Airdales

Jesse lackey

Jesse lackey

New member
I keep seeing more and more about these dogs, but i dont know anything about them, so lets hear some facts. What they got? Nose, speed, endurance, grit, tell me what you know. everyone pitch in here!
 
It was my expierience that the best ones belonged to folks great grand parents. I never had the pleasure of seeing one that was anything like the tales I had heard of them. Some were fairly useful, but for the most part there were plenty of other dogs that could do the same job better. Just another breed mostly lost to the show/sales crowd, IMO.

Take care.
 
Airedales are like any other hunting dog. You mostly get out what you put in. All I can say for sure is that they can be trained to decoy coyotes.

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Thats my Airedale Pearl in the back with a triple she helped decoy back in August.

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and a more recent example of her and Ellie Maes (the cur) work.

Jack in Missouri
 
Way before i knew anything about decoy dogs and I coyote hunted, we had a man named Larry Symes that took care of coyotes on our ranch. We called him the coyote man. I never had the chance to hunt with him, but he always had an Airdale or 2 with him. And also, he killed a ton of coyotes!! I went with him on a few track jobs when a ranch hand would make a bad shot on one from the truck and he was around. They seemed to work real well for him.
 
I am with Scott on this one, you always hear of the good ole Airedale of yesteryear. Todays Airedale does not have the nose that you hear of in the old days or the tree in them. I think you can still hunt hard and get some that work but I think you do alot more training than the natural ability that they are supossed to have.
This in my Airedale Otis

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A working quality Airdale is hard to beat! They also are used to retrieve birds on water or land.

Long time ago I trained dogs for personel protection mostly German shepherds, dobes and my Rottweilers. Let me tell you a good Airdale is one tuff and brave dog the few I worked with loved their owners and were fearless.
 
Here is Otis treeing on a bear. I used him alot before he was a year old and put a bucket load of bear under his belt. Ariedales are known for a later starting dog.

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Not a bit scared of going in a hole either

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I could not do what I do with just a pack of Airedales. If I had to choose a breed of dog to do my job I would choose the hounds. The Airedale is a more versatile dog and i use him on Bear, Lion ,Bocat, Coyotes ,Fox and Badger. The hounds I use on Bear ,Lion ,and Bobcat.
I do believe the Airedale is more durable than a cur and that is why I like the terriers and crosses on coyotes, they can go day after day after day and keep going long past the curs in the heat.
 
I run airedale's. Have for the past 10 yrs. I think what turns most people off is they can be very hard headed at times. I agree with Devin, they are a late starting dog, but also agree you can run them day after day. Very willing mix it up if needed. I had an 80 lb. male that truely enjoyed that work. Was a very good spring time dog. Too aggessive with fall coyotes. But on the other side great with my kids. Good with people.

Currently down to my last Airedale and she has been a great fall decoy dog. Tracks cripples and is ok for the trapline. I have a hound that works better but they make a good team. I have run both the curlly coat and the redline airedales. Both have worked well for me.

Needing another pup for this spring and debating on breed.
 
They are a terrier with all that brings to the table.
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The ones I've had anything to do with were tough as barbed wire. When I had coonhounds and beagles, someone 'gifted' me a 2 year female airdale that had been an outside family dog. I liked the dog and I packed her with me in the pickup for a few weeks. She bonded quite well. I took her out hunting with the hounds and she was one tough dog for dragging coons out of brush piles. Most were dragged out by their faces.

If we could use decoy dogs here in Alberta, I'd consider an Airdale. They are protective as well.
 
Originally Posted By: Jesse lackeyhow bout speed and stamina? I have heard of them being ran with stags, not sure if thats bs though. So are they a Terrier?


Lots of folks have tried running them with stags, but it only takes a race or two to see they cant come close to staying up. Usually someone with fast dogs with no heart, think the airedale will help them at the fight. If the race is short enough sometimes it works, but on a long race the airedale is so far out of it, that the coyote will get up and whip off the fast dogs, and still get away. Truth is most the Airedale and Airedale crosses I fooled with werent much tougher than an average hound. They are terriers, but if the average jagd or patterdale was the same size, they would be twice the dogs, IMO.
I enjoyed most of them as dogs/companions, but when the work/evaluations got tougher they generally werent up to the task.

Take care.
 
Good info Doc.

When you guys say they can work day after day, are you talking decoying a few coyotes and tracking a cripple here or there? Or a hard day of work with lots of miles?
 
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