As the largest terrier breed, the Airedale keeps a full terrier prey drive and stubborn streak in a 50-plus-pound body, and breed mortality surveys put cancer as the cause of roughly 4 in 10 Airedale deaths — noticeably higher than most breeds.
12years, median
0.5 years below the all-dog median of 12.5.
Measured, not estimated: the middle age at death across 584,734 UK dogs, 284,734 of them deceased. Based on 1,826 dogs of this breed. 95% confidence interval 11.8 to 12.3 years. Half lived longer than this, half did not. UK dogs, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
In the same study, medium breeds as a group had a median of 12.5 years and long-muzzled breeds 12.1. This breed is medium and long-muzzled.
McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports 14:531 — open access · CC BY 4.0Health tests to ask the breeder for
Airedale Terrier Club of America sets the tests a Airedale Terrier needs for a CHIC number in the OFA's open database. A CHIC number means the tests were done and the results are public. It does not mean the dog passed them: ask for the results for both parents, or look them up yourself on ofa.org.
- Hip Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation, minimum age 24 months, or PennHIP Evaluation)
- Cardiac Evaluation (OFA Congenital Cardiac Database - auscultation; follow-up recommended for any abnormality)
- Eye Examination by a boarded ACVO Ophthalmologist
- Renal Disease (Airedale kidney-disease screening; CHIC application form)
When to spay or neuter: the guidelines split at 45 pounds grown, five to six months under it and after growth is complete over it, and the UC Davis study gives a guideline by breed for 35 breeds. The spay and neuter page has both, and the two weeks after.
- Autoimmune Thyroiditis (OFA evaluation)
- Elbow Dysplasia (OFA Evaluation)
Test names as the club lists them; checked September 2026. OFA CHIC breed page. How to use this at the breeder: check a breeder.
Adopt a Airedale Terrier near you
Shelters and rescues list Airedale Terriers and Airedale Terrier mixes on Petfinder. Enter a ZIP code to see who is waiting within 100 miles.
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Living with a Airedale Terrier
This is a working terrier bred to hunt, guard, and retrieve, and it shows: Airedales are athletic, independent thinkers that need real daily exercise and firm, consistent training, not a breed that thrives shut in an apartment all day. The wiry coat sheds very little but needs hand-stripping a few times a year to stay low-odor, which most owners outsource to a professional groomer.
Health you should know about
- Cancer — both UK and North American breed-mortality surveys put cancer at roughly 38-40% of Airedale deaths, among the higher rates recorded for any breed.
- Hip dysplasia — one teaching-hospital study found about 6% of Airedales affected, compared with roughly 3.5% across all breeds studied.
- Hypothyroidism and allergic skin disease — both reported as common concerns in breed health surveys.
- Urologic and cardiac disease — cited as meaningful causes of death in breed surveys (roughly 9-17% and 6-7% respectively), alongside old age.
Read the full Dog Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a dog needs before you choose a breed.
Naming a Airedale Terrier? British dog and cat names, 89 of them, with what they mean.
Sources — 3 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 3 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.