Читать книгу Airedale Terrier - Bardi McLennan - Страница 14

The Airedale Terrier is a good-sized dog with a large personality. Two traits common to the breed go hand in hand: self-confidence and the desire to dominate. He’s also fearless to a fault, stoic, loyal, tenacious, intensely curious, intelligent and with a lively sense of mischief. These traits spell out a dog that is not for the faint of heart or the weak of resolve. The Airedale must be persuaded, not coerced, into following the rules firmly, consistently and nicely. Anyone with similar characteristics or who admires and can cope with such strong traits will make a good owner.

The Airedale is not a go-to-ground terrier for obvious reasons. He is too big to enter the den of a hedgehog or polecat, but he can and will dispatch any prey immediately if it bolts. As any owner is quick to cite, the Airedale’s true terrier fondness for the earth is deep. Sometimes it goes very deep—excavating huge holes in the back yard in pursuit of real or imaginary prey!

Unlike many of his smaller terrier cousins, he is not hyperactive and matures at about three years of age into a calm house dog. Affable and amusing as a companion, he’s also sensitive to raised voices or harsh corrections.

Some of these terrier attributes will stand in the way of anyone who mistakenly thinks that an Airedale will be a pushover as a pet. His tenacious spirit may be mistaken for stubbornness and thus mishandled. His intelligence allows the dog to outwit you, and it is not so easy to maintain discipline over a dog whose feelings you’ve hurt. Just when you’re about to clamp down for some misbehavior, he turns on the charm. Oh well, maybe you’ll catch him to make the correction next time. It can be difficult to keep one step ahead of an Airedale.