Akita discussion (split from picture thread) Discussions

Oh right, I just tend to call them by their proper names.

Well done you. Very few people do, probably only breeders and showers. I mainly deal with the general public who hand their Akitas over to us to rehome, or local pounds who find them on the street. Not really much time to lecture them on the correct names, they don't care. Most of the Akitas I meet are actually 'tweenies'!

You criticise something you know nothing about, but yet you see nothing wrong in this? How bizarre.

And I've never seen a JAI in the show ring, seen plenty of Akita's though.

Then its a shame that the "American" breeders cant find suitable homes for the dogs they breed, or indeed help with rehoming them when they need it. This is what happens when money, and flashy colours becomes the priority.

So do I , and I disagree.

Well then you have obviously worked with different teams than me. I grew up in the North east.

The place I briefly worked at never let their horses graze, never hacked out on them, washed the greys everyday, and used cage walkers to exercise them, and injected the littlies with steroids. Not a very good quality of life IMO.

Mine (working hunter ponies) were exercised well, lived out in winter, hunted, had scars to prove it and still managed to qualify for HOYS each year.

Never worked on a yard, but owned ponies /horses, and stabled them on showing/hunting yards.

Your statement generalised ALL show ponies lead a poor life, they dont, like all things in life their is extremes, on either end of the scale.

Using horse walkers, washing greys everyday and restricted exercise is NOT a poor quality of life.

Using steroids is breaking the rules, and if when they get random testing they are caught they will pay the price.

My idea of a poor quality of life is no horse management, leaving a horse/pony in a field 52 wks of the yr without any attention, having untreated rain scald, no foot care, no grass to eat/hey to eat during the winter, poor thin pathetic sorry looking animals left to fend for themselves is what I consider poor quality.

if you were so against those conditions, why work there??

I know it's generalised but the experience stuck in my mind, and has altered my world view on this subject.

I was 15 or 16 when I worked there for pocket money. Why? honestly - because I wanted to marry one of the boys who rode their 14.2hh show hunters(!), and quite fancied them taking me on the team too for the free trip to Olympia that Christmas. I stayed there 2 days.... obviously I wasn't aware of their practises else I wouldn't have stepped foot in there!

They never did get caught for using steroids.

They were/and still are one of the biggest teams on the circuit, you would know their name in an instant no doubt hence why I presume most top show yards treat their horses this way.

Yes, the other end of the scale is cruel too, but then horses have survived in the wild for years with no care or human intervention...

Horses in the wild, have free grazing, they move around over different terrains, they wear their own hooves down,

Although the wild ponies of this country do have management on a yearly basis.

Yes I would probable know if who you speak, but the facts are they are not cruel to their ponies, nor do the ponies suffer poor lives, just different ones to the way you keep yours.

the difference in your working hunter and the show pony is in the name, the worker is allowed to have the odd cut/bump /graze the show is not.

The purpose of the worker is that its about the horse the judge would most like to do a days hunting on, (or in case of ponies, see out hunting) so blemishes , are not to important.

Horses for courses as they say. cruelty is another matter completey.

What I dotn like to see is a pony stood in stable with his head strapped inf or hrs on end, thats something I do strongly disagree with.

I like both the akita and the Japanese akita inu.

I've had the most experience with the former,but I'm being ever more drawn towards the latter.

How much do the 2 breeds differ in temperament?

As for showing, I don't show and don't think I'll ever have he inclination to do so. However, I in no way am going to call it silly, and in doing so belittle those who choose to. Its not in my nature to insult peoples choice of hobby, and certainly not when I don't actually have the faintist idea about it in the first place. Though in this case, I do actually no something about the subject.

P.s.

Notice I said akita, not American akita, and that's coming from someone who doesn't own either of the 2, sho or breed...There's a shocker.

I have a an american x jap akita and she's great! just for the record, not wanting to cause a storm of protest!

There is in obedience, a Jap At Inu, cracking dog, based down south somewhere

Id like to see that.

How do you tell the difference between the two? I'd be interested in trying to work out what Cain's mum was....Akita or Akita Inu.

Just saw Hachiko and must say, am smitten with the Akita Inu.

Akita inus are smaller and paler I think?
The american akita is bigger and darker.

I regularly meet an american akita on a local walk, he is huge and quite dark coated. Very friendly and reasonable obedient though.

Adam

Well he's big, solid and bear like - like an American Akita but he is short haired and Ginger like the Japanese Akita inu. Maybe his mum was a American x Japanese Akita herself...?

I prefer the American akita, but thats just me.
Any pics of dogsey's american akitas? yes please!!!!

Ginger could be a pale gsd though?

Adam

Maybe, but he's solid orange all over and it looks very Akita colour. His father was a black GSD not black and tan (although who knows what genes he was carrying!)