Akitas - deserving of the rep?

Cherryblossom said:
I fostered an akita x huskey that was rescued from a puppy farm. I struggled with working out how to train something that isn’t motivated by food/praise/toys. She almost reminded me of a reptile; I had no idea what was going on in her head and she was completely standoffish. She was rehomed to someone who adored her, but had to put her down when, after a year of living together, she almost tore the throat out of her other dog.
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reptilian! Such a good way to describe it
 
stangs said:
You’re right, but I’m having a little chuckle at this because American Akitas fit this to a T but Japanese Akitas ime are such slim/fox like looking things that a real ‘ard man would be embarrassed to be seen walking one.
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I’ve seen some huge Akitas in Japan….
 
I met one once at the vets (her owner and I had both taken our dogs in to appointments there), she was fine near our old Parsons and seemed a really intelligent dog.
 
chaps89 said:
Next doors dog is a rescue and supposedly gsd x Akita. I like dogs but he gives me the heebie jeebies. Couldn’t tell you why and she thinks I’m mad for avoiding him when he’s so lovely but I won’t go near him ?‍♀️
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My idiot neighbour keeps convincing people her two Anatolians are nice ... Most who fall for it get bitten or growled at! If i saw them out i would literally be finding somewhere to climb and/ or hide, they are not to be trusted!
 
My German Shepherd was attacked by an Anatolian on a walk when she was about 4; the other dog ripped out of his owner's hands and went for Willow, both Willow and I started screaming while the other owner stood there like an idiot. People came running out of their houses to see what was causing the ruckus, fortunately no one was seriously injured but I always made sure to never get remotely close to that dog again. I can't imagine what might have happened if people hadn't intervened or its victim had been smaller/less fluffy.
 
I have never met an Akita I would trust. I was asked to fit muzzles/harnesses/collars etc for them years ago and I refused. I’d rather have stuck my hand in the mouth of a pissed off mastiff breed than have with anything to do with an Akita.

I don’t particularly like the lack of readability, I’m a very intuitive/spidey-sense type of person. These dogs just sent my spidey-sense haywire.
 
I’ve been wracking my brain to think of a time I’ve had anything to do with Akitas and, other than seeing them at Crufts and very occasionally from a distance, I don’t think I have. A blessing by the sound of it ?
 
This is an ex clients malamute x Akita. He is utterly fab, doesn't seem to take after either breed in his temperament, just really wants to be with you and be fussed all the time, sadly has no idea how big he is and would happily sit on your knee if you let him, also loves every dog he meets.
The Caucasian is a client of my partners, she's their 3rd Caucasian and they have them as guard dogs, apparently she's a big let down as is a massive softie, the other 2 are terrifying and OH claims their GSD is as scarey as the others too. Oddly enough this business premises is not one that has people letting themselves in, the sign says "stay in your car and call this number for entry" strangely enough with these dogs around people follow that instruction lol.
 

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To be fair I know quite a few nice ones based in this area. I’ve never found them too different to deal with than a bold, calm GSD. But then I’ve not met a nasty Caucasian either, and most of those I see are through the rspca… Sounds like I’ve been lucky!
Shar Peis and Chows however…
 
Oh h311 to the no. I've known one that was safe. The most memorable one was one tough hard a$$. We had to use a rabies pole to get him out of the run to go relieve himself. There were 2 people at the practice who were able to handle the dog without the rabies pole. They were very strong men. Lyle who is short but strong and fast had the dog outside to go potty. The dog spun on him and he ended up suspending the dog at arms length. The practice owner finally told the owners to take the dog home and to not bring him back. This is a 24/7 practice and you can imagine how much fun it was to have only 2 people who could handle the dog.
 
chaps89 said:
Next doors dog is a rescue and supposedly gsd x Akita. I like dogs but he gives me the heebie jeebies. Couldn’t tell you why and she thinks I’m mad for avoiding him when he’s so lovely but I won’t go near him ?‍♀️
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Exactly my feeling. It was an Akita x that bit Brig, zero warning, just leant over and bit, hard. He then attacked a rough collie, whose owner tried to yank it off his dog. He ended up in A&E after the dog bit his arm. Apparently a nasty wound. The owner now walks it elsewhere, unfortunately in our nearest park.
 
On the back of this thread I went to YouTube and watched quite an interesting video about Akitas. The presenter is a little irritating at times but the guy she interviews had both types of Akita (Japanese and American) so it was really interesting to see them both together and hear about the differences between them. She also asked the guy if he thought Akitas deserved their reputation and he said yes and that even experienced dog owners might struggle with them. I thought this was quite telling, because I watched a couple of her other videos, on the Turkish Kangal dog and the Caucasian Shepherd, and the owners of those dogs were both saying they didn't deserve their reputations and were lovely, friendly dogs. So it was interesting, after reading this thread, to see that even though he obviously loved the breed, this guy clearly thought people should be very cautious with Akitas.

 
Just bumping this as some new people have moved in locally with a large Japanese Akita. We asked what breed he was. The JRT, who is pretty streetwise after her early years in Bolton parks, has instantly assessed him as being in the 'means no harm' category. He woofs a bit when we walk past and he's out in his garden, but she just shrugs and carries on, whereas gardens containing certain other dogs such as the psycho collies, she scuttles past anxiously.

She's seen him out on a walk now, both her and him being on leads, and was fine. I hope that she's reading the runes correctly, and he's one of the nice ones! The owners seem pleasant and responsible. We didn't and won't permit close up contact, though, that only happens with a very select few dogs, mostly other terriers.
 
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Tiddlypom said:
Just bumping this as some new people have moved in locally with a large Japanese Akita. We asked what breed he was. The JRT, who is pretty streetwise after her early years in Bolton parks, has instantly assessed him as being in the 'means no harm' category. He woofs a bit when we walk past and he's out in his garden, but she just shrugs and carries on, whereas gardens containing certain other dogs such as the psycho collies, she scuttles past anxiously.

She's seen him out on a walk now, both her and him being on leads, and was fine. I hope that's she's reading the runes correctly, and he's one of the nice ones! The owners seem pleasant and responsible. We didn't and won't permit close up contact, though, that only happens with a very select few dogs, mostly other terriers.
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I love the Japanese Akita. They are very good dogs with the right owners. I am hoping to get one when I move. My last dog was a Shiba Inu (small version) mix and was the best dog. I was careful with him and didn’t allow contact with other dogs unless it belonged to one of my friends. While he wasn’t dog aggressive, if he didn’t like the dog it wouldn’t go well at all so I erred on the side of caution.

I’m sure your JRT is a good judge of character. My pup would woof at any dog going past when he could see them go past my apartment, even if it was his friend.
 
We have two local ones, one is very dog reactive but fine with the horses and one is very horse reactive but fine with other dogs (from what I can see when I'm riding by!) ... They really hate each other; when we're on the narrow bridleway, we always warn the second owner if we've already passed the first one ... one of the owners will immediately turn and go the other way. Hers is the horse-neutral one, so we chat a lot more ... the the horse reactive one is utterly terrifying and if I see it off lead in the distance, I will go another route or hang back until it's one lead. It has "OK" recall and the owner is responsible and clearly a good dog handler, but even so, the way it leaps and roars when we ride by is really very frightening as it gives off all the wrong vibes (not the more typical "I'm shouting because I'm on lead but if I was free I'd avoid you" vibes that many dogs have).

So, not a fan, esp on narrow busy shared paths with many other dogs and horses.
 
I was collecting something from a work mate's house and their Akita glared at me the whole time. When the owner went into another room I didn't dare move. I was glad to leave in one piece

I saw some at a dog show with coats that looked like black velvet. They are stunning looking dogs, but I like dog friendly and people friendly dogs.
 
This threads is some 18 months old, but perhaps still of interest. During the 1960s then Doberman's were the ultimate hardpan's sidekick - then in the 1970s it was Rotts. Nowadays few of us will think twice about passing either breed on a sidewalk - mostly and though probably not by design, the aggressive traits have been bred out of them.

20 years ago, the advice/instructions offered by Equi's kennels made for perfect sense. The initial imports had never had either control or compliance bred in to them and the dogs at the time had no general respect, for man - any man or woman, for that matter. Hardcase dogs very often don't seem to 'generally' see women as a threat and so, they tend to ignore them.

There have been some interesting and well expressed opinions on this thread, many of which I agree with …. but what I will never understand is that if the pro-trainers, those who work with the guard breeds all the time, many as their daily bread and butter, don't want these obscure and often downright dangerous breeds, what chance do those who, if we're being honest, haven't clue what they're doing, stand with them?

Would I want an Akita? Not really but if I wanted a guard breed, I'd probably choose a Czech Border Patrol (GSD) …. they tend to be biddable and trainable, they have a history of fitting in with mankind and to my eye, they are handsome animals.
 
planete said:
https://www.secondchanceakitarescue.co.uk/about-the-akita

Like. Managing genetics is a must with working breeds. I really wish more people would realise it. You have to work with nature, ignoring it mostly ends badly.
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Well Said.

'Genetics' - with the bulk of those who breed these dogs and those of their kind, many of whom probably have little understanding of the word and even less when applying it to their plans …. some hope of that.
 
Boy Tom said:
This threads is some 18 months old, but perhaps still of interest. During the 1960s then Doberman's were the ultimate hardpan's sidekick - then in the 1970s it was Rotts. Nowadays few of us will think twice about passing either breed on a sidewalk - mostly and though probably not by design, the aggressive traits have been bred out of them.

20 years ago, the advice/instructions offered by Equi's kennels made for perfect sense. The initial imports had never had either control or compliance bred in to them and the dogs at the time had no general respect, for man - any man or woman, for that matter. Hardcase dogs very often don't seem to 'generally' see women as a threat and so, they tend to ignore them.

There have been some interesting and well expressed opinions on this thread, many of which I agree with …. but what I will never understand is that if the pro-trainers, those who work with the guard breeds all the time, many as their daily bread and butter, don't want these obscure and often downright dangerous breeds, what chance do those who, if we're being honest, haven't clue what they're doing, stand with them?

Would I want an Akita? Not really but if I wanted a guard breed, I'd probably choose a Czech Border Patrol (GSD) …. they tend to be biddable and trainable, they have a history of fitting in with mankind and to my eye, they are handsome animals.
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To your points in bold, I don't think that's true, I just think that they are as much in fashion any more and people have just moved onto other breeds. There are still sharp examples of both breeds, they're just not so common, as a generalisation.

I would also caution against the eastern European 'border patrol' sales pitch. The Iron Curtain came down over 30 years ago and the genuine bloodlines from that time that haven't been diluted are vanishingly small, it's a look rather than anything. The older Czech stuff tends to be civil and reserved, not ideal traits in the modern working dog IMO and a lot in common with our old friend, the Akita, in that regard. There are also problems with dentition, size, hips/elbows and lameness. The best thing that has happened to them IMO is breeding them with west German work lines, which has meant a smaller, sounder and more agile sports dog, many from this combination have gone on to great things.
As an aside, a German showline breeder used to boast to us how he used to sell the east Germans his 'shit', because all they had to do was walk round and round all day.
The 'DDR' schtick is even worse.

ETA: Maybe I'd have a different opinion if almost every pure Czech dog I know didn't have to be retired early from sport or police work or died young because of structural issues.
And it's really important to remember that the hype was driven by a very small number of breeders/brokers who's main income was selling dogs and that business dropped away with the changing political tide.
 
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CorvusCorax said:
To your points in bold, I don't think that's true, I just think that they are as much in fashion any more and people have just moved onto other breeds. There are still sharp examples of both breeds, they're just not so common, as a generalisation.

I would also caution against the eastern European 'border patrol' sales pitch. The Iron Curtain came down over 30 years ago and the genuine bloodlines from that time that haven't been diluted are vanishingly small, it's a look rather than anything. The older Czech stuff tends to be civil and reserved, not ideal traits in the modern working dog IMO and a lot in common with our old friend, the Akita, in that regard. There are also problems with dentition, size, hips/elbows and lameness. The best thing that has happened to them IMO is breeding them with west German work lines, which has meant a smaller, sounder and more agile sports dog, many from this combination have gone on to great things.
As an aside, a German showline breeder used to boast to us how he used to sell the east Germans his 'shit', because all they had to do was walk round and round all day.
The 'DDR' schtick is even worse.

ETA: Maybe I'd have a different opinion if almost every pure Czech dog I know didn't have to be retired early from sport or police work or died young because of structural issues.
And it's really important to remember that the hype was driven by a very small number of breeders/brokers who's main income was selling dogs and that business dropped away with the changing political tide.
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You may well be right and my experience of such dogs in competition can be readily summed up as nil, but I would still much prefer to pin my hopes to the mast of an animal which has a demonstrated and clear history of work and competition, rather than a breed of dog which doesn't appear to have any real purpose beyond compound guarding and which those with experience generally avoid like the plague. The last few Czech bred dogs that I have seen seemed to me anyway, to be verging on normal and I thought, rather well put together.
 
Boy Tom said:
You may well be right and my experience of such dogs in competition can be readily summed up as nil, but I would still much prefer to pin my hopes to the mast of an animal which has a demonstrated and clear history of work and competition, rather than a breed of dog which doesn't appear to have any real purpose beyond compound guarding and which those with experience generally avoid like the plague. The last few Czech bred dogs that I have seen seemed to me anyway, to be verging on normal and I thought, rather well put together.
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For me, there's very little difference between compound guarding and walking up and down a fence/round and round, which is what the border patrol dogs would have been doing. It's also why structural issues snuck in, as there was no real requirement to run/jump etc, which is why they tended to be bigger and heavier and there was no way to show pain or discomfort.

The modern dogs coming out of the Czech Republic and Slovakia usually have a big dollop of western sports breeding behind them, which like I say, has corrected a lot of these issues.
I've lost count of the amount of people who have shown me their 'Czech' dog's pedigree and it's full of German dogs.
For instance my oldest dog is a German Shepherd, for sure, bred in these islands, but the majority of his breeding is Belgian, with a one close line to show dogs through his mother. Still a smashing dog.
 
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