Origin: Great Britain.

Description:

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.

The Airedale is a medium-sized, well-boned, squarely-built dog, and at all times a terrier in appearance and attitude. He should stand alert with head and tail held high, be interested and inquisitive, and show an intelligent, steady quality. Airedales are an elegant but sturdy dog, well-balanced and square, with height at the withers being about the same as the length from the front of the shoulder to the buttock. None of the dog's features should be exaggerated. The male has a definitely masculine appearance without being "common or cloddy". The female has a feminine appearance without being fine-boned or looking the least bit fragile. The ears should be alert and the expression eager and intelligent. The tail is carried up and adult Airedales should be self-confident, unafraid of people or other dogs. Intelligent puppies may display a more cautious attitude. Airedales are more reserved in temperament than many of the other terrier breeds, but should not act in a shy or spooky manner when approached by strangers.

The Airedale Terrier is known for its playfulness and courage, and for their love and patience with children. Airedales can be stubborn, however, and may challenge it’s owners for dominance within the pack and may be aggressive towards other dogs from outside it’s own pack. Obedience training and socialization are required from an early age with Airedales. They make an excellent watchdog, being wary of strangers at first, though quick to accept them if their owners encourage them.

Airedale’s have minimal grooming needs, with only show dogs needing to be stripped (removing old hair by hand). Pets may require a yearly clipping at the groomer. While the grooming needs are low, Airedales need lots of exercise to remain happy and non-destructive. Several long, vigorous walks daily and a couple of aerobic play sessions each day will keep your Airedale happy.

Like many breeds, the Airedale began in 19th century England (Yorkshire). Breeders near the Aire River crossed the otter hound with the now-extinct black & tan terrier. The results was a dog which was both fearless and loved cold water.  

Behavior/Temperament:
Keen of expression, quick of movement, on the tiptoe of expectation at any movement.  Character denoted and shown by expression of eyes, and by carriage of ears and erect tail.  Outgoing and confident, friendly, courageous and intelligent.  Alert at all times, not aggressive but fearless.
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.

Coat: Hard, dense and wiry, not so long as to appear ragged.  Lying straight and close, covering body and legs ; outer coat hard, wiry and stiff, undercoat shorter and softer.  Hardest coats are crinkling or just slightly waved ; curly or soft coat highly undesirable. 

Colour: Body saddle black or grizzle as is top of the neck and top surface of tail.  All other parts tan.  Ears often a darker tan, and shading may occur round neck and side of skull.  A few white hairs between forelegs acceptable.

Height: about 58-61 cm (23-24 ins) for dogs, taken from top of shoulder, and bitches about 56-59 cm (22-23 ins).
Weight: Dogs 50-65 pounds (23-29 kg.) Bitches 40-45 pounds (18-20 kg.)

Health:
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.

Life Expectancy: About 10-12 years

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.