Hi, I am new to this website and chat forum. I stumbled upon it while searching online about the Akita breed. I have been wanting to find a chat forum where I can talk directly online to actual owners of Akita's to get a much better understanding of information on the breed. I am 24 years old, I have a 5 year old and I am pregnant with my 2nd child currently. I have been fascinated with Akita's my whole life, but have never owned one or met anyone where I grew up and where I live now that has one. I have several questions that I am hoping some people can help me out with - How social are Akita's? - Do Akita's do well with young children or older children, or none at all? - How stubborn is this breed? - In terms of training, how imperative is it to have them be put in obedience class? - Is temperament something that is inherent in this breed, or is every Akita different? - What is something crucial that I would need to look out for when finding the right Akita breeder? - Is it safe to get an Akita from a non AKC registry? (Health and temperament wise) - How aggressive is this breed with other dogs, (again is this inherent or is it just a stereotype that people like to throw out there about the breed) - Is this dog as quiet and aloof towards others as people say? - Are Akita's playful and goofy with their families at all? Sorry if a lot of these questions come off as stereotypical questions of the breed, I understand that almost all dog breeds are a product of how they are raised and treated, but on the other hand I have heard a lot about how there are certain traits that come with the breed. Any honest answers I appreciate! I am very interested in getting an Akita someday, I just need to be more educated on the breed beforehand, and also to know if I should wait until my kids get a bit older before getting one, or if it would be okay to get one when they are still young.
Hi Ashley, welcome to the forum. I took a peek at your profile and it appears you haven’t owned a dog before, is that correct? Akitas are not an easy dog for a first time owner, and generally it’s recommended that you have an easier breed first. They are a very strong willed, dominant breed, and can be stubborn. They are very intelligent but bore quickly with repetitive training. Many of your questions make me think you have read up on the breed. I’d had collie/lab brother and sister before my brother gave me my first Akita. He was much different then my other dogs, who were elderly when I brought him home. They are not a dog for the feint of heart. Do you mean how social with people or other dogs. My current pair are very happy to get attention from people, and seem to expect it, but this is probably from how I’ve socialized them. My first Akita was not well socialized and didn’t like other dogs at all, except for a litter mate a friend of mine had. He was very protective of me, our property and my truck. Before I added the female, Katie Mae, my male, Bandit did pretty well, for an Akita, with other dogs. This was largely due, IMO, to the fact that I walked him on leash almost everyday where he would meet lots of other dogs and people from as soon as he was safe to go out into the world. I always let people say hi to him, and tried to let him interact as much as possible with other on leash dogs. He was very playful with other dogs, which I don’t think is necessarily common for the breed. Once I got the female pup he became protective of her over time and now I try to walk them where I won’t run into a lot of other dogs. This also could be a product of his age, maturing into a protective male, instead of a playful puppy. They can do well with kids but I’d personally be concerned about getting a pup with very young children. If you’d already had the dog and knew it’s temperament that’d be different. My dogs love kids, especially my male, who’s 14 months older than his 1/2 sister. I trust him around very young kids more than his sister, mostly because he’s just had more experience. They can be VERY stubborn and training and socialization from a very young age are imperative. They do not do well with heavy handed training methods. They need a firm but positive trainer. Not all dog trainers will be appropriate for an Akita, even though most trainers won’t agree. I’ve had some who were good with my dogs and others who didn’t understand them. Don’t plan on walking an Akita off leash, it is just not worth the risk in my opinion. They are notorious for having poor recall. Also you need to be involved in their training, don’t send them off for someone else to train. All my Akitas have had different personalities and temperament can vary depending on their parents, but what you read about Akita temperament is not a generalization, they are strong willed, stubborn and dominant. Generally speaking they don’t do well with dogs of the same sex once they grow out of puppyhood. I would recommend getting a dog from an AKC breeder, preferably one who shows their dogs, although my first one came from my brother who didn’t show his dog. You absolutely want a pup from health tested parents. Run away from any breeder who tries to get money from you too quickly... look online for complaints about the breeder, but also take them with a grain of salt. People love to complain (myself included...). Talk with multiple breeders to get a feel for what they have to say about the breed and their particular dogs. Akitas can be very aggressive with other dogs that aren’t part of their pack. They will be protective of your children, and will need to be put away from your kids when they have friends over if there is going to be any rough housing. They will see that as a threat to one of their pack. Akitas are not golden retrievers... Akitas are generally quiet, when they bark, pay attention. They may bark for a minute when a car drives bye their WELL fenced yard, but don’t tend to bark endlessly. My first Akita was pretty aloof around strangers but my current dogs are attention mongers. They are still young so they could become more aloof. My dogs can be goofy at times and they often make me laugh. They definitely want to be around their pack, not just put out in the yard all day. I love having Akitas, but they aren’t for everyone. Hope this helps. Feel free to ask more questions. Hopefully someone else will also share their experiences with their Akita/s, so you can get more then just my perspective
