When one of our posts get a noteworthy comment, of course we’re going to share it.
Our “A Snippet of Airedale Terrier history” elicited a comment from “Mike” who wrote: “My third Airedale was my service dog for PTSD. I trained her myself and the VA told me she was the first they were aware of in Minnesota. I trained her to do specific things for me, like going to my right side facing my rear anytime I’m in a line of people. She keeps people just far enough away to make me comfortable, she’s always got my back. All my Airedale’s have been incredibly stubborn and they require a lot of patience to train. Once you’ve established trust, you’ll never have a more faithful breed. Babe is gone now, but I am training Airedale Major to take her place. I’ve learned a lot of dog park play keeps them well balanced. I tell all returning combat vets I run into to get a dog, bond with it, and they will never care about your happiness, sadness, or mood; they’ll just be there. An unconditional partner.”
We wanted to know more about Babe and Major, and when we reached out to Mike, he was kind enough to give it.
Mike is the current President of the 28th Infantry Regiment Association. He told us that he had Babe for nearly eleven years before losing her to hemangiosarcoma. “True to Airedale form,” Mike wrote, “she didn’t let me know until the day before I put her down.”
“I’m working diligently to create the same bond with Major. So far, he had been great.
Major at a year old
“He just turned three and I am noticing a huge change in his cooperation and we are quickly becoming [another] good team.
“Before I got Babe, I confronted a guy while in line at a Home Depot store. He was standing too close and I had warned him to back off. Less than a minute later, I screamed at him. And then it dawned on me what I’d done. Feeling very embarrassed, I got up and made for the door, leaving my cart. Once I trained Babe, this never happened again, her presence was enough to keep people out of my space. Sometimes people would ask if she was friendly and I’d reply “sometimes.” I don’t owe them an explanation.
“There is just something about the tenacious character of the breed that allows me to trust so much. A lesser dog would not give me the same confidence.
“Major is my fourth Airedale. No doubt, there is a learning curve on training Airedales. They respect firmness but never meanness. Know a guy who hit his, not hard but enough so that his dog just gave him the middle paw. I helped him train through the dogs natural stubbornness with kindness and praise. They hate being shamed.”
Thank you for your service, Mike. Thank you for stepping in to help a fellow Airedale owner learn how to treat his dog better and more effectively. And thank you for sharing another side to this terrific breed.
I travelled to central Wisconsin for hunt training with my 6 month Chessie in tow — certain to find seasoned and field trained Labs, Chessies and a Golden or two….Upon arrival, I first saw him…a young Airedale, novice field dog…the trainer, Bill Hillman, got the frizzy fellow some needed confidence — and he was soon swimming and retrieving like a bred duck dog…it is true…these terriers are pretty amazing and can do it all.
They are the best breed in the world, bar none.
Bryan Cummins, PhD (author of three Airedale breed books and 15 others)