Airedale Terrier

		Airedale Terrier
		FCI Standard No. 7


Origin			Great Britain
Group			Group 3 Terriers
Section			Section 1 Large and medium sized Terriers
Working			Working trial optional
Date of acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI			Tuesday 28 May 1963
Date of publication of the official valid standard			Tuesday 08 September 2026
Date of the last update			Tuesday 06 October 2026
En français, cette race se dit			Airedale Terrier
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar			Airedale Terrier
En español, esta raza se dice			Airedale Terrier
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd			Airedale Terrier
This breed is also known as			Waterside Terrier Bingley Terrier King of Terriers

Usage

Terrier.

Brief historical summary

The Airedale Terrier is a native of Great Britain, from the county of Yorkshire, it is reputed that the Airedale Show gave the breed its name. Many ‘Waterside Terriers’ from the valleys of the rivers Wharfe, Calder and Aire were exhibited at this show, making up a large entry. He is the largest of all the terrier breeds and encompasses all the characteristics of this group of dogs, he is also known as the King of Terriers. The Airedale Terrier has remarkable scenting powers and has been used in Africa, India and Canada for tracking, has aided the Red Cross in times of war and has seen service with police and in the armed forces of both Britain and Russia.

General appearance

Largest of the Terriers, a muscular, active, fairly cobby dog, without suspicion of legginess or undue length of body.

Behaviour / temperament

Keen of expression, quick of movement, on the tiptoe of expectation at any movement. Character denoted and shown by expression of eyes, and by carriage of ears and erect tail.Outgoing and confident, friendly, courageous and intelligent. Alert at all times, not aggressive but fearless.

Head
Cranial region
Head		Well balanced, with no apparent difference in length between skull and foreface. Free from wrinkles.
Skull		Long and flat, not too broad between ears and narrowing slightly to eyes.
Stop		Hardly visible.

Facial region
Nose		Black.
Muzzle		Foreface well filled up before eyes, not dish-faced or falling away quickly below eyes, but a delicate chiselling prevents appearance of wedginess or plainness.
Lips		Tight.
Jaws and teeth		Upper and lower jaws deep, powerful, strong and muscular, as strength of foreface is greatly desired. No excess development in the jaws to give a rounded or bulging appearance to the cheeks. Teeth strong. Scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws preferable, but vice-like bite acceptable. An overshot or undershot mouth highly undesirable.
Cheeks		Level and free from fullness. “Cheekiness” is undesired.
Eyes		Dark in colour, relatively small, not prominent, full of terrier expression, keenness and intelligence. Light or bold eye undesirable.
Ears		« V »-shaped with a side carriage, small but not out of proportion to size of dog. Top line of folded ear slightly above level of skull. Pendulous ears or ears set too high undesirable.

Neck

Clean, muscular, of moderate length and thickness, gradually widening towards shoulders, and free from throatiness.

Body
Back		Short, strong, straight and level, showing no slackness.
Loin		Muscular. In short-coupled and well ribbed-up dogs there is little space between ribs and hips. When dog is long in couplings some slackness will be shown here.
Chest		Deep (i.e. approximately level with the elbows) but not broad.
Ribs		Ribs well sprung.

Tail

Previously customarily docked.
Docked: Set on high and carried gaily, not curled over back. Good strength and substance. Tip approximately at same height as top of skull.
Undocked: Set on high and carried gaily. Not curled over back. Good strength and substance.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality		Long, well laid back, sloping obliquely.
Shoulders		Shoulder-blades flat.
Elbows		Perpendicular to body, working free of sides.
Forearm		Forelegs perfectly straight, with good bone.
Forefeet		Small, round and compact, with a good depth of pad, well cushioned, and toes moderately arched, turning neither in nor out.

Hindquarters
Upper thigh		Long and powerful.
Lower thigh		Muscular.
Stifle		Well bent, turned neither in nor out.
Hock		Hocks well let down, parallel with each other when viewed from behind.
Hind feet		Small, round and compact, with a good depth of pad, well cushioned, and toes moderately arched, turning neither in nor out.

Gait and movement

Legs carried straight forward. Forelegs move freely, parallel to the sides. When approaching, forelegs should form a continuation of the straight line of the front, feet being same distance apart as elbows. Propulsive power is furnished by hindlegs.

Coat
Hair		Hard, dense and wiry, not so long as to appear ragged. Lying straight and close, covering body and legs; outer coat hard, wiry and stiff, undercoat shorter and softer. Hardest coats are crinkling or just slightly waved; curly or soft coat highly undesirable.
Colour		Body saddle black or grizzle as is top of the neck and top surface of tail. All other parts tan. Ears often a darker tan, and shading may occur round neck and side of skull. A few white hairs between forelegs acceptable. Any other colour or combination of colours unacceptable.

Size and weight
Height at withers		About 58 - 61 cms for males. About 56 - 59 cms for females.
Weight		Males 20 - 23 kg - Females 20 kg.

Faults

• Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

Disqualifying faults

Aggressive or overly shy dogs.

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Detailed history

The Airedale Terrier comes from the Aire Valley in Yorkshire in the second half of the 19th century, although the exact mix of breeds that contributed to it is obscure. Most accounts recognize that the Otterhound has been crossed with some form of hard-haired terriers.

The Yorkshire farmers, the miners and the workers who started the race suggest that their intention was not to develop a new kind of burrow, but rather to produce a hunting machine. They wanted a dog swimming very well, which was quick and to excel at water sport, a dog that could clean and fetch poached birds from the landlord's property and a handy dog for vermin control. Since they could not afford to keep running dogs, sting dogs and play dogs anyway, they intend to create a new multipurpose breed.

The first developers of the breed were not keepers who knew how to read and write, so they did not share their multiplication plans either. So, like now, there was the competition to breed a dog, which would be better than the neighbor's dog. Therefore, breeds such as bull terriers, setters, retrievers, sheepdogs and guide dogs are among the first of the possible ingredients mentioned in the creative mix.

However, before the 1870s the nobility began to take interest in the breed. Under the influence of several varieties of burrows, they imagined that the dog they developed had a certain type of burrow. The breed was first called the Bingley or the Waterside Terrier, but before 1879, the first "Standards for the Airedale" were published.

In the early 1880s, there was a movement among some gun experts to oppose the classification of the Airedale as a burrow. The race was too big to crawl, he would be a brawler and he would lack courage. However, at that time, the breed had developed a growth among those who considered it the ideal. Three qualities in a dog to be used on upland game birds, waterfowl and furs. At the same time, the temperament of the Airedale, the character and attitude was undeniably those of a burrow. At the turn of the century, the Airedale was a breed whose talents surpassed any of its predecessors.

In the meantime, the first Airedales were imported to the United States in the early 1880s. The breed quickly became popular because its enthusiastic spirit and all-around abilities suited the young, growing nation. Airedale's broods appeared on both coasts and the breed soon captured the attention of hunters from all over America. The stories of wild adventures and sheep chasing bears and big cats from the West became American legends and the Airedales were part of this story.

The best known of Airedale's early admirers was Theodore Roosevelt, who chose Airedales for his big game hunting trips.

The Airedale, said Teddy Roosevelt, "can do anything that another dog can do, then lick the other dog, if he has to do it."

The First World War brought Airedales to the forefront because of their outstanding service. In Germany, the Airedales had been used as police dogs since the beginning of the century. When the Great War broke out, the German army chose Airedales rather than German Shepherds for service, as messengers and guards.

The British War Dog program was developed by Colonel Edwin Richardson. His preference for Airedales soon makes them famous as the first official British war dogs. Through battlefield accounts and war posters and sketches, the Airedale became a war hero. Before 1920, the Airedale was the most popular breed in the United States and England.

The most famous promoter of Airedale was Walter Lingo. Lingo founded his Oorang kennel in LaRue, Ohio, basing the name, breeding and program on exhibition lines from Ch. Rockley Oorang and his own King Oorang II.

Lingo's breeding program has expanded to meet the huge demand for Airedales. He did so by selling up to a thousand Airedale bitches to farmers throughout the Ohio countryside. Lingo took the dogs for breeding and calving home, then returned them to their owners, buying the puppies at a pre-agreed price. Lingo then sold the puppies to buyers all over the country. Reportedly, Walter Lingo sold up to 15,000 Airedales a year and by the mid-1920s he claimed to spend $ 2,000 a month on advertising.00Mass production of Airedales inevitably had negative effects on breed type and temperament. Before the 1930s and 1940s, the reputation of the breed and the record had declined.

Above all else, the Airedale is still valued in its most noble role, that of companion and protector of his human family. The historical and current versatility of the Airedale, devotion, humor and courage can not be recognized every day but nowadays it is the flagship of the English police services.

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Airedale Terrier