Akitas

So a few bad examples are a representative of the breed? We've owned them since 94 and everyone as been brilliant with kids. They are protective dogs trust me

 

Damon,,, if you are into this breed then you know that there are several diff lines ea. with its own characteristics and even range of types...you have the original Akita Inu and the American Akita or the "Great Japanese dog"...in all my years I have seen one real Akita and I didnt like the way it looked, I appreciated it for what it was but didnt like the look. The American Akita is a really cool looking dog...how it got to be looking so different so quick from the original should be very easy to answer...with that said there is a multitude of diff characteristics with that bunch so you counld end up with a da dog a ha dog a dog that is neither and because of the byb in that breed you also end up with all around crap... the breed is too new imo to have settled into a common type. btw I am obviously talking about the american akita not the akita inu as that breed has been around for centuries.

 

I've only owned American Akitas and they have all been fine apart from dog aggression.

 

i always think when a big cur breed as the mentioned shows dog aggression just give him 5mins with a solid 40lb bulldog and then see if he still acts up....

 

There not to be taken lightly that is for sure, powerful dogs. You better bring a real bulldog otherwise you will be in trouble

 

I would not want one to jump on my dog. If fact, one did. He grabbed her by her back around the shoulder area and was shaking her like a rag. She was 50lbs and he was close to 100lbs. It was totally unprovoked and uncalled for. I grabbed a 2x4 about 4ft long (I worked at a building supply) and beat the shit ass until he let go of my dog. Someone had found the dog and tied it up on the side of the building and I went to look at him and got a little too close (my bad). I also worked at a vet clinic for about 10 years and all my other experiences with Akitas is based there. We had one dog, a white one, Kobe, that boarded with us all the time. We probably raised that dog as much as his owners. When he wasn't boarding he was in for a bath and blower treatment every 2 weeks. Super dog. But I think the bad specimens outweigh the good ones. Also, Kobe did get bloat. And he recovered. Most dogs can get through the surgery to correct it, but afterwards succumb to infection.

 

Is there a such thing as "Long Hair",and "Short Hair" Akita's? My neighbor has a couple that just bred to each other. He says one is short, and the other is long. Purebred!

 

Wouldn't recommend them if you have young children. A 1 person dog but in the right situations would make a good pets

 

I have a small crack in my fence and my neighbors chihuahua will get in my backyard sometimes, would I have to worry about the akita killing the chihuahua?

 

that chi. is as good as lunch...for Kingfisher...any big dog can cause serious injury to any bulldog maybe even kill it...while the bulldog may be the best fighter it can and has lost many times to other dog breeds, I would never let a huge dog anywhere near my bulldog. there may be some bums in the heavy weights but there is a reason why pac man aint going up there, lol.

 

APBTs are the toughest dogs of their size. But a big dog can make it dinner.

 

That's why it's called pound for pound!!! Pound for pound the APBT is the best but only a fool would put his 40 lbs APBT against a 100 lbs cur.

I'm not saying the 40 lbs APBT couldn't win but why even try it. Now if the game APBT was GR CH MAYDAY then that would be a different story. Haha.

 

How well would a furminator work on an akita?

 

Furminators aren't good for the dog's skin but it'd work just as well on an Akita as any other high-shedding dog.

 

I'd trust them with young children more than most breeds, as for the chihuahah it should be fine as I've found that they tend to be ok with little dogs and tend to only want to fight with bigger dogs. Our current dog is fine with dogs but our first Akita was a nightmare. He was a dangerous animal with dogs his size

 

I have lived with the breed my whole life, so I think your assessment based off one dog does not make the whole breed.

Thanks.

 

The opinion on that is mixed, many groomers feel it ruins the Akita coat more than anything, I think there was actually a pretty negative article written about them in Akita World or some other breed specific magazine like that. Also be sure to never shave the dog if you have an Akita - it will ruin the coat for sure.

 

It would be a very real concern of mine. Mend the fence or never leave the dog outside alone. Most Akitas are at least same sex aggressive and have a very high prey drive. A dog that size would more than likely be seen as prey.

 

I think the point that should be clarified here is they are fiercely protective of what they consider THEIR children. These dogs need a responsible owner who realizes things such as that. There have been too many cases in the news about Akitas attacking a guest child in the house. If one understands the breed the reasoning behind this is simple, they are so protective of their own children that they can take things such as rough housing and play fighting with a guest as a threat and then will try to remove the threat (aka the child over for a play date). Do not leave them unattended with mixed company like this and you should be fine, just supervise well - it is common sense for a guardian breed to need to be well managed.

 

To the OP - if you are considering getting an Akita I truly hope you will reach out to an Akita specific and savvy crowd and do a lot of research first. This breed is worlds different than anything you are used to in terms of how to train them, how to safely manage them, etc than the experience of owning a bulldog. Both are strong willed breeds that need training and control - but the methods that work for each breed is very different. If trained incorrectly the Akita will often shut down and become sulky, training has to appeal to them intellectually and provide mental discipline as well to keep them engaged.

Please do more research by going to a breed club or something. I am a world more afraid of an Akita in the wrong hands than a "pit bull".