Airedale Terrier

This working or hunting class dog hails from an area in Yorkshire, England called Airedale, hence the name. This is a fearless but not aggressive cross between the old English, rough – coated, Terrier (Welsh Terrier) and the Otter Hound. The Airedale terrier breeders originally bred this dog to hunt otters. The origin and history of this dog dates back into the nineteenth century when avid hunters of the day would take a pack of hound dogs and Terriers to hunt prey. The hounds would scent and track the prey and then the Terriers would chase the prey into their dens or burrows. Looking for the kill. These Terriers had to be large enough to handle the prey but small enough to fit into the underground homes.

From this, a popular event was created. It consisted of Terriers that were able to find a hole in the ground that had a large rat in it, then a ferret was released to chase the rat out and the Terrier was then able to chase it through the waters until it could make the kill. Because this became such a popular sport, many Airedale terrier breeders began to breed for this event. This was the beginning of the Airedale Terrier of today. The size of this Terrier prevents it from being able to maneuver through the underground homes of prey, but the back ground of the hound dog gives it great scenting and tracking ability along with other attributes of sporting dogs. They are able to be broken to the gun and trained to retrieve prey. Also the size and temperament of this dog makes it a wonderful guard dog.

The Airedale Terrier is sometimes referred to as the Waterside Terrier and is the largest of this breed, weighing between 44 – 73 pounds and standing about 23 inches at the withers. Airedale Terrier breeders will tell you that they are a very intelligent and independent breed. They are stoic and can be stubborn at times. This dog does not like repetition, especially during training. Once it has ‘gotten something down’ it will ignore the trainer if ask to keep repeating the same command. They require consistency and persistence in training, but are able to reach great horizons in obedience and agility competition with the right trainer.

This dog tends not to make a good mother to her puppies. Airedale Terrier breeders know that they will be, for the most part, responsible for the care and health of the newborn dogs. Many of these mothers will abandon their young. This may be why many of the young Airedale Terriers have little to no common sense and require training and early socialization with other dogs. In the correct situation these dogs will be a great addition to a family. They love to join in the family activities and have a great sense of humor.