Meet the breed that people call ‘The King of Terriers’— the largest dog of the terrier group. The Airedale Terrier is a powerful, loyal, and intelligent breed with an interesting and storied history. This terrier breed has been used as a police dog, a hunting dog, a working dog, and a family dog.
The Airedale Terrier is from Yorkshire, England, from the Aire Valley. It is believed to be bred from a Welsh Terrier and an Otterhound. The combination of hound and terrier heritage that makes up this breed makes it an excellent and adaptable hunter.
This breed used to be referred to as the Waterside Terrier, which relates to their use as a breed of hunting game around the rivers in Airedale. According to Jacob Cleveland in his book Dogs 101. vol. 4, The terrier group : a guide to American Kennel Club breed groups, they were formally recognized as the name “Airedale Terrier” in 1886.
From then on, Airedales used to be a popular breed in America and the UK. They were thought of as a ‘working man’s dog,’ and they were used as effective hunters that could take on and retrieve larger game than most terriers due to their size.
Of course, as well as a hunter, they are also a good addition to a loving family. Airedales have a good sense of humor and a strong personality, making them a fun dog to be around. They are relatively affectionate, playful, and good with children. Supervision is recommended if they are with young children though, as this dog is fairly large and strong.
What is the Airedale Terrier?
According to the AKC an Airedale Terrier is an average of 23 inches high from the shoulder and weighs an average of 50-70 pounds. The Kennel Club describes the Airedale Terrier as “a muscular, active, fairly cobby dog, without suspicion of legginess or undue length of body.”
The Kennel Club in the UK lists the accepted colors of the Airedale Terrier as black and tan or black and gold, while the AKC lists the accepted colors as black and tan and grizzle and tan. It has a short, wiry coat. The top coat has a rough texture in order to keep the dog safe from attacks from prey while it is hunting, whereas the undercoat is soft.
Notably, it is common to dock the tail of an Airedale Terrier, even though it is not legal to do so for purely aesthetic reasons in the UK, where the breed originated from. The AKC breed standard for the Airedale Terrier states that the tail “should be of good strength and substance and of fair length.”
The Airedale Terrier is known as a hypoallergenic dog, so you may find that your allergies are triggered less by this breed than others. This breed sheds less, and thus needs to be groomed less frequently than others might.
Still, grooming an Airedale weekly may prove to be wise as it will prevent any matting and can lessen the amount of dandruff that would be shed. Any potential dog owner should remember that though these terriers shed less, this does not mean that they do not shed at all.
Like most all terriers, Airedale Terriers are very energetic. It’s important to go on daily walks with this breed and to give them frequent play sessions, so that they do not become restless and take their energy out in ways you don’t want them to.
It’s also important to switch up the training sessions and give Airedale Terriers toys to keep them properly engaged for this same reason. Due to this breed's size matched with these energetic tendencies, it’s very important that an Airedale Terrier is trained well, especially if it’s a family dog.
If you are an Airedale Terrier owner yourself, you may be wondering how the dog was used throughout history. While more people are owning dogs as pets and family dogs these days, it used to be very common to use dogs for practical purposes as well.
In the 1800’s, hunting was one of the main uses for Airedale Terriers, as they were skilled in hunting rats, otters, and other animals considered to be vermin. One use of Airedale Terriers was to hunt game from estates that were closed off to commoners, and bring the prey back to their owners.
Their capability to retrieve also made them very useful outside of hunting. Though it’s difficult to imagine now, it used to be Airedale Terriers that were used as police dogs in some countries instead of the German Shepherds more commonly used now. Specifically, they were used as police dogs by Germany, Great Britain, and Belgium.
Additionally, Airedale Terriers were used to locate injured soldiers on the battlefield in World War I. They were also used as messengers, as they were stubborn and tenacious dogs that would work tirelessly to get important messages to soldiers. When people heard stories about these dogs and what they could do, they became more popular as a breed.
The Airedale Terrier continues to be a well loved breed today, and for good reason, as there is a lot that one can appreciate about this breed. What is your favorite thing about the Airedale Terrier?