The Modern Airedale Terrier: With Instructions for Stripping the Airedale and Also Training the Airedale for Big Game Hunting. (A Vintage Dog Books Breed Classic)

By W. J. Phillips

This scarce early work on the "King of Terriers" was first published in 1921. First editions are now extremely expensive and very hard to find. VINTAGE DOG BOOKS have republished it, using the original text and photographs. The author was a well known personality in the Airedale world of his day, and writes from many years of experience. In these pages he has spared no information likely to be of beneficial help to the Airedale lover. The first portion of this work deals with the origin and earliest period of the Airedale, under its three names: Waterside Terriers, Bingley Terriers, and finally Airedale Terriers. The book's one hundred and sixty pages contain fifteen Detailed chapters, including three by other authors: "Stone Age" of the Airedale. From Waterside Terrier to Airedale Terrier. Arrival of the Airedale. Twenty Years with the Champions. Breeding and Preparation for Shows. Stripping the Airedale by C.W. Buttles. Anatomy of the Dog. Diseases. Handling and Ring Etiquette. Whelping, Rearing, Feeding. Pedigrees and Inbreeding. Standard and Points. Training the Airedale and Hunting Big Game by J.G. Keefe. Airedales on the Farm by W.H. Lingo. A Directory of Leading Breeders. The contents are well illustrated by dozens of vintage photos of famous Airedales, and many line drawings. This is a fascinating read for any Airedale enthusiast or historian of the breed, with much of the information still useful and practical today. Many of the earliest dog breed books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. VINTAGE DOG BOOKS are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Read Books Ltd.
• Release date: Mar 23, 2011
• ISBN: 9781446547465

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STONE AGE OF THE AIREDALE.

The beginning of all things for the Airedale family is enveloped in a cloud too thick to penetrate with convincing accuracy. Its ancestry cannot boast of long lineage, like so many other members of the canine race, only dating back some fifty years, which makes them, comparatively speaking, one of our new or modern, breeds. If there is the shrouded mystery as to the time of their exact creation, we can point with confidence to the land of their birth, the environments of which is all-conducive in bringing out or developing any sporting instinct which may have been handed down to him by the parents. The Valley of Ayre claims this landmark; which will always stand out in dog history as the home of the most beautiful terrier yet produced; and if the ingredients of the production be in doubt, there is no denying his great usefulness to man as companion, also for his general sporting propensities. To this delightful portion of Yorkshire and its inhabitants the great honor of bringing into life our ideal terrier is bestowed.

HEAD STUDY, CH. BINGLEY BLOSSOM.

For a great number of years after our favorite’s inception, he was known as The Waterside Terrier, and was used exclusively for hunting in the rivers and on land by the working men fancier, whose high esteem for his dog was intensified, not by his general appearance so much as by his working abilities, qualities which have gained for him the high esteem of the dog lover who delights in outdoor life.

It did not matter to this old time fancier whether his ideal was down at the pasterns or out at the shoulders; he was not averse to length or texture of coat; neither did color or size of ears detract from his feelings and the pleasures he found on his hunting expeditions. Even the present-day horrors of an existing light eye and strong skull would be nullified by the all-wonderful intelligence these almost unknown members of the canine family were capable of portraying when out along the banks or on the hillside with their lords and masters.

There was no magnificent kennel accommodation with the latest hygienic arrangements for the Anedale at this age. What was good enough for the owner was of equal merit for his dog, his constant companion and sole comfort, which elevated and made light the many hardships which the working man is conversant with in his walks of life. The friendship and thorough understanding between dog and man ct this period were vastly in excess of anything that the present-day fancier can lay claim to.

We hear many versions of the make-up, for it is universally agreed that the Airedale, like many other canine breeds, is a manufactured dog, emanating as they do from a concoction of the hound and terrier family, which were famed for domestic use, hunting by their nose and both finding and killing their game. With such invaluable assets. containing as they do everything that is good to man’s best friend, we must give our predecessors all the credit for knowing their worth. Their determination and unshakable belief in the ability of producing a dog that would hunt with steadfast persistency and indefatigible gameness all that would be asked of them, even to the otter, which had as its haunts the rivers of the Vale of Ayre, were justified.

The advancement made was astounding; in a very few years they were able to put before the public a terrier which was the largest of all the terrier family, fairly uniform in type and much valued for gameness and all-round sporting acquisitions, unbeatable by any other member of the canine world.

As previously stated, otters abounded in the rivers and covers supplied by the hills of Yorkshire in such numbers that cheap sport was provided to the individual worker, which he was quick to secure. His sporting intelligence taught him that he must have a dog to live in water. At this early time it is said on good authority that the Welsh Harrier was introduced as a valuable cross to the hounds then kenneled in this district. Between a large Welsh Harrier and an Otter Hound none but an expert could detect any difference in general appearance and build, as they were much alike. We presume it was at once apparent to the owners of that time that the coat of the Harrier was not sufficiently dense, as when immersed in water he would come out showing his shape like a half-drowned hare, hence his out-cross to the Otter Hound, which possesses a thick pily undercoat, which is also of a very oily nature.

THE CANADIAN CHAMPION BIRCHCLIFFE OORAKG. OWNED BY MR. NORMAN MACKENZIE, REGINA, SASK,

In fact, the latter also deviated from his brother hound. A cat-like foot was not sought after, as the work required was chiefly in water, so that the spreading web was not a hindrance but an asset in his work. They are both true descendants of the Southern Hound (now extinct), and like him hold on to a scent with the greatest gusto, steadiness and perseverance, and their gameness could not be disputed, as in a certain well-known kennel of Otter Hounds it has been recorded that as many as six couples were found dead after a night’s fighting, being literally torn to pieces, and the victors by no means escaping with a whole skin, showing that the vanquished ones had not succumbed without a mighty struggle.

CH. ROCK KING,

The temper and viciousness are fully required when taking into account their hard-biting, game quarry, the otter. No doubt for many years the production of these two breeds amplified the requirements for the sport they were intended for, the combinations having improved their usefulness, as well as their general appearance, the latter not to the entire satisfaction of a few. Here then came the inspiration for beautifying this more than useful dog by the introduction of color and shortness of coat, at the same time a refining process in general outline and coarseness of skull. The first mentioned asset, however, in my opinion, appealed to them mostly. Some uniformity of color after years, first a predominance of black over white, then vice versa, was most likely their sole and chief reason for making the choice of the Old English Terrier.

WHITEBIRK TYRANT, OWNED BY ANOAKIA KENNELS, SANTA ANITA CAL

If we reason things out in a problematical way, the conclusion arrived at will verify the above statement. It must be remembered that neither the Otter Hound or Welsh Harrier was considered handsome, therefore such reproductions Of their offspring did not benefit materially in good looks, and those fanciers who were anxious for the afore-mentioned improvements were, we reason in our own mind, led on with such a glowing account of the beauty of this old established terrier, whose usefulness in sport could not be denied, that they used him in full confidence and a feeling of security that their pet would materially benefit by the mix up in at least color and refinement, while losing nothing in gameness and sporting instincts. Here the type was fixed, uniformity being one of his greatest attributes. The same remarks could not by any means be applied to the hound family.

Although a diversity of opinion is permissible when the question of defining the various breeds that are supposed to be responsible for the production of the Airedale, it is now proved beyond doubt that there are only two legitimate claimants, viz., the Otter Hound and the Old English Terrier.

No other breed has any prior claim. Even if we allow for an outcross by some individual breeder to other branches of the canine family, the results attained are not sufficient proof to place anything on record. Therefore the rumors or imaginary ideas that our Beau Ideal, being the outcome of a galaxy of terriers and hounds, must be at once dispelled.

Many breeds have been mentioned as bearing on the origin. For example, Bull Terriers (the old fighting line), Old English Sheep Dog, Yorkshire Terrier, the large original ones, etc. These assertions are held up to ridicule by those whose names go right back to its inception; they are emphatic in their declaration that it is most misleading to assume for one moment any other breeds as used in the creation than the Otter Hounds (as used for hunting along the tributaries of the Ouse, namely, the Rivers Aire, Calder, Colne and Wharfe. These names in themselves are household words in the fancy, being adopted as prefixes by many leading kennels), and that most Gentleman Terrier, known as the Old English Terrier.

When we take the individual virtues of these two specimens it will be brought home to us at once that the goodness in each has been transmitted and passed along from generation to generation, the whole combination having blended into a splendid exactness that is hard to beat.

To the Otter Hound must go the credit for size, substance, grim determination and courage; to the Old Broken Haired English Terrier every quality, except size, that one could wish to find in any sporting dog. He is a dog of great antiquity. It is even attributed that he is the progenitor of that most popular dog, the Wire or Broken Haired Fox Terrier, and his legitimacy as the originator of the Welsh Terrier is never disputed.

No gentleman’s kennel or stables were complete without this compact sporting terrier at these early times. Even if not taken seriously as a show specimen by his owners he found a way into their hearts by his absolute love of all things appertaining to the healthy outdoor life. Varying from twenty to thirty pounds in weight, he was the essence of smartness; his beautiful symmetrical shape in body and grand outline was an attraction in itself. He could also claim a lean, level head, full of terrier character, eyes that were splendidly placed, giving off that life and fire so necessary to the completeness of any terrier; a coat of real hard texture, and a weather resister.

CH. CROMPTON OORANG.

The uniformity of color was also a much valued