Some Akita questions
Hi all, My wife and I are considering getting some akitas to join out family when we move to Peru. We will have about 2 acres of fenced in land and have 3 shibas (as of now, may get a 4th one before we leave). We always wanted akitas, but here in the states there just isnt enough room for the shibas bigger cousin (also like the fact that they are guard dogs by nature, we dont need fulltime guard dogs, but dogs that have this trait built in is good). I know the dog needs to be indoors as much as out and I will be building a house that will give them access inside the house as much as outside, but my question would be this, since I have shibas already would I be better off getting akita puppies so they will socialize better?. I also read that akitas a very food possesive, to the point were they need to seperated to avoid fights. My shibas pretty much eat all together, they have seperate dishes, but pretty much share bowls between each other (guess they think we put different food in each bowl). We may consider getting 4 akitas, 2 male and 2 females, we will have them fixed, breeding is just not our cup of tea (we would end up keeping all the pups, hehe).
thanks for any info
thanks for any info
Comments
IMO you will need to make sure integrations go smoothly. Don't expect to get new dogs and just mix them all together at once, even if you start with puppies. With Shibas already established and a plan to bring in a lot more dogs you have to understand there may be some really big "brewhahas". Any brawls and your plans can go drastically awry. Although Akitas are bigger, Shibas can be just as determined to stake their territory claim. Naturally the smaller dog will get the short end of the deal and the damage can be ugly and costly if there is discord.
Yes, I have heard that Shibas can be food possessive too. Sometimes that develops when there was none before if you add many more dogs to your mixture. I too have also heard that Akitas can be food possessive among each other. Someone else on the forum can probably tell you more about that.
Anyway, my point is have a plan for dog to dog personal space and personality differences within the group. It might behoove you to have some kennel runs. Be very careful about how you manage all the dogs in terms of integrations and housing. It is no easy task and with each one you add there will be an incredible dynamic change within the group and your household.
Snf
To answer your question, because we simply love animals, I have perosnally raised monkeys, panthers, wolves, various species of birds, even had a sloth at one time. We have ample land and will have a big enough house to hold all the dogs ( we will not have anymore exotic animals) We would probably only stick with the shibas, but we need larger dogs as well to deter "unwanted" guests to our house. So we figure that akitas being more of an indoor/outdoor dog they would fit, plus they have a natural protective instict and dont take well to strangers, also like the fact that they know only to accept visitors when their "alphas" are home but not when they are gone. Our shibas are not very possesive (but they do have very distinct personalites), I have made an effort to keep them social, so I figure they will take well to their bigger cousins.
Number two, if you are expecting a guard dog an Akita Inu is not for you. While they are deeply loyal and they will alert you someone that they don't know I would not rely on an Akita to engage an intruder.
Is that only true for akitas?..or for shibas as well,? I ask this because noche, my 6 month old shiba, is about to get snipped, I had the other two shibas snipped at the same age.
As far as "guard" dogs, like I said, thats not the reason why we would get them, if not I would go german shepard, Honestly dont need much of a guard dog, BUT in the town I live in people just keep away from houses with big dogs, just the way they are (I am also considering a brazilian fila). Sol (my male shiba) is more of a siren to alert us to something new. When we took them to Peru on one of our trips he picked up on things faster than my mother german shepard, and sol was inside, hehe, thats the nice thing about shibas, they seldom bark, but when they do its for a reason.
Both my dogs were speutered at 6 months as were most dogs on the forum.
For the Shibas I have not known of any problems by spaying/neutering at 6 months, that goes for my experience with my own and those of rescued Shibas as well.
Snf
Taasrs I would consider one mastiff over four akita for the job you want the dogs to do.
IT sounds like a Tosa, Fila or even a Dogo might be a better bet if you want some security. I know that Shibas can get along with mastiffs quite well, even with dobermans and rotties. Check the bloodlines for temperament but I am sure that would be easier to manage for multiple reasons.
I also agree with the general consensus that Shibas, as smaller/medium sized dogs, esp as companions, are best neutered at 6 months of age.
When I breed early altering will nullify my guarentee.
Akita Inu are first and formost a companion dog. They should love their people and be friendly (though not really too interested) to strangers.
A Fila is a whole other ballgame.
It sounds like what you need is a strong and stable GSD.
I waited until 6 months to fix my female, but having shared some experiences with members of this forum, I would wait until 1 year of age...perhaps a bit older - but again, this is not a requirement. There are many reasons to wait until 6 months or longer, you really have to decide what's best for your pack. And that should really be your goal. Not to get 5 dogs in the next month, but to do what's best for your pack as a whole.
Personally, I believe the easiest transition is bringing in one pup at a time. This gives you time to bond with the pup. Without this bonding period, I'm not certain you would have a very effective guard dog - no matter the breed. If you want to bring in an older dog, that dog should meet your entire pack before making the decision to actually bring him/her in as a family member.
My male is a VERY good guard dog - both towards people and other animals. We were at the dog park the other day and he spent the evening making a perimeter around me to keep a particularly crazy dog away. Really, the dog was young and needed to be put in her place, but Keigo decided to really define a circle around me. Yesterday evening, the crazy dog wasn't there, so he allowed the other dogs to approach me.
As for people, I have no doubt, that this dog would kill for me. This is a dog that doesn't really care for being petted by other people. Keigo will sniff a human and walk away if they are not dangerous. But if he deems that there is danger, he has given a warning snap when they have gotten too close. Just this past summer, my hubby, my parents and I were dining at a restaurant. The owner (who Keigo sniffed when we arrived) got too close for Keigo's comfort. Keigo snapped quickly, growled and sat closer to my side. Every time the owner walk by, Keigo sat up quietly, staring intently in preparation. He had never done that before.
On the flip side, Mika loved people. She would warn people walking by our home not to get too close, but if they actually walked in the house, I doubt she would attack unless truly provoked. My point is, the guarding instinct and the reliability to follow through if necessary differs from dog to dog.
Your experience with animals certainly makes it sound like you could handle any dog, I just see a bit of contradiction in your reasoning for an Akita and then considering a Fila too.
Would the Fila be an outside dog, while the Akita be inside/outside dogs? Or are you considering one or the other? I'm just asking out of curiosity.
What is the weather like in the area of Peru you will be living? Would you be at a higher altitude or closer to the coast or forest? From what I understand, the lower lands in Peru don't have a huge temp swing from month to month... I ask because Akita tend to get hot while a Fila seems like it would get cold and so one may not work in higher altitudes where the weather can be cooler and the other may not work in warmer climates (especially if you expect them to patrol your property).
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We have a situation here where we have threats from predators such as Cougar, Coyote, Bear, and Eagle - as well as occasional transients. Our 4 Akita do an ok job of "guarding" the property from roaming dogs and strangers. They will bark at un-welcomed guest and dogs but they seem completely unaffected by the other predators. If a stranger came into our home or property I would not expect our Akita to engage the threat, they would bark and put on a good display, but not move to drive the intruder out or take any physical action unless the threat made a move at them or one of us... and I am still not sure they would protect one of us from a person - tho they would from a dog as that has happened before.
The highest threat from all predators in this area, excluding eagle, comes at night and at night our Akita have absolutely no interest in being outside. So, that is something to consider if you are looking for a night sentry.
We have had very few issues with our Shiba and Akita, but we train and socialize them constantly. They also where all introduced to each other at an age no older than 6 months - this age thing holds true for all our dogs excluding Luyity our CO.
Two acres of land is not a huge area, and I think 4 Akita is probably a bit over kill... I mean if you just want that many Akita, that's another story, but for the purpose you described a male/female pair would work out well, IMHO. (assuming the appropriate climate and that you just want a big dog to bark... even then tho, our Akita don't bark much - our girls bark the most but still less than our Kai and Shikoku - so an Akit'a presence may not be as broadcast as you mey need/like)
Just be prepared, as I am sure you are aware, not all Akita [or any dog] are made equal, so you should have the ability to separate your Akita and Shiba if things don't go as expected - also keep in mind a group of dogs that are fine together today may not be fine together tomorrow - things change in dog social structure just like with people. [I think you probably know all that tho since you have raised wolves and etc.]
If the climate is not too hot (like under 80F), you may want to consider a Tibetan Mastiff - they like the night and bark a lot.
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"Hey, why are they all running that way?!?!?!?!"
Brada1878, yeah 2 acres is not huge...but I failed to mention that we actually have about 10 acres of land, 2 acres will be fenced in (maybe more, but I dont excpect much more) The only reason I am also considering the fila (instead of an akita) is not because of their greater "guard" instinct, but that they have been know to take better to other animals in the household and will take a lot more abuse from children (tugging their tails and ears I guess, I guess they are more patient). We will be moving to the amazon jungle, but we will be in the mountains, the area were we would be living has a max temp of about 85 and can drop to the 50's depending of the time of year, but its usually a nice 70 to 75. I plan on building the house so that all the dogs have acces to the inside at anytime if they feel the temputre or rain is getting to them. I am not looking for them to protect us from wildlife, in fact I will be doing what is necessary so they are protected from outside elements at all times. Barking is not something we want all the time as well, as I mentioned Sol is our "alarm" dog and noche seems to be following in his footsteps, and the times they bark is when we pay attention. The meer prescence of having large dogs on the property is all we need to deter any people from comming in, I dont expect the dogs to make trespasser's their chew toys..hehe. Our biggest concern would be that they will socialize well with our existing shibas, and as sujewel mentioned I think the best way would be to bring a new pup one at a time, so that the existing pack is not overwhemled and the pup will learn to socialize with us. In the end sujewel amde a good point, all animals have different personalities, I learned this from my shibas, although they have certain base personalities, they are different in the end, from being social, playful, and protective, and I never expect one to respond to every situation in the same way.
We will probably get our 4th shiba shortly before we leave and when the house is done we would come back for an akita, (I actually talked to my wife about the filas again today, she just said, "if you want them ..ok, but I like the akitas more") so that means: get the akitas, hehe