If an Akita is the way you are thinking. Please first, contact the Akita Association or the Akita rescue and really do your homework before making a decision Akitas are a lovely breed but as in most breeds there are good breeders and bad breeders. With Akitas not been huge numerically in this country. It would be important for you to get advice and find the right puppy. Akitas I would say do not need specialist care but you do need to know the plusses and minuses of the breed as you would with any breed. You need to make sure they tick your boxes in all areas. Again, they are a breed you normally do not let off the lead. Have you considered a long haired Akita. These tend to be more laid back then the short coated variety. Akitas are lovey dogs if they are bred correctly and looked after correctly. As with all dogs. Remember, you would be taking on a dog which can weigh as much as 10 and a half stone. So physical strength is not enough in this case. Training is especially important in this breed as it is your voice and body language that controls the dog. In terms of moulting. Akitas are triple coated and when they blow coat, they blow. If you would like some breeder contacts to talk to then please email me and I wil happily point you in the right direction. I love Akitas but they are not the breed for me. I have border collies but again these are a breed not for everyone. Make sure you have a breed which really fits into your lifestyle to be fair to you and the dog. Good luck.
i have an akita who is 8 years old. he'll be 9 in january. up until this weekend everything has been pretty good. he does not like other dogs he doesn't know. i also have a hairless chinese crested that he lets do what ever to him. he is a gentle giant that doesn't know his size but has to always be on a leash or in a fenced in yard b/c i don't want any problems with other dogs. this weekend he got under my parents fence and killed a neighbor dog. this was a dog he use to run up and down the length of the fence with. he never went into their yard to play or vice versa, but i certainly wouldn't call the dog a stranger to my dog. obviously this is a worse case scenario that i was able to avoid for 8 1/2 years. now he will not be able to be let free even in a fenced in area and other things must be assessed, but do i ever wish i didn't have him? no way! he has never tried to bite a person and is great with my little cousins. he is a very head strong dog but i always make sure he knows who is boss. he sheds a lot. 2 times a year 'clumps of fur" shedding and he had a twisted stomach when he was 1 1/2 years old and now has irritable bowl disease. i have to cook a bland diet for him everyday, he can't eat dog food anymore or he will get diarrhea. you have to get large dogs stomach tacked while they are puppies...if u get them fixed the vet could do it then, but i didn't know b/c he was my first large breed and my vet never said anything. i've since changed vets....anyway he is my baby and i wouldn't trade him for the world. i'd put picts up but i don't know how... hope you make the right decision and good luck...keep us posted
this certainly isn't normal - I won several latge dogs allwith normal stomachs and have never known any dog have this preventative surgery.
just passing along what the emergency vet told me....that a stomach twisting in a large breed dog is common...that if the dog eats and plays or rolls around his stomach could twist and then the gas builds up. my dog had to go into emergency surgery at 3:30am. the vet told me that it is very common in horses as well. again, i'm not a vet just passing some maybe valualble info ur way. the vet also told me that if there was too much bruising to the stomach that my dog would have to be euthanized, so it's just something to keep in mind because it's awful to see your dog go through something like that and it's expensive!
we have also had large breeds in our family for well over 12 years and have never heard of this either?!
Ihave heard of gastric torsion - but it isn't that common really - and preventetive surgery is not necessery - simply making sure that the dog eats without too much stress, and doesn't go nuts afterwards for about an hour or so... tbh - it sounds like the vet doesn't know what they're talking about sadly a common state of affairs with our small rodents - didn't think it was so common with dogs As for getting an Akita/Shar Pei/ Malamute - I would definately advise against it. All are big, headstrong dogs - and while they can be wonderful in the right hands, bred by the right people, they can be dangerous when not. I strongly advise going along to a dog show and chatting to breeders of all the dogs you see - I really don't think it's wise to just pick a breed on the way it looks - there are so many other factors to consider. I have an autistic brother, and I can assure you, that if he was frightened of something, we would never win him around - he may block his fear, but it would still be there underneath. If your sister is scared of large dogs, then why force her to endure one? seems a tad unfair. Please sit and really think about the whole thing. No-one is getting at you here, we're just worried that things will go wrong. xx
Hi smbear! Having done a quick google, doing a preventative stomach tack in breeds prone to bloat or gastric torsion seems relatively well-known in some countries such as the States and Canada. For anyone who's interested, here's an Australian akita website with more info too: http://www.akitalove.com/bloat.html I've often thought UK vets tend to use fewer surgical procedures compared to the US. Declawing of cats and debarking dogs is unheard of here for example (which is a good thing IMO). The breed I want, the standard poodle, is prone to bloat but no one has ever suggested surgery to prevent it. Feeding smaller meals 2 or 3 times a day rather than 1 big meal, and no exercise 2 hours after feeding is the recommendation usually given.
From what I know, there's no need for preventative surgery. As a poster said, to avoid bloat in deep-chested breeds, dogs shouldn't be allowed to run around manically for a while, before and after eating. I understand it's a problem that affects mainly the larger breeds but I don't think it's so common that it requires preventative surgery. I'm not aware of any Akita breeders in Norfolk but I know there are quite a few around. Off the top of my head I know of ones in Leicester, Cheshire, Rugby, Oxford, Chesterfield and South Wales. I'll PM you. I use an akita resuce site that I think's very good. They're very good at giving advice on the breed as a whole and although they don't promote breeders, they won't bite your head off if you don't want a rescue.
In the end my mum fell in love with a shar-pei when she saw a lady with one at a carboot and we researched into them before finally finding our own puppy about a week ago. I'm glad she finally went for one of those, because while I adore large working breeds, so far our shar-pei seems to fit right in to our situation. he and my sister just keep out of eachother's way, much like the same relationship her and our cat had before she died last year. She still tries to make the effort and give him treats though but he finds her a bit scary still. He's getting his next round of vaccinations in a couple of days, so we'll be taking him for walks with her and I'm sure they'll warm to eachother and I doubt she'll notice him getting bigger I do agree that Akitas and malamutes may be a little headstrong for our first dog. Maybe I'll contend with one of my own once I move out and have my own place with more experience in training too.
thanks tilly...i was beginning to think people were thinking i was crazy....it was very scary for me and i'm sure awful for my dog. the vet told me when i got him neutered they would have tacked the stomach for an extra 75 dollars...way cheaper than the 1300 dollars and stress...
YES i totally agree on what most of u have said about the Akita as to they are a serious breed thats exactly right, i have alot of knowledge on powerful breeds the fighting/guarding type because these breeds i like because of their instincts to protect there people and property there great strength, power, intelligence etc and also what alot of people don't realise their affectionate and soppy side to all the guarding type breeds, but no one should buy any breed from small hunting breed to giant guardian breeds without serious time in research and thinking, firstly u should ask yourself does your Mum know this breed well ?can your Mum handle a big dog aggressive, hunting, guarding breed, if u have a garden is it secure and i mean secure all dogs can dig, and jump, and climb especially this breed, i mean if a Akita wants to get out it will, unless it is Akita proof, have u any pets, socialise the dog with good people from young, and with dogs but never let it off the lead in public, and remember a dog or bitch normally when 8/12 months start to dislike dogs accept for the odd Akita, also there should never be any physical punishment to any breed especially this breed, what can happen is and it prob will happen is it will not trust you it will fuel aggression and will be extremely dangerous as you have all seen with the wimpy cowardly pitbull owner whos niece was killed by him, it was not the dogs thought he was a victim what i am trying to say as all the other educated owners on this board have said is are you sure your Mum wants this breed because they are a stubborn breed and as hard to train as the stubborness of breeds, good luck, but remember don't buy this breed cause of the fluffy bear looks or wolf looks, they are more complicated than that
thanks for all the input guys. a while ago now Mum settled on a shar-pei puppy and he couldn' be more perfect for our family. My sister stays out of his way and he seems to respect her space in return and had never jumped up to her or anything as he's naturally cautious. he's pretty laid back, but will play if you ask him to and he's such a soppy sweetheart. I don't think an Akita would have been right for us at all after researching them thoroughly.
Canarydog, After seeing a couple of responses about Akitas by you on various threads I felt that I had to respond. Although I agree that they are a specialist dog and CAN be aggressive I think that you are treading on dangerous ground by making them out to be 'killing machines' especially in the current atmosphere. If brought up and trained properly (not for the faint hearted I agree) then there is no need for this breed, or any other for that matter, to be dog aggressive. They can, and do, live with, mix and socialize with other dogs and be excercised off lead it's just a case of the correct training.
Well said Chellie. I am very much involved around Akitas, and yes they are a dog that needs careful thought but so do many other breeds. And in all breeds, dogs can be aggressive in the wrong hands. What you have with an akita straight off is the weight side. A typical male will weigh around 10-11 stone, so not many people would be able to hold one. That's where good training comes in. I play with my friends dogs and both the males can pin me down and lick me to death and there's not a lot I can do about it. Generally Akitas will not start a fight, they have nothing to prove and they know it. They are fantastic with children and protective of their family and property but then so are most dogs. If socialised with other breeds or brought up with other breeds, there normally isn't a problem. I've ran the akitas with my BC's and with no problem (this was in a secure field, as akitas are generally not let off the lead) Remember also that you do get the long coated akitas, these are far more laid back than the shortcoats. Akitas are a breed that you have to be totally in control of, you only have your voice to use. But then all dogs should be trained up and obedient. I totally respect the poster, she did her homework on the breed (including speaking to experienced people in the breed) and decided they weren't the breed for her. It's a shame more people don't do the same. An akita isn't for me. I love the breed but my heart is with BC's. Just the same as my friends with Akitas said they no way would have a border collie.
Hi Megan57collies, I do tend to get quite cross when I hear people referring to Akitas in a negative manner. My old girl is nearly 12 now and is always exercised off lead, has never attacked another dog or shown any aggression to a dog or a person. She will let anyone in the car including dogs and we often have friends and their dogs over the house with which she will share her food and water bowls and basket. The only problem we have had with her is with cats. It really is just a matter of training correctly.
i have never seen a 11 stone Akita, is that 1 or 2 stone to heavy, i know akitsas can hit 10 stone at the most, but there around the 8/10 stone for dogs and smaller for bitches,my point with this breed is there are to many people buying them that do not understand them, and are not capable of putting alot of time and effort into it,
My dog is nearly 12 YEARS old not 12 STONE. As you have said canarydog there are too many people that buy them and do not understand how much work is involved. You say that you have a great understanding of the breed but your dog is still dog aggressive, can't be socialised with other dogs and can't be exercised off lead, I'm just stating that with the CORRECT training that this is indeed acheivable and that by making them out to be 'hard' dogs that you are not doing them justice.
no Akitas as a rule do not mix,socialize around dogs, some may but its usally dog and bitch and dog and bitch if there brought up together, but a Akita that gets on with another dominant breed of same sex would have to be questioned i know this as a fact its what makes a Akita a Akita, so for people that don't like it then they should get something else, if any of u really had a clue then u would know this to be true, people far to often jump in at the deep end and then regret it i have seen lately a friends friend buying a Sharpei and having a nightmare this was there own stupid fault yes stupid there are no other words for it, the dog suffered a little before being rehomed, this could have been alot worse especialy if it was a bigger dog but its not to do with dogs its the stupid owners.
What would you need to question about an Akita that gets on with other dogs? My bitch has lived with 2 GSD bitches and then, when we lost them to old age, a GSD X Akita bitch and lately a NI X GSD bitch and dog. We do not have any problems with aggression either in or out of the home, she never goes for other dogs and tends to view them quite disdainfully when we are out. This does not mean that she is less of an Akita than yours, just well trained and socialised.
