A Cairn should not be too heavy in body or in weight. They are not chunky little dogs and should have a little extra length of loin to be agile. In feeling behind the rib cage along the sides of the dog, a very slight depression is good in the loin area. Not that you want to feel the hip bones, but you do want to feel the ribs and you want some leanness through the body. Cairns are not as heavy as the Westie or Scottie.
Full good coat means full coat-2 to 3 inches long all over the body-unlike the Westie or Scottie where there is much longer coat on the legs and longer coat close to the ground. The Cairn is not stripped on the back leaving a flowing skirt. The entire body is stripped-not just the back. They are not to be skinned down at the neck nor should they carry an abundance of long, silky, dead furnishings. This style of grooming should be heavily penalized in the show ring. A coat should be worked entirely with the thumb and forefinger. Scissor marks should never be seen on the Cairn body. Scissors may be used around the feet and just at the very top of the ears.
The fad of blow drying the Cairn should be discouraged. This fad only puffs out the coat and presents a very unnatural appearance for a rugged, sturdy dog. In order to preserve this breed in its best old-working type, the Cairn Terrier must resist current fashions.
Proper grooming of the tail is important for breed type in the Cairn. The hair covering the tail should taper from the base to a point at the tip like a Christmas tree or an inverted ice cream cone. A skinned down tail or the stovepipe grooming of a Fox Terrier is incorrect.
Judges are encouraged to examine Cairns on a table for eye-level viewing and assessing.
The Standard calls for the dog to be shown on a loose lead. A loose lead is most important for the natural presentation of a Cairn.
Also, those handling should be on their feet, not squatting and posing their dogs. Cairns are active, lively dogs, standing and facing the world proudly!
