HIS ANCESTRY IS OBSCURE BUT HE IS A “SELF-MADE” DOG—THE MOST VERSA¬ 
TILE AND BIGGEST OF ALL THE TERRIERS—HIS POINTS, MANAGEMENT AND CARE 
Andre Norman 
IKE most of the good things 
of life, the Airedale’s origin is 
confused, if not obscure; but 
only a pedant would cavil at 
that. To those who know 
him and call him friend, it is 
enough that he is. 
Out of the welter of fact 
and fiction regarding his an¬ 
cestry. however, these points 
may be noted and are fairly 
well agreed upon. The streams 
and vales of Yorkshire were 
his first home and his owners were the. mining-folk of that lo¬ 
cality, who were looking for a rough and ready terrier for ratting 
and fighting. In his veins is the blood of the otter hound — a big, 
stiff-coated water dog; a good deal of the tan and grizzle terrier 
stock; probably a dash of bulldog and a sprinkle of collie. Thus, 
about 1880, he emerged, a stocky, upstanding water-terrier, and 
at once created a sensation in the dog world. At first a trifle 
pugnacious — remember he was bred for fighting — he has gained 
through the years in gentleness as well as in fineness, until now 
he stands alone as the biggest and best of terriers — the all-round 
dog. 
A typical Airedale should weigh between 40 and 45 pounds. 
This fact of good weight is a most important one with the Aire¬ 
dale. In the early days of the breed there was considerable ob¬ 
jection against classing him with the terriers at all. He was too 
big to “go to earth,” it was said, and that was the sine qua non 
of the terrier. Even to-day, judging from the specimens at the 
shows, the difficulty seems to be in keeping him down to weight. 
As regards conformation, the head should be long, tapering 
down smoothly from a broad, flat skull to the muzzle, with its lips 
drawn tight over the big, white teeth, which are extraordinarily 
even and firm. The eyes are dark brown and full of terrier ex¬ 
pression. Small, triangular ears, carried rather peaked, are 
essential. The front legs must be as straight as two sticks, ter¬ 
minating in firm and well-confined pads. His chest is of splendid 
depth, running narrowly between the front legs. The ribs are 
well sprung and the body is cut up somewhat in the loins. The 
thighs are firm and strong, with the hocks close to the ground, 
and the tail is carried gaily, like a pennon. 
The color and quality of the coat is a most important feature 
of the Airedale. Rich tan on the head, legs and all underparts, 
and a blanket of blue-black grizzle on top, is the accepted com¬ 
bination. The darker the ears are, the better. Puppies are black 
and tan at birth, with quite smooth coats, which soon become 
wiry and tough. Any tendency to curl is faulty. Underneath 
this top-coat is an undervest of soft, wooly hair, which makes the 
Airedale practically impervious to water. This soft hair easily 
catches the dirt and the coat is apt to become irregular and tufted. 
This can easily be remedied with a stripping-comb, or even with 
the fingers, which 
will remove all su¬ 
perfluous hair. Care 
must be taken, how¬ 
ever, not to pull out 
the long hair on the 
muzzle, as a good 
beard adds to the 
strong appearance of 
the jaw. 
Summing up his 
points, you see in 
the Airedale a 
grand, strong ani¬ 
mal that will do 
anything that a man 
will ever require of 
a dog. He is with¬ 
out a peer as a 
worker by the 
waterside alter 
water-rats, m u s k- 
A good specimen of the Airedale, with all the typical 
points of the breed 
83 
