I have small children and have heard that Airedales are excellent family dogs. Is that true?

Airedales can be excellent family dogs, but many rescued Airedales come from families who purchased them as pups to "grow up" with their children, not realizing that an Airedale puppy takes just as much time to raise properly as an infant human. When the harried mother finds she does not have the time and energy to train and exercise a puppy, as well as take care of her toddler, the puppy is banished to the back yard, where he digs and howls from boredom and loneliness. When he does get the chance to be with his humans, he is so excited that he jumps and bites. 

Young Airedales are extremely active, high energy dogs that require consistent exercise and training. They can weigh anywhere from 45 to 100 pounds or more, and can easily "collide" mistakenly with a toddler or young child during their exuberant displays of happiness. They are very "mouthy" puppies and need to be taught to be gentle. Frequently children are allowed to tease and play roughly with the puppy, who is then punished for jumping and biting. Behavior problems such as barking, chewing, or digging can frequently be the result of not exercising your Airedale enough. Families with young children need to be willing to commit to the exercise and training needs of a young Airedale in addition to the children's demands on their time. Parents must also be willing to teach their children the proper way to play with dogs and supervise their interaction with the dogs.

Another source of rescued Airedales are those who were the "baby" of the family for years and then object when a human baby is added to the family. It is important to socialize your Airedale to all kinds of people, including children. If there will be infants and small children added to your family in the future, it is vital that you plan ahead and socialize your Airedale to small children on a continuous basis.

Parents must be willing to supervise children in the care and handling of the Airedale. It is unreasonable to expect a child to have full responsibility for the Airedale. Children and the Airedale must be supervised when together.