HUNTING AIREDALES

The Airedale Terrier has had a reputation of being an all round dog that can do well at any task it is put to and I am breeding with this in mind.

The breed standard is of little use when determining what the Airedale temperament should be but says he should be outgoing and confident, not aggressive but fearless. He should have "terrier fire" but not be a trouble maker or a bully. Many people feel the Airedale is too headstrong but that has not been my experience and find them to be loving companion or working dogs having as much "hunt" as any hound but a bucketful more brains.

As an all round dog I feel that retrieving instinct is a desirable asset and look for that in my breeding program. Airedales can serve very well retrieving waterfowl or upland game.

The Airedales coat should be hard, straight and wiry with a soft curly coat being very undesirable. It is my personal belief that the Airedale would have a better reputation as a working dog if it didn't have such a problematic coat requiring excessive care. Along with a shorter, harder self keeping coat come less flamboyant facial and leg furnishings but the benefits that a shorter coat provide far outweigh the aesthetic drawbacks. They had it right about 80 years ago but over time the coat has gotten progressively longer, softer and less practical.

I like an Airedale to be just over the size stated in most breed standards of 23 inches for dogs and feel that 24 - 25 inches is perfect. A dog of this height of approximately 65 - 75 lbs. should be agile enough to perform well while not being a burden to travel with or too small to function as a physical deterrent, retriever or hunter.

The Airedale is a silent trailer but will tree with great intensity and enough voice to be heard for a good distance. On bear I find silent trailing to be an advantage as the dogs can get in quite close to a bear before he knows anything is up and the bear may be more likely to tree as a result of being surprised. On cats open trailing isn't necessary because the tracks are usually run in the snow. I occasionally but not always run a hound with my dales for the extra voice that only a hound can provide.

Breeding is a science but by no means an exact one and there is certainly variety in every litter but by working towards a goal of a functional Terrier in size, coat and temperament it is my belief that the Airedale can live up to it's title as the King of Terriers.

Old style Airedale in a Painting by a Arthur Wardle (1864-1949)