Temperament:
Airedale Terriers are good-natured, confident, lively and intelligent. Airedale Terriers are very affectionate and loyal towards their family and are good with children. Airedale Terriers tend to tolerate other household pets and strangers, although they are known to be dominate towards other dogs. Airedale Terriers need to be handled in a firm manner to avoid stubborn behaviors and to curb their keen hunting instincts.

Grooming:
Airedales have a hard, short-haired, double coat. The hair should be plucked about twice a year, but for dogs that are to be shown, much more intensive grooming is needed. Trim excessive hair between the pads of the feet when necessary. If you keep the coat stripped it will shed little to no hair, however if you do not strip the coat, you will most likely find fur piles around your baseboards, even with trimming, and brushing almost every day. They actually require a good bit of grooming. Burrs stick in the coat and beard. The beard should be washed daily because of food residue.

Exercise:
Airedales were bred for active work, and therefore need plenty of exercise. They need to be taken for long daily walks. Most of them love to play with a ball, swim, or retrieve objects and once fully grown will happily run alongside a bicycle. Without enough attention and exercise the Airedale Terrier will become restless and bored and will usually get itself into trouble. The exercise requirement can go down somewhat after the first two years (as with many dogs) but the first two years with an Airedale are very strenuous on the human. Then they start to get much more mellow.

Living Condition:
The Airedale Terrier is not recommended for apartment life. They are very active indoors and will do best with at least an average-sized yard.

Origin:
The Airedale Terrier was developed about a hundred years ago in the country of York from the ancient Working Terrier. "The King of Terriers," the Airedale was named for the Valley of the Aire in England, where lots of small game flourished. Originally known as the Waterside Terrier and used as a vermin hunter. The breed was later crossed with the Otterhound to make him a better swimmer. In addition to his role as a small game hunter, the Airedale has been used to hunt big game in Africa, Indian and Canada, and as a police dog and army sentry dog in World War II. Today the Airedale is primarily a companion dog, but there are still working lines out there. Some of the Airedale's talents are guarding, watchdogging, hunting, tracking, military work, police work, and competitive obedience.