airedale terrier (âr`dāl), breed of dog developed in England in the 19th cent. It is the largest of the terrier terrier, classification used by breeders and kennel clubs to designate dogs originally bred to start small game and vermin from their burrows or, in the case of several breeds in this group, to go to earth and kill their prey.
..... Click the link for more information. group, standing about 23 in. (58.4 cm) high at the shoulder and weighing from 40 to 50 lb (18.1–22.7 kg). Its dense, wiry, close-lying coat is a mixture of tan, black, and grizzle in color. Although little can be said with certainty of its history prior to 1850, authorities generally believe the airedale was produced from crosses of the extinct black-and-tan terrier and the otterhound. It has been used to hunt a variety of game, trained as a police dog and dispatch bearer in war, bred for show competition, and kept as a pet. See dog dog, carnivorous, domesticated wolf (Canis lupus familiaris) of the family Canidae, to which the jackal and fox also belong. The family Canidae is sometimes referred to as the dog family, and its characteristics, e.g.
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Airedale terrier

Airedale terrier.

(credit: Sally Anne Thompson/EB Inc.)

Dog breed that is the largest of the terriers, probably descended from the otterhound and the extinct Old English terrier. It stands about 23 in. (58 cm) high, weighs 40–50 lbs (18–23 kg), and has a boxy appearance, with a long, squared muzzle. Its coat is dense and wiry, with a black saddle and tan legs, muzzle, and underparts. Intelligent and courageous, powerful and affectionate (though reserved with strangers), the Airedale has been used as a wartime dispatch carrier, police dog, guard, and big-game hunter.