**Please Note: The answers given below are our opinions. Many situations are subject to individual interpretation depending upon the specific circumstances. These answers are intended as general guidelines to help you better understand Akita ownership.


1. Where is the best place to buy an Akita?


Answer: From an experienced breeder who can demonstrate a thorough knowledge of Akita conformation, temperament and proven success in the Show ring. You should never consider buying an Akita from a pet store because the genetic background and health status are almost always a question mark. People who breed Akitas but do not show them are far less likely to know about correct structure, movement, and genetic problems. These same breeders will also be a lot less likely to be able to accurately evaluate show versus pet quality puppies.


An experienced, knowledgeable breeder will be able to accurately assess the positives and negatives in their breeding program and will have a careful plan for producing better Akitas.


An experienced, knowledgeable breeder will do health screening on all breeding stock to be sure that there are no genetic diseases related to Hip Displasia (OFA Certification) and eye diseases (CERF).


In our opinion, breeders who produce many litters every year are more oriented to the commercial (profit) aspect of breeding than to the quality aspect.

San Gabriel Valley Tribune Saturday, May 29, 1999 PROFESSIONAL DOG HANDLER Anna Begley, 20 of Pomona gives Keno a bath and almost gets a shower herself as she prepares him for the big dog show this weekend at the Fairplex.

2. Are Akitas good with children?


Answer: That depends upon the temperament of the individual dog and how it was raised. We feel that many Akitas are good with the children who live with them but will be less tolerant of playmates or other children who are only visiting.


Parents should never leave children under the age of 10 years alone with any dog. Not even for a minute or two. Dogs are not Humans and they sometimes do not understand the quick movements and unusual sounds that small children can make. It only takes a few seconds for a child to be badly injured by a large dog.


3. Are Akitas good watchdogs?


Answer: Yes. Akitas are very loyal to their families and usually have a possessive sense about their territory and their people. Because of their natural instinct to protect, we feel that you should never encourage aggressive behavior in your Akita. There can be a fine line between protecting the back yard from intruders (a real threat) and being dangerously unpredictable in Public (a perceived but unreal threat).


You should never do any protection or guard dog training with an Akita. They are born with the instincts to protect. Encouraging aggressive behavior only decreases the reliability of the dog.


4. Are Akitas good with other animals?


Answer: Quite often they are not. The Akita has strong hunting instincts and prey drive. Because of this, they naturally try to be aggressive to other animals. In some instances, they can be taught to coexist with other animals (usually if they were raised together from puppyhood) but they will not often tolerate neighbor's animals or new household pets that are introduced after the Akita is mature.


Akitas are naturally aggressive to other dogs, especially of the same sex. This is why it is so important to train your Akita to get along with other animals. For best results, you need to start young.


5. If my Akita puppy gets along with other dogs now, will it always be that way?


Answer: No. This is one of the things that often surprises new Akita owners. Your cute, cuddly ball of fur is going to undergo a personality adjustment around 9 to 12 months of age. During this time he/she will begin to challenge authority and act more aggressive to other animals. This usually coincides with the onset of preprogrammed (inherited) protection instincts. That is why it's so important to begin training your puppy at a young age and to consistently discourage acts of aggression.


Some new owners are shocked to find that their puppy who played nicely and got along with everyone at puppy kindergarten can become an aggressive one year old who wants to do serious damage to other dogs.


6. Why is obedience training important?


Answer: The primary value of obedience training is to help your dog lead a happier and safer life. A well-trained dog will be able to go more places and be around more people than a "problem" dog who must be kept confined. Also, a reliably trained dog will not bolt through doors or out of gates - which can be a life-saving value of training.


7. What is the best method for training Akitas?


Answer: All dogs, and especially Akitas need to have consistent rules to live by. Your Akita needs to have loving but firm Human leadership to look up to. If your Akita thinks you are not in charge, he/she will take over. Respect for leadership is a huge issue to Akitas.


Dogs are born with a set of instinctive behaviors. We can shape these behaviors through training but we can never completely erase them. For this reason, you must remember that Akitas were originally bred to hunt and fight. These are aggressive endeavors and are not usually desirable for a city dwelling house pet. Teaching your Akita how to behave should start when he/she is young and continue to some extent for his/her entire life.


Your Akita needs to be taught which behaviors are acceptable and which are not. Do not assume that the dog will figure it out for himself. Whatever training method you select, be sure it is not overly permissive nor overly harsh. Also be sure that you are totally consistent in making and enforcing the rules.


8. What are the most common causes of fights?


Answer: Akitas have a strong instinct to protect/fight for food, territory, and people or possessions. For this reason, your Akita should be taught early to release food treats and toys on command.


You should also teach your young Akitas that it is not OK for them to growl or protect their food and toys - even if another dog is around. This lesson will be a lot harder to teach if you wait until the dog is a year or two old.


9. Can Akitas of the same sex get along?


Answer: Usually not. Akitas have a natural tendency for aggression toward dogs of the same sex. Expert training can help to produce an Akita that tries to get along with others of the same sex but you are fighting the odds. This is definitely something that only an expert dog trainer should attempt.


10. Which is better for my first Akita, male or female?


Answer: We definitely recommend a female for your first Akita. Physically, the males are much stronger and psychologically, the males tend to have more of a "hair trigger" toward aggression and fighting. These characteristics will make your training tasks a lot harder when your first Akita is a male.


11. Is it OK to play tug-of-war with my Akita?


Answer: No. This type of activity only encourages the Akita to be rough with it's mouth in order to get what it wants. Many people find their Akita pups to be very nippy and this game will make it worse.


12. If I discourage my Akita from being aggressive will it ruin his protection instincts?


Answer: Absolutely not. You cannot completely erase instinctive behaviors - you can only modify their expression. When you teach your Akita to have good manners in Public, you are shaping his behavior so that he can go more places with you and enjoy his life. If you and your dog were to encounter a mugger or serious threat, your Akita's instincts are still there and able to respond accordingly.


13. Are Akitas stubborn?


Answer: Absolutely! This is one reason that we say you must be totally consistent in making and enforcing the rules for your Akita. For example, if you tell them to get off the couch 9 times but then you let them on the couch the 10th time, they will remember the one time they were allowed to get on the couch and you will have a lot harder time keeping them off in the future.


One of the reasons that we have been so successful in training our Akitas is that we have learned how to clearly show them what is allowed and what is not allowed. Then we are totally consistent in enforcing the rules. Also, we show them that we are more persistent than they are.


14. Are Akitas a good dog for any family?


Answer: No. Akitas need to have structured lives with lots of Human contact. If you do not believe in rules and structure - you may not have the best experience with an Akita. If your life is so busy that the dog will stay in the back yard and rarely see you - you should not choose an Akita.


15. Does having an Obedience title guarantee a good temperament?


Answer: No. Earning an Obedience title demonstrates that the dog was trainable by the person who taught them the Obedience exercises. By itself, this certainly does not mean that anyone else could train the same dog or that the dog is more reliable than another dog without an Obedience title.


In evaluating the temperament of an Akita, trainability is certainly one important factor but you also have to look at the instinctive behaviors which the dog displays. For example, I know of an Akita who was trained for the Obedience ring and did quite well at earning his title yet he repeatedly tried to attack other dogs without provocation and often growled at people when he wasn't in the Obedience ring. I certainly would not consider this dog to have a good temperament although he does have an Obedience title.