Your Akita experience?
So I’ve been sifting through the forum for a while and reading everything I could find about Akita and I still feel like there are so many questions running through my head and I don’t always find an answer or I want to know more. So, I thought I’d post my own Q & A with questions I had and hopefully some of you Akita owners(current or past, American or Japanese) could answer. I know some of this stuff has come up on the forum in the past but, I’m hoping more people will answer so I can kind of see many people’s experiences with their dogs. I also want to know how the answers change from American to Japanese Akita, or if they stay the same. I’m sure that most of the answers will also depend on the individual dog. So please answer whatever questions you want and let me know if your dog is an AA or a JA. I’m just trying to learn as much about the Akita as possible so I can make an informed decision if it’s really the breed that’s appropriate for my lifestyle.
Hopefully this will help other people too since these are probably questions most people will eventually want the answer to. Most of the questions are aimed at "you" and "your Akita", I want your personal experience as much as possible as well as general breed info. Please specify if your Akita is an AA or a JA.
Question time!
1. What is the difference in temperament and behavior for the American vs. Japanese Akita, is there one?
2. Who does your Akita bond most with? Is it the entire family, a couple individuals or just one person?
3. Does your Akita love to meet new people or are they somewhat wary of strangers? Do you notice any difference between meeting strangers on the street or strangers in your home?
4. What kind of activity level does your Akita have? Does it prefer to sleep all day or are they excited to go for exercise? How about their endurance, how long can they exercise?
5. Is it true Akita can’t be trusted off leash? – I saw this in a lot of places, I’m assuming it has to do with their high prey drive, liability issues, other dangers and maybe they’re not known for recall? What’s been your experience? (Also, obviously I don’t mean off leash just anywhere. I mean somewhere remote where you won’t be around a lot of people or more then 1 or 2 other dogs.)
6. Dog sports? I'm really interesting in doing some sort of dog sport in the future. I've seen some people do agility with their Akita(someone on this forum and then of course youtube) and it looks like fun. Does anyone else do a dog sport with their Akita?
7. How trainable was/is your Akita? I know they're not as easy to train as a German Shepherd and they're a little easier to train than some of the Ninon ken but....that doesn't really help me a terrible amount since I've owned neither. I mean I kind of get the idea but...why don't you explain how long it took you to learn basic commands and what were your training challenges? How good was your dogs attention span?
8. How good is your dogs recall and how hard did you work with them on it?
9. Can you describe your dogs "independence." I'm assuming this means they don't have to be by your side constantly but, does that mean they just chill on their own all the time? Watch you do stuff Able to entertain themselves when you're busy and can't play?(I don't mean all day, I just mean like you're cleaning the house and the dog wants to play.)
10. Other? Is there anything important about the breed, or special about your dog you want to share? Any insight on what about your lifestyle has made your Akita ownership successful?
If you can answer any of those it'd be really helpful
Wow I didn't mean for this to turn into a novel....oops.
Hopefully this will help other people too since these are probably questions most people will eventually want the answer to. Most of the questions are aimed at "you" and "your Akita", I want your personal experience as much as possible as well as general breed info. Please specify if your Akita is an AA or a JA.
Question time!
1. What is the difference in temperament and behavior for the American vs. Japanese Akita, is there one?
2. Who does your Akita bond most with? Is it the entire family, a couple individuals or just one person?
3. Does your Akita love to meet new people or are they somewhat wary of strangers? Do you notice any difference between meeting strangers on the street or strangers in your home?
4. What kind of activity level does your Akita have? Does it prefer to sleep all day or are they excited to go for exercise? How about their endurance, how long can they exercise?
5. Is it true Akita can’t be trusted off leash? – I saw this in a lot of places, I’m assuming it has to do with their high prey drive, liability issues, other dangers and maybe they’re not known for recall? What’s been your experience? (Also, obviously I don’t mean off leash just anywhere. I mean somewhere remote where you won’t be around a lot of people or more then 1 or 2 other dogs.)
6. Dog sports? I'm really interesting in doing some sort of dog sport in the future. I've seen some people do agility with their Akita(someone on this forum and then of course youtube) and it looks like fun. Does anyone else do a dog sport with their Akita?
7. How trainable was/is your Akita? I know they're not as easy to train as a German Shepherd and they're a little easier to train than some of the Ninon ken but....that doesn't really help me a terrible amount since I've owned neither. I mean I kind of get the idea but...why don't you explain how long it took you to learn basic commands and what were your training challenges? How good was your dogs attention span?
8. How good is your dogs recall and how hard did you work with them on it?
9. Can you describe your dogs "independence." I'm assuming this means they don't have to be by your side constantly but, does that mean they just chill on their own all the time? Watch you do stuff Able to entertain themselves when you're busy and can't play?(I don't mean all day, I just mean like you're cleaning the house and the dog wants to play.)
10. Other? Is there anything important about the breed, or special about your dog you want to share? Any insight on what about your lifestyle has made your Akita ownership successful?
If you can answer any of those it'd be really helpful
Wow I didn't mean for this to turn into a novel....oops.
Comments
Can't really say. I have not been closely involved with AA.
2. Who does your Akita bond most with? Is it the entire family, a couple individuals or just one person?
We are our Akita's (Hilo) second family. He obviously bonded closely with his first family. And he is very closely bonded with my husband and me. I recently skyped with his old family and he totally recognized their voices, and woo wooed for them.
3. Does your Akita love to meet new people or are they somewhat wary of strangers? Do you notice any difference between meeting strangers on the street or strangers in your home?
He loves some people more than others. I don't see much difference between his response outside our home versus inside. I do notice that he is more fond of people who speak softly, and have more calm gentle personalities. He is not fond of loud talkers.
4. What kind of activity level does your Akita have? Does it prefer to sleep all day or are they excited to go for exercise? How about their endurance, how long can they exercise?
He is super mellow. He only likes to go on long walks if I bring my other dogs. He is not one to engage in play very often. He is more active in the winter. But really, he is a professional couch warmer.
5. Is it true Akita can’t be trusted off leash? – I saw this in a lot of places, I’m assuming it has to do with their high prey drive, liability issues, other dangers and maybe they’re not known for recall? What’s been your experience? (Also, obviously I don’t mean off leash just anywhere. I mean somewhere remote where you won’t be around a lot of people or more then 1 or 2 other dogs.)
I have never deliberately let him off leash outside our yard. Once day the clasp failed on his leash, and he just went home. But I think Hilo was just worried that the couch was lonely.
6. Dog sports? I'm really interesting in doing some sort of dog sport in the future. I've seen some people do agility with their Akita(someone on this forum and then of course youtube) and it looks like fun. Does anyone else do a dog sport with their Akita?
I do some agility with my pit bull. My akita considers jumping onto the couch to be agility.
7. How trainable was/is your Akita? I know they're not as easy to train as a German Shepherd and they're a little easier to train than some of the Ninon ken but....that doesn't really help me a terrible amount since I've owned neither. I mean I kind of get the idea but...why don't you explain how long it took you to learn basic commands and what were your training challenges? How good was your dogs attention span?
Hilo listens. And understands many commands. He is obedient. Unless he doesn't want to be. If there is something he doesn't want to do, all the coercion in the world would accomplish nothing with him.
8. How good is your dogs recall and how hard did you work with them on it?
eh. I pretty much never need to call him to me, and if I do, the word "treat" pretty much gets the job done.
9. Other? Is there anything important about the breed, or special about your dog you want to share? Any insight on what about your lifestyle has made your Akita ownership successful?
Socialize socialize socialize!!! Hilo's previous family went to great lengths to expose him to many many things. They did everything right, and he is still a nervous nelly. You really cannot over-socialize them. And force/dominance based training methods are a really bad idea with them. Big, strong, sensitive dogs need to trust their owners and see them as protectors. They thrive with positive training, and it creates an incredible bond. I am convinced that is why HIlo adjusted to us quickly. We never forced him to do anything. We worked to teach him that when he peacefully coexists with everyone in the house wonderful things happen for him. He has not only strong bonds with my husband and myself, but also with our two other dogs, as well as our cats.
Anyone else want to share?
Could not say cause I only have experience with the Japanese Akita.
2. Who does your Akita bond most with? Is it the entire family, a couple individuals or just one person?
Kagome has shown no preferences, she is happy with both my husband and I.
3. Does your Akita love to meet new people or are they somewhat wary of strangers? Do you notice any difference between meeting strangers on the street or strangers in your home?
Kagome likes men, women and children. She gets very excited when people come into the house. Always looking for love from anybody.
4. What kind of activity level does your Akita have? Does it prefer to sleep all day or are they excited to go for exercise? How about their endurance, how long can they exercise?
Kagome's activity level is moderate. She plays fairly well with our shikoku. For exercise, she would rather play with another dog, then go for a walk. I think she gets easily bored with that. Weather is a major factor. Because of her coat she will wear out easily in the hot sun.
5. Is it true Akita can’t be trusted off leash? – I saw this in a lot of places, I’m assuming it has to do with their high prey drive, liability issues, other dangers and maybe they’re not known for recall? What’s been your experience? (Also, obviously I don’t mean off leash just anywhere. I mean somewhere remote where you won’t be around a lot of people or more then 1 or 2 other dogs.)
Kagome's recall is pretty good. She is allowed off leash when our driveway gate is open, because she doesn't have the need to wander off. I have been able to call her off of cats running out of our yard. A few times she didn't listen cause she was hamming up to neighbors outside the gate. Once, as an experiment, we hitched her and our shikoku together and left the gate open. Inu made a beeline for the gate and she followed and didn't listen to us. She definitely listens better alone than with Inu. Routine practice is always great for recall.
6. Dog sports? I'm really interesting in doing some sort of dog sport in the future. I've seen some people do agility with their Akita(someone on this forum and then of course youtube) and it looks like fun. Does anyone else do a dog sport with their Akita?
I haven't tried yet. She is kinda slow in the head and may not really care for dog sports. She tends to trip over her own feet, so I think she lacks the coordination necessary.
7. How trainable was/is your Akita? I know they're not as easy to train as a German Shepherd and they're a little easier to train than some of the Ninon ken but....that doesn't really help me a terrible amount since I've owned neither. I mean I kind of get the idea but...why don't you explain how long it took you to learn basic commands and what were your training challenges? How good was your dogs attention span?
Kagome was fairly easy to train with food, but not as snappy as our shikoku. She lacks quickness and sharpness, it takes a few seconds for the command to register in her head. She gets into a routine really quickly.
8. How good is your dogs recall and how hard did you work with them on it?
See above.
9. Can you describe your dogs "independence." I'm assuming this means they don't have to be by your side constantly but, does that mean they just chill on their own all the time? Watch you do stuff Able to entertain themselves when you're busy and can't play?(I don't mean all day, I just mean like you're cleaning the house and the dog wants to play.)
I would say Kagome is fairly independent, but she appreciates love and attention.
10. Other? Is there anything important about the breed, or special about your dog you want to share? Any insight on what about your lifestyle has made your Akita ownership successful?
Kagome is a very sweet girl and a huge cuddle bug. She is fairly chill and laid back, but can be easily riled up into a furry wiggly worm full of excitement. A lot of love goes along way with her. She also tends to shed a lot of hair. She doesn't really bother the cats. A bit of a klutz and heavy handed, scratched me a few times accidentally. Like Jess said, socializing and positive training is important. Temperaments vary within a breed, so finding a good breeder and picking the right puppy is important too. Also, the breed has a history of healthy problems so be prepared for that.
1. What is the difference in temperament and behavior for the American vs. Japanese Akita, is there one? I don't know, as I have only had AA's, but it sounds to me like AAs might be a bit sharper in temperment....sometimes! I think they're generally bigger--at least my boy is big, at 110 pounds.
2. Who does your Akita bond most with? Is it the entire family, a couple individuals or just one person? He has bonded with both my husband and me.
3. Does your Akita love to meet new people or are they somewhat wary of strangers? Do you notice any difference between meeting strangers on the street or strangers in your home? He's a bit wary, but I think that's more a reflection of socialization than anything else. I tried to get him to meet a lot of people, but I suspect it was not enough. He barks at strangers, either in the house of outside the house. (its super annoying in the house, too).
4. What kind of activity level does your Akita have? Does it prefer to sleep all day or are they excited to go for exercise? How about their endurance, how long can they exercise? They're not the most energetic dogs, which I actually like. Oskar likes to play ball in the yard for about 10 minutes tops. Or he enjoys a good walk (about 1/2 hour) but then he's tired. Years ago I had an Akita and ski-jored with her. She would pull me super fast for about 15 minutes, then she'd be done. I don't think most akitas naturally have a lot of endurance.
5. Is it true Akita can’t be trusted off leash? – I saw this in a lot of places, I’m assuming it has to do with their high prey drive, liability issues, other dangers and maybe they’re not known for recall? What’s been your experience? (Also, obviously I don’t mean off leash just anywhere. I mean somewhere remote where you won’t be around a lot of people or more then 1 or 2 other dogs.) I don't know....Oskar's gone on some off leash hikes and been ok, but I wouldn't trust him if there were serious distractions. Way, way better than the Shibas, though!
6. Dog sports? I'm really interesting in doing some sort of dog sport in the future. I've seen some people do agility with their Akita(someone on this forum and then of course youtube) and it looks like fun. Does anyone else do a dog sport with their Akita? I'd like to find a sport for Oskar, but he's huge and kind of clumsy. (I've had my feet stepped on more times than I like to count, and when Oskar lands on you, you really feel it). Agility would be out, and I just don't know what else to try. I thought his best fit might be schutzhund, but then he's incredibly soft-mouthed, and we've had to teach him to even play tug, so he doesn't have a natural desire to bite, you know? I don't know what he'd be good at or enjoy. He doesn't have a whole lot of drive to work, either (which frankly is fine with me).
7. How trainable was/is your Akita? I know they're not as easy to train as a German Shepherd and they're a little easier to train than some of the Ninon ken but....that doesn't really help me a terrible amount since I've owned neither. I mean I kind of get the idea but...why don't you explain how long it took you to learn basic commands and what were your training challenges? How good was your dogs attention span?
I'll be comparing him to my other dogs, as I had a GSD, and currently have the Akita and two Shibas. He was not nearly as responsive as the GSD, but frankly, I found his level of responsiveness to be more suitable to me. I found the GSD drive to work and to please me to be...tiresome. Also, the GSD was willing to do a lot of repetition (because hey, it's a job!) and Oskar will do it til he gets it, then he's ready to do something else. He was not nearly as quick to pick up things as the Shibas were, who are crafty, somewhat manipulative dogs who learn things very quickly and then refuse to do it (ha!). Oskar seemed downright slow in comparison to the Shibas, but he would reliably perform the commands, unlike the Shibas. The Akita is much slower to mature than the Shibas, and because of that, has taken awhile to learn impulse control (we're still not there, entirely, and he's a bit over a year old). Clicker training worked wonders with him, and he really took to it. Aversive or coercive training would have been useless, because if I try to force him to do anything, he plants his feet and drops his head and refuses to move. The only way to get him to do something is through either lure and reward or click and treat. He works joyfully for food, but he loves squeaky toys even more, and it's so easy to motivate him with a toy (he hated riding in the car, for example, as a pup, and we didn't have a good break through on this getting him in the car until I got a special toy only for rides).
I find Akitas pretty easy to train, actually. But perhaps that's simply because I'm comparing them mostly to Shibas. *lol*
8. How good is your dogs recall and how hard did you work with them on it? He's decent. He usually comes, slowly, to his name. I say "to me" as his recall command and he is more likely to come to that. He will almost always come for a sqeaky toy (which is why I say "to me" which I say in a high voice). He also got loose on a walk in the neighborhood once (pulled the leash out of my hands) and when I called him he came right away. He's honestly about as good as my GSD was, but I wouldn't trust him if there were serious distractions.
9. Can you describe your dogs "independence." I'm assuming this means they don't have to be by your side constantly but, does that mean they just chill on their own all the time? Watch you do stuff Able to entertain themselves when you're busy and can't play?(I don't mean all day, I just mean like you're cleaning the house and the dog wants to play.)
He's got a nice balance of independence and an affectionate nature. He is not as aloof as the Shibas. He does prefer to be in the room with me, preferably somewhere he can see me, but he isn't a velcro dog like the GSD (that drove me crazy). he will play with the girl Shiba or even by himself. He does come over to be petted though, and does the Akita lean at times. He likes to drop his big old head in my lap too. And he's "jealous" in that if I'm petting Bel, the Shiba, he has to stick his head in between us so he can get the attention. But he only asks for attention a few times a day....it's not that kind of relentless neediness some breeds seem to have.
10. Other? Is there anything important about the breed, or special about your dog you want to share? Any insight on what about your lifestyle has made your Akita ownership successful?
They do have a lot of health issues, and while I have been pleased to see a lot of really good temperaments in AAs lately, they can have temperament issues too. I do not find them nearly as dog aggressive as a Shiba, but they are Akitas, and don't like other dogs getting in their faces. (Oskar seems to be interested in other dogs, and will not start shit with them, and even if they growl at him, he tends to just look at them at first, like he's scoping out the situation. If it continues, though, he will quickly go all Akita on them, but as I've said, he's soft-mouthed, and while he has bit other dogs, its always a warning bite. But I saw some quite reactive AAs at dog shows. And I've seen AAs that were pretty unfriendly to people, and I don't think they should be that way. I believe they should be calm and tolerant of people, if not overly friendly (though honestly? Most of them I've met have been pretty affectionate with people, even strangers) I'd make sure you really knew the lines the dog was coming from, make sure you saw all the health records as far back as possible, and meet the parents too, so you get an idea of temperament.
I like the way Akitas are somewhat like Shibas, but a bit easier to handle and live with. And I like the fact that Oskar shows good judgement in being a watch dog: he's not a barker, but he does watch the property. If someone comes up that doesn't belong there, he watches, and if he feels it's a threat, he'll get in between the percieved threat and me. Overall, he's a big, silly boy who loves to be petted and loves to play, but he can be serious too.
Thanks for the health warnings and the warnings about aggression. I don't ever want to be the owner of an aggressive dog. No way. I know socialization is a huge deal and I will probably be taking my future puppy everywhere for a while...That's another good reason to be sure to make sure I get my future puppy from good lines and a good breeder.
Hmm...after reading these responses I'm not 100% sure I want an Akita anymore. I've been thinking about getting an Akita for a few years but, I've only had the general idealized claims about the breed(as well as my own fantasies... :P) to go off and now that I'm reading the answers to my question I'm not sure they're as athletic as I'd like them to be...I want a dog I can go jogging with a couple times a week and do dog sports, possibly hike in the cooler months and the Akita seem more interested in being at home taking a nap...which is awesome. When I'm not at an athletic point in my life maybe having an Akita would be an option but...part of the reason I want a dog is so I have a companion to do all these things with...I do like that they're not clingy since that annoys the heck out of me. Same room, fine. Right next to me all the time?...no thanks. I like almost everything else about them, just their endurance is the problem...well, nothing is set in stone. Let's hear a few more replies
My Akita only wants to exercise if he is with my pit bull (she is a great cheerleader, I guess). And my Shikoku could care less about sports of any kind (other than wanting to be chased).
If you are determined to see if a NK is a good fit, then I would suggest a Kai. I'm biased because I love mine. Shikoku owners can chime in about them. I would assume they would be good jogging/hiking companions as well. They might be a little less independent than the Kai. Or I may be totally wrong.
The Shikoku may be a bit mor biddable when it comes to training for sports. My male Kai likes agility class, but he wants to do what he wants to do. My parent's female is all over it, but she is SUPER agile and athletic. She can get over 8 foot fences no problem. She loves climbing and jumping, and now has a cat tree (made especially for her dog size), that she climbs and perches up on.
And thanks for the Kai and Shikoku suggestion. I didn't have my heart set on a NK persay, I think they're all amazing and cool so I'll probably still be lurking around the forums reading up on them for fun but, since I only had my heart set on an Akita I'm not sure if they'd be a good fit. I'll have to go look into them. Now I'm back to square one...what kind of dog would best suit me huh?
He loves the snow, though!
I think it's great, though, that you did the research, checked it out, and realized that this might not be the right dog for you right now. Some people just refuse to realize a dog they've fallen in love with may not work with them, and they end up getting one anyway, and it's a bad match. and you asked some really good questions!
Some dogs we may just have to love from afar, you know? Like I LOVE Basenjis, but I have a feeling they'd be a bit too much for me to handle!
A Pit Bull sounds great though, with that short coat they do better than an Akita in the heat. I'd have one if my former apartment complex allowed them.
I totally fell in love with Japanese Akitas, but I still have a few years to consider if this is the right breed for me, so I want to know as much as possible.
1. I've been around dogs all my life, but I never actually trained one (that was my dad's job). So this would be my first dog. And I heard people on the internet saying that Akita is not a dog for beginners. What do you think about that? Is it really that much about the breed or is it more about the time you spend training and socializing your puppy? I was thinking about getting a bitch, since I heard that they are less dominant.
2. Are Akitas ok with living outside in a kennel? It's not the weather I'm concerned about, since I heard they don't mind the cold. I just wonder how they feel about not being with their family all the time. The thing is that my boyfriend is allergic to dogs, so having a dog inside the house wouldn't be a good idea.
3. How much did you pay for your Akita puppy? I'd be lying if I'd say that I don't care about the price. I heard that a puppy from a breeder I was looking at costs around 1500€. Here is the site: http://www.samuraiyashiki.com/eglavna.php
And what do you think about their dogs?
I'd be really happy to hear some answers from Akita owners!
Nina
I am allergic to dogs. VERY allergic, and two of my dogs are in my lap in bed with me as I type this. I just medicate accordingly.
To have a happy well socialized dog hundreds of hours of socializing and companionship need to occur. Unless you plan on living outside there is little chance the dog will get what it needs.
That being said if the dog will be outside because of allergies because of a boyfriend, I'm wondering how the heck it will work. What part of the dog is he allergic to? How severe is the allergy? Is he not willing to take meds for it? Does he agree with getting the dog? Was having the dog outside a condition he gave you in order to get the dog?
I did not find an Akita Inu to be especially difficult to train.
"I was thinking about getting a bitch, since I heard that they are less dominant." --This is false.
Please do not use any dominate training methods, it will do more harm than good.
I don't think Akitas are hard to train, but that's in comparison to other NKs. In comparison to other breeds, sure, they're harder to train than GSDs or labs, or the more biddable breeds.
There are threads here about dominance. That idea has been debunked.
I find bitches a little more difficult to train/live with then dogs, but that could just be the individual dogs I've had.
I got the feeling while reading other threads that Akitas need to be inside with their family, so at least I got one thing right. I guess that's something I'll have to solve with my boyfriend, then. He was never taking any meds, cause where he comes from, they have their dog outside and it's not that bad when he pets him outside. I sure will talk to him about taking some, if we get a dog.
You gave me a lot to think about. Especially with this: ''I've yet to meet an entirely outside pet that I would actually call a pet instead of an animal that happens to live on the property.'' I couldn't agree more. I have my cats inside so I know how much we bonded in years, and it just wouldn't be the same if I'd see them only once in a while. I guess with dogs this bond is even more important, since they are pack animals.
I've been on this forum just for few weeks now, so I admit, I still have a lot to read about.
No Akita for them; they ended up getting a standard poodle instead. So I would say that someone who has an allergy to dogs, should probably spend some time with the breed under consideration to see how bad the alllergies are. If it's mild, meds can take care of that. But best to make sure it's not going to be a major deal BEFORE getting the dog.
I know to many people who use the excuse allergies to get rid of there pet just because of a few sniffles (really can't stand those people) so yes it does depend on the allergy degree of it....
**forgot to hit the post comment**