The Airedale Terrier Dog Breed

Some of you may have heard of the work of brave dogs who during the two world wars carried important messages from one trench to another. That was the Airedale Terrier, the greatest of all terriers! It is an extremely independent, loyal and brave dog that was used on several occasions by the British and German armies and the Red Cross.

These animals tolerate pain very well, are extremely versatile, do not let difficulties get them down and some say that they are absolutely not afraid of anything. Yet this dog was not initially born for this purpose.

History Airedale Terrier

It was selected by mating Black and Tan Terriers with Otterhounds in the Airedale Province. The purpose of this crossbreeding was to produce a hunting dog that was not afraid to dive into the marshes. It was initially used for otter hunting, then later also as a guard dog and for hunting grey bears.

Later, it was also used as a support dog for the British and German armies and for the Red Cross during the First World War. In fact, it was apparently not afraid of explosions and was endowed with a high degree of independent intelligence. They were assigned two dogs per company, helped carry stretchers with the wounded, carried medical kits, carried messages and much more.

Airedale Terrier Character

Like all terriers, these are distracted dogs that are often bored. Any hunting dog would like to run around happily. And so any training session should never be too boring or long. Should it be necessary to train him for a specific task, it is important to start very early, no later than five weeks.

Many professionals may not agree with me, but the Airedale Terrier, although it can be trained by anyone, cannot be trained by people who are used to dealing with dogs without paying attention to the peculiarities. So if you want to get good results, you need a professional who has extensive experience with the clicker and with the breed specifically.

It is capable of doing any kind of activity with diligence if properly trained. It has a tendency to get bored and to destroy anything that comes within its reach and therefore, given its size and physical predisposition, it is not very suitable for persistent residence in a flat.

It is a very proud and strong animal and under no circumstances should its owner show nervousness or rant at it. It is a dog that wants clear, calm and precise instructions. This is the classic dog that does things to please its owner and not because it is forced to. Respect him, respect yourself and he will respect you.

With the family they are loyal, versatile and extremely intelligent. With strangers, on the other hand, they are very wary and may prove aggressive in certain threatening situations. It is necessary to socialise him with other animals but he is also perfectly capable of living with cats.

Airedale Terrier intelligence

Although, we reiterate the fact that intelligence is a very subjective thing as it is also for humans, it cannot be denied that this breed is predisposed to a truly impressive intellectual capacity. Although it is still a dog, all the owners I have met so far have always praised this dog's extraordinary ability to cope in every possible situation.

Its independent character combined with a very strong analytical ability make it the ideal dog for those who have concrete needs and enough resources and patience to devote to its training. As stated above, however, it needs a calm, sure, firm and experienced hand in order to express its potential. It is in fact a very sensitive dog that tends to freeze if its owner is nervous or angry.

Children and Airedale Terriers

A terrier must be watched at all times, but this applies to any activity. The Airedale Terrier is very protective and affectionate with the children in its pack and has a tendency to be rather wary of those it does not know.

As this dog is very prone to defending family members and some games between children can be particularly physical, adult supervision is recommended at all times. It is very rare for a dog of this breed to attack a child but for safety's sake it is always best to be vigilant as should always be the case with children of a certain age and regardless of whether or not there is an animal nearby.

Airedale Terrier dispositions

This breed originated primarily as a hunting dog but has subsequently been successfully employed in several different areas. It has therefore proven to be an eclectic dog that is perfectly capable of performing important tasks. It is not a lazy dog and therefore suffers a great deal from standing in one place for a long time.

Whatever type of task you want to entrust him with, with the appropriate training he will complete it as he has proven in previous centuries and as he continues to do today. At present, some prefer more docile dogs such as Labrador retrievers or German shepherds to this breed because they are more willing to accept and forgive the mistakes of the trainer or owner.

Retrievers have a less distrustful nature towards strangers and are therefore easier to train in case of social needs.

Airedale Terrier grooming

Hair care for this breed is quite demanding as it must be taken to special centres for grooming and cutting.

This operation should be done at least twice a year and therefore these expenses should also be taken into account. Please bear in mind that a streaping session with bathing and grooming if necessary can take up to three hours with consequent financial outlay.

Airedale Terrier Feeding

Like all terriers, this breed also has quite an appetite. This is a good thing in training but care must be taken to provide it with the right balance of calories that it will need to burn through exercise. High-quality feeds available on the market for medium and large dogs are excellent.

As a puppy he should eat at least three times a day, as an adult twice a day at the same time if possible. We recommend a reduced amount of water during meals to try to prevent stomach twisting. After an hour or so after eating, you can ensure that the water bowl is always full so that he can quench his thirst.

It should not be accustomed to begging for food and we therefore advise against giving any kind of human food at mealtimes. Rewards outside during training are of course allowed but you must calculate calories well and if necessary reduce the amount of daily feed in accordance with what has been agreed with your vet.

Health Airedale Terrier

The thick coat protects this dog very efficiently from the elements including snow. Like any other dog, it requires the necessary vaccinations and an upstream genetic check that any serious and responsible breeder should do.

Due to its size, it may be predisposed to a certain degree of hip dysplasia. Cases of oculopathy and seasonal alopecia, cardiomyopathy, hyperthyroidism, anaemia and stomach torsion have been observed.

It is useful to agree on the diet with your vet because this breed grows physically very quickly and it is therefore useful to have an expert's opinion on the diet to follow during infancy.

Don't worry, this is not a dog that tends to need a dietician, you will probably receive all the relevant advice from your vet during the check-up and the compulsory periodic vaccinations.