Airedale’s and crosses

[chestonmcdowell]

My friend has a huge leggy airdale that’s a rcd. He doesn’t want to sell it so I think I got him talked intoletting me build my own lol. Does anyone have any experience crossing one over with a small pit or dogo. Both are lead in cd. Thought I wanted small catchdogs until mine got walked off with and couldn’t control the hog. I’ve always found them hairy dogs from Australia interesting. What one would add more into it than take away


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[Cajun]

  I had a friend years ago that had a Airdale as a catchdog and he was as good as they come.
  With all the bad publicity about Pits, I have often thought of crossing a pit to a airdale and getting a hairy ctachdog. I think it would be a great cross and like everything else, selecting the right dogs to cross is very important. Also, that is why we like big pits because in the open marsh there are no trees to get behind. lol We want dogs that can anchor a hog.

[chestonmcdowell]

I like those little thicket thumpers but it doesn’t help none when they’re hooked to a dozer lol. I just wonder if any of the pups would be anywhere close to his height. Maybe fifty fifty or some in the middle. He is literally to my waist. Has the perfect mindset just a big goof ball. He took a swim this weekend and came out looking like a soaked rat


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[The Old Man]

Airedales typically don't get that tall, he might already be crossed with wolfhound or something.

[t-dog]

Cheston it’s a catch 22 if you’re using a pure Airedale. Like the old man said, they aren’t extremely leggy, more middle of the road than short or long legged. Dogo may give you that more physical type you described but because both breeds have a high percentage of baying dogs, or much more so than the pits, you stand a higher chance of getting just real rough dogs. It will make a huge difference as to the dogs you start with. If you start with a hard Airedale and a family of hard dogo then naturally your odds improve. If you start with show quality dogs that haven’t been used then your odds go down in getting an RCD. A leggy pit, not the bully type stuff, will likely produce what you want in type and performance but they may still lack size. You are attempting what many have been trying for a long time. One trait isn’t too hard to breed for, but when you start trying to breed for several traits with equal emphasis, what you start with is going to be maybe the biggest variable. One thing I always try to remember is to breed to the extreme because the average is usually going to be lower. One example would be size. If I’m wanting to raise bigger dogs and let’s say I have a real nice gyp that is pretty close to just right but is just a few pounds shy of my preferred weight. I’m gonna try to pick the best stud that may be stronger in her weaker spots but is also bigger than what I prefer. The average of their pups will usually be bigger than her and smaller than him. Of course there are a million scenarios and you have to consider them all but you get my drift I hope. This is an F1 cross so I would probably lean on this strategy pretty heavily. I’ve had a wolfhound/lab and man, he was much dog. Crossed to the right female, a person could’ve raised some real similar dogs in type to what you are describing and they would’ve been able to anchor well and take the necessary punishment. Another thing I’ve learned or I think I have is that when it comes to size, starting with a bigger gyp makes it easier than starting with a bigger stud. My averages have been bigger out of big gyps to the desirable stud than the other way around. Good luck hope this was good for thought.


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[HuntingHeritage]

 I know Red Guthrie bred an Airedale/Plott cross years ago but have no details.
Interesting enough I recently uncovered this letter in the collection of his kennel correspondence, I only wish I had a copy of Red’s reply...

From a gentleman in Cove Texas many years ago.....

“I recently was hunting in our local Marsh  and found a dog that had a 200 pound barr bayed solid, I turned my go-getters loose to help the dog out.
They honored her bay and we took down the woolly booger in no time.
I leashed up my crew and finally was able to get a look at the new dog she was a sight to behold a long legged curly haired brown dog.
I have never in my life seen a dog like this.
I treated all her cuts and it took about a month to get her put back together I took this dog to the vet and found out she is three-quarter Airedale 1/4?.
The vet gave her a clean bill of health and said that folks take dogs out into the marsh and dump them off for gator bait.   
I’ve tried to contact her old owner she had no collar no tags nothing.
Well to make a long story short, this dog has found a new home and she is now a part of my family.
She has a good, cold nose, good mouth and can run like the wind.
I have never owned an Airedale dog I know nothing of the breed.
I see y’all’s  add in all of the bayed solid issues and figure y’all are the best source on these critters.
So if you could find a time in your busy schedule to give me a little help and some info on these dogs.
I do know one thing she is a hard Hunter and would fight a bear and could probably win.
I’m sorry the letter is so long, but not too many folks around here like to chew the fat about Hogdog’s and it seems I get carried away....”


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[chestonmcdowell]

Man I’m always down to talk dogs. He might very well be the pics I googled of Airedale’s all looked like smaller dogs just his coat is black and brown patterned like a airdale. Very neat dog looks like a big shaggy horse. I may hold my breath on this one because now that I think on it the pit would be a better cross but I’m not going to get exactly what I want. I think the dogo gyp would throw to many variables I send her with another bulldog she’s good but she’s not perfect.


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[Teag_D]

Possibly an American Bulldog would work, they tend to be taller. From a hog hunting line, your odds could be good.

[Reuben]

I would breed to a leggy Pitbull of good size from a family of leggy good sized pits...
I used to hunt Airedale’s many years ago...my favorite were those crossed with standard type with large type...

Back then there were two kennels of large type Airedale’s...one was in Mena, Arkansas and his kennel name was Quachita Airedales...he had raised them from the 1940s until he passed away...

The other large type kennel was in Sparta, Tennessee, Mooreland Airedale’s...
The best I thought were standard Airedale’s crossed with the large type...

My brother and I had some pretty good ones back then...

Keeping them clipped was a pain...
Our conclusion was that they aren’t the best catch dogs and not the best hunting dogs...
Back then we swapped to the large type mountain cur and it was by far the best move we made...
Nowadays it’s hard to find that type of mtn cur...
The APBT’s of today are not the same as back then...there are a higher percentage of culls these days...the large type Airedale’s have about disappeared...

Back in those days I bought a standard Airedale from a working kennel and we hunted him alone...if he had a large boar he bayed it until we shot...if a sow or smaller hog he caught an ear when we showed up...

One thing I learned about the Airedale’s that are built like the show type Airedale’s...their bodies are not square...they are taller than they are long...this makes them prance...the front foot comes up before the rear foot touches the ground so that the rear foot doesn’t hit the front foot...makes the dog look flashy in the show ring but not practical for a hunting dog...
I had read about this...and when I took one of these type of dogs for a run at the beach I found out something else...this type of dog seems to run ok until he reaches a certain speed then he starts hopping like a leopard frog...it seems they do this to prevent the rear feet from hitting the back of the front feet...they wear out pretty quick after they start running that way...show dog people many times breed for certain looks and not for better functioning...

[Reuben]

The good ones are very impressive catch dogs and most Airedale’s will sidestep away from a dog fight...and once they had enough of it, they will be pretty fierce...

I never saw these but a friend told me he bred his Mooreland Airedale to an APBT female and the pups went to hog hunting homes...he said they weren’t the prettiest but they were pretty dang good catch dogs...

[TexDaleKennels]

My friend has a huge leggy airdale that’s a rcd. He doesn’t want to sell it so I think I got him talked intoletting me build my own lol. Does anyone have any experience crossing one over with a small pit or dogo. Both are lead in cd. Thought I wanted small catchdogs until mine got walked off with and couldn’t control the hog. I’ve always found them hairy dogs from Australia interesting. What one would add more into it than take away


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I currently use 3 Airedales and a Staghound for hogs. It took me a very long time to find good hard Airedales. My male is my main dog. He finds hogs and catches solid. I use them for coon/vermin hunting as well. Hell one time we were out quail hunting and he caught and killed a javelina on his own! I wouldn’t call Airedales the best hunting dogs because how could they be? No one is really breeding specifically for hunting at this point. Even then, they are very good versatile dogs and a good one makes a damn good hog dog. Mine (Vango) is about 27ish inches at the shoulder and is usually around 80-85lbs in shape, tall & leggy. Full Airedale too I have his full AKC papers, he’s got some Mooreland blood far back. My females are around 60-65lbs and catch like bulldogs, one in particular is near suicidal on boars. Lots of stamina. Shaving them down takes a couple hours but you only have to do it a few times a year.  Is your friend still using that Airedale? I just had my first two litters this year, and in august, I’m always on the lookout for other good hunting dales to cross into the ones I have

[Austesus]

I’ve hunted behind a few Airedale x Pit crosses that my mentor bred. I believe he took a male Airedale to one of his game bred pit bitches. There were 2 litters and all of them turned out pretty decent. They would hunt within a few hundred yards, would go the distance once on a track, were silent, and pretty much 100% catch. Several got killed, I’m not sure where the others are now. His passion is in starting young dogs, so as soon as he gets a dog that is consistently striking and running lead he sells them. He always keeps a rotating stock of a few lead dogs and a pile of young ones. He will cull through the young ones and sell the ones that show good potential once he starts them. All of those airepits were extremely shy, and pretty small around 40-50lbs, but they were good dogs. You had to really work with them to be able to touch them. They were one owner type of dogs. By that I mean the people that got some of them had to really let them warm up to them and bond and those were the only people that could touch them.

He has a freak of nature pit named Colby that he just sent to a friend up in Louisiana to get bred to a pure Airedale bitch. The pit was gifted to him by a bulldog man from Alabama as a puppy. He’s long legged and around 90lbs, and BIG. I mean when he stands normal his head is above my waist. That dog is 11 years old now, and it’s a miracle he’s still alive as many times as he’s been wrecked. He only has one functioning lung now too. He is a 100% solo dog. You turn him out and he doesn’t come back for miles, he will go until he finds hogs and he will kill anything under about 150lbs and immediately relay. I mean this dog is an actual machine and his entire life purpose is to kill any hog he finds. There have been quite a few hunts where he was the one hunting and the people were just following his track and collecting dead pigs. They’ve bred him to several different females over the years, a bird dog and a pit that I know of, I don’t remember ever hearing about any of the pups so I don’t think he can reproduce himself. I believe they said this female Airedale that they are taking him to is 80lbs. I know the guy that has her has some legit hard hunting Airedale’s but I’ve never personally met him or seen his pure Airedale’s. If any of those pups come up for sale I’ll shoot you a message on fb Cheston





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[chestonmcdowell]

Real good looking dog. That’s crazy I just moved from wickes back to Texarkana. That’s not 30 minutes from mena. There’s a few hogs that away but mainly them deer dogs. Yeah he was telling me about him he will run no matter the race and catch then lay up beside the hog. Sounds like a smart dog.


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[chestonmcdowell]

Real good looking dog. That’s crazy I just moved from wickes back to Texarkana. That’s not 30 minutes from mena. There’s a few hogs that away but mainly them deer dogs. Yeah he was telling me about him he will run no matter the race and catch then lay up beside the hog. Sounds like a smart dog.


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[chestonmcdowell]

Beautiful country up there I still feel like I drive to slow down here even after being being born and raised in Texarkana and living in wickes for only a year


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[ModisettH]

Here is my Airedale cross. He’s 1/2 treeing walker 1/2 Airedale. Sucker thinks he’s a bulldog

[ModisettH]

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[t-dog]

He looks nothing like I was imagining. Which way is he bred, hound on top
or bottom?


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[ModisettH]

He looks nothing like I was imagining. Which way is he bred, hound on top
or bottom?


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I’m not sure. My dad got him out of Oklahoma from a friend. He asked him the other day but hasn’t heard back! Sucker will run a rabbit all day but doesn’t care nothing about baying a hog. He will be caught if you don’t want him tho lol


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[BA-IV]

Ed Barnes is the fellow to talk with when it comes to Airedale’s. He told me at earls he crosses them with walkers and that’s all he runs up there in Oklahoma.