The Longest Running Akita-related Forum on the Internet !
Questions about Puppies
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Hi everyone! I'm new to this list. We owned our first Akita, female named Shima for over 11 years before she passed away. She was a wonderful sweet dog. We now own two Akita puppies, male (Saburo) and female (Mieko) from the same litter. They are adorable. I have a couple of questions.
First, what can anyone tell me about the typical temperment of a male and female. Saburo is very laid back and likes attention for a little while (sometimes I feel like he "tolerates" my attention) but then he just wants to go explore. Mieko wants all the attention and is very affectionate. She seems to be the more aggressive/assertive of the two. Just curious on this.
Next, the male is long haired. How typical is this? And I think it read somewhere that it isn't the standard for an Akita to have a long coat. Doesn't matter than much to us since they are pets and not show dogs. He has a long soft coat now and I also wondered if he will lose some of this coat as he gets older.
Finallly, what are typical weights/heights of puppies as they grow? Sorry to ask so many questions. But I'm curious about my new babies!! Thanks in advance.
We adopted Ike about 4 years ago and could not have asked for a better dog. We were told he is a chow husky mix. We thought so because of some black spots on his tounge. A friend of ours swears he is an akita. One things he does that is unusual is he "huffs" instead of barks a first when he sees someone new. He is very dignified, he doenst really like getting wet, and he is very clean! We just love him and are so happy to have found him. Here is a picture
Hi
My 4.5 month old male Akita uses our house plants as a snack bar. He scoops out a mouth full of dirt and rocks and munches. Is this normal?? The second part of my question is that when I let him loose in the back yard he will do anything in his power to stay away from me to get him back. How can I stop this.
Thanks John
I have heard that some puppies like to chew on houseplants. However you have to be very careful because there are supposed to be several plants that are poisonous. Get a book and see if the types of plants you have fall in that category. Hopefully your puppy will outgrow this strange behavior. As to the second part of your question, I have the same problem and our akita is three years old. I'm hoping someone will offer a solution to getting the dog in when we want her to come in. It is very frustrating.
Good luck with that one!
Hello,
I did have the same problem as you with my akitas. I have two a female and a male, and the male is very stuborn. The solution I found is:
I feed him twice a day, the first one is early in the morning. Then I take him out and when I want him to came in again is the time for the second food of the day. If I just want to take him out for a short time in the morning because I have to go somewhere, and I´m gonna take him out again in the afternoon, I just give him part of the food. At the begining it didn´t work, but in a week... HE RUNS INTO MY KITCHEN! The key is not to give him a lot of food in the morning... It may sounds horrible, but is a trick....just during the training time... As he is hungry he´ll came in faster!
hope it works for you too.
paloma
whenever he slips out of his collar or runs too far at the park, I call his name and hold my closed fist inthe air (not threateningly, lol, just so he can see me from wherever he is), as though there's a treat waiting for him.
In the beginning, I always had a treat for him, and would call him over often, and from very short distances.
Now I have a treat waiting half the time. He's never quite sure if there's one inside my hand or not, but he likes the treats enough that he has to drop whatever he's doing and come check (just in case).
I think part of the trick is finding a treat your dog adores. Mine loves fish skins (found the ones recommeded here from sitstay.com) and the baked treats from wellness/old mother hubbard. Generally, the smellier they are, the more he likes them
8 to 10 years is average. of course, your akita will achieve optimum life expectancy with an excellent diet and the proper excercise and vet care. even with the proper vet care and diet, death can occur from bloat or other unforseen malodies.
12-13 is average lifespan for a non backyardbred Akita that is raised in a family environment and given proper food and healthcare.
14 isnt out of the question for an Akita either.
If you doubt, look thru some of the memorial pages in Akita World.
I have an Akita that is 16 years old still very affectionate, he has gone gone deaf and doesnt move around as much but still loves to be as part of my family as he has always been.. I also have 2 other akitas one 5yrs and the other 8yrs
16 years old! That's great! I guess one never knows.
That is encouraging to know that our beloved pets have the possibility of living to a ripe old age. Thanks!
I was out poking around and fell into this thread. My big girl is eight and a half & still thinks she is a puppy. I am working through a bladder issue as the moment (it's the only health issue she has ever had) and am hoping it isn't the start of bladder cancer.
Thanks very much for the responses. It seems like there is a difference of opinion in this area. However, I would have to assume that anywhere from the low end of 8 to the high end of 14 would probably be a safe bet. Thanks again.
i lost my male akita kodi to heart failure after 11 1/2 yrs of pure enjoyment. he was the best and my one pet that i hope to see coming over rainbow bridge. like forest gump said "life is like a box of chocolates You never know what your gonna get. good luck
Due to the high pain threshold that Akita's have, the invisible fence will not work. If your Akita spots a squirrel or something else of interest, she will give chase and the shock of the fence will not stop her. I have a 6 foot gothic wooden picket in my backyard. I recommend the same.
Re: Re: Are invisible fences good enough for Akitas
by Irina
Gouglas;
Thank you very much for your response. You conformed what I was afraid of exactly - Akita's "high pain threshold/squirrel or something else of interest" syndrom.
I also would add children having a chance to play with a new "doggie" - not something I'd be willing to chance with my Akita, as friendly and sociable as she is.
also although the invisible fence worked well for our akita it did not stop other people from coming into our yard...in fact a person did come into our yard and our akita bit that person...hence we sadly had to put him down...the most difficult decision I had to make.
Should we put you down for failing to take the precautions an Akita requires? Your Akita was doing his/her job protecting your territory from an uninvited guest. It's too bad he/she had to be destroyed due to your poor judgement. Next time buy a poodle.
Do not use invisible fencing. If the akita sees something it wants, that shock won't phase the dog. I was nieve when we had ours and she saw another dog and took off. Coming back she knew it was there and than wouldn't cross over unless her collar came off. Talk about being smart lol.
My wife and I are experienced "big-dog" people, having grown up with German Shepards and Akitas. 2 Years ago we purchased a loveable just-welped male Akita from a pet store(maybe mistake #1} and brought him home to a house with 2 kids and another dog ( a 5 year old pound puppy). We crate trained him and let him roam an extensive wooded yard, completely enclosed by an electric fence. The cuddly teddy-bear of a puppy soon enough grew into a dog who was utterly viscious to other dogs and eventually to other people other than the immediate family. He has bit a workman and attacked my dad and sister. Enough is enough. Before he can severely injure or kill somebody, I have no choice but to euthanize him. His TFT's are normal and he has failed a therapeautic trial of an SRI.
If anyone has any idea how to avoid killing this regal beast, let me know soon.
I hav a one year old female Akita. Since she was a puppy she grew up with another female dog, and they are good friends. But a month ago we (three people who live in the house) each got a poppy. (Speak about crazy!) At first the life of the puppies was in real dehger - Akita showed serious intention to kill them all. The only way we avoided this from happening was to never leave them together without the most serious supervision.
It didn't work - every time Akita saw them she went nuts.
The choice we were facing was to give her away, which niether of us even wanted to think about. We kept telling her that she was a bad dog, pulled her away from puppies, an so on. Things became even worse.
Then, one morning, I found her at her usual sleeping place and she didn't express her usual joy at seeing me, she looked really sad. I sat down with her, huged her (which she'd hardly tolerated before), patted and kissed her, to which she didn'd object at all.
Then I brought one puppy and put him about three-four feet away from Akita. (Her name is Mishka, by the way.)
I started petting the puppy and Mishka at the same time, saying how good both of them were.
Mishka growled, but didn't jump.
After that we did it with all the puppies. When Mishka still tried to jump at them (not in any friendly way) we garbed her by the skeen on her back and shook her saying what a bad dog she was. But whenever she even just ignored the little ones we praised he a lot.
Now, four weeks later, she plays with them, gets raelly nervous when they are not around, protects them from anything that she sees as a harm for them, allows them to eat from her dish, and disciplines them when they do something that she knows is not allowed.
We think that her initial reaction was coming from the Akitas' protectiveness (us from the newcomers) and being afraid that she was loosing our love.
All this might sound naive, but that's how it happend in our dog-filled house.
Also, I read a lot of articles on several Akita/dog Web sites. It helped me a great deal. Here are some of the URLs where I found good materials: www.akitaclub.org, www.doggiedoor.com, www.k9deb.com.
I hope all these might help you. Don't give up on your dog and let him know it.
I have a 2 year old neutered akita. Beautiful dog. He bit a person who came onto our property and has since begun to show more aggressive tendencies with strangers. Has been trained...but now either needs a home that is very familiar with this breed and training or I will need to put him down. Interested or just comments...
i have a seven month old female and her teeth with the exception of a few on the right side of her jaw area coming in. Has anyone out there had any experience with this problem. her other teeth look perfect. there is aprox. four that haven't come out yet. the others look to be very well developed. i was also wondering if anyone has ever had a problem with an akita who had a paralized diaphram. our gretchen had to be taken to cornell university animal hospital four times and we were told that she is a very special case.
Long-haired Japanese Akitas.....are they rare or something?
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I have been looking online for info leading to Long-haired Akitas. I recently rescued one from my neighborhood. He is a wonderful dog, He is great with my kids and with other dogs. I just want to find out more about him. I will never understand why a family would want to put such a wonderful dog down. I hope someone can give me someplace to go and get info on him. IE~ Grooming, best diet, possible heath problems. Thanks for any help you all can give me.
Also we are currently leaving Japan and moving to South Carolina ( we are a military family) in just a few short months. Any tips on that kind of travel (around 24 hours) would be great!!!
Yes! they are suposse to be the exception. I´m an spanish breeder and in about 10 years I´ve never had a puppy with long hair. I´ve seen them and know a friend that has one. They are as lovely as the normal coated akitas, but the standard says that the akita has to be with short hair. Any pages about the japanese akita will help you. this is my web page if you want to visit it:
www.iespana.es/akitashibainu
For the trip, is a very long trip... you should ask a vet for any way of sleeping. Is he a puppy? About 3 months ago I brought to my kennel two new puppies froms Italy ( about 2 hours flight) and they came normaly, but you have to think that it was amuch shorter flight and beside they were coming together(both puppies) in a hugh cage so they were confident, because they weren´t alone.
I recently adopted a 2 yo female long haired akita about 6 months ago. I have an 11 yo male and had never known that long haired ones existed. Her previous owner had akc papers and told me that they were trying to breed them out of the species. I have researched them but have found very little info on them. They look like the russian laikas and all the background info on akitas in general indicate that the original akita is of recent invention. Prior to the 1930's the japanese "akita" was typically crossbred.
In spite of that my female sheds, behaves and is physically similar to my male.
Are most akita's stubborn? We got our dog from a local pound when she was only about 4 months old. She is three now, but has turned out to be the most stubborn dog we have ever had. We actually didn't know she was an akita until we took her for her puppy shots. The vet said she was full blooded akita. She definitely has a mind of her own. When she doesn't want to come in, she won't budge for anyone. This breed is definitely hard to understand. She is extremely intelligent and only family oriented. She can be more stubborn than kids. What is one to do?
my wife and i have had an akita who lived to 11 yrs and just recently died. we got another pup which is a female. she is very stubborn when it comes to telling her to come. I can put her outside and come to the door and when it is time to come in tell her to come and she starts running around the yard and refuses to come. It is a pain if i'm in a real hurry to go somewhere. this if the first time i've ever had this problem like yourself. p.s. she has graduated obedience classes.
Dave, your pup sounds just like our akita. Ours will run around the yard too. I know the frustration of trying to get her in when you are trying to go somewhere. It is especially frustrating if you have to be at a particular place at a particular time. You answered my curiosity on whether obedience training might be an answer. Maybe someone out there has some good suggestions to help with these over-stubborn akita's. Sorry to hear you & your wife lost your other pet of 11 yrs. That is always difficult. I'm hoping your new puppy will bring you much joy after working through these stubborn issues.
thanks for the kind words. I think that she is still in that puppy phase where she thinks that she is playing. She is seven months and full of energy despite beind diagnosed with a paralized diaphram. Maybe we should be happy she is so active?
Our akita is three and still thinks she is a puppy. I wonder at what age they outgrow it. I thought surely she would settle down by now. Being our first akita, I'm not too familiar with the stages of development. As far as your puppy, I've never heard of a paralyzed diaprahgm. It does sound like a good sign that she is active and full of energy. Enjoy her.
I have a 4 year old male who is also so stubborn. If he is outside he also won`t come in and will start running around so I can`t catch him. He only does this when he knows I`m getting ready to go somewhere. He knows my schedule so well. So I have to pretend I`m not going anywhere. I usually put him out about 20-30 minutes before I leave. He`s such a rascal, but I love him so much.
Isn't that something how we have to play all these pretend and bribe games with our dogs! Oh, what a stubborn breed this is! I've never had these problems with any other type of dog. The akita definitely has a mind of their own. A true sign of their intelligence I guess.
I have been lucky, I guess. We had a 4 year old shepherd mix when the 4 month old akita pup came to live with us.
He was and is always nipping on the older dog (female..).
We encouraged the older dog's defense of herself and separated them when she was too weary to do so. They nuzzle each other and sit against each other outside now.
He still annoys her but she leads him into the house. To put him in the kitchen she leads him in and then knows to leave right away. Without her, I would have a much harder time getting him in. He is often rewarded when he
comes. This has helped lots. He comes down from my second floor right when I call him. We do lots of greeting behaviors and never get harsh when he approaches. My teenage daughter and I also are careful to show alpha behavior when necessary without force or harshness. Good Luck
Dear friends.
I´m an spanish akita inu owner and right now I´m really frustrated. There is a new law here that says that the akita inu ( both the japanese or the american type) and considerated as a dangerous breed. I did have to get a license to be able to have my dog. To get this license you have to:
1.- take your Id and two recent pictures of you.
2.- Have an insurance that covers around 1,500 dolars.
3.- Show the last receipt payed of the insurance.
4.- Every time you take your dog outside has to be with a muzzle and a leash no longer than 2 meters.
5.- you have to pas a physical and psycological test.
6.- Have to ask on the court for a declaration of no antecedents of violence, or agresive conduct even you and your dog.
7.- You have to pay more taxes to have your dog.
From the nordic breeds club from Spain ( and france, italy, and belgium) are trying to abolish this law, but we need help from other country breeders to support us. We just need the people to say that they are not agresive dogs ( I´ve allways thouht that it depends on the education you give them). In Belgium they´ve already abolish a similar law.
thank you very much.
PALOMA
I'm learning that akita's are a very unique breed.
I guess they are somewhat like humans in being very individualistic. Sounds like it's a matter of luck if you manage to get a gentle one regardless whether male or female.
nothing to do w/it. Going to a responsible, reputable breeder who will spend alot of time w/a person getting to know them and their lifestyle and then matching a puppy to that person and their family is the key. I'm not saying it's foolproof, but it is how it should be done.
People buying on impulse and buying from petstores, puppy mills and backyard breeders are asking for nothing but trouble.
Environment also plays a huge role on an Akitas adult personality...how it was raised, socialized, trained, etc....all have a huge impact on on the end result.
My akita was a male, a very agressive male to other people, not to animals or us, though. When we got our male, he was from a breeder with both parent dogs there. The breeder says his female is the agressive one and the male was very docile. So I don't think there is a better choice it just depends on the dog.
I've been thinking about adopting an akita from a local shelter.I've done some research and have read that Akitas generally bond to one person.Will a 4-6 year old male ever bond with a new owner?It gets hot in NW Fl will he be ok here?
I commend your wanting to adopt an Akita. If you are in Florida then you should check out www.arsf.org It is where I adopted my big boy from. A older Akita can make a terrific pet, already housetrained, no more chewing, etc. They will definately bond to you once you show them love and affection. Best of luck and be sure to check out the website. ARSF is a great organization!!!
How many times a year are Akita's supposed to shed?
My dog sheds really bad two or three times a year. She loses an awful lot of hair and the house looks as if a gorilla let loose. It is really frustrating and hard to keep up with. However, when the new coat comes in, it is really beautiful once again. Is this generally the norm?
Akita's typically blow their coat twice a year depending on the climate that they are in. In colder climates they may only blow their coat once a year. Daily outside brushing helps as does bathing. Be sure your Akita is on a super premium food that has fish oil in it. This also helps the coat. I recommend Solid Gold Millenium or Hund en Flucken.
The akita I had, also shed a couple of times a year. It was enough hair to make several wigs! Just to help you out, though with the vacuuming, I got a 14 gallon wet/dry vac. It sure beat clogging up my regular vacuum everytime. Just a helpful hint to pass out to others with the shedding problem. Good Luck!
olive oil on the food helps, and LOTS of combing....
at least that helps to stop it from flying like a cotton gin.
I have a Thermax cleaner, also. I use it on my Akita to remove loose hair, he loves it, and on the carpet to suck up what sheds off... it is the only cleaner that can clean after an Akita.. It is a water filtration system, and does not stop up or loose power... I sell them:) see it on thermaxvac.com they steamclean, also.
I've got an akita that recently turned six months old. Just recently, he began to chew...everything. Well, everything but his chewtoys. He chews cords (oddly enough, usually always at the same point in the cord), our hose, lotsa paper, and anything else he can get his teeth on. What's going on? How can I make him stop being so destructive? Confused-- Vaca-chan
My akita I had did the same thing at that age. They do outgrow it but unfortunatly until that happens you will be throwing away alot of things. Here is what I did. I went to the Goodwill/Salvation army and got a pair of used soccer shoes. Since my dog tended to chew things that were rubber-like, such as you are saying with hoses and cords, the soccer shoes were of the same feeling. He soon gave up on anything but his beloved shoes, then I also got an old half deflated football and basketball, also from the Goodwill. It was alot cheaper than the expensive 'dog' toys at a petstore. Anyway for me, it did the trick! Good Luck, and believe me they do outgrow doing the damage.
When my akita started chewing, she wanted to chew everything too. This is what I did. First I tried to understand the need for chewing at this baby like stage. Of course, teething is uncomfortable. Each time I caught her chewing I would gently but firmly take away whatever it was she was chewing and say NO. I immediately replaced it with a veternarian approved chew bone or toy. She soon got the idea of what belonged to her. Finally, chewing problem solved! I followed up with lots of praise. Another idea I heard of was to dampen a washcloth, roll it up and freeze it. Give it to your puppy when you catch him chewing. Good Luck!
I wrote to this forum a back at the end of August requesting information about my dog Koby and his agressive behavior. Since then we had to have him put down. This was very sad for both my husband and myself. Koby was brought home with us as an 8 week old puppy and since we do not have children, he was like our "kid". Koby was very loving to us, but us only. He held us hostage, for we could not have anyone else over. He was 2 years old by then. He had even attacked a guest and clenched his very strong teeth into our friend and even drew blood. We tried many ways to socialize him but we were afraid for anyone who may come near him. Koby was an inside pet, but had to be put outside when anyone came over.
In September we had him put to sleep after a very scarey episode. We were staying in a hotel, and I took him out to relieve himself, when I opened the door, a couple passed by and it was all I could do to hold him back from attacking the couple. As I got him back into the room I was shaking and in tears. I could never let this even get the chance to happen again. Koby was a lethal weapon that could go off anytime. As the responsible thing to do, before anyone could get mauled my husband and I decided we couldn't let this happen and took him to the vet the next day.
When you see the cute little teddy bear of a puppy such as akitas are, it is hard to imagine how things could turn out. I read this forum often, and see problems within this breed. I am not saying that all akitas are a time bomb, but if only I had researched this breed more, I would not have chosen one. For those of you out there with loving gentle akitas, God bless you. I also have heard that akitas do not like other animals. We also had a female, collie mix, which Koby loved dearly. He just didn't like people. In spite of what happened, I will never own another large dog, especially an akita. If you do not already have an akita, talk to your vet, and please research any breed you are considering choosing.
Colleen, if you are out there, thanks for all your help you gave to me in the past.
So sorry to read this and I certainly extend my sympathies to you and your family. Some Akitas suffer from thyroid problems and other genetic abnormalities that can cause aggression. I don't doubt that you did the right and responsible thing in this situation.
Thanks for posting that message. Sorry about your pet.
My akita sounds very much similar. She hasn't actually attemped biting anyone, but I'm very nervous that she might. She too is only family oriented. If I see too much aggession, I will keep your message in mind. She is three now.
I'm sorry to hear what happened with Koby. But, I'm glad that you wrote to tell others of your experience. MOST Akitas aren't for MOST people, and people must learn to do their homework before getting any dog. Unfortunately, many, perhaps most, breeders, and certainly pet stores, don't tell people the truth. And, of course, puppies -- especially Akita puppies -- are so darn adorable that people get them without really researching the breed. I can't blame you for deciding not to get another Akita. One solution for people considering the breed is to get a known adult from a reputable rescue. Many Akitas with great temperments end up in rescue through no fault of their own, but would make wonderful family pets. All the same, I regularly advise people NOT to get an Akita unless they truly understand the breed tendencies, have done their homework, and are willing to do what it takes to manage their Akita. Thanks again for writing, and sorry to hear of how things turned out for you with Koby.
I too had to put an Akita down. After my sister died I acquired her beautiful 7 year old female Akita named Bocko. She was absolutely wonderful with me. However, I could not keep her because she was very animal agressive and I had an extremely difficult time walking her. She got away from me once and climbed a small fence and went after the little dog on the other side. She also knocked me down once when she saw another animal and went after them. Anyway, for safety issues I finally found her what I thought was a perfect home, on a 6 acre ranch in Flordia in the home of a relative of a friend. I flew with her to Florida and stayed a few days with her. They loved her but she escaped a few times and they think she was going after other animals in the area (who really knows, maybe she was just running away). They decided they could also could not keep her for safety issuses. I would have taken her back and tried again but while there she bit a little boy on the arm. Not anything serious, but I was advised by Akita rescue that I could no longer responsibly try to place her in another home. I felt that I was in trouble, and after much heartwrenching thought and many, many telephone calls and prayer, I decided that I had to put her down for her and everyone else's best interests. Well you know the heartache. I am still quite upset about this, but I wanted you to know that I understand your decision and too will never own a large dog. I owned a small dog with agression problems, but it was different because 20lbs. is much easier to manage that a strong Akita. My sympathy to you for what I truly know is a sad, sad, situation. Best regards. Maureen
My female retriever/shephard mix is 16 years old. She has been thin for some time but now we can see her hips and rib cage. She eats. At first we thought she might have dental problems so we got a soft package of food and mixed it with canned food. She eats it up but cannot have a bowel movement. Is she dying or heartworm?
Mary Toponce
We just got a new Akita pup. She's eight weeks old. We're having a hard time setting a feeding schedule for her. We have a one year old Lab mix, but we just let her eat when she wants. Right now I am working three days a week, but I have to leave early in the morning. Also, I was wondering what types of dog foods you guys recommend and when to stop feeding puppy food, I've heard many differant things about this subject.
Congrats! I recommend Solid Gold Millenium and Solid Gold Hund en Flocken. My 1 year old male has done slendidly on these. The Millenium source of protein is beef and the hund en flocken in lamb. I rotate them every other bag so that he gets a variety. The Millenium was rated top 10 in the Whole Dog Journal for prepared premium dog foods. They can be found at Pet Supply Plus. Good luck.
My akita watches the mailman everyday and barks continously until he gets off the porch and leaves the entire street. It doesn't matter if it is a new mailman or not. Most other people she treats the same way. Any suggestions?
SOCIALIZE SOCIALIZE SOCIALIZE!!! Get the dog out to the park or some other public place and let other people be around. I encourage you to heed the warning in Stacey's post. It is of the upmost importance to socialize the Akita as much as possible to avoid bigtime problems.
Thanks Douglas for the advice. We will try more socializing. Stacy's post was quite a message. I certainly wouldn't want that to happen to anyone. It is very difficult when you are so attached to the dog.
This is our first Akita and have definitely found out that this breed has such unusual characteristics.
CAN AKITA'S BE GOOD WITH YOUNG CHILDREN AND OUTDOOR DOGS
by MARC
I WAS THINKING ABOUT GETTING AN ADULT AKITA
FROM ONE OF THE AKITA RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS. I AM NOT
SURE HOW SAFE THEY ARE WITH YOUNG KIDS RUNNING AROUND IN THE BACKYARD. I HAVE A MIXED CHOW/GERMAN SHEPPARD WHO IS FINE WITH MY KIDS. BUT HIS DOG FRIEND PASSED
AWAY DUE TO ACUTE PANCREITIS. HE NEEDS ANOTHER FRIEND
AND I HAVE ALWAYS LIKED THE AKITA BREED. ANY ADVISE
WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED.
wonderful w/children when they've been raised w/children AND when the children have been taught how to respect animals and not to taunt and torment them.
I think it's great that you are interested in an Akita Rescue. There are hundreds of Akitas in need of good homes and alot of them come from owner turn ins so the dogs past history is known, such as if they are good w/kids, other dogs and cats, etc....
Depending on the sex of your dog at home will depend on the sex of Akita you should bring into your household.
Akitas as a rule are same sex dog aggressive, and can even be aggressive w/dogs of the opposite sex if both dogs have alpha personality types.
Again, Rescues do have Akitas waiting for homes that get along well with other dogs.
I suggest you do alot of research on the breed then contact some Rescue Organizations if you are still interested.
Here are a couple links for you to check out that are filled w/info to get started on.
outside dogs, but shouldn't ONLY BE outside dogs. Akitas need to be a part of the family unit, which means spending alot of time w/the family in the house. Left alone outside w/just the company of another dog, and Akita can and will become destructive, then NO ONE is happy.
If you and your family spend ALOT of time outside where the Akita would get ALOT of attention, then it might work out.
But so many "outside dogs" are left out back and only seen at feeding time. That's not fair to the dogs, and when that happens IMO I think those types of situations are better setup for a cat, which are much more independent!
It sounds to me like Marc is doing his homework. I feel for you and your husband and your akita. That is such a horrible outcome for all involved. I do have to say that just because it happened to you does not mean that it will happen to everyone who chooses to own an akita. Just like people, all dogs are truly different. Telling people not to get an akita because of what happened to yours is almost like telling someone not to have a child because there is a chance that their child may grow up to be a criminal. Marc also might be interested in adopting an adult akta from a rescue. There are many wonderful rescue organizations who have voulenteers who put so much time and energy (and financial support) into evaluating these rescues and do all they can so they can place these dogs into homes where their personalities will fit best. I have 2 wonderful akitas, one of which is a rescue. They are not afggressive toward people and both of them give me more love than I ever imagined possible. If I ever did have to put one of my babies down because of severe aggression I would not close my heart to this wonderful breed. I also would do everything in my power to find the cause of the problem including behavior specialists and complete medical evaluations. I just couldn't imagine life without an akita.
i am really supprised to see all the negativity surrounding Akita's,
the Akita is a noble dog, in fact the king of all dogs and must be treated as an equal, i believe that nurture is very important in large breeds and the rewards are massive.
too many people buy Akita's because they're cute, just remember that the Akita-inu has a long history with man, there was even a special language used when talking to, or about an Akita in ancient japan during Emporer Senka's reign which i think denotes the Akita's position as top dog.
i hope too many people aren't alarmed by the scaremongering this page seems to be suffering from and are put off the opportunity to share their lives with such a magnificent animal, and yes, i do own an Akita and fortunately i dont see any of the traits described in my dog. if anybody has got any questions please feel free to ask, if i can help i will.
i am really supprised to see all the negativity surrounding Akita's,
the Akita is a noble dog, in fact the king of all dogs and must be treated as an equal, i believe that nurture is very important in large breeds and the rewards are massive.
too many people buy Akita's because they're cute, just remember that the Akita-inu has a long history with man, there was even a special language used when talking to, or about an Akita in ancient japan during Emporer Senka's reign which i think denotes the Akita's position as top dog.
i hope too many people aren't alarmed by the scaremongering this page seems to be suffering from and are put off the opportunity to share their lives with such a magnificent animal, and yes, i do own an Akita and fortunately i dont see any of the traits described in my dog. if anybody has got any questions please feel free to ask, if i can help i will.
i am really supprised to see all the negativity surrounding Akita's,
the Akita is a noble dog, in fact the king of all dogs and must be treated as an equal, i believe that nurture is very important in large breeds and the rewards are massive.
too many people buy Akita's because they're cute, just remember that the Akita-inu has a long history with man, there was even a special language used when talking to, or about an Akita in ancient japan during Emporer Senka's reign which i think denotes the Akita's position as top dog.
i hope too many people aren't alarmed by the scaremongering this page seems to be suffering from and are put off the opportunity to share their lives with such a magnificent animal, and yes, i do own an Akita and fortunately i dont see any of the traits described in my dog. if anybody has got any questions please feel free to ask, if i can help i will.
i am really supprised to see all the negativity surrounding Akita's,
the Akita is a noble dog, in fact the king of all dogs and must be treated as an equal, i believe that nurture is very important in large breeds and the rewards are massive.
too many people buy Akita's because they're cute, just remember that the Akita-inu has a long history with man, there was even a special language used when talking to, or about an Akita in ancient japan during Emporer Senka's reign which i think denotes the Akita's position as top dog.
i hope too many people aren't alarmed by the scaremongering this page seems to be suffering from and are put off the opportunity to share their lives with such a magnificent animal, and yes, i do own an Akita and fortunately i dont see any of the traits described in my dog. if anybody has got any questions please feel free to ask, if i can help i will.
Akitas, need to be trained. Just because a family is sociable is not always going to guarantee the akita is friendly. I agree you one needs to socialize the dog and not keep it in the back yard. I believe the reason akitas get a bad name is because people think they are cute and don't train them and next thing you know is you have a 100lb dog that does what he wants.
i am really supprised to see all the negativity surrounding Akita's,
the Akita is a noble dog, in fact the king of all dogs and must be treated as an equal, i believe that nurture is very important in large breeds and the rewards are massive.
too many people buy Akita's because they're cute, just remember that the Akita-inu has a long history with man, there was even a special language used when talking to, or about an Akita in ancient japan during Emporer Senka's reign which i think denotes the Akita's position as top dog.
i hope too many people aren't alarmed by the scaremongering this page seems to be suffering from and are put off the opportunity to share their lives with such a magnificent animal, and yes, i do own an Akita and fortunately i dont see any of the traits described in my dog. if anybody has got any questions please feel free to ask, if i can help i will.
i am really supprised to see all the negativity surrounding Akita's,
the Akita is a noble dog, in fact the king of all dogs and must be treated as an equal, i believe that nurture is very important in large breeds and the rewards are massive.
too many people buy Akita's because they're cute, just remember that the Akita-inu has a long history with man, there was even a special language used when talking to, or about an Akita in ancient japan during Emporer Senka's reign which i think denotes the Akita's position as top dog.
i hope too many people aren't alarmed by the scaremongering this page seems to be suffering from and are put off the opportunity to share their lives with such a magnificent animal, and yes, i do own an Akita and fortunately i dont see any of the traits described in my dog. if anybody has got any questions please feel free to ask, if i can help i will.
I would not get an older akita when you have smaller children and another dog. If your chow mix is dominant, it won't be for long and it won't be nice to watch. If you want an akita, get a puppy that can grow up with the family. Make sure the puppy is the opposite sex of your other dog. Good Luck
