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1922 Breed Standard - 1941 AKC Breed Standard - Current AKC Breed Standard

AIREDALE STANDARD   Williams Haynes 1922 A good Airedale is about as big as a pointer; somewhere in the neighborhood of forty-five pounds, a little more for a dog and a little less of a bitch.  His head should be long; the skull flat and broad; the cheeks smooth; the muzzle strong with tight lips over big. white, even teeth.  His eyes should be small, dark, and full of fire and his ears little, carried high, and shaped like a V, for nothering can so detract from the correct terrier expression as large, light eyes and houndy ears.  His front legs ought to be a pair of gun barrels, straight and strong and about the same thickness all the way down.  His shoulders are like those of a race horse, long and sloping; while his pads should be firm and hard. not those loose, sprawly feet sometimes seen.             The only kind of a back for him to have is short, and his ribs must be well sprung.  A long backed dog lacks staying qualities, and a slab-sided one has not the room for lungs.  His chest should be deep, but narrow, and he should be slightly cut up in the loin--not the wasp-likewaist of a greyhound--but no better is a body like a stovepipe.  His hindquarters should be strong, with the hocks quite near the ground.  The Airedale that does not carry a gay tail is a delight to no eye.             Last but not least, comes the coat.  In color this should be a deep, rich tan on the head, face, chest, legs, and under parts, while over the back is a saddle of black or iron-grey.  Personally, I would like the black more than the grizzle, for it makes a prettier contrast with the tan, but "a good horse cannot be a bad color."   The Airedale's coat is (or rather should be) double.  The overcoat is of hair like wire, stiff and hard, about a inch long all over the dog, except on the skull where it is shorter.  Under this jacket of wire, there ought to be a vest of soft, wooly hair.             If you can collect in your mind's eye all the above details of description you should see a big, strong, compact, businesslike dog, full of the proverbial up-and-ever-coming spirit that inspires all terriers.  His every movement shows strength, yet he always moves in that effort-economizing way which is the very personification of grace.  When running he sweeps along with the free open stride of a galloping thoroughbred, with his head often carried low but his tail always high.

1941 AKC Breed Standard  AKC Airedale Terrier Breed Standard 1941 Copyright, 1941 by THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB Book one, the care, handling nd feeding of dogs. Copyright, 1938, by Edwin Reginald Blamey, M.R.C.V.S. Book two, Pure Bred Dogs: The Recognized Breeds and Standards Copyright 1935, 1938 by The American Kennel Club All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portins thereof in any form BREED STANDARDS Corrected to January 1941   Terriers   Description and Standard of Points (By Courtesy of the Airedale Terrier Club of America) Head.- Long, with flat skull, not too broad between the ears and narrowing slightly to the eyes, free from wrinkle.  Stop hardly visible, and cheeks free from fullness.  Jaw deep and powerful, well filled up before the eyes, lips tight.  Ears V-shaped with a side carriage, small but not out of proportion to the size of the dog.  The nose black. The eyes small and dark in color, not prominent, but full of Terrier expression.  The teeth strong and level.           Neck.- Should be of moderate length and thickness, gradually widening toward the shoulders and free from throatiness.           Shoulders and Chest.- Shoulders long and sloping well into the back, shoulder-blades flat.  Chest deep, but not broad.           Body.- Back short, strong and straight.  Ribs well sprung.           Hind Quarters.- Strong and muscular, with no droop.  Hocks well let down.  The tail set on high and carried gaily, but not curled over the back.           Legs and Feet.- Legs perfectly straight, with plenty of bone.  Feet small and round, with good depth of pad.           Coat.- Hard and wiry, and not so long as to appear ragged; it should also lie straight and close, covering the dog well all of the body and legs.           Color.- The head and ears, with the exception of dark markings on each side of the skull, should be tan, the ears being of a darker shade than the rest, the legs up to the thighs and elbows being also tan, the body black or dark grizzle.           Size.- Dogs, 40 to 45 pounds weight.  Bitches slightly less.           It is the unanimous opinion of the club that the size of the Airedale Terrier as given in the above standard s one of, if not the most important, characteristics of the breed; all judges who shall henceforth adjudicate on the merits of the Airedale Terrier shall consider the undersized specimens of the breed severely handicapped when competing with dogs of the standard weight.   Airedale Terriers                                                                                                    Points Heads, ears, eyes and mouth..........................................    20 Neck, shoulders and chest .............................................    10 Body ................................................................................    10 Hind quarters and stern .................................................     5 Legs and feet .................................................................    15 Coat  ..............................................................................    15 Color  ...........................................................................    10 General character, expression  ..................................    15                                                                                         _____ Total  ............................................................................   100

Current AKC Breed Standard Airedale Terrier Breed Standard Terrier Group Head Should be well balanced with little apparent difference between the length of skull and foreface. Skull Should be long and flat, not too broad between the ears and narrowing very slightly to the eyes. Scalp should be free from wrinkles, stop hardly visible and cheeks level and free from fullness. Ears Should be V-shaped with carriage rather to the side of the head, not pointing to the eyes, small but not out of proportion to the size of the dog. The topline of the folded ear should be above the level of the skull. Foreface Should be deep, powerful, strong and muscular. Should be well filled up before the eyes. Eyes Should be dark, small, not prominent, full of terrier expression, keenness and intelligence. Lips Should be tight. Nose Should be black and not too small. Teeth Should be strong and white, free from discoloration or defect. Bite either level or vise-like. A slightly overlapping or scissors bite is permissible without preference. Neck Should be of moderate length and thickness gradually widening towards the shoulders. Skin tight, not loose. Shoulders and Chest Shoulders long and sloping well into the back. Shoulder blades flat. From the front, chest deep but not broad. The depth of the chest should be approximately on a level with the elbows. Body Back should be short, strong and level. Ribs well sprung. Loins muscular and of good width. There should be but little space between the last rib and the hip joint. Hindquarters Should be strong and muscular with no droop. Tail The root of the tail should be set well up on the back. It should be carried gaily but not curled over the back. It should be of good strength and substance and of fair length. Legs Forelegs should be perfectly straight, with plenty of muscle and bone. Elbows should be perpendicular to the body, working free of sides. Thighs should be long and powerful with muscular second thigh, stifles well bent, not turned either in or out, hocks well let down parallel with each other when viewed from behind. Feet should be small, round and compact with a good depth of pad, well cushioned; the toes moderately arched, not turned either in or out. Coat Should be hard, dense and wiry, lying straight and close, covering the dog well over the body and legs. Some of the hardest are crinkling or just slightly waved. At the base of the hard very stiff hair should be a shorter growth of softer hair termed the undercoat. Color The head and ears should be tan, the ears being of a darker shade than the rest. Dark markings on either side of the skull are permissible. The legs up to the thighs and elbows and the under-part of the body and chest are also tan and the tan frequently runs into the shoulder. The sides and upper parts of the body should be black or dark grizzle. A red mixture is often found in the black and is not to be considered objectionable. A small white blaze on the chest is a characteristic of certain strains of the breed. Size Dogs should measure approximately 23 inches in height at the shoulder; bitches, slightly less. Both sexes should be sturdy, well muscled and boned. Movement Movement or action is the crucial test of conformation. Movement should be free. As seen from the front the forelegs should swing perpendicular from the body free from the sides, the feet the same distance apart as the elbows. As seen from the rear the hind legs should be parallel with each other, neither too close nor too far apart, but so placed as to give a strong well-balanced stance and movement. The toes should not be turned either in or out. Faults Yellow eyes, hound ears, white feet, soft coat, being much over or under the size limit, being undershot or overshot, having poor movement, are faults which should be severely penalized. Scale of Points Head Neck, shoulders and chest Body Hindquarters and tail Legs and feet Coat Color Size Movement General characteristics and expression Total ...10 ...10 ...10 ...10 ...10 ...10 ....5 ...10 ...10 ...15 ..100 Approved July 14, 1959