Is your Akita affectionate?
I'm curious, because when I try to cuddle with mine he gets up from laying down and moves elsewhere to lay down.
Or when I call him to come to me, sometimes he'll come, most of the time he'll look at me and acknowledge that I called him, then go elsewhere.. lol.
Or when I call him to come to me, sometimes he'll come, most of the time he'll look at me and acknowledge that I called him, then go elsewhere.. lol.
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And then if you still want a dog that cuddles all the time, try a pit bull. All of mine have been professional snugglers.
Mine does the same thing... she will choose when to come up and cuddle or when to lay near me. When she is through with me, she heads off into the other room.
Most of the time though, they are doing their own thing. My JA is more obedient than my Shiba and will come over when I call. She's very "kissy" where my Shiba withholds kisses unless food is involved xD
If he is conked out, superman style, he will accept bellyrubs and head and ear scratches. You can lay next to him and even put an arm around him, but that has to be strategic as well. Prolong cuddle sessions are cept to a minimum of 5 minutes.
If he is simply laying on floor with head in upward position but on floor, he is secretly watching the house and isnt to be distrurbs too much. Head scratches on okay. You can not go lay next to him at this point. He will get up and walk away.
And if he is laying down with head in the air, all bets off, but you might get lucky. Though I bug him anyway and he says "too much mom" and gets up to walk away.
Affectionate is an understatement for Saigo. He is only 5 months old, so it may be a puppy thing but all Saigo ever wants to do is snuggle and be rubbed. He follows us from room to room and hangs out a few feet away. I think he just loves being around people. This also explains why he LOVES getting groomed, bathed and even likes going to the vet. He loves going up to strangers and other dogs.
I know he doesn't have separation issues or anxiety because he doesn't freak out when we leave, nothing is wrecked at home (he usually just sits on his bed when we leave in the morning).
Our front hallway chair has become his snuggle chair. When Rob gets home, Saigo will run directly to the chair (not him) and wait to get snuggled. It's hilarious! I've passed out on the floor a few times and Saigo will come and sleep right next to me. He can snuggle for hours!
She loves to snuggle - will climb on the bed, will lay down next to you... She stays as long as you are patting. If you stop patting, she'll split in about 10 seconds, though.
He's good natured though...he impresses people at the dog park at how well behaved he is...and he is very low maintenance at home due to his independent nature. The only problem we've had with him at all is due to his need for "personal space" we've had a few growling issues with one or two of my boys if they bug him, but we take care of it immediately and it's very rare that it happens. And the teeth are never shown or anything, it's more of a throat rumble of annoyance, but I still deal with it swiftly and sternly. He is also a bit stubborn as well. He is very "Akita" in that he listens to a command, and then visibly decides if it's worth it to obey or not before he actually does it.
When I first got him, I was disappointed that even as a puppy he didn't seem to love and adore my kids (or any of us) but merely seemed to tolerate us....it really upset me...but then I realized it has it's good side too, as far as being very low maintenance. He is not a super "Needy" dog, and he can be left indoors without us for several hours at a time (from a fairly young age, too)....he is calm at the dog park, and when it's time to go, he immediately follows my husband to the exit without having to chase him and leash him up like other people have to do with their dogs. He also, if my youngest son goes to the dog park with my husband, and other dogs come up to my son, Kota will be sure to go over there too and make sure the dog doesn't do anything bad...sometimes he will get between my son and the other dog very casually, almost as if he is not really "protecting" him, but he's just "there".
I think that's the funny thing about Akitas...they never really show all their "cards" (love, loyalty, affection, protection) so sometimes I guess you don't know their full potential until a situation arises that demands it...and then you see that they loved you more than you thought they did. :-)
Off topic, but does anyone know when Akita's stop growing? At what age?
I think the main growth is done by a year, but then they fill out and gain maybe 15-20 more pounds, and possibly 1/2"-1" of height by age 3. I believe that by age 3 they are considered to be fully mature as far as growth...but the majority is done by a year or shortly thereafter. Kota is about 25"-26" and about 85 lbs at one year. He will probably top off at 26"-27" and 100 lbs by age 3.