Airedale Terrier

Description
The Airedale Terrier is a large terrier with a harsh wiry coat, long flat head, and a deep chest. Its hair is bristly and resistant to dampness, but it needs stripping. The well-balanced dog stands square, with a level topline and very straight front legs. The v-shaped ears fold slightly to the side and forward. The nose is black. The teeth should meet in a level or scissors bite. The tail is carried high and is customarily docked; left undocked it should be carried gaily, but should not curl over the back. The wiry outer coat is lined with a soft undercoat. The coat should be tan with black (or dark grizzle) markings. A bit of red in the black and/or a small white star on the chest are permitted. The legs (all the way to the thigh), chest, undersides, head and ears should be tan. Sometimes tan also extends up to the shoulders.
Temperament
The Airedale Terrier will usually do okay with children if they have early exposure and socialization, however they may play too rough for small ones. This breed needs to feel loved and respected. Courageous and protective. Fairly friendly with strangers. Intelligent, pleasant and loyal. Sensitive and responsive, he can be obedience trained at a high level. Airedale Terriers are fun-loving and playful when they are puppies. Airedales will be happy to please you, if there is nothing more pressing in the environment (chipmunk, other dog, food). Many trainers (including Jean Donaldson, who wrote Culture Clash about the dog-human relationship) feel that humans who believe that dogs will have an inherent need to please are very likely to abuse the dogs because they see a dog who is more motivated by other things than pleasing the human as "bad," "stubborn," and "disloyal." An Airedale is extremely loyal, but you would have to be an ace trainer to get him to come away from a chipmunk even for raw steak! They are naturally lively and can be very rowdy until properly trained. The Airedale Terrier needs proper obedience training and an owner who knows how to be "Top Dog". The Airedale Terrier may have dominance challenges toward family members he sees as submissive. This can lead to willfulness and disobedience. They are not difficult to train, but they do not respond to harsh overbearing training methods. The Airedale Terrier is intelligent enough to perceive quickly what is required of it, but if you ask it to do the same thing over and over again it may refuse. Try to give it some variety to its training, making the exercise a challenge. With the right handler, the Airedale Terrier can do well in various dog sports including defense dog trials. This breed generally gets along well with household cats and other animals, but they sometimes try to dominate other dogs. This depends upon their training and the individual dog.
Height, Weight
Height: Dogs 22-24 inches (56-61 cm.) Bitches 22-23 inches (56-58 cm.)
Weight: Dogs 50-65 pounds (23-29 kg.) Bitches 40-45 pounds (18-20 kg.)
Health Problems
A very hardy breed, although some may suffer from eye problems, hip dysphasia and skin infections. If your Airedale Terrier has dry skin, he should be fed an adjusted omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio in the diet.
Living Conditions
The Airedale Terrier is not recommended for apartment life. They are very active indoors and will do best with at least an average-sized yard.
Exercise
Airedales were bred for active work, and therefore needs plenty of exercise. Most of them love to play with a ball, swim, or retrieve objects and once fully grown will happily run alongside a bicycle. Without enough attention and exercise the Airedale Terrier will become restless and bored and will usually get itself into trouble. The exercise requirement can go down somewhat after the first two years (as with many dogs) but the first two years with an Airedale are very strenuous on the human. Then they start to get much more mellow.
Life Expectancy
About 10-12 years.
Litter Size
Average of 9 puppies
Grooming
Airedales have a hard, short-haired, double coat. The hair should be plucked about twice a year, but for dogs that are to be shown, much more intensive grooming is needed. Trim excessive hair between the pads of the feet when necessary. If you keep the coat stripped it will shed little to no hair, however if you do not strip the coat, you will most likely find fur piles around your baseboards, even with trimming, and brushing almost every day. They actually require a good bit of grooming. Burrs stick in the coat and beard. The beard should be washed daily because of food residue.
Origin
The Airedale Terrier was developed about a hundred years ago in the country of York from the ancient Working Terrier. "The King of Terriers," the Airedale was named for the Valley of the Aire in England, where lots of small game flourished. Originally known as the Waterside Terrier and used as a vermin hunter. The breed was later crossed with the Otterhound to make him a better swimmer. In addition to his role as a small game hunter, the Airedale has been used to hunt big game in Africa, Indian and Canada, and as a police dog and army sentry dog in World War II. Today the Airedale is primarily a companion dog, but there are still working lines out there. Some of the Airedale's talents are guarding, watchdogging, hunting, tracking, military work, police work, and competitive obedience.
Group
Terrier, AKC Terrier
Recognition
FCI, AKC, UKC, KCGB, CKC, ANKC, NKC, NZKC, CET, CKC, APRI, ACR