Airedale terrier owners

The dog owner does not as a rule think it 
worth while to post himself on the history and 
points of the breed. He has heard the praises 
sung of " the biggest and best terrier," and has 
decided that he is the dog he wants. If that is 
all he wants let him get some friend to give him 
an Airedale puppy or let him buy one as cheaply 
as he can, but he is going to lose half the pleas- 
ure of owning a good dog of a good breed. 
Merrinac, the best known maitre d'armes in 
France, once said to a party of American fencers 
that it was the romance of the sword that made 
fencing so fascinating to its devotees, and there 
is romance in the history of the Airedale that 
weaves its charm round an Airedale owner. 
Whatever we know well is interesting and won- 
derful, and a knowledge of the Airedale's past 
and his points, which is an absolute necessity to 
the kennel owner, adds one hundred per cent, to 
the dog owner's pleasure. 
The wise dog owner then will learn all he can 
about his breed. "Book larnin' " is good, but 
better still are talks with all sorts and conditions 
of Airedale owners and a visit to an Airedale 
kennel or the ringside at a dog show when the 
breed is being judged. No men ride their hob- 
bies harder than dog fanciers, and all will talk 
and from all can something be learned. 
When one has learned something about Aire- 
dales let him then buy his dog. It is best to buy 
a dog about six months old old enough to be 
over puppy ills and not too old to learn new 
tricks. A puppy of that age, over distemper and 
house broken, is as satisfactory as it is possible 
for a pup to be. Bringing up a terrier puppy is 
hard on one's shoes, the ladies' hats, and every- 
one's disposition, but it is much more satisfac- 
tory to train him yourself in the ways you would 
have him go.