The Airedale Terrier is known as “the king of terriers” not only for his size (the largest breed in the terrier group), but also because of his fearless demeanor and ability to do almost anything asked of him. This is truly a versatile breed that has excelled in almost every type of dog sport and activity, from barn hunt to obedience trials to tracking… and a myriad of things in between!
An Airedale with an unkempt coat looks very different from a well-groomed and maintained dog. When the coat is taken care of, it gives the overall picture of a stylish, easily managed dog. Appearances can be deceiving, however, and when that short-ish coat begins to grow it can turn into a fairly long wild mop of hair. Although Airedales are groomed to have a short beard but otherwise short-coated face, when left alone that hair will cover almost the entire face. As there is a lot of work that goes into sculpting the sleek appearance out of the naturally rugged coat, it could be said that the Airedale is not a low maintenance dog. Additionally, Airedales do not shed regularly but they do blow their coat seasonally if the coat is allowed to grow long.
Airedale Terriers love to have fun and they will make a game out of whatever they can find! In untrained individuals, they may resort to destructive behaviors in order to satisfy this urge – such as shredding toys, bedding, papers, etc. It is for this reason that they must be given plenty of outlets to exercise their minds and bodies in a more acceptable fashion. Airedales particularly want to engage in games involving their owners, as they are incredibly loyal and want to be near “their people” as much as possible. Not only do they tend to try to communicate often, but they have great senses of humor and spend a lot of time making their owners laugh.
Airedale Terriers are active dogs and they do require a fair bit of exercise. Not only should they be given, at minimum, a daily walk but ideally they should also be provided with a large fenced area to run around. They do not do well cooped up in apartments. Despite their higher-than-average exercise requirements, this is not a hyper breed and often have calm temperaments when mature (as long as their needs are met). Like most other terriers, however, the Airedale loves to dig and will probably do so regardless of how much exercise they are given.
Airedales normally get along very well with older kids but might not be the best match for young toddler-age children, unless the parent is there to supervise. As with all dog-kid households, children should be taught how to interact politely with the dog. They also get along with other dogs although will not back down if the other dog starts a fight. Although this is generally a friendly and gentle breed, they will absolutely defend the home if someone were to break in. These medium-sized dogs are strong and courageous and are well-known as first-class protectors.
Airedale Terriers are intelligent dogs that thrive on training although an owner should be prepared to have a sense of humor while training this breed. Because of their clownish personalities and tendency to bore easily, they may be inclined to put their own spin on obedience commands! The breed doesn’t respond well to harsh training methods and needs a sense of fairness when it comes to corrections. Although highly trainable for many tasks, Airedales will think about what you are teaching them rather than blindly following through – they have a different learning and working style than breeds bred to work alongside people. This said, of all of the terriers, the Airedale is probably the most eager-to-please and easiest to train.
