Hi there, I am new here and could really use some advice! First let me give you all some background on my current situation. I'm a single mom to a 6 year old little boy. We lost our Staffordshire, Roxy, last Christmas. We both were wanting to share our home with a new pup and I decided it may be best to take my little guy to the shelter and let him get the puppy that gravitates to him. So that's exactly what we did. We rescued what I was told was a "3 month old golden retriever possibly mixed with a husky," in May of this year. Only to discover he isn't a golden retriever at all he is an Akita Inu. Growing up my father had a big heart so we always had dogs. We had Schnauzers, Pit Bulls, Labs, Boxers, Staffords, etc. We even had a Greyhound once. So dogs are nothing new to me. Well this dog is totally different from any dog I've owned or been around for that matter. He is very protective which is one of the traits I was looking for. He is also very intelligent. However, he is stubborn as an Ox and he seems to think my son is a toy not a friend. He is constantly nipping at his toes, growling, barking, he bites onto his shirt when he walks by and won't let go until I say something. The child crying doesn't phase him. My child is scared of him at times, and that is not okay with me. He only listens to commands from me and at times he waits until my back is turned and disobeys me immediately too. I have tried just about everything and can not seem to get him to obey consistently. I consistently tell him down when he jumps on people or jumps on furniture. I've tried making loud noises to scare him off and that did not work. I tried popping his behind that doesn't work... It doesn't help that he is extremely fast and there is no way I can catch him. I know he is smart and knows he is doing something wrong though because he will jump on the furniture and just stand there waiting for me to catch him just like he stares at me while he is doing something he knows he shouldn't be doing. So he is smart, but he is stubborn. I could really use some suggestions on ways to possibly get through to him and ways that I can teach him that my child is not his chew toy. I've never had this problem before.. I'm hoping that it is just that he is in the puppy stage and things will get better. I don't have any experience with Akita Inu but I love my dog and I'm not giving up on him because he is difficult at times so please bear with me. We both love him dearly we just need a little guidance.
Curious as to how you discovered he was an Akita Inu ? Its normal puppy behaviour for puppies to bite. Lots of suggestions for teaching bite inhibition.Whatever method you choose, the more consistent you are the faster they will learn,http://www.crickethollowfarm.com/biteinhib.htm As for jumping up I found what worked for me was to fold my arms, turn my back and ignore them, you just have to be very consistent and have everyone that lives in the house do exactly the same thing. It just takes time and patience and a lot of repeat and reinforcement with positive rewards, don't give any affection until they have calmed down so they realise the faster they calm down the faster they get reward. Puppies needs to get their energy out, positive based obedience games work well for the mental aspect as does playing games teaching tricks ect: You may want to look into Training classes in your area.
Well at about 5 months I knew that his personality was nothing like a golden retrievers personality and I started to wonder if maybe they were mistaken so I had him DNA tested and that is when I found out that he's Akita Inu. Yes I try to ignore him also and I have noticed that bending down on his level as soon as I come through the door seems to help. He doesnt jump on me but he will jump up at strangers so I try to tell them to do the same but at the end of the day that isn't teaching him not to jump it is simply making it to where he has no need to jump. I am new to the positive reinforcement in the sense of training a dog not to do something. However, I am trying. My other dogs I could tell them no stearnly and they would tuck their tails, pout a minute, and wouldnt do it again. I tell him no stearnly and he growls. I got my son his own bag of treats and told him that when he does good and minds him to tell him to "sit" then say good boy and give him a treat. So we are a work in progress. After finding out what breed I had rescued I started researching and I feel lucky to be the proud owner of one of these pups although after reading about how they are with children it was a little intimidating. I mean he can be difficult at times, but he also gives me bear hugs, lays with me when Im sick, plays well with the neighbors kids without problems. For the most part he is great and he is very socialized and friendly to friends and family that visit. I guess what I really wanted to know is if the owners of older akitas out there think he is just being a big puppy and that I'm doing okay or if I should be worried about this behavior and consult a local expert?
How are things going with the dog? Quite i shock to discover he was part Akita and how different they are from other dogs! With my first Akita I was wanting to pull my hair out around 1.5 to 2 years old, I think he gave me my first grey hairs. I was very close to hiring a dog trainer. You have a long way to go.. Mine did grow up with 2 elderly collie x labs for a few years. He learned some good dog habits from them and saw them listen. Wonder if you’ll check back..
Yes, you are so right! Raising him has been very different and well a learning experience i believe for both of us. He does have certain qualities that I was really hoping for in a dog. Needless to say I wouldn't trade him for the world I just have to keep reminding myself he's still a puppy, he's still learning. It is frustrating at times though with his stubborn personality! He does well though with most dogs he has been around and he is very friendly to strangers for the most part... as long as I'm by his side that is. I wonder sometimes if that has to do with being in the shelter as I've read that isn't the typical personality for them to have towards others. We are improving as he ages I'm noticing he's better about certain things now than he used to be. Thank you for checking in!
