Airedale Terriers' Temperament And Personality Traits

Airedale Terriers’ Temperament And Personality Traits

Airedale Terriers are one of the under-rated dog breeds out there. Let’s find out Airedale Terriers’ temperament and personality to see what caused for their less popularity within dog parents.

When you get yourself a pet dog, what factors do you pay more attention to? You may be considerate of their behavioral traits, maintenance, affordability, and so forth.

Out of all these factors, one cannot deny that the dog’s temperament and personality traits matter to a great extent in deciding the breed you want.

In general, dogs are friendly, caring, and loyal creatures; however, their personalities will significantly differ from one breed to the other.

For instance, while some dogs prefer to be calm and trustworthy, others could be more aggressive and protective. In this article, we will be looking into the temperament and personality traits of Airedale Terriers.

So, what are the highlights of Airedale Terriers’ temperament and personality? Airedale Terrier is a dog with a blend of interesting personality traits, making it an ideal family pet. This breed is enthusiastic and fun-loving; also, they are loyal to their owners. Airedale Terriers can be a little feisty and mischievous, but training them to overcome unwanted behavior is not complicated as they are intelligent dogs.

Airedale Terriers are gentle and sweet to their family at the same time; they also take good care of the family. Overall, Airedale Terriers have confident and outgoing personalities.

If you adopt a pet dog, you need to be aware of both their temperament as well as personality. Dogs own their temperaments from birth. In other words, temperament is embedded within their genes. So there is little that you can do to change it.

Read – Are Airedale Terriers Hypoallergenic? Explained With Tips

However, remember that the way you treat and raise the dog will undoubtedly impact its overall personality. Hence it is essential to know what kind of personality traits your dog has and help them develop positive characteristics and overcome negative ones.

To get to know all the necessary details regarding the temperament and personality of Airedale Terriers, give this article a read. 

Airedale Terriers’ Temperament

Temperament and personality seem to be closely linked words, and in fact, they have a fine line between the two. So to understand the temperament and personality of Airedale Terriers, we must differentiate these two terms.

In its most basic sense, temperament refers to how someone behaves or responds to things. Dogs are born with their temperaments, and that will likely be permanent.

According to canine experts, dogs’ temperament can be generally categorized into three groups: assertive/ aggressive, neutral, and passive. 

When it comes to the temperament of Airedale Terriers, one cannot pinpoint to which category they belong out of the given three. Still, typically their temperament can be placed somewhere between assertive and neutral.

If we look into the history of this breed, the existing literature shows that Airedale Terriers descend from hunting backgrounds.

Compared to many other Terrier breeds, Airedale Terriers are bigger in size and physically more robust because they were bred to hunt different animals, including giant rabbits.

Their genes naturally make them strong-willed dogs, so seeing them being somewhat assertive is unsurprising. Just because they are assertive, it does not mean you cannot raise an Airedale Terrier at home.

Although these dogs were initially identified as hunting dogs, over the years, they became family dogs rather than hunting dogs.

So along with that, their temperaments also gotten adjusted. However, this did not completely eliminate their characters, and yes, they might still show assertive behavior occasionally.

Still, they are less aggressive than you think. Therefore, their temperament typically lies between assertive and neutral categories. 

Airedale Terriers’ Personality

Now you might have a solid understanding of the temperament of Airedale Terriers. How is personality different from temperament? As discussed in the earlier section, temperament is the character they inherit from birth.

On the other hand, personality arises within oneself based on behavior, feelings, thoughts, etc. Dogs do not have as well-developed brains as humans; however, dogs are sensitive and emotional creatures; hence they also have unique personalities. 

“Outgoing” would be the most appropriate word to explain the personality of an Airedale Terrier. Airedale Terriers are energetic and fun-loving dogs, and their enthusiastic personalities make them blend well with the family.

This breed builds a strong bond with their masters, mainly due to the hunting genes that they primarily inherit. Due to their willful and confident behavior, some could be afraid that they will find it hard to raise an Airedale Terrier at home.

They could act fierce and wilful at certain times, but it is not a breed that is hard to train. Perhaps you might be a first-time dog owner; despite the feistiness, Airedale Terrier is not a wrong choice because these dogs are intelligent.

If you follow the proper training methods since the dog is still young, raising one of these dogs will not be hard at all. Along with their strong and fearless side, Airedale Terriers have a gentle and goofy side too. 

Another intriguing factor about a dog’s personality is that it might get shaped by the owner’s personality, which means your character and behavior can significantly impact your dog’s behavior.

People have varying personalities; they can be extroverted, introverted, and so forth. When a dog connects strongly with someone from the family, its behavior will be affected.

This applies to any dog and no exceptions for Airedale Terriers. This does not mean its owners’ personalities entirely shape a dog’s personality, but the influence is undoubtedly visible to some extent. 

Do Airedale Terriers have behavioral problems?

Dogs do not always have positive temperaments and personality traits; they could also have behavioral problems. So if you decide to get yourself an Airedale Terrier, just like you pay attention to the positive side of their characters, you also should see if there are any downsides.

Airedale Terriers may come with a few behavioral issues caused by their temperaments. As mentioned, there is a fair chance that this breed can be a little stubborn.

What is negative about this is if you fail to train them from a young age, they will likely grow up persistent as well as destructive. Once they are grown up, it is not easy to eliminate that behavior.

So always ensure that if you get an Airedale Terrier, you start the training as soon as possible and train them consistently. Training and socialization are crucial to mitigate the feistiness of Airedale Terriers. 

Another potential behavioral issue in Airedale Terriers is their energy levels. This is a super energetic dog breed; hence, you must spend quite some time on their regular exercise requirements.

Suppose you find it hard to spare that time for the dog. In that case, Airedale Terriers will quickly get bored, and it is unhealthy for them both physically and mentally.

Also, their energetic and active personalities make it hard for them to grow up in apartments and small spaces. 

Do Airedale Terriers make good pets?

What makes a dog a good pet? The answer will depend predominantly on what factors owners prioritize.

For example, if the dog is active and friendly, one could find such dogs as the ideal pets; contrary to that, another person could believe that fearless, assertive, and protective ones are the perfect pets.

If you are someone looking for a fun, active, the same time protective dog, Airedale Terrier is an excellent choice.

Airedale Terriers require early socialization, and if you help them socialize, it will not take long for them to make a solid bond with the family, even be friendly and gentle with small children.

Airedale Terriers also have the qualities of watchdogs; hence they will be very protective of their family. Another plus point about having an Airedale Terrier is that they learn to merge well with other pets through socialization.

Moreover, following the proper training mechanisms from the beginning, you can quickly obey the dog. Sometimes dog owners get bothered to leave their pet dogs alone at home.

Dogs can be very clingy; leaving them alone for long periods is not easy, but this will not be an issue with Airedale Terriers. As much as they are close to their family, they can stay independent.

Leaving them alone will not cause any harm because Airedale Terriers are smart enough to handle themselves independently.

Their overall personalities make them suitable for the first time as well as experienced owners. As long as you take good care of the dog and raise them with love, Airedale Terriers will surely be a great addition to your family. 

Final thoughts 

In this article, we primarily focused on the temperament and personality traits of Airedale Terriers. As comprehensively discussed, Airedale Terriers are dogs with strong-willed temperaments but are trainable and loyal human companions.

Furthermore, these dogs are protective of their owners and keep a close eye on things happening around them. Airedale Terriers might show mischievous behavior occasionally, but training will help them eliminate unwanted behavior.

With strong personality traits, Airedale Terriers also will not forget to entertain you with their goofy and vibrant characters.

Their activeness and energy will always keep your house alive. So all these temperament and personality traits make Airedale Terrier an exceptional breed. 

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Author

  • Lisa W. is a practicing certified veterinarian (BVetMed Hons in Veterinary Medicine) who graduated from Royal Veterinary College, UK. One of her research fields is mixed-dog breeds and their temperament, behavioral issues, and genetic health concerns. Also, she gathers data about purebred dog breeds and their origin, lifespan, and genetic conditions. Lisa is a loving dog parent who is keen to share her expertise with other fellow dog parents.

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