Buying an Airedale is an important decision, and you never want to bring a dog into a house that isn’t ready for it. I’ve written the following guide to help you judge whether or not you want to own an Airedale.
So, is the Airedale right for you? If you want an energetic dog that’s loyal, intelligent, and extremely playful, the Airedale is a good fit for you. However, you also need to be prepared for the time and commitment that this dog demands in return.
There’s a common saying within the Airedale community in regard to these dogs: for most breeds, getting a dog is like getting a child. Getting an Airedale, however, is more like entering into a relationship. These are intelligent, energetic dogs, who put a lot into the relationship and expect to get a lot in return. If you’re okay with that, having an Airedale can be extremely rewarding, and you’ll love having an energetic best friend who wants to do everything with you. If not, however, you may end up frustrated with your Airedale or overwhelmed by their personality.
Is an Airedale the Right Fit?
Everyone’s situation is different, and I would highly recommend talking to a breeder if you’re uncertain as to whether or not an Airedale is right with you. With that being said, there are some common signs that can tell you whether or not this dog will be the right fit.
If you want a dog who….
- Has a high degree of energy every day, and loves nothing more than playing with you,
- Will rarely act aggressive but will always stand up for themselves,
- Loves to wander and explore with you,
- Is smart enough to perform any task,
- Gets along well with other dogs and people, as long as they’ve been properly socialized,
- Isn’t overly cuddly,
- Will not cause as strong of an allergic reaction,
Then the Airedale might be an excellent choice for you!
However, if you don’t want a dog who….
- Likes to jump, bite and wrestle,
- Will sometimes dig in your back yard or chew furniture when they get bored,
- Needs 2-3 hours of exercise per day,
- Has trouble burning energy unless they’re doing something with you,
- Can be stubborn and won’t always listen,
- Doesn’t necessarily like being a lap dog or spending all of their time with you,
The Airedale terrier might not be the best dog for you.
Airedale Personality
To better understand whether or not you want an Airedale, I think it’s worth spending some time talking about their personality so that we can better understand what they’re like.
Airedale’s are playful but serious dogs. They carry themselves with a lot of pride, especially in public. Around their family, Airedales are cheerful, and sometimes even goofy, but this goofiness hides a deep level of intelligences. Around strangers, Airedales tend to be polite but slightly reserved, and they wait until they know someone before they open up.
Some of the best parts of the Airedales personality include:
- Loyalty: These dogs know who their family is, and there’s no one who they would rather spend time with.
- Playfulness: Even once they grow up, Airedales never lose their puppy spirit. These guys are always up for an adventure or a trip to the dog park.
- Intelligence: Although they don’t always seem it, Airedales are incredibly smart dogs who can learn almost any task.
- Protective nature: Part of the reason that Airedales act reserved around strangers is because they’re judging them. They care deeply about you, and they want to be able to interpose themselves between you and anyone they don’t know.
With that being said, there are also some downsides to the Airedales personality, such as:
- Stubbornness: Stubbornness is maybe the defining characteristic of the Airedale terrier. These dogs are smart enough to think for themselves and strong-willed enough to abuse this power. If they don’t want to listen to you, they won’t.
- Hostility: The flip side of the protectiveness is that, unless properly socialized, Airedales can become hostile towards people they don’t know.
- Hunting instincts: Unless you introduce them from a young age, you need to be careful if you bring your Airedale around cats of other small animals, because they tend to hunt them down.
Airedale as Puppies
Of course, before you have a full-grown Airedale, they first need to go through their puppy phase. Airedale puppies have a lot of energy and not as much of the poise that they develop later in life. These little guys are hyper pups who never back down from a challenge and love to explore. You better have eyes on the back of your head any time that they’re off leash, because your Airedale puppy is going to wander off the first chance they get.
When they’re young, Airedales need a lot of time, attention, and certain amounts of firmness so that they learn to keep their behaviour in check. You need to make sure you’re burning off their energy, or else they might take to chewing your possessions just to entertain themselves.
Pros of the Airedale
To help you decide whether or not you want an Airedale, I thought we could go a little more in depth into the ups and downs of this dog breed.
Intelligence
As I said, Airedales are extremely smart dogs who can perform almost any task you want of them. They also have a strong intuition for lots of things, like who’s part of their family and who may be a threat.
One thing the Airedale’s possess that not all other dog breeds do is their ability to function independently. In the 19th century, Airedales were used as farm hands and hunting dogs, and they were valued for their ability to think without direct instructions from a human. This allowed them to keep vermin off of crops and chase bears out of dens.
Whether you want your Airedale to show, hunt with, or you just want a dog who will listen to you when you ask him to sit or come, the Airedale is up for the task. The issue with them, however, is that they need to be properly trained, and you need to find a way to work around their stubbornness. There are some people out there who say that Airedales aren’t smart, but that’s inaccurate. The truth is, if your Airedale isn’t listening to your commands, it’s not because they didn’t understand; it’s because they’re choosing not to listen.
Loyalty
Another great thing about Airedales is how loyal they tend to be as a breed. Once these dogs learn who their family is, they stick by your side no matter what, and there’s no one they would rather spend time with.
It sounds minor, but nothing makes me smile more that seeing my Airedale sprint towards me at the dog park, or seeing how happy he gets when I play with him versus when other people play with him. It’s nice to feel like you’re getting that love back from your animal, and Airedales are an incredibly loyal dog.
This also means that they’re great with families and kids. As long as you teach them when they’re a puppy who the alpha is, Airedales will rarely so much as growl at a family member. When I was a baby my parents had an Airedale, and I probably tormented that dog with all the unintentional malice of a three year old: sitting on him, pulling his hair, yanking his tail, you name it. He tolerated all of it with a stoic face, and he remained resolutely protective of me.
Protective Instinct
That protective instinct is another element of the Airedale terrier that sometimes gets overlooked. Unlike German Shepherds or Dobermen, these dogs aren’t touted as guard dogs, but a lifetime of experience has shown me that Airedales can do more than enough to protect you and your family.
The Airedales ability to act as a guardian comes from three main places:
- Hesitant nature: As I’ve mentioned before, Airedales as a breed already tend to be slightly aloof and suspicious of strangers. Part of this suspicion has to do with their natural protective instinct, which was hone over the years of acting as a hunting dog. Especially if you have children in the house, Airedales will tend to guard you and your family, even if they’re never been trained to do so.
- Barking: Airedales are territorial and excitable dogs. This makes them decent watchmen, as they’re going to be aware of everyone approaching your house, and they’ll likely warn you about it. Now, they might not be doing this maliciously; Theo barks out of excitement when he sees someone, not because he’s vicious. The end result is the same, though: I’m aware of someone coming up the driveway, and any would-be intruder sees a 70-pound dog howling at them.
- Size and fighting ability: Barking and suspicion don’t mean a lot unless you can back them up, and the Airedale certainly has the ability to walk the talk. Usually ranging from 45-60 sounds, with an incredibly strong jaw and a history of hunting bears in the Yorkshire valley, the Airedale can stand up to themselves against almost any opponent.
Hypoallergenic
For people who are sensitive to dogs, Airedales are a great option because they tend to cause lower levels of allergies. Now, it’s worth noting that hypoallergenic means less allergenic; it doesn’t mean that your Airedale won’t case any allergic reaction at all. To understand why not, I think it’s important to know what causes allergies in the first place.
Allergies are when your body produces antibodies in response to a substance that it comes in contact with. For people with dog allergies, this substance is a protein that the dog produces. The more of this protein you come in contact with, the more of a reaction you’ll have. Dogs spread it in three ways:
- Dander, which are dead skin cells that float into the air.
- Drooling, which can coat the surfaces of your house.
- Shedding, which leaves pieces of hair all over.
Because they have hair and not fur, Airedales produce lower levels of dander than do most dogs. This means there’s fewer allergens floating around in the air for you to react to; especially if you keep your house well-ventilated, you won’t get the same degree of stuffy nose and watery eyes just from stepping into a house that has an Airedale.
Additionally, Airedales are a very proud and put-together breed, and they drool very little. Similarly, their thick, wiry coat means that they don’t shed a lot, so you won’t have to worry about picking up dog hairs.
These three factors combined means that the Airedale is an excellent choice for any household that make have allergies or sensitivities.
Looks
This one is more about personal preference (and I admit that I might be a little biased), but Airedales are extremely good-looking dogs. With their black-and-tan exterior, proud stance, nice beard, and big smile, these dogs are a hit almost anywhere you grow.
Airedales also look good with a variety of haircuts, so you can choose what look works best for you. If you want to grow their hair out longer and get a shaggier look, you can do so (as long as you’re brushing them enough). If you want to keep them well-trimmed, you can enjoy the classic terrier look with a shorter back and longer legs.
Another thing about the Airedale is that they have a distinctive look. I can’t count the amount of times that I’ve been stopped in the dog park or on a walk by someone who used to own an Airedale, or who know someone who owned one in the past.
Maintenance
In terms of upkeep, grooming, and cleaning up after them, Airedales are fairly low-maintenance dogs. As I said, they hardly drool or shed, so you don’t need to worry about them making your house dirty. For anyone who’s ever had a dog who sheds, you know how much of a blessing this can be; nothing’s worse than having to lint-roll your couch constantly just because your dog rubbed up against it.
Airedales also don’t require a lot of effort in terms of grooming. Their wiry coat needs to be brushed, and I would recommend doing so once every two weeks. Use a steel-bristled brush for their legs and back, as this will pull up any loose hairs that the Airedale has and make sure they shed even less. For their face and neck, I would recommend using something softer.
If you keep a regular brushing schedule, this should only take 10-20 minutes or your time every week (depending on how long their hair is).
In addition to the brushing, you’ll have to clip your Airedale about 4-6 times a year. This can be a bit of a process, especially if your Airedale isn’t well trained to stand still. I would allocate 2-4 hours for clipping them. Of course, the alternative (which is what we do) is to take them to a professional groomer, who can usually take care of it.
If you go that route, however, I would make sure to talk with them beforehand to ensure that the groomer knows how to properly clip an Airedale. Not all of them do, and once or twice we’ve got ours back to find that their legs have been cut way too short or their beard has been chopped off.
Cons of the Airedale
So, we’ve now talked about what some of the best characteristics of the Airedale terrier are. However, even as a lifelong owner who’s extremely loyal towards this breed, I have to admit that they aren’t for everyone. Below are some of the downsides of owning an Airedale terrier.
Stubbornness
Like I said, this is one of the defining characteristics of the Airedale terrier. Their stubborn attitude, combined with their intelligence, means that this dog can sometimes be frustrating to work with.
Airedales have what I call selective deafness. They might hear your command, and they’re smart enough to understand it, but they won’t always follow until they decide that they’re ready to do so. This leads to some embarrassing moments like standing at the dog park yelling repeatedly at Theo to come when he’s decided that he wants to go exploring. This has led to the dogs being referred to as ‘air-heads’ sometimes, because it seems like they just can’t understand what you’re saying.
Their stubbornness also presents itself when you’re trying to train an Airedale. These dogs don’t respond well to being criticized punished unfairly, and they can hold a grudge if they feel that they’ve been mistreated.
Because of this, it’s important to train your Airedale from a young age so that they learn to listen. Once these dogs develop a habit, it’s extremely difficult to break them out of it; because of that, you want to make sure that they’re taught how to behave correctly from the start, so that they can carry these traits into adulthood.
High Energy Requirements / Easily Bored
If you’re someone who doesn’t have a lot of spare time, it may be the case that the Airedale simply isn’t for you. These dogs have a lot of energy that they need to burn off. To give you an idea of what I mean, this is Theo’s daily routine:
- First thing in the morning we let him outside, where he spends about ten minutes running around.
- Before lunch we’ll take him to the dog park. He spends at least an hour running around playing with other dogs
- After dinner I’ll spend 20-30 minutes playing with him, chasing him around the house or fighting.
- He usually goes for an hour-long walk in the evening.
Added together, that’s a good 2.5-3 hours every day that we spend with Theo helping him burn off his energy. Airedales were bred for hunting and utility, and because off that they need a lot of exercise to help keep them entertained.
Additionally, Airedales aren’t like greyhounds in that you can just run them for 40 minutes and they’ll be done for the day. These guys recover quickly, and no matter how tired they seem after playing, they’ll be ready to go again in a couple of hours.
Finally, you need to consider the fact that Airedales aren’t as easily entertained as some other breeds. They won’t be content playing fetch or ripping apart their own toys. These dogs need an intellectual challenge to keep them entertained, and most of the time they won’t be happy unless they’re doing something with you.
Because of that, it can sometimes be difficult to properly entertain your Airedale to the degree they need. They want you engaged and playing with them. You also have to spend time coming up with new and exciting ways to keep them entertained and interested in whatever it is that you’re doing. It has to be something that not only physically challenges your dog, but also keeps them mentally stimulated. Because of how smart and inquisitive they are, Airedales are only really excited when they’re figuring out a challenge.
Destructive Tendencies
This goes in tandem with the above point. Not only do Airedales need a lot of exercise to stay entertained, but when they get bored, they tend to get destructive. This can the form of digging holes in your backyard, scratching at furniture, or chewing on your belongings. If the Airedale is really desperate, they might just stand there and bark at you.
These tendencies are ones that, unfortunately, no amount of training or discipline is likely to overcome. The Airedale is a hyperactive dog by nature, and they need to burn off energy to stay sane. Digging is a habit that’s ingrained into them (terrier comes from the French word for ‘ground’ because of how much these guys like to dig), and it’s something that they do to release their boredom.
Because of this, you really need to keep an eye on your Airedale, especially when they’re a puppy. A lot of their training tends to go out the window when they’re bored; you’ll have to contend with them running around, biting, and standing on furniture.
Although it’s easy to get frustrated when they do this, I would council patience and understanding. Your Airedale isn’t intentionally trying to make your life harder; they’re trying to communicate to you that they’re bored and they need a release. In such a scenario, it’s not really fair to get mad at them when you’re the one who isn’t around enough.
For that reason, I would heavily warn against getting an Airedale unless you have the time to commit to them. It’s not fair to either you or the dog, and neither of you are going to enjoy having a bored Airedale I the house.
Is the Airedale Right for Me?
So, with all of that, how do you decide if the Airedale is right with you?
Ultimately, I think the question comes down to what you’re looking to get out of your relationship with your dog. If you want an obedient, cuddly, or lazy dog who will lounge around, listen to your every command, and sit on your lap, this is definitely not thee dog for you.
Airedales put a lot in to their relationship with you in terms of their energy, commitment, and love. They’re always happy to see you and spend time with you, and there’s no one who they would rather play with. However, in exchange for this nearly endless love, your Airedale expects a certain amount of respect and commitment from you.
They want to accompany you when you go places, and they want to be involved in your adventures. They love playing, so make sure you’re okay with a little bit of roughhousing. They’re not going to listen blindly, but as long as they’re well trained, they’ll know enough to do as you say.
So, whether or not the Airedale is right for you mainly depends on how you view your dog. As a companion in life, and as a partner, I personally believe that there’s no better breed than an Airedale. However, they do have their quirks, so make sure to do your research and only get one if you’re ready to commit for the next 13 years of your life.
Dogs Similar to an Airedale
Finally, if you’ve read the guide and decided that Airedales might not be the right breed for you, here are a few other similar options:
- Welsh terrier: The Welshy is virtual identical to the Airedale, except they’re about half the size. If you’re worried about the size of an Airedale, or you just prefer smaller dogs, this is a great choice.
- German shepherd: German shepherds tend to be slightly more obedient than Airedales, but they’re not as good family dogs.
- Labradoodle: This crossover mix is a high-energy breed that’s hypoallergenic, playful, but slightly less demanding than the Airedale.