Home › K › Kennel Club's Stud-book

Kennel Club's Stud-book

he has settled down as the Airedale terrier, and, by careful selection in breeding, all the hound properties have been eliminated, and he is now essentially a terrier. An important feature is his very hard wiry coat, in which respect he has vastly improved during the past few years, as previously, where one with the correct coat was to be seen, half a dozen others with long, silky, and some- THE TATE LIBRARY, BRIXTON, S.W107 times woolly, coats, or quite smooth ones were to be observed. There should be no ruggedness about the coat, which must lie close and straight; the hair about 1/2 inches long all over the body. The colour is also peculiar, inasmuch as the hair on the back is black at the ends and gray close to the body, and this is the explanation of the badger grizzle coat that is desired in this variety. To the unpractised eye the dog appears to be black in body, with tan thighs, head, legs, chest, and ears, and in many cases he really is black, as the dual tint does AIREDALE TERRIER. not appear on the back and neck of every specimen. In this connection it may be mentioned that, when the puppies are born, they resemble the smooth black and tan terrier in coat and colour, and have dark heads; but as they develop, the black leaves the head, and gives place to a deep tan, and the hair on the back gets longer and harder.

Many litters of puppies on this account have been destroyed as soon as whelped, on the supposition that they were only darkcoloured mongrels. Forty-five pounds is the weight for a dog, and rather less for a bitch, but many prize-winners do not weigh quite so much. The head is long and very strong about the jaw, with little or no stop, the skull flat, the ears small and set well forward, lying close to the cheeks, the eyes small and dark with a keen expression.

His bone is strong for his size, and he is a particularly active dog, with very straight legs and well set up feet.