hi all, Strongly considering getting an American Akita. An advice on the following would be greatly appreciated: 1. Do any of you live in an apartment or condo? What is your opinion on raising an Akita in a condo? I do not have a fenced yard to let a dog roam in but there is a park across the street for exercise and playing on lead and I would walk every morning and night. 2. I am single and live alone. The dog would be home alone while I'm at work a lot of the time during the day once grown although I own my own business and could likely have the dog at the office often as well. And the office is five minutes away so lunch walks are also a possibility. Would this be too much alone time for an Akita? He would have my undivided attention most of the time when not at work but I don't want an unhappy dog (for the dog's sake more then my own). Could/would a properly trained Akita be a good office dog in an office of around 5 people? I've read extensively about the breed but would like any advice/opinions I can get from actual owners on these questions. Many, many thanks in advance!
1) I don’t live in an apartment or condo but have owned Akitas. Akitas, can live pretty much anywhere as long as they're given adequate exercise and mental stimulation ,as with any breed keep in mind especially with a puppy house training’ Puppies need to go out regularly every two to three hours and need to be fed four times a day to start off with. They get bored very easily and can be very destructive if left for long periods. Can’t emphasize enough that they need a lot of socializing, from a young age onward. As an experienced dog owner I can assure you the Akita is not an easy breed and can be very challenging if not handled correctly. 2) You don’t give your working hours but as with any dog they will need a break during the day, so if you are unable to do so it would be advisable to get a good reliable family member/friend or professional dog walker. They do need a lot of time, effort and work put into them so I guess you have to ask yourself if you can offer all this. As for fitting into the office a lot depends on the individual dog Akitas are very family orientated and if strangers are coming and going it may be a problem. You don’t say if you have previously owned dogs, personally I would not advise an Akita to first time or inexperienced owners.
