Airedale Terriers are one of the best-hunting dogs with loads of energy. These big-sized dogs were raised to hunt the badgers and otters in the locality of Aire valley of Yorkshire. This breed is famous for being independent and intelligent. Also, you can call them affectionate while living in a family from the puppy stage.
Also, they were used in World War I as dispatch carriers and also to send messages to the troops. They are much good at pain bearing so they were believed to reach the target and do their assigned job. This shows that this funny looking black wiry-haired dog can be quite resolute and firm in its attitude. So you need to handle them from the puppy stage to train them properly.
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Why should you get Airedale Terrier?
If you have chosen this dog breed among all other big bred dog, then you are going to have a busy day. The training advice will start from the early morning and it will be followed by various activities to burn the energy of this dog.
But if you are able to train the dog from an early age and take the training job seriously then you will have a guard dog for your family along with a funnybone that will provide you with ample entertainment.
What can happen with Airedale Terrier if not trained properly?
This breed of dog demands to be bossy and dominant. When the prospective owners go to adopt dogs, they get allured by this fun-loving, naturally entertaining dog breed and take one home. But it is only later, that they understood how bossy and unmanageable this dog can be.
If the owner is not a firm and dominant personality, they will end up sending the dog to the rescue centre. After a certain time, the Airedale Terrie becomes hard to keep at home and bear with.
How hard is it to train Airedale Terrier?
If you are adopting a pup of Airedale Terrier then you have to make it under the training session for socialization and behaviour. They need to learn to behave in a friendly manner as well as follow the general directions from the owner. The process is not hard as Airedale Terrier will be obedient if you behave rightly with it. Also, you have to remember that they have a different kind of personality and they need some time to get adjusted to your boss.
How to stimulate Airedale Terrier mentally?
The nose is, like all dog breeds, the most important and powerful sense organ of Airedale Terrier. So if you want to stimulate its senses use some scent or nose game to make it interested and excited.
Is it easy to train a terrier dog breed?
Terriers, specifically the Airedale Terrier are quite fun-loving, bold and independent. These features make them attractive to the owners, but also these are the qualities that make them difficult to train.
You need to know the tips and tricks to manage the Airedale Terrier and then you will be able to train them effectively, though by a different process than other dogs. With the right technique applied, Airedale Terrier will be easily trained.
How to tame the stubborn terrier?
When you are dealing with a terrier, you must keep in mind that the dog has its own strong personality. Terriers are pretty stubborn at times and if you get stubborn too, it will not work. You have to be much understanding and patient to make the terrier listen to you.
The first important aspect of training a terrier is going slow. You must choose a favourite activity to start with. Also, you can involve some object which the dog likes very much. That way you will be offering positivity in the process from the beginning.
The environment should be in your control. If there are too many sounds or objects around the area where you are training the dog, then it surely will be distracted. So taking charge of the dog and the atmosphere will be both in your hand.
Consistency is the key, for all big tasks and for training the stubborn terrier. You will not get to see the result or the dog will not obey you at the first instance. This will be a regular process for at least a few months before you get to see some visible effects of your direction on your pet dog.
Training the Airedale Terrier puppies:
The pups of Airedale Terrier are always curious and excited. They are a bundle of joy in the true sense. When you will try to adopt an Airedale Terrier pup the breeder or the adoption centre people will ask you about the experience that you have with this particular breed of dog. The reason is, they do not want to make the owners nervous with the extremely high energy level and sometimes aggressive behaviour of the Airedale Terrier.
When you will try to tame the pup, you will find how headstrong it can be sometimes. There will be moments of shock, frustration and disbelief and yet, you will overcome those feelings and train the pup successfully, with patience and the right techniques.
To train the dog, you need to check the particular characteristics, ability or inability of a dog breed, so here we go with the natural streaks found in Airedale Terrier.
Strong determination:
We already have mentioned that these dogs were used to send messages at the time of war. That proves not only the pain bearing ability but also the determination of this dog breed.
They are not fierce but terribly determined when it comes to any particular task, however small or big that may be. Some owners have stated the experience with his Airedale Terrier. It clawed down the bottom part of a solid wooden door.
Now, this is not an easy task, but the dog managed to do it. It shows how determined were they to break off the wooden door because it was accidentally locked in the room. When you will try to train it, you have to use this determination positively for the benefit of the training.
Lack of obedience:
As Airedale Terrier usually contains high energy, there is a good chance that they will not listen to the owner easily. They need to be exercised a lot, in order to keep their energy burnt. You should also try to make them listen to your direction with obvious firmness to overcome the mental barrier put by the excessive energy level.
If your repeated try fails, you must admit your dog to some obedience school, wherewith the professional help your dog will be able to learn the discipline as well as following the directions obediently.
The special features of Airedale Terrier:
Even though there are too many arguments against adopting Airedale Terrier, if you decide to get the dog of the same breed, we can offer you little good news.
The shedding, which is an obvious turn down for many dog owners, is visibly less among Airedale Terriers.
The reason being, the body of Airedale Terrier has hair and not fur. The short wired hair that they have in their coat can be easily maintained and taken care of. They are less likely to fall on the couch, floor or on any furniture like other dogs have.
They are much protective of their family, so if you have elders or kids at home, you can keep Airedale Terrier for the purpose of protection. They will be really nice watchdogs.
Once they are matured and adjusted with the owners, they can be good companions. They are matured and not childlike in nature. They become much sober and calm once they age, and thus they can look after the senior people of the home with much dedication.
How to train Airedale Terrier?
Not that all tips are useful to all dogs of the Airedale Terrier breed, but here we will be trying to help the new owners to understand the nature of this particular dog breed and learn to train them.
Need of consistency:
Consistency, as we have mentioned above, is very much needed in training the Airedale Terrier.
Your behaviour needs to be fixed first before you try to train the Airedale Terrier. As we said, the dog is really watchful and intelligent. So if you sometimes let the strictness go, the dog will surely notice that and it will catch the strain.
Do not let it go:
Make a list of behaviours on your mind that will be counted as unacceptable behaviour. These ones should never be let go without notice. There is no scope for consideration when you are training a dog like Airedale Terrier. They will think of it as a rule and will not follow the direction later. This can be a challenging situation when you will try to train the pup successfully.
Training through praise:
Being headstrong, Airedale Terrier can learn from your behaviour also. If you are keeping the closet open and the dog chews a pair of shoe, do not punish it. You can scold it though, but also be cautious of not keeping the door open when you are done with the closet. In case of such accidents, show it the direction of going out of the home but do it calmly. No shouting or excitement will be good. Other than giving it time out, no other punishment will be much effective.
Going to obedience school:
This is an effective step for both you and your Airedale Terrier. There is a misconception about the schools and most of the owners feel that if they do not need their dogs to make sit, stand, run or eat, what is the reason of going to such schools?
But the case is, obedience is much more needed to be embedded in the dogs than us. For the commanding dogs like Airedale Terrier, this process of following the direction will show it the authoritative side of the owner and that will also clear out the equation between the dog and the master.
Something not to be fixed:
The extreme curiosity level of Airedale Terrier will remain as it is, this is a part and parcel of their nature and it will not be otherwise. Unless you have adopted an exception of an Airedale Terrier, your dog will be curious, energetic and sometimes destructive. What you can teach it is not being destructive and behave properly with other equipment of your house.
Learning leash behaviour:
This calls for certain attention. Being independent, Airedale Terrier does not like to be leashed primarily. But you need to make it a habit of putting a leash on it when going out for a walk. They need a good amount of walk every day and that can be possible only when it will be leashed.
While leashed, they will also learn to walk on the pavement and not wherever it wishes to go. The leash should also be held with proper force and grip. Remember, Airedale Terrier is a strong dog and can swipe you away if the leash is not handled with adequate force.
It has the power of moving a full-grown human away from his or her place. So put a collar or harness on it and attach the leash. Make the dog comfortable in the harness and check that it is not choking the dog. They would know the way to walk and also will understand that they have to follow the path and direction of the human; this is an obvious part of their training schedule.
Conclusion
Your life will be full of joy and surprises once you adopt Airedale Terrier. Do not think of it as a burden but take the responsibility as a joy-filled chore, and you will see the change that has come to your life.
Airedale Terrier is a fun-loving dog and will be a lovely and caring family member of yours. It takes time to make the dog understand that you are the boss here and not the dog, it will follow the path shown by you. They can be a fascinating breed to keep at home and thus, you will not repent your decision of adopting one.
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