Can anyone tell me about airedales?

timefort

timefort

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Hello,
As title, can anyone tell me anything about airedales and what they're like to live with in the home?
OH and I are talking about getting a dog in the future (still distant future). I have had smaller rescue crossbred terriers and an Irish setter in the past, and in the dim distant past I worked in a boarding and breeding kennels so I'm not dog-naive but I've not encountered airedales in a UK family home, and rarely see them being mentioned. OH grew up with an airedale and would love another. He describes his dog as being an over enthusiastic clown, but I had a feeling that their temperament (in the UK) wasn't overly reliable - with all the usual caveats around training/ socialisation etc - which is something that would be really important to us as my parents would also be interacting with any dog.

I am considering getting in touch with a couple of breeders for a chat, but thought I'd ask here first. Any thoughts?
 
They're still being used in the continent for sports and so haven't deviated too far away from the original use there. Also at least one actively competing in Canada!

There was one that visitors to our house used to have to bring with them in the car as it wrecked the house and it would go ballistic in the car and set the alarm off, etc, not great with other dogs or people . BUT I think that's because they weren't giving it adequate occupation.
 
I've only really interacted with two and they both had awful temperaments, but thats only a small sample size so might not be the same for everyone!
 
A school friend had one and she was fabulous. No they aren’t ever going to be as easy as some breeds but I don’t see why, if you research breeding etc you shouldn’t find a good ‘un.
I am mid 50’s so the one I knew was a year or two ago!
 
Beautiful dogs as long as you have time, patience and energy. They need a lot of consistent training and exercise including things to occupy their busy brains.
Not a breed to be taken on lightly nor one if you are out of the house working.
Grooming is also an expense unless you learn how to do it.
 
timefort said:
OH grew up with an airedale and would love another.
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It is possible that we all long for the dog we had as a child. I grew up with a wire haired fox terrier - a wedding present to my mother in 1939. And if I ever have a dog, that is what I am having
And my advice is to get the breed you really want.
 
A friend of mine has had many over the years. His current one is a very tall specimen, and incredibly wilful in an endearing manner! I did manage to hold her when she saw a cat but I’m not sure how I did it!

Edited to say my friend wrote ‘Surviving Doris’, which is free to download for I think just one more day. It’s not just about Doris, but it a good, funny read with plenty of dog stuff in it!
 

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Not a breed I would go for personally. The ones I knew were wilful, nippy, dominant, hard to train, bad recall due to very high prey drive. Wasn’t a fan of their temperaments and they switched at the drop of a hat.

Plenty of other breeds out there that are less high maintenance and nicer breeds.
 
Skib said:
It is possible that we all long for the dog we had as a child. I grew up with a wire haired fox terrier - a wedding present to my mother in 1939. And if I ever have a dog, that is what I am having
And my advice is to get the breed you really want.
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Wire haired fox terriers are wonderful. I echo getting the dog you really want, if they completely don't match with your lifestyle then that's one thing but there's a lot to be said for getting the dog that makes your heart sing.

I would imagine that the Airedales would be a bit like the Fox terriers where getting the right breeder is very very important.
 
Airedales were one of the breeds I considered years ago. The ones I saw at local shows were scared of their own shadows. Most came from one breeder though, so it could just have been her lines that were skittish
I finally settled on a Mini Schnauzer. They look terrier-ish, but are more dog friendly. They've a reputation for barking, but 2 out of the 3 I had were OK.
Or upgrade to a Standard Schnauzer, or even a Giant one. They have a more serious temperament than the Minis and are great guard dogs.
 
Some friends had one. It came from a breeding kennels but hadn't been deemed good enough to breed from. It had a very bad temperament. Nervy and really savaged the husband's hand once. We all put it down to upbringing or the lack of it at the kennels. They sent it back it was so unpredictable. Not a breed I would go for honestly.
 
malwhit said:
Airedales were one of the breeds I considered years ago. The ones I saw at local shows were scared of their own shadows. Most came from one breeder though, so it could just have been her lines that were skittish
I finally settled on a Mini Schnauzer. They look terrier-ish, but are more dog friendly. They've a reputation for barking, but 2 out of the 3 I had were OK.
Or upgrade to a Standard Schnauzer, or even a Giant one. They have a more serious temperament than the Minis and are great guard dogs.
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Friend's standard is lovely, quiet, easy going, non shouty (she shares the office with a mini and spends her time rolling her eyes at it). The local carriage club/driving centre/bike cafe has a mostly giant one, he's totally chill, ambles about all day, doesn't bother with any other dogs even if they're playing/have toys etc. Not particularly excited by people either!

I once arrived at high peak in thetford forest for a walk with some friends, this coincided with a mini schnauzer meet up OMG it was loud.
 
We used to walk past a garden that quite often had an Airedale in it (the dog lived there and the owners let it out in the garden). It was quite nice natured, lolloped around, don't remember it being especially barky. Must have been OK with other dogs because they got a second one and the two of them were fine together.
 
Really interesting, lots of food for thought. Thank you all for sharing your experiences. OH grew up in Canada and I get the impression that the breeder of his dog was researching her breeding lines to really improve the temperament. I hadn't thought of them being particularly nervy - if we do go down this route then I'll definitely be researching UK breeding lines/ temperaments.

I really like the idea of going for what makes your heart sing, although I worry a little that future dog will be having to live up to the rose-tinted view we all have of our childhood pets. When he hinted about an Airedale I did wonder whether something like a Welsh / Lakeland terrier might make both our hearts sing - Airedale in type for him, smaller cheeky terrier-ist attitude for me!
 
My grandmother had an Airedale when I was at school. We spent a lot of time with her as we spent exeats and half terms with our grandparents as our home was abroad. She was great with all the grandchildren and my aunties dogs. In her later years she got unreliable with dogs after being jumped from behind by some big dogs while minding her own business, she had been fine up until then. She wasn’t stripped after the age of four I think as she had an injury to her face while being stripped. The kennels she had always gone to from her first strip used , unbeknownst to my grandmother, used wire around the muzzle when grooming all dogs. This time they had done it too tight and it cut through to the bone. There after my grandmother trimmed her at home as she was only a pet dog. She did get grumpy as she aged but maybe there were reasons, pain etc. I was only young so maybe obvious reasons were missed. The breeder was a very well known breeder and judge of airedales which is why my grandmother chose to go to her for a pup. When she got there the pups had all been left shut in a wardrobe for some time. My grandmother felt sorry for the pup and bought it. Putting them in the wardrobe was how this breeder apparently weaned her pups. My grandmother did report her to the kennel club for the unsanitary conditions and how poor in condition the pups were but nothing came of it. My grandmother felt awful leaving all the other pups there when she left.

The only other Airedale I had a lot to do with was a friends dog. He is the reason I have scars all up my right arm. The speed with which he turned on me was amazing. No idea on the breeder of her dog. She did get another one when that one passed away which was slightly more laid back.

I always think they would be good at the sport CC does with her dogs. I think they are very striking when stripped properly but they are not a breed I would want. For a family home temperament in particular lines would have to be researched vigorously.
 
Blanche said:
I always think they would be good at the sport CC does with her dogs. I think they are very striking when stripped properly but they are not a breed I would want. For a family home temperament in particular lines would have to be researched vigorously.
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Like I say there's a few still doing it on the continent and before the wars/GSD supremacy, Airedales were the most common type of police dog in the UK.
People I know sent their dogs off for titles in Germany to a woman who primarily bred and worked Airedales, I'm trying to remember her name....
 
timefort said:
Really interesting, lots of food for thought. Thank you all for sharing your experiences. OH grew up in Canada and I get the impression that the breeder of his dog was researching her breeding lines to really improve the temperament. I hadn't thought of them being particularly nervy - if we do go down this route then I'll definitely be researching UK breeding lines/ temperaments.

I really like the idea of going for what makes your heart sing, although I worry a little that future dog will be having to live up to the rose-tinted view we all have of our childhood pets. When he hinted about an Airedale I did wonder whether something like a Welsh / Lakeland terrier might make both our hearts sing - Airedale in type for him, smaller cheeky terrier-ist attitude for me!
Click to expand...

This is the guy working his Airedales in Canada

 
We had an airedale growing up. He was a wonderful dog, my favourite of all the dogs I've had. Up for anything, very brave and adventurous and an excellent guard dog. He had large open spaces to run around in and plenty of company and stimulation. Looking back, I think he could have been a problem kept in confined spaces and a less active life.
 
Only Airedale I knew was used as a guard dog in a jewellers. He was always kept behind the counter and was very barky.

We currently have a Lakeland x Border terrier and he is so people friendly and such a character. Sadly not dog friendly though.
 
Our neighbour had an Airedale , I really liked him. He was pretty big but had a lovely kind temperament and lived in the house no problem. I also know he sometimes commuted to London with his owner and spent the day in the office! Eventually they bought another , a bitch this time and she was significantly smaller. They were perfect in the home together. I wouldn’t describe the owners as particularly ‘doggy’ , they had a large property but I am not at all sure that they let them off lead on a walk so I can’t comment on what they are like to train.
They did look imposing big dogs if anyone called but they definitely didn’t bark as in being a nuisance. On the whole they came across as huge teddy bears!
 
I recently met one at a cafe, it had a lovely open, friendly temperament. But it obviously seems that a lot of breeders are producing stuff with less than satisfactory temperaments. Be very careful where you buy from, see the parents, check the living conditions and what socialisation has been undertaken.
 
I love Airedales, but they aren’t for everyone. I had one years ago, and looked after another one briefly. Mine was a big bitch l had from a puppy. She was easily trained and very much a one person dog, though perfectly friendly with other people. Unfortunately she had a big fight as an adult with a former dog ‘friend’ over a toy and was never that safe with some dogs she took a dislike to afterwards, usually other bitches. She was spayed. That terrier hot temper could always be a problem l think.
There is an elderly Airedale living locally, very nice temperament, obedient and ignores other dogs too.
 
To add, they need a lot of mental stimulation and will take as much exercise as you can give them, some like swimming, some don’t. Mine wasn’t noisy at all but was a good watch dog. She settled down indoors and didn’t get in the way.
 
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