Airedale

[TonyLee]

Got my training question answered .. and this site has been a great help and a awesome forum ... I just wanted to see what you guys thought about airedales dont see alot used any more I know back years ago some were real tree dogs and my young male is showing great promise just wanted to see what everybody thought of them ... I f my male makes the cut I am going to cross him over on my Red Bone anybody delt with this cross just seeing what yall thought

[Dan Edwards]

Look at some of the old big game photos. Dont suppose anybody ever crossed a little dale into their hounds back then do ya?

I am sure its been done a bunch throughout time and if you are lackin whatever the dale may bring to the table then by all means have at it.

[txmaverick]

My dad had a dog that was half airedale and redbone for a hog dog. He was the ugliest thing you ever saw but would sure enough catch a hog didnt hunt that well but if something else bayed he would sure catch it. It seemed to me he threw to much to the ariedale side to be much of a hunter, but he worked for my dad since that is what he wanted.

Expect some hairy ugly dogs. When you pick pups think about what you want, if you want a catchy dog then pick the one that looks the most airedale, if you want more of a hunter pick those that look the most hound.

goodluck

[Mike Leonard]

I know some folks have had great lucj with airdale terriers and some of ther legendary hunters of the past used them as well. Elliot S. Barker of ( When Dogs Bark Treed) fame used them but if you look at the photos of them you can tell they were a long way from what we see as airdales today or even the big oorang type dogs.

My Dad and his partner Roy Henderson hunted for the goverment, and they used airdales as coyote dogs. Tehy decoyed before decoying was really talked about and they denned and dug and killed a ton of coyotes back in the day. I remember as a very young person coming home from grade school and finding Dad and Roy in the barn more than once pulling quills, doing the tomato juice douche job and cussing them airtight sob's for grabbing anything that came across their paths.

I had a critter killing calves not to far from our home place when I was a littler older. He would strike at night and never really ate of the kills just did them in and left. Some thought it was a wolf or a cougar, but I had read enough even back then I didn't think so. The area game wardens set some traps around the kills but never caught anything but a few magpies and one stupid fox. Well I was out wringing the sweat out of some 3 year old green colts early one morning and I heard a ruckus and and old cow a bellering. I rode over the little butte and here was a big old curley haired airdale dog taking down a hereford calf and the old mulie mother cow wasn't having much effect on him. Well I went a whipping and a spurring into the fray and I thought for a second he was going to take me on, but he broke and run and I built to him but I had no gun, and didn't reckon I could rope him off that colt and hold things together. I recogniozed him however. After checking on the calf, and he was not in good shape I rode back to the place and told Dad. He said well we better go over there and talk to the people that owned him. Well they were ranchers too, and when we pulled into the yard old Ringo met us with a mouthful of teeth. We got out and broke the news. Well we never got plump out of earshot before ww hard a shot and knew the calf killing was over. All the way back home Dad told me about his expereinces with the airdale dogs. He said for their use as den dogs and bay dogs they are tugh as they come but they just naturally look for some trouble to get in he said and they generally find it.

That was enough for me to stick to hounds for hunting, bird dogs for birds, and stock dogs for stock. The old all around usually becomes an all around pain in the you know what.

[TonyLee]

Thanks for the response guys.. I have never had any dealings with airedales and just getting into cat hunting and all of yall have been a big help as there aint no cat hunters or airedales around anymore just stories of both and with there being more bobcats around here now than they had then you would think people would show some interest in cat hunting here but any way thanks for the tips maybe I should stick to what I know hounds but we will try the old hairy mutt out who knows he may turn out to be that one of a kind dog we will see nutting else he sure is good around the house and is broke off all livestock already from chickens to horses with the exception of cats of course lol hates em with a passion I will keep everybody posted if he does good great if not i will be culling him who knows this time next year he may have a mess of cats under his belt.......... is it normal for a airedale to be semi open on track and have a thunderuos of a loud mouth? if u didnt know what was making the noise u would swear it was a big hound

[Arkansas Frog]

I am with Bruce Kennedy on Airdales.

[slidecreekdan]

Well boys I hate to say it, but I could not resist getting one of those Airdales a couple years ago. Was told they are one hell of a good hunter. Well he turned out a good dog alright. Fell in love with the wife, she fell in love with him. Head of stone. Smart as a dog can get. I will stick with Mike on this one.

[TonyLee]

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[Hipshooter]

I never owned a airdale
but have hunted with several.
If u need a kill dog, they can do it on any farmit.
I seen one kill bobcats in almost seconds.
We hunted hogs & they do a fair job, mostly after the catch.
We hunted bear with one one time, he would go with the hounds & stay at the tree, they are mostly silent trailers & not to much on the treeing.
He would bay a bear close, but had brains enough to not get hurt.
The females are the best I think, they are not mean with the other dogs,
but the males are always looking to fight the other hounds.
Not much on the nose, has to be a very hot track for them.
I think they are a helper dog at best.