The Terrier family of dogs has a “King terrier” known by the name Airedale terrier. Being the largest of the terrier breed makes Airedale Terrier “The King of Terriers”. The name is also shortened to “Airedale”.
Airedale terrier gets its name because of its origin from the valley (which
is what “Dale” means) of the “Aire” River.
Airedale was bred from the Welsh terrier, the Otterhound and many other breeds
of the terrier type groups. The Airedale stands tall at a height of 60-61
centimeters (24 inches) and weighs about 25-35 Kgs.
They were initially bred to hunt. Also, the Airedale terrier has served
as a guide dog, war dog and a police dog.
Average Weight: 42-55 pounds (male), 45 pounds
(female)
Average Height: 22-24inches (male), 22-23
inches (female).
Life Expectancy: 10-12 years.
Dog Group: Terrier
Colors: Black & Tan
AKC Rank: 55
At a Glance>At a Glance
ock-heading">Size (3/5)
Airedale Terrier size is the largest of the terrier breeds. Dogs in the terrier family vary a lot in size. The Airedale terrier manages to be the tallest of the terrier family.
Its height is 23-24 inches and can weigh as much as 50-80
pounds.
Affection Level (4/5)
Airedales are terrier giants but are pretty affectionate. They are
wonderful when living with a family, with the kids and also make good friends
with other dogs.
However, they may take some time to adjust with strangers but are still
well behaved and can be handled.
Apartment Friendly (2/5)
Apartments cannot be suitable for Airedales as they need more space to run around and play. They need regular exercise and indoor activities as they are not the ones to just sit around and wait for you to play with them.
A house with a back yard is best suitable for Airedales.
Cold Weather Tolerability (3/5)
Airedales enjoy being outdoors. They can deal with cold weather quite
good as the weather is not a problem for the Airedale terrier as long as it is
too much to bear.
Hot Weather Tolerability (3/5)
Airedales can cope well with the rising temperatures. The giant terrier
has a coat fuzzy coat with its hair being short and wiry.
If the fuzzy coat is stripped in the hot weather it becomes easier for
the Airedale to tolerate the heat.
Barking Tendencies (4/5)
If you own an Airedale you will see them constantly moving and chasing
anything that moves.
They are likely to bark every now and then, yet they are not the
constant barkers, they may howl sometimes.
Cat-Friendly (2/5)
If you happen to own a cat and you are thinking to get an Airedale
terrier you should make the two meet and bond as soon as possible.
Dog-Friendly (4/5):
If not so much with cats, the Airedales can definitely be great with
other dogs. They are very playful, energetic and athletic. Airedales are tough
creatures but they can still be great with other dogs.
Exercise Needs (5/5)
Airedale terrier is a strong and independent dog. To pet one, you should be ready to make them exercise everyday as just throw and fetch is not enough for this tough terrier.
Grooming Needs (5/5)
The Airedale terrier requires a lot of grooming considering its wiry hair and fuzzy coat. Grooming is mainly required to keep the fur shiny and clear of dirt.
Playfulness (5/5):
Having a history of serving as a hunting as well as a guide dog, Airedales are born athletes. They are very playful and cannot just sit around and doze off.
Trainability (5/5)
When it comes to training an Airedale terrier you will be surprised at how smart and quickly this dog adapts to things when being trained.
Intelligence (5/5)
Airedale terrier are intelligent and smart dogs. They were bred in the first place to hunt. They naturally have great hunting skills and are intelligent enough to quickly grasp new things.
Mouthiness (5/5)
Airedales are mouthy dogs. Despite being tough and strong the Airedale terrier is great companion who loves nibbling and play-bites.
Price Group (5/5)
Airedale terrier price range starts from $500 up to $2000.
About Aired>About Airedale Terrier
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The Airedale
Terrier is a lovely breed, the name is shortened to
“Airedale” and it is also known as the Waterside
Terrier or the Bingley
Terrier.
The terrier breed is usually a small or normal
sized breed but the Airedale
Terrier is the largest in the terrier group. Owing to
its size Airedale is called the “King of
Terriers”.
Its height is almost 1 Feet 9 inches or 11 inches. The male Airedales are slightly taller and heavier than the female.
Airedale
terrier is an adorable breed yet strong and
protective. They can be great as watchdogs considering their smartness and
independent nature.
Though, they are adorable they are not
suitable to average families. Airedales can have dominance issues and require
appropriate training started at an early age. They are physically very active
and always ready for a new adventure.
Where Did Airedale >Where Did Airedale Terriers Come From?
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The Airedale
Terrier history goes back to the mid-19th Century. A “Dale” means a valley. The name Airedale refers to the River Aire running in
the valley of Yorkshire. This can be considered as the birthplace of the Airedale Terrier.
People from this century cross bred a Black
and tan terrier with the
Otterhound and more of the terrier type group. As a
result of which, the Airedale terrier was born.
The Airedale was born with a black and tan
coat with rough hair and a soft undercoat. They were then used for hunting
vermin, as a guide dog and also served as a police dog.
Airedales are great companions if you love to go hiking. They are energetic, athletic and never sit idle because they themselves
seek adventure continously.
Walter Lingo, Ex- Army captain and also an
Airedale breeder developed an even lager Airedale Terrier the ‘Oorang Airedale’ in 1920’s. Which is why Airedales were also known as “Oorang”.
Size
Sizeass="alignleft is-resized">
Airedale
Terrier size earns it the title “King of
terriers”. Originally bred to hunt vermin the terriers are small and fearless,
until the Airedale Terrier was bred and was born as the largest terrier.
The size of Airedale Terrier is about 24 Inches and weighs
50-80 pounds. This is the case for the male Airedale, the female is slightly shorter
and weighs a little less than the male Airedale.
Their size plus the active nature makes them not suitable for families who are new to pet a dog. They need regular exercising and
indoor activities as they are not the ones to just sit around and wait for
you to play with them.
They are not apartment dogs thus, a house with a back yard is
best suitable for Airedales. Its structure and size can make Airedales
unsuitable to pet, for many people.
The Oorang
Airedale was bred to weigh more than the regular
Airedale. However, the standard weight of Airedales remained up to 45-50 pounds.
Trainability
Airedales sure make as wonderful house dogs
but if you decide to bring home an Airedale terrier you need to start training him early. For new dog parents training them
can be very difficult.
Airedales are naturally independent and
intelligent dogs. This also makes them dominant and they might think they can
be dominant with their owner as well. To prevent this training an Airedale is a
must.
With good behavior and lots of treats your
terrier will learn the training very quickly. Punishing him/her will only
toughen the training and learning progress.
The training process for an Airedale should
start when it reaches the age of 6 months. At this age Airedale terrier puppies are able to understand the commands and are responsive to their
training.
Airedales are strong headed dogs and starting their
training when they are puppies helps them teach obedience. They are extremely
amazing as family dogs, and also adapt to their training quickly.
Colors and Grooming
>Colors and Grooming"aligncenter">
Airedale terriers mostly have only the black and tan color coat, often with little white on the chest.
Grooming an
Airedale Terrier is a must and an
unavoidable aspect. Airedales are low maintenance in terms of grooming their
fur consists of short and wiry hair, a rough upper coat and a soft undercoat.
Airedale
Terrier shedding is not that much of an
issue as they tend to shed less. Also, to continue the less shedding, brushing
their coat on a regular basis is a must. This keeps their hair shiny and avoids
frizzing.
When giving your Airedale a bath, make sure to
use a shampoo that isn’t harsh on their skin and hair. Also, make sure to remove all the excess or residue shampoo on their skin as Airedales are likely to attract skin problems due to any
residue of shampoo left on their skin.
Before getting yourself a dog, it is important
to know about their medical
history as a breed altogether. This is necessary
because in the future your Airedale can face health issues possibly due to
genetically inherited diseases.
Usually, the Airedale
terrier lifespan is of 11-12 years.
During this course of time an Airedale can face many common diseases.
These common diseases and health issues can be
hip dysplasia, dermatitis, gastric
torsion or bloating, cataract eye, cerebellar ataxia, autoimmune haemolytic
anaemia and heart diseases.
Targeting the
Bones
Hip Dysplasia
A very common osteopathic condition found in
nearly all dogs and also Airedales, is Hip Dysplasia. An Airedale getting
affected by Hip Dysplasia is not very likely yet possible.
Hip Dysplasia can be a genetical health
problem. It is the ill formation of the hip joint during the early development
ages of dogs.
Targeting the
Skin
Dermatitis
Terrier breeds are prone to skin problems and
so are Airedales. Dermatitis specifically is common in b.
Airedales have a thick coat due to which they
need to be checked regularly, as it is possible to not notice any problem
considering the thickness of their coat.
Obsessively licking sore spots and itchy parts
can also lead to Acral lick
granulomas. The licking can further lead to acute moist dermatitis.
Improper
nutrition and also specific
food allergies can produce serious
dermatological conditions in Airedales.
Targeting the
Stomach
Gastric
torsion or Bloat
Bloat is a medical condition that often affects deep chested and tall dogs. It leads to a severe gas build-up in the dog’s stomach resulting in twisting in the stomach or total blockage.
Bloat, if not treated in time or without a
surgery can be fatal.
Proper techniques of feeding your Airedale
which assures that they don’t gulp their food can prevent bloat.
Targeting the
Eye
Cataracts
As the Airedales reach their old age, chances
are that they will be affected by cataracts. Almost 8% of Airedale terriers face this heath issue towards their old age.
Not just the old ones but the younger clan too
can be affected by cataract.
Airedales may also face nuclear sclerosis but apart from these eye problems they do not face any serious eye
problems.
Targeting the
Nervous System
Cerebellar
ataxia
A hereditary brain condition, Cerebellar ataxia is caused due to damage to cerebellum or can be a result of a recessive
gene. Cerebellum is responsible for movement.
It can develop when the Airedale is a puppy
aging between 6-12 weeks. It causes many problems such as the dog may have poor balance, rapid
eye movement and can also have trouble with focusing or concentration.
Targeting the
Body
Autoimmune
Haemolytic Anaemia
This condition is responsible for destroying a
dog’s autoimmune responses to malfunction, further destroying its own red blood
cells.
The cause of this disease is not well known as
it can happen for no reason at all. However, genetic relation is linked with
the occurrence of this disease.
Though preventive, sometimes autoimmune haemolytic anaemia can be fatal.
Heart
Diseases
Heart diseases and issues are the commonest cause
of death in older Airedales.
Age factor can be responsible for lower heart murmurs in
dogs. Anything lower than the standard 1-4 is considered safe.
Any dog with a heart
murmur issue should not be ignored and should be
monitored regularly.
Feeding
Feedingnter">
The standard routine and basic care that needs
to be taken to feed Airedale Terriers:
8-12 weeks of Airedale Terrier puppies should be fed 4 bowls of food in a day.
3 meals a day for puppies aged 3-6 months.
2 meals a day for 6 months or more old puppies.
By the time your Airedale is
one, only one bowl of food a day is enough.
Feed the
Airedale dry food which provides them with a balanced diet. The dry food can be
mixed with water or broth or some canned food.
Airedales
also enjoy eating
vegetables and fruits, boiled eggs and cottage cheese. Although, do not overfeed them these foods.
Provide them fresh and clean water and avoid food that has gone bad or has dirt in it.
<>Monthly
Expense Estimationstrong>$500 to $2000.
After buying the dog its monthly expense can cost about $200 for his
vaccination or diagnosis and $10-50 a month for rest of the stuff.
The annual cost can however vary between $500
to $800 which includes foods and
treats, toys, the vet bills and more.
Though it seems expensive it is a pretty fare
deal compared to million dollars of worth of energy and love an Airedale will bring
with itself.
Behavior
Behaviorong>
Airedale terriers are hunters by birth their
hunting instinct makes them a very active and chasing dog. Airedales need
special training with kids around.
If trained well and the bond between children
and the terrier is created early enough, they can be super protective of the
children.
Airedales are lovely and adorable and with
kids around they are even more loving.
Cats
Airedales were famous for hunting otters and they have
very strong hunting instincts which makes them unsafe for cats. Though they can
be cat friendly, Airedales around an unknown cat is a danger.
If you happen to own a cat and you are thinking to get an Airedale
terrier you should make the two meet and bond as soon as possible.
Dogs
Airedales are fairly good with other dogs.
They are playful and will love another dogs company.
But they need proper socializing and good training so that they don’t be
tough with other dogs.
Airedale
terriers are constantly moving, running and chasing
every thing that moves. This particularly defines their personality of being
playful. So, making them socialize with other dogs won’t be a bad decision.
Overview
Overviewis-resized">
Overall, the decision to buy an Airedale Terrier is a good one. The terrier is the “King of Terriers” and will certainly
rule your heart.
They are lovely, affectionate, energetic and
courageous. Airedales have all of these qualities and are additionally low
maintenance.
Airedale terriers are larger than the other
terriers and are very much active. They are very playful and cannot just sit
around and doze off.
They need just the basic grooming like brushing and stripping their coat and bathing them when necessary.
They certainly are not apartment dogs and need
a house with a backyard.
Although, they may make you all worked up and
tired with all playing and
exercising.
In the past Airedale Terriers were a favorite
of the rich.
Warren G. Harding, the 29th President of the US-owned an Airedale. His name was ‘Laddie Boy’. Laddie Boy was the first celebrity dog who visited The White House.
Another Airedale in New Zealand named Paddy
was famous as a wanderer as he used to wander all around Wellington, New
Zealand. When he died the whole city was brought to a standstill.
In the 1900’s, an Airedale named Rolf was
believed to be such a genius that he could solve arithmetic problems and
communicated codes for letter by tapping his legs.
In 1912, Airedales were aboard the Titanic, when it sank both the Airedales sank with it.
Such is the Airedale Terrier a genius, a lovely friend, owned by famous people and known for many historic facts.
Hey, Readers!
That’s all from our side on Airedale Terrier. Did you like this breed or dog? Or the thought of buying it is intimidating?