04 Training
Description
This article is from the Airedale Terrier Breed FAQ, by Kathy Dowd with numerous contributions by others.
04 Training
As with other breeds, begin socializing your Airedale at an early age.
Socialization will begin to lay the groundwork for a happy and
obedient companion by increasing the dog's confidence. Airedales can
tend to be "dog aggressive" which makes socialization and obedience
training a must. Your dog must respect you but you have to earn that
respect. Your puppy needs a consistent set of rules to live by. For
example, will he be allowed on the couch or not? Consistent rules will
produce a reliable companion. Puppy classes, if available, are a good
idea.
Airedales do not respond well to harsh methods of training. They want
to make you happy, but they have to UNDERSTAND what is expected of
them. PATIENCE!
Several hints for successful training are:
1) Don't bore your dog. Airedales will not become "robots." He will go
check out an interesting onlooker before repeating the same "silly"
heeling pattern over and over.
2) Remember that Airedales are "thinkers." Don't ask them to do
foolish things. The only time my old girl ever broke a down was
because the "judge person" was foolish enough to set the dogs up in
the sun so that the judge could stand in the shade on a hot July
afternoon.
3) Use positive motivation. It doesn't matter how silly you feel, he
has to feel as though he is making you happy. Be creative. Remember,
Airedales are thinkers, not robots.
4) Approach each "training" session as an opportunity to learn more
about your companion. Try to look at each command from your dog's
point of view. This way of thinking will increase the mutual respect
that should develop while training.
5) Increase your chances for success by working with people who
appreciate and understand terriers. Do NOT allow any obedience
instructor or anyone else to compare your Airedale to those "perfect"
Shelties, Borders and GSDs. I heard a story of a woman working an
Airedale in an obedience class taught by a Border Collie trainer.
During one class, they were working on heeling patterns. The
instructor was busy pointing out the Airedale's inability to follow
the pattern as the instructor and Border Collie tumbled over a jump
while the Airedale watched from a perfect sit just in front of the
jump. The "stupid" terrier just "smiled."
You must be very flexible in training your Airedale. Expect the
unexpected and know your companion. Do not try to put a square peg
into a round hole. It is a very common MISCONCEPTION that Airedales
cannot be trained. IMHO Airedales simply require more ingenious and
patient trainers.
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