Kahuna went on a short hike yesterday...

edited November 2008 in Akita (秋田犬)
Here is just a little spam from a short hike we did yesterday. We took Lani, Fuji, and Kahuna. It went well, tho we met several off-lead dogs and met one guy that had lost his dog on the trail. I felt bad for him, but I really wanted to say "That's what happens when you hike your dogs on a busy trail off-lead, jackass".

For this short hike the purpose was to get Kahuna used to nature and hiking, we want him to be a superb trail dog like Kona. I had him wear the vest [yoke] the packs sit on so he gets used to wearing it early.

We also had Lani wear a pack to see how she did. She did OK, not great, but not bad either. I only had about a pound in the pack so it didn't really slow her down or make her feel like she had a job. We will not add more than 5lb till she is 2 years old.

After the hike we took the pups to town so they could meet some people. They did well. Kahuna was a little fearful, but much better than the first time we went with him. Lani did OK too, she was way better than before she wet on thyroid meds, but she was still a little freaked - nothing we can't work with tho.

Fuji, of course, was fine. Tho she did bark a lot at an umbrella. :o\

Anyway, here are some pics...

trail_pic4

trail_pic2

trail_pic1

Lani_packing_2

In town:
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Comments

  • edited November -1
    Yeah, those scary umbrellas, they'll get ya every time. :-)

    Sounds like all is going well. I'm glad to hear Lani is making progress. She looks pretty relaxed in that last picture of the three of them with Jen. As does Kahuna for that matter, looking all cute on the bench. :-)
  • edited November -1
    Looks like a good day!
  • edited November -1
    Glad it went well :) ~
  • edited November -1
    Sounds like everyone had a great time! And Lani looks so confident with her pack on.

    And poor Fuji, those umbrellas are super scary! :)
  • edited November -1
    Such happy 'kita's. Glad all did well.
  • edited November -1
    Cute, cute, cute (and Jen, too!)! You guys have the best trails... Love the tall trees and the rugged terrain --- just the right setting for these doggies! Thanks for the pics, and looks like everyone is enjoying the experience.
  • edited November -1
    fun!

    I do not know much about Akita specifics, but other than the orange markings in Kahuna - what other differences should we see between him and Lani? They look so similar, yet somewhat different.
  • edited November -1
    Looks like a great day for all! Kahuna is getting BIG! Fuji is so beautiful, I love her face. Lani looks proud to be wearing the pack. Great job!
  • edited November 2008
    Sounds like fun, an Akita hike!

    Fuji reminds me of Kuma a lot, there's the obvious colour reason, but the poses and even the fact that she's pretty much OK with everything.
    They seem to bark and suspect stuff that they don't understand. The other day Kuma was finding it strange that a garbage can in the street had "tentacles" (someone had put this strange thing with a few plastic tubes in it) and he looking at it and assuming a run-for-it stance. But as soon as I went there and kicked the can a bit and he saw it didn't move or anything, he was fine with it.
    Sorry for the hi-jacking.

    It's great that Lani's meds are doing it for her. She looks great in her pack.
  • edited November -1
    Fuji seems like a natural model- always in the right pose for the camera. She's looking very grown up!
  • edited November -1
    Beautiful scenery!

    Looks like an awesome day out with the Akitas.

    We need more Fuji and Kahuna spam though -grins-.
  • edited November -1
    Looks like a good day! Glad everything went well. It still baffles me how many people out there leave their dogs off-leash - especially hiking! That seems so counter-intuitive for both the safety of the animal and the people.

    The Akitas all look so huggable!
  • edited November -1
    Thanx all! :o)

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    Jen - I'm not sure I totally understand your question [sorry I am a little slow today], other than the obvious differences, Lani and Kahuna have different dilutions in their brindle. Akita come in white, red, and brindle. The different colors in brindle come from different recessive traits.

    Kahuna and Lani have a very similar "type", so they should really look very similar as adults, but they will be different colors. Also, K has a more obvious mask than Lani. K should be bigger, bigger than Hilo even.

    Hope that answers your questions.

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  • edited November -1
    my question wasn't clear, sorry! but your answer is perfect, I guess being able to see them in person would be something, but in pics they do look similar, but different in their size, ears and subtle brindle coloring...

    What is Lani's color called? Kahunas?
  • edited November -1
    The color of Lani and Kahuna is "Brindle" - the terms "red brindle", "silver brindle", and "blue brindle" are just terms people use but not official colors [blue and silver brindle are the same thing - they can also be called diluted red brindle]. I guess you could say Lani is silver/blue brindle and Kahuna is a red brindle... but that is not the "correct" name for them. I know it is confusing, its just that genetically all brindle Akita are "red brindle" - they are WFR Akita with a brindle overlay.

    I will try to take some comparison pics for you.

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  • edited November -1
    Blue and silver brindle should be renamed "the oreo blizzard". Brad, you know I'm still secretly hoping for you to have a blue brindle produced out of one of your litters so I could name it Oreo :P
  • edited November -1
    Superb photos!
    Kahuna has a happy life in your pack.
    :-)))
    Jen look so proud with all the Akita hihihi, she can be proud of them
    ;-)
  • edited November -1
    It's kind of interesting to hear what dogs fear. An umbrella that is so unassuming to us, looms in the sky to Fuji.
  • edited November 2008
    lol! 'oreo blizzard' describes them perfectly!

    I guess that is the hangup, I'm trying to learn about the breed and the marking/color standards and it seems that while most JA's have similar features, their markings seem so unique to each dog - like I've not seen an akita that looks quite like Kahuna, but most brindle look similar.
  • edited November 2008
    Jen - That is what I love about Akita, especially brindle, they are so different from one another. The book Japanese Dogs does a great job of explaining the color to shoot for with an Akita:

    "The color of the coat should be light: the aim is to produce a coloration that matches the scenery of the Japanese countryside. To make an analogy with painting, what is desirable is the effect of watercolor, or a charcoal sketch, not an oil painting. The colors should be matte, rather than smooth or glossy."

    I hope that helps a little.

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  • edited November -1
    Your akitas are soooo beautiful!
  • edited November -1
    thanks for that explanation - those are terms I can understand! Its true though, they do have that undefined definition of a charcoal sketch in their colors, the fluidity of watercolor. Their colors are so poetic!
  • edited November -1
    He's growing so fast :)
  • edited November -1
    Great Pics! Looked like a really nice day to hike!
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