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Sully’s training went really well and at just over 2yrs old, he acquired his AKC CD (Companion Dog title) and his Schutzhund BH (the Schutzhund obedience title). Because my husband has two artificial hips, we had also started a few service exercises, such as retrieving, for fun around the house. When Sully was a little over 3 yrs, I developed early neurological symptoms that were diagnosed as very early Parkinsons. In the initial shock of diagnosis, I started modifying more of Sully’s training to incorporate assistance dog-type exercises and had Sully certified as a service/assistance dog for the future. It is my hope and intent, however, that I won’t really need Sully as an assistance dog and that by the time I do need an assistance dog, I will be on Sully’s successor or his successor’s successor.

The question has come up – “how is the Airedale as a service dog?” My experience is that Airedales can readily do assistance work. They are very intelligent, very loyal, and because of their ability to form strong bonds with their handler, very intuitive about the handler’s needs. Now, having said that, the Airedale is not a dog for everyone, including as a service dog. They are, what we consider in the training community, “high maintenance”. That is, they are not the type of dog one can expect to just hang out around the house. They must constantly be “doing something”! If a handler doesn’t find something for the Airedale to do, the Airedale will find its own amusement, often at the experience of the house and the handler’s sanity! They require considerable grooming, but have the advantage of not shedding.

As a service dog and for a person who is already enamored with the breed, they can be a great dog to keep someone moving and active. The Airedale would be a good service dog for someone who is ambulatory and can or needs to exercise. The Airedale will not let the handler just lay around the house. The Airedale may not necessarily be a good service dog for someone who is unable to get up and get out. Although because of the Airedale’s strength, in some cases and with the Airedale with the right personality and training, they may make a good wheelchair dog. While I haven’t seen one, my guess is that Airedales would make good “hearing” dogs. They do not miss a thing in their environment! They are quick to learn new exercises as long as learning is made FUN.

For the person who is not experienced with dogs, I probably would not necessarily recommend an Airedale as a service dog. The traits that Airedale lovers find appealing can be the very traits that make the Airedale a real challenge! Their keen intelligence makes them both a joy and a challenge to work. Airedales do not blindly follow direction just because “you said so”. They will analyze each situation and in the early stages of training, they will test the handler to see if the handler was really serious about the command.

An Airedale must be properly socialized to be a good pet and this is an absolute must if the dog is to be a service dog. Airedales can become aggressive, human and dog aggressive, if not properly socialized. As stated above, Airedales notice everything in their environment, so they must be trained to ignore (well, I am not sure they ever really ignore, but at least maintain control!) squirrels, cats, other dogs, etc.

In conclusion, for me the Airedale is the dog for my lifestyle and situation. But the Airedale isn’t for everyone. Because I want and need the exercise and now that Sully is 4 yrs old, I am looking at getting an Airedale puppy to start training so that I can have control over the puppy’s environment during the very critical developmental stages.

Copyright 2001 by Fran Peck
Article printed with permission of the author.
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