Akita vs Pond and Fence

Mersad

Hey everyone,

I had a few questions about fenced yards and koi ponds.

So as some of you may know I am looking to get JA puppy in the near future.

Fenced yard:

My yard is fully walled off so I dont think there is a way my puppy could scape. I read that Akitas are curious and would run out if they get a chance. I would like to let the dog be free in the yard sometimes without supervision. Is there anything I should lookout for? My yard consist of flowers and fruit trees so I don't believe there is anything to worry about there.

Koi Pond:

I have small Koi pond in my yard (2x4 meters) and I'm a little bit worried about both the fish and the dog. I read in a post here that some dogs (depending on their personalities) are more into ponds than others. Is there a way to motivate my puppy not to go fishing there? Is there a danger of the dog drowning? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Ajax

As for the yard, you'll just have to supervise him there as a puppy, just like you would inside, so he doesn't pick up any bad habits. I think people can be surprised at the amount of destruction a puppy can do when left unattended to a well manicured or landscaped yard. I've had dogs eat a pinetree, a rose bush, and even a large fig tree not to mention the digging. If you are going to let him chew on anything just make sure it isn't poisonous first. We dodged a bullet with our Shikoku, we let him rip apart a hydrangea that we didn't care about, I guess he didn't eat it because we learned after the fact that hydrangeas are poisonous to dogs.

As for the pond, most Japanese dogs aren't big fans of water. Some Iike to play in the shallows but rarely swim. I had to teach mine to swim and I've never had to do that with a dog before. I think your fish are safe, but if the pond has steep sides and is deep you may have to essentially pool proof him, basically teaching the dog how to climb out should he accidentally fall in when unattended. It's something to do very carefully so you don't traumatized him. You may have to modify a part of the edge of the pond to make it easier to climb out.

Mersad

As for the yard, you'll just have to supervise him there as a puppy, just like you would inside, so he doesn't pick up any bad habits. I think people can be surprised at the amount of destruction a puppy can do when left unattended to a well manicured or landscaped yard. I've had dogs eat a pinetree, a rose bush, and even a large fig tree not to mention the digging. If you are going to let him chew on anything just make sure it isn't poisonous first. We dodged a bullet with our Shikoku, we let him rip apart a hydrangea that we didn't care about, I guess he didn't eat it because we learned after the fact that hydrangeas are poisonous to dogs.

I will make sure I don't leave him unsupervised until we have passed the puppy stage. And I did a little research and found out what plants I have here that are poisonous to dogs. They are not that many and I think I can manage that.

As for the pond, most Japanese dogs aren't big fans of water. Some Iike to play in the shallows but rarely swim. I had to teach mine to swim and I've never had to do that with a dog before. I think your fish are safe, but if the pond has steep sides and is deep you may have to essentially pool proof him, basically teaching the dog how to climb out should he accidentally fall in when unattended. It's something to do very carefully so you don't traumatized him. You may have to modify a part of the edge of the pond to make it easier to climb out.

That is good to hear. My pond has 2 shallow shelves (steps) on one side so I just have to teach him to climb out when/if he falls in. Thank you for your advice.