Hunting Dogs

The Airedale Terrier often referred to as "The King of Terriers" originated in Yorkshire, England in the area between the Aire and Wharfe rivers. The Airedale Terrier was produced about the middle of the nineteenth century by a cross between the Otterhound and the now extinct Black and Tan Terrier. The result was a dog that could swim down the otter, hunt both fur and feather as well as control vermin. Airedales of today are smart looking family pets that haves evolved over more than a century from the rough looking useful dogs of yesterday.

"Among the mine-pits of the Aire, the various groups of miners each sought to develop a dog which could outfight and outhunt and outthink the other mine's dogs. Bit by bit, thus, an active, strong, heroic, compactly graceful and clever dog was evolved - the earliest true form of the Airedale. Then the outer world's dog fancy got hold of him and shaped and improved into the show-type Airedale of today. ....He is swift, formidable, graceful, big of brain, an ideal chum and guard. ....To his master he is an adoring pal. To marauders he is a destructive lightning bolt." - Albert Payson Terhune

"An Airedale can do anything any other dog can do and then lick the other dog, if he has to." - Theodore Roosevelt

We got our first Airedale because we were living in a remote area on the west coast of Vancouver Island and were having a problem with black bears. Even though these were "show" dogs and their ancestors had not hunted for at least 20 years, they chased off or treed every bear they ever saw and they loved doing it. It was truly amazing to watch.

The local vermin population declined significantly after the arrival of the Airedales. We were very impressed with how quickly and efficiently they were dispatched.

The biggest surprise was the discovery that they had a "soft mouth" with birds. They actually "rescued" several ducks that were injured. They would pick them up in their mouths without hurting them at all and bring them to us. Presumably this was the result of their instinct to retrieve.

Based on our experiences we feel that it is safe to conclude that the hunting instinct lives on in today's Airedales.

For more information on hunting activities today visit The ATCA Hunting and Working Committee Homepage.

Another good source of information on hunting with Airedales is Bryan Cummins book "The Working Airedale". For more information on this book visit our Resources page.