Dog breeds

Airedale Terrier

Airedale Terrier are
friendly,courageous,clever and in the
TERRIER GROUP.
Average sizes and life expectancy of the breed.
HEIGHT:
23 inches
WEIGHT:
50-70 pounds
LIFE EXPECTANCY:
11-14 years.
COAT TYPE:Wiry
COAT LENGTH:
Short,Medium.
STANDARD COLOR:
Black & Tan,Grizzle & Tan.
Head: Should be well balanced with little apparent difference between the length of skull and foreface.
Skull: Should be long and flat, not too broad between the ears and narrowing very slightly to the eyes. Scalp should be free from wrinkles, stop hardly visible and cheeks level and free from fullness.
Ears: Should be V-shaped with carriage rather to the side of the head, not pointing to the eyes, small but not out of proportion to the size of the dog. The topline of the folded ear should be above the level of the skull.
Foreface: Should be deep, powerful, strong and muscular. Should be well filled up before the eyes.
Eyes: Should be dark, small, not prominent, full of terrier expression, keenness and intelligence. Lips: Should be tight.
Nose: Should be black and not too small.
Teeth: Should be strong and white, free from discoloration or defect. Bite either level or vise- like. A slightly overlapping or scissors bite is permissible without preference.
Neck: Should be of moderate length and thickness gradually widening towards the shoulders. Skin tight, not loose.
Shoulders and Chest: Shoulders long and sloping well into the back. Shoulder blades flat. From the front, chest deep but not broad. The depth of the chest should be approximately on a level with the elbows.
Body: Back should be short, strong and level. Ribs well sprung. Loins muscular and of good width. There should be but little space between the last rib and the hip joint.
Hindquarters: Should be strong and muscular with no droop.
Tail: The root of the tail should be set well up on the back. It should be carried gaily but not curled over the back. It should be of good strength and substance and of fair length.
Legs: Forelegs should be perfectly straight, with plenty of muscle and bone. Elbows should be perpendicular to the body, working free of sides. Thighs should be long and powerful with muscular second thigh, stifles well bent, not turned either in or out, hocks well let down parallel with each other when viewed from behind. Feet should be small, round and compact with a good depth of pad, well cushioned; the toes moderately arched, not turned either in or out.
Coat: Should be hard, dense and wiry, lying straight and close, covering the dog well over the body and legs. Some of the hardest are crinkling or just slightly waved. At the base of the hard very stiff hair should be a shorter growth of softer hair termed the undercoat.
Color: The head and ears should be tan, the ears being of a darker shade than the rest. Dark markings on either side of the skull are permissible. The legs up to the thighs and elbows and the under-part of the body and chest are also tan and the tan frequently runs into the shoulder. The sides and upper parts of the body should be black or dark grizzle. A red mixture is often found in the black and is not to be considered objectionable. A small white blaze on the chest is a characteristic of certain strains of the breed.
Size: Dogs should measure approximately 23 inches in height at the shoulder; bitches, slightly less. Both sexes should be sturdy, well muscled and boned.
Movement: Movement or action is the crucial test of conformation. Movement should be free. As seen from the front the forelegs should swing perpendicular from the body free from the sides, the feet the same distance apart as the elbows. As seen from the rear the hind legs should be parallel with each other, neither too close nor too far apart, but so placed as to give a strong well-balanced stance and movement. The toes should not be turned either in or out.
Faults: Yellow eyes, hound ears, white feet, soft coat, being much over or under the size limit, being undershot or overshot, having poor movement, are faults which should be severely penalized.
About the Breed:
His size, strength, and unflagging spirit have earned the Airedale Terrier the nickname 'The King of Terriers.' The Airedale stands among the world's most versatile dog breeds and has distinguished himself as hunter, athlete, and companion.
The Airedale Terrier is the largest of all terrier breeds. Males stand about 23 inches at the shoulder, females a little less. The dense, wiry coat is tan with black markings. Long, muscular legs give Airedales a regal lift in their bearing, and the long head'¿with its sporty beard and mustache, dark eyes, and neatly folded ears'¿conveys a keen intelligence. Airedales are the very picture of an alert and willing terrier'¿only bigger. And, like his smaller cousins in the terrier family, he can be bold, determined, and stubborn. Airedales are docile and patient with kids but won't back down when protecting hearth and home. Thanks to their famous do-it-all attitude, Airedales excel in all kinds of sports and family activities.

History:
One of Britain's key manufacturing centers before the turn of the 20th century, the Aire Valley lies in the north of England, less than a hundred miles from the Scottish border. In the mid-1800s, at the height of the Industrial Revolution, the valley's factory hands and mill workers first bred tough, devil-may-care Airedales in their own image. (It's a neat irony that the King of Terriers was developed not by royals but by workingmen.)
Airedales were created to be large and fearless hunters of ducks and rats, and no doubt did some poaching on the side. Fittingly for a dog from a manufacturing community, this was a "manufactured" breed: Several existing breeds went into its makeup. These include the Otterhound and such now-extinct breeds as the English Black and Tan Terrier. A practiced eye can also spot traces of the Irish Terrier and Bedlington Terrier in the Airedale. It's quite possible that setters, retrievers, and herding dogs also played a part in the development of the breed.
Airedales served in the British Armed Forces with distinction during the First World War as messengers, sentries, and guard dogs. In North America, the breed was known as a three-in-one hunting dog, equally adept on waterfowl, upland gamebirds, and furred prey. This will come as no surprise to anyone who has ever owned an Airedale, as the breed's versatility is legendary. Ratter, duck dog, big-game hunter, herder, guardian, warrior, actor, athlete, K-9 cop, and babysitter are all jobs held at various times by the mighty King of Terriers.