Picking an Airedale Breeder

• Does the breeder actively show or work their Airedales? By competing in conformation and dog sport events a breeder has the opportunity for a objective expert to rank the dog as a good or bad representative of the breed. You should buy from a breeder who mates only Airedales who have titled in conformation or performance events. (preferably both)
• Does the breeder belong to the Airedale Terrier Club of America and a local AKC or breed club? Membership in organizations indicates that your breeder is up to date on breed-specific information and training methods and is professionally linked with other breeders.
• What health guarantees does the breeder have on the puppies? A good breeder will state in their contract that the Airedale will not have genetic medical problems at any point in his life, and if he does there will be compensation available.

Red flag: a breeder who lets you take an Airedale puppy home at 6 or 7 weeks old.

Puppies learn important socialization by remaining with their mother and littermates for 8-12 weeks. Veterinary research indicates that when a pup stays in it's litter with it's mother and siblings till 8-12 weeks, the puppy will learn it's place in a pack (so it will respect you as leader!) and learn appropriate play from its siblings and and bite inhibition from its mother. By this time the puppy will have a firm foundation on housebreaking by watching and following its mother. A breeder may also be breeding too frequently and trying to get rid of the puppies to make room for another litter.

Red Flag: A breeder who picks a puppy for you without interviewing you thoroughly.

Some breeders will pick a puppy for you or give you a choice of only a few of the puppies in the litter. This is a common practice among responsible breeders who want to get to know their puppies, then match the puppies with appropriate families. You should be concerned if the breeder picks a puppy for you before you tell the breeder about your lifestyle and the activities you plan to share with your dog.

Red Flag: not being allowed to see all the Airedale puppies or the breeder's home.

You should be able to see all available puppies, mother, and their living environment. All puppies should be healthy and bright eyed-- although even the best bitch may look haggard after caring for all her puppies for two months. The area where the dogs are kept should be inside the home, in a clean area with some natural light. The puppies should be being encouraged to go outside with their mother to go to the bathroom. (It's highly unlikely the airedale puppies will be housetrained, but NOT encouraging them to go outside means you'll be starting from scratch when you take your puppy home)

Red Flag: Puppies kept in cages or outdoors.

Never buy from a breeder who doesn't live with their dogs. No matter how clean the kennels or cages are, it is impossible to breed happy, well socialized Airedales when the mother and puppies are kept outside of the home and away from people. It is, of course, necessary to confine curious puppies when they cannot be watched, but pet gates and closed doors should be used in place of cages or garages. Never, ever buy from a breeder whose Airedales are "outdoor dogs" only. Outdoor Dogs are poorly socialized and lack the socialization to pass on to puppies. Outdoor dogs are many times more susceptible to disease.

Be cautious of a breeder who has both parents on site.

This one causes some raised eyebrows, but if a breeder is carefully breeding the best to the best, it's unlikely they will be lucky enough to own both the male and female. Be cautious of a breeder who cannot provide you copies of a several-generation pedigree on the sire and dam. (They don't have to recall it from memory, but they should have access. It is important that they have researched their Airedales and have not bred dogs who are relatives of each other)

The very minimum you should receive when you pick up your pup is (1) the AKC registration slip. You will select a name for your puppy and submit this form to AKC, with a fee, to register the pup in your name. (2) A record from a veterinarian indicating what shots the pup has and when the puppy was wormed. (3) Three days supply of the puppy food the pup is used to eating. Abrupt changes of food can upset small stomachs.