will KNOW what to do, getting them to do it however, can be a completely different story. On thinking about it, I think what I should have said was they can be far less than "biddable". Meaning that they can KNOW what to do, but they do when THEY want to---not necessarily when you want them to.

Cairns can be quite stubborn and willful. They are typical terriers right down to the bone----and it is quite true, more often than not, THEY are the ones training the owners. I gave the wrong impression, that was my fault.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Wetdog said:


> Cairns can be quite stubborn and willful. They are typical terriers right down to the bone----and it is quite true, more often than not, THEY are the ones training the owners. I gave the wrong impression, that was my fault.


That's why clicker training works so well for them.... and the owners


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

llombardo said:


> Well I finally seen the little booger. He ran across the room and I lost him, from the angle he came I would say he is living under the dishwasher, where I didn't put any peppermint. Now there is peppermint under there. Looks like live traps are next. Now I understand the saying quiet as a mouse. I don't think he can leave on his own, there is a foot of snow around the house. There is no food anywhere for him, I am vacuuming every day. Can they live under the snow? I seen a picture of a fox hunting them pretty far under the snow.


You just really never know where a mouse is going to turn up. I took all my birdhouses down one spring to clean them out from the previous nesting season. One little house was packed full of stuff, I couldn't quite figure out. Lo and behold, out popped a mouse. He was living in the birdhouse - in a tree. Go figure.


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## shepherdmom (Dec 24, 2011)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> I used to use the ultrasonic mouse repellent plug ins. They get mixed reviews, but really seemed to work for me. Then, I got rabbits and guinea pigs. There were warnings against using them with small animals. After I stopped using them, the mice came back.
> 
> My German Shepherd wasn't much of a deterrent and I don't have cats. Then - I got the beagle/JRT mix. Haven't had a mouse problem since.


Those things work great. We had a mouse problem when we moved in here. Put out some mouse traps, got a couple of those things and haven't had a problem since.


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## LARHAGE (Jul 24, 2006)

Wetdog said:


> I really should clarify about the Cairns not being "the sharpest pencil in the box".
> 
> That is not very accurate and that is my fault for giving the wrong impression. It is not that they are not very adept at figuring things out-------they have an abundance of ability in that area. That is not what I had in mind at all either. No, what I had in mind is that that will KNOW what to do, getting them to do it however, can be a completely different story. On thinking about it, I think what I should have said was they can be far less than "biddable". Meaning that they can KNOW what to do, but they do when THEY want to---not necessarily when you want them to.
> 
> Cairns can be quite stubborn and willful. They are typical terriers right down to the bone----and it is quite true, more often than not, THEY are the ones training the owners. I gave the wrong impression, that was my fault.


 
Yep, that is exactly how my Cairns are, they don't need to be told to hunt, quite the contrary, but everything else is fair game, if they want to obey they will, if not, well too bad, so sad.  They are smart though, no question, all you have to do is look in their eyes, my food crazy male can move chairs around so he can access the table and counters, it's quite hilarious.


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## Wetdog (May 23, 2001)

--------" My German Shepherd wasn't much of a deterrent and I don't have cats."------Stevenzachsmom

She still had mice, but at least they were always in a well guarded little herd.

------" That's why clicker training works so well for them.... and the owners







"------Wolfy Dog

Cairns are so adept at training owners, they almost never have to use clickers.

(sorry folks---I'm not picking on your posts, I just thought the ambiguous wordings came out as very funny to me)


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