# Airedales?



## Denise King (May 31, 2009)

I have a friend who has had Airedales for many years. She trials in AKC Obedience and tracking. She has had some wonderful dogs but is finding it almost impossible to get a dog with a good health and also drive to work. 

Do any of you know where she could look for a good breeder with healthy dogs with drive.

My friend is an AKC obedience judge.

Thanks in advance,
Denise King


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## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

I always liked Don .. http://www.gundogbreeders.com/breeders-california/high-country-airedales.html


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Don hasn't done anything but hunt with his Dales.

Edward Weiss has done Schutzhund, bird hunting, etc with his Dales. 

Ed is still on the forum here. Don is not!

Myself being an old terrier man I'd go with Ed. 

Just an opinion! :wink:


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Bob, just some comments on your response mainly because it's been years since Don has been on here. Yes, Ed is more relatable, open, with a personality that is easier to attach to. Naturally, I'd expect that as such he'd have experience and exposure to a wider range of things where Dales are concerned. In other words, what we think about we bring about.

Don bred for what he wanted, not the masses. I don't know if he can be justifiably faulted for not doing/pursuing those other things with his dogs when he wasn't interested in those ventures. By the time any of us encountered him he was aged and lived far away from anyone that he could work with. 

That's why I sought to bring someone out to him, because Don was willing (even if stubbornly) to take a chance at something a lot of people never would have entertained doing. Same goes with Dave, as I made the offer to several other people. He was the only one willing to do it (props to Ariel as well for accompanying him) just for the sake of teaching/learning. For that both Dave and Ariel will always be alright people in my book.

Anyway, Don obviously didn't have a proper understanding of the issues he was attempting to speak with authority on and I don't know if time eventually brought that into focus for him or not. But nevertheless I can still appreciate a guy that's either bullheaded enough to stand by his views at all costs or willing to try and learn something despite the outcome.

Irrespective of his singular breeding focus, other people did accomplish things outside of hunting with his dogs. Perhaps not the norm but it did happen. I imagine they otherwise did well for what they were bred for. Don offered me one of his pups at no charge multiple times just to get one in the hands of someone who would be willing and able expose one of his dogs to something different. If for nothing else I believe his intentions were in the right place. 

I always took the offer as his way of living somewhat vicariously through another. Despite his at times seemingly fear driven dialogue, I do believe he was genuinely interested in seeing his dogs accomplish things outside of just the hunting realm. 

I bring that up because other people like Don, that could have just as easily sold me a dog, instead offered a pup for nothing other than satisfying their own personal motivations over money. They have time and again shown me that while we may not always speak to or agree on the same issues we are at heart, true grit/grass roots dog people. I'll take that over a title chaser any day. But that's just me.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Hard to disagree with that Nicole! 

Don has selectively bred his dogs to do what terriers do. Work wild game.

Ed has bred his dogs through imports that were bred for man work and has done well with hunting also. 

I have always loved the breed and believe a good one is as adaptable as the GSD to our wants.

I guess, for me it boils down to listening to the breeder. 

Just easier with some then others. :grin: :wink:


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

For sure. 

Aside from some of that nonsense he was prone to, he had a way of telling a good story and I'm being serious about that. When he wasn't doing the country boy in the city thing, he had a way of making his world come to life. Love him or hate him, I found his stories interesting. I never asked Dave if he talked the way he wrote but I always got the sound of Waylan Jennings narrating the Dukes of Hazzard in my head when I read Don's posts.

Anyway to get this back on topics Denise, Ed and Don are the only Dale guys I know of. If someone asked me the same question I'd suggest a phone call to both would be a starting place.


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## Joby Becker (Dec 13, 2009)

that ole coot..

Id prolly get one from Don too. Who knows, his dogs could be quite different if raised by someone else...as usually is the case.

Doesnt he have a dog from Ed as well?

Either one of those guys would be a place to think about. But depending on what you want to do with the dog and how much you are prepared to invest you could always look on a geographically larger scale as well for sourcing.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

I do believe that Don has a dog from Ed in order to reach out a bit with his breeding.

Good story teller yes. It was just that he refused to listen to any training advice given by more then one or two top folks from here on the WDF. One of which was Dave who, as you said was willing to show Don his dog's short comings. 

I believe those short comings were more about kennel blindness and a lack of correct training for the job. 

As to willingness to believe/show what his dogs could do, that was ,IMO, kennel blindness.

I suspect he was quite shocked to see the realities of that blindness. 

Still in all I suspect his dogs have much more in them then what he realized......with the correct training of course. As I said I do love the breed!


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Oh yeah, what a character Don was, and great story teller. Like the time one of his best dogs got rattlesnake bit in the stomach and he let that dog sit outside in +100F until the dog died. Of course he did water down the run, and took some time to go buy some whisky because of the horrible ordeal the dog was putting him through taking over 48 hours to die and all.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

re : "Oh yeah, what a character Don was, and great story teller. Like the time one of his best dogs got rattlesnake bit in the stomach and he let that dog sit outside in +100F until the dog died. Of course he did water down the run, and took some time to go buy some whisky because of the horrible ordeal the dog was putting him through taking over 48 hours to die and all."

i read a lot of his stories ... but never heard that one

he used to send me a lot of PM"s ... they were usually quite different from his online posts so i often wonder which ones came from the "real Don"


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

as long as we are on the Don subject.
I was actually surprised his dog was run off as quickly as it was. i actually thought he knew his dogs better than that.

but that session still comes to mind whenever i read all the "protective" behaviors people use to describe their home protection dogs, or dogs they feel have so many of the qualities they think they will need in a PPD

"protection" is probably the most abused word i have seen written in WDF posts ... even as it pertains to bite sports
..... "drive" comes in a close second tho //lol//


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

rick smith said:


> re : "Oh yeah, what a character Don was, and great story teller. Like the time one of his best dogs got rattlesnake bit in the stomach and he let that dog sit outside in +100F until the dog died. Of course he did water down the run, and took some time to go buy some whisky because of the horrible ordeal the dog was putting him through taking over 48 hours to die and all."
> 
> i read a lot of his stories ... but never heard that one
> 
> he used to send me a lot of PM"s ... they were usually quite different from his online posts so i often wonder which ones came from the "real Don"


 
It was before you joined. You can read his thread where he regaled us with the details if you want:

http://www.workingdogforum.com/vBulletin/f25/snake-bit-dog-8294/


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

Oh my. Supercalifragiliciousexpialidotious!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU2hy0L5lgg&feature=youtu.be


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Nicole Stark said:


> Oh my. Supercalifragiliciousexpialidotious!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU2hy0L5lgg&feature=youtu.be


Sorry, flew right over my head! Your point?


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## Nicole Stark (Jul 22, 2009)

susan tuck said:


> Sorry, flew right over my head! Your point?


A cluster****. War of the worlds. Things that don't necessarily mix or make sense. Shall I go on?

(grin) did you catch my humor on the response? 100,000 Pyramid style clues. \\/ Anyway...

It was just like shoes being on the wrong feet or something. The Turnipseed Experience I mean. That video, I found ridiculous and humorous, as I also did with the many exchanges that occurred here between Don and others. I posted it because it seemed to capture the forum balance (and at times entertainment factor) from 2008-2010 or so. JMO.

To be clearer, that was not posted in an attempt to counter or offer some sort of veiled comment on what you posted about. You had mentioned that bite to me before but since it was posted about before my joining the forum, I did not know what it was in reference to. Now I do. That is why I said "oh my" and posted that video in response.


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

BRING HIM BACK the poor guy. 

His dogs just had a bad day. Any other day they would have had the heart of a LION.😀


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## Edward Weiss (Sep 19, 2011)

Quick update I am trying to get a Master Hunting AKC title on Kasbah,a bit of a challenge as she has been a straight up hunter for 4 years going after her quarry without "steady to wing and shot".....were getting there.
She and other German imports from working kennels have drive up the wazoo and one of The Kas litter is doing well in agility,other in obedience protection etc.

Don is a friend of mine and he has leavened his line with German import stock.
In several months some interesting litters maybe around for performance people. 
Last year at HWA Nationals I saw at the Hunting instinct test a super bitch puppy and am in touch with her owner breeder.
Some recent US x DDR crosses have turned out great. I am big into speed and am looking at one of these dogs now runnung in coursing and trialing in HRC as a possible stud.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Thanks for the info Ed! 

Good luck with Kasbah. going from the real deal to a structured system with rules can be a pia. 

Trust me! I went from doing real nose work (SAR) to Schutzhund tracking. 

I kept getting WTF looks from my dog because he knew where the articles were so why should he go all the way around that track when he could just go across the field and get it. 

Glad you showed up here. :grin: :wink:


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