Well, let's see. I have heard of one case of an Akita used for police work in another country. Don't know if it involved protection work. I have never heard of an Akita trained for Schutzhund -- and with good reason, I think, including (but not limited to)the fact that they are not physically suited for it. As I understand it, a dog trained for protection work must be consistently, unwaveringly obedient to its handler. Hah! Good luck finding an Akita, any Akita, that is consistently obedient. Can a dog succeed in protection work if it doesn't do dependable recalls, if it will take off after some interesting animal that happens by, and if it is typically dog-aggressive? If a dog CAN succeed in protection work under such circumstances, then perhaps Akitas would be suitable for it. The dogs (GSD,etc.) that are typically used in protection work/Schutzhund come from a herding/droving heritage. Akitas do not; they originated to hunt large game animals and fight other dogs. I suspect that their genetic inheritance doesn't lend itself to the sort of unquestioning obedience required in protection work. Akitas like to make up their own minds about most things -- including who is and isn't a threat. Furthermore, it has been my experience with many Akitas that when they do attack they don't "turn off." I think this in itself would make them rather unsuitable for protection work. The advice dispensed to Akita owners about NOT trying to train their dogs for protection work is, I suspect, based on the realization that most people who think they are teaching their dogs to be "protectors" really don't know what they're doing, so would just be turning their Akitas into lethal headcases by improper handling. Also, Akitas are quite naturally territorial and protective of their "families," so don't need encouragement in that department. If anything, most need encouragement not to be too protective of their owners.
