Airedales

[Star1pup]

Anyone hunt with an Airedale?  Star works birds like a Springer and is great on pheasants.  She also trees squirrels.

[Don McCullough]

Star1pup,

I've just been reading about a married couple who settled in the wilds of British Columbia, Canada.  They had an Airedale.  Real spunky dog.  Wondering if you'd care to tell me about this breed of dog?  

Don McCullough

Anyone hunt with an Airedale?  Star works birds like a Springer and is great on pheasants.  She also trees squirrels.

[Star1pup]

They were bred in England and were commonly used by poachers to catch, kill and drag out My Lord's game.

They have been used on a variety of game including bears, cougars and I have heard even African lions.  I belong to a group who are bringing the breed back as hunters.  My girl, Star, will be 4-years old on Christmas Eve.  She weighs about 67 pounds (some are much larger) and loves people and other dogs.  Not fond of cats.  I have shot pheasant, quail, chukars, squirrel and rabbits over her.  She is my 24/7 companion and rides in my truck and in my boat when I fish.

Do a search for the Airedale Terrier Club of America.  I changed computers and haven't put it back in this one yet.  They have a hunting/working page on the site and there is a history of the breed on the site.

[Airedale From NY]

Hi Star1pup
I have owned, trained and bred Airedales for near forty years now. I am gad to see another Airedale owner using this great breed for hunting. The Airedale's forte has always been their versatility and grit. I have used them for many types of hunting and work here around the farm. As a companion there is nothing finer.  Al

[Don McCullough]

Star1pup,

There's an Airedale-L discussion group/list you might want to visit.  Airedale-L in the search box should get you there.

Read the Airedale, unlike other less brave dogs, would go into a coyote den or hideout and drag them out.  Too, I gather they are a pretty lively/fun-filled dog.

Don McCullough

They were bred in England and were commonly used by poachers to catch, kill and drag out My Lord's game.

They have been used on a variety of game including bears, cougars and I have heard even African lions.  I belong to a group who are bringing the breed back as hunters.  My girl, Star, will be 4-years old on Christmas Eve.  She weighs about 67 pounds (some are much larger) and loves people and other dogs.  Not fond of cats.  I have shot pheasant, quail, chukars, squirrel and rabbits over her.  She is my 24/7 companion and rides in my truck and in my boat when I fish.

Do a search for the Airedale Terrier Club of America.  I changed computers and haven't put it back in this one yet.  They have a hunting/working page on the site and there is a history of the breed on the site.

[clodbuster]

My Grandpa hunted hounds all his life and for coon hounds he always like to have some airedale blood in them,  He said they were more clever fighters when a coon came out of a tree looking for a rumble.

[Star1pup]

Star is pretty gentle girl so I was not sure what to expect when she had to trail a coon and then show aggression during her puppy hunt test.  She trailed it like a trooper even though she was very young.  At the end of the trail there was a coon in a roll cage and Star was not sure what to make of it.  She just sniffed the coon and it made the mistake of jumping and hissing at her.  My little girl exploded and darn near ripped the cage apart.

I guess the moral is to never hiss at an Airedale. :wink:

[RB Rooson]

Airedales, as many working/hunting terriers, are truly admirable in the field.  Have hunted with more than one and have never found a slacker in the bunch.  Truly gritty dogs.  Courage beyond belief.  Used alot in the Western States on Cougar (Puma).

Well known Airedale kennel in Oklahoma that specializes in workers.  I hunt with Jack Russells and Patterdales, but would not shrink from adding an Airedale to the pack.

Imagine that they would be a tremendous pull or Caesar dog at the end of the hunt.

[Star1pup]

A Jack Russell and an Airedale would be an awesome combination.  A small, brave terrier and a big, brave terrier.

[RB Rooson]

Star1pup.

Jack Russell and an Airedale - almost too much courage walking around in the field at the same time!  Both are terriers and BOTH think that they are indestructible......

[Don McCullough]

Jack Russel--a dog breed?  Never heard of them.  Could someone enlighten me?

Don McCullough

[RB Rooson]

Don,

Oh, where to start?

Approximately 150 years ago, an english hunting parson, the Rev. John Russell, developed a breed of terrier that would enter the fox's den and either drive the fox out or engage it.  This took a tremendous amount of courage from a dog about 10-15 lbs. in weight.

Over the years, Jack Russells have hunted everything from foxes to badgers to raccoon to groundhogs, etc.  There is a whole world of Jack Russell hunting enthusiasts out there and the breed has garnered a place in both the English Kennel Clubs and the American Kennel Club.

There are numerous books about the breed and the Internet possesses literally thousands (1,000's) of websites devoted to this unique little working terrier.  Energy, alertness and courage are typical traits.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, if you wish to know more - please research the Internet or write me at rooson@earthlink.net

Take care,

RB

[D.G.]

I know several people up in my area that raise the Jack Russells. Neat little dogs but the people I know that try to hunt them on coon usually get them killed so fast they have have an entire kennel just make it through the season.
I don't like disposable dogs, like to hunt them more than once.

[Big Hext Finnigan]

DG, seems like you're confusing the limitations of the breed with the folly of the owners.  Anybody who know Jacks knows that they have a specific hunting style.  Every hunting breed is at risk, be it terrier, retriever, pointer or hound.

[D.G.]

No, just trying to make a point about the limitations of the breed. For the last several years I have read in various magazines (Full Cry mainly) and listened to breeders about the capabilities of these small terriers doing everything better than an big dog or a hound. Like I said they are neat little dogs and have a place and are usefull. We have had fiests (which is the same thing just a generic term) all my life and used them for a lot of different things, very versatile.  But they do have their limitations, that was my point.
Thanks.

[Big Hext Finnigan]

Howdy,

I think we're on the same page.  I keyed in on your use of the word disposable.  And it is the way the dog is used that determines their longevity.  Even used properly, hunting dogs are at risk cause they go out of our sight and into situations we may not find or comprehend.  

Take care amigo,

[RB Rooson]

An APBT has it's limitations!!!  They can't fit into a nine-inch fox hole and face the quarry 11 feet underground for three days on end........

Never met a working Jack Russell yet that was disposable.  An excellent worker is worth his/her weight in gold.  Owners will go to tremendous lengths and expense to save their "hunting companions......." and anyone who does less is not a true terrierman!

[D.G.]

You've never seen a 18 to 25 lb APBT work they wouldn't need 3 days, they don't get paid by the hour. If I had a dog that couldn't get something out of a hole after 3 days, I would either figure he couldn't get it out or I would fill in the hole behind him.
One night my hounds bayed a coon in a hole in the creek bank, the coon was about 15ft back in the hole. I thought to myself "this is a job for the Mighty Whitey" a friend of mines Jack Russell he had been bragging up. I wasn't very far from his house so I left my hounds at the hole and went to get him.
when I returned I not only had the Mighty Whitey but an entire pack of Jack Russells (3) to set upon the poor unsuspecting coon. I guess the pressure was just to much, between my hounds baying ( I did tie them away from the hole after I returned to give the aforementioned pack room to work.) and the coon snarling, the entire pack swapped ends and were just a white streak across the field leading back to the house. The coon was left to run another day, I had a great laugh and my friend was left to make excuses and apologize evey time he saw me for the next 6 months. He did go on to sell a bunch of those little dogs to people.
BTW I have had a 110# hound go into a 10 inch culvert and drag a coon out, blue dog was red by the time he came out, but he had the coon.

[Airedale From NY]

I would say your friends dogs were Jack Russells in name only. You would never see the real deal high tailing from a coon. Now could they get the coon out of the hole, that is another story but the JTRs I have would die trying. Anytime a breed of dog like the Jack Russell becomes super popular you will have breeders crop up with dollar signs in their eyes breeding just to produce puppies. Working dogs have to be bred to properly to retain drive and ability or it is soon lost as evidenced by your friend's imposters.

[D.G.]

That may be the problem. I have been around several Jacks from different breeders, they make decent squirrel dogs, fair ratters, but quite honestly don't live up to hype on anything else. Like the comments on this thread they brag them up, but these around here fall way short. It does provide some laughs and entertainment value. These around here need to be like the Fraiser dog and stay on the couch.

[Qaz]

DG, if what you say is correct, then they are not Jack Russels. Most backyard breeders and a lot of people don't understand that although their dog may look like the breed representative, looks are the smallest part of it. A breed that was developed for a particular task must always maintain the attribute that made the breed: size, build, temperament, and character. If your friends JRT's did not have that in your face attitude and the mind set that he is 130lbs of bad, then they are not JRT's.

[D.G.]

Maybe there are no good Jack Russels in Oklahoma, although I admit I haven't seen all of them. The Jack Russels I have been around had attitude, just couldn't back it up. The owners had more attitude than the dogs.