Akita

[prampushingdownthehighst]

I have the opportunity to rescue one of these dogs...has anyone any advice?
We are long term dog owners who are now without a dog and missing a doggy presence.
I have had conflicting opinions around this breed and would welcome some more feedback if at all possible.
Dog is a 5 year old birch in desperate need of a home.
Thanks.

[tabulahrasa]

Depends on the individual dog obviously.

But, they're a... fairly unique breed.

Not very social, hard to train because they're very independent and hard to motivate, tend not to be particularly playful either. Oh and they're recommended to be on lead ever as they have a high pretty drive and are hard to get a good recall with.

Hard to read as well, that's why you'll have no doubt had people telling you they just turn, they don't - but their warning signs are really subtle.

If you don't mind that she'll more than likely be at best completely uninterested in mixing with new people or dogs
(At worst it is a possibility that she'll be aggressive) that she'll need extra walking because of not going offlead and that she'll pretty much just hang about your house not really doing much... she might be a good choice?

They're pretty affectionate with their people and the being hard to train often doesn't cause issues because they don't do much - as in, they don't really cause havoc by doing lots of unwanted things, they just don't do what you want either, lol.

[prampushingdownthehighst]

Thank you for your advice, a friend of a friend has one and did say they can be funny around other dogs and best to lead walk which would be a shame as we have lovely woodlands nearby, great for dog exploring.
It's so hard seeing a dog that needs a home but obviously it has to be the right decision for our and the dogs benefit.
Thank you again.

[Santawontbelong]

I have never heard good tales about dc + Akita
And I say that as a rottweiler owner. ... I know certain breeds get labelled and it's about ownership not the dog. But you won't know the dogs history - making the situation more questionable imo.

[tabulahrasa]

"I have never heard good tales about dc + Akita"

The ones I know all live with DC quite happily, but they're not so happy about new friends coming round to play or being in places where they're going to be bothered by children.

"It's so hard seeing a dog that needs a home but obviously it has to be the right decision for our and the dogs benefit."

I wouldn't own one tbh, the one I know best - I've known her since she was a puppy, I'm a regular visitor and I've walked and dog sat her... I'm very fond of her, but, I wouldn't want her unless it was an emergency, she'd not be happy with me getting frustrated because I want to play fetch and train tricks, lol.

But then my current breed (also a Rottie) wouldn't suit her owner either

[Bubble2bubble]

I have an akita x. The other half of him is lab/collie. He has , I believe a strong Akita trait of adoring children and in fact all humans and being incredibly gentle with them. He loves my DH to distraction and will quite happily sit gazing adoringly at him for hours.. ( he was great with other dogs until an attack a few years ago left him very reactive, but that is not breed related ) He's incredibly bright and was an absolute star at puppy school, walks on the lead like an angel. The amount of hair he casts twice a year could reduce you to tears...

They do have a reputation for being not great with other dogs, and I do meet a few akitas out walking of which this is true. On the other hand, they were for a while the drug dealers dog of choice in this area and many of them have been abandoned and very poorly treated. They are hugely powerful dogs and certainly need to be with a confident owner for that reason alone.

[tabulahrasa]

"They do have a reputation for being not great with other dogs"

None of the ones I know are dog aggressive, they're just not overly interested in meeting them and won't put up with any nonsense... I can see how that could quite easily develop into aggression though. If you're walking one in parks where rude overfriendly dogs hang out, eventually they'd just get sick of it.

"He's incredibly bright"

They're not stupid, just... have a different agenda to breeds like labs and collies, labs will usually work for food and quite like pleasing you, collies jusf love doing stuff, anything tbh, lol, Akitas pretty much just look at you like, yeah... that's not happening, I see what you're doing here, but I think I'm just going to go over there and have a rest till you get over yourself.

[NKFell]

I think you've got some pretty good advice here.

The Akita I know well is a friend's and I've known him since he was a pup. He's just not that interested in pretty much anything! I have a rottie and a border collie, he'll sometimes sit with them but he won't really play with either- he's also never had a 'bad' reaction with either but they're both fairly polite. I'd say he gets on best with my BC but that's mainly because they ignore each other!

I would like to point out that my friend absolutely adores him and he's the perfect dog for her. I think my two would drive her mad!

[picklemepopcorn]

My on lead lurcher was nearly killed by an off lead Akita. It went for his throat and tore it. Only neighbours responding to my screams saved him, as they helped my dog while I stood between it and the Akita- it kept try8ng to go back and finish him off.

I’ve heard as well that they attach strongly to their one human, protect the others, but don’t respect them.

Two live next door to me. They throw themselves at the fence trying to get through to my dog. When I was chatting to the owner, one of them grabbed my arm and drew blood. Obviously, I wouldn’t have much arm left if it had been serious, but she drew blood and left bruises.

I certainly wouldn’t have one.

[prampushingdownthehighst]

We don't have young children at home, ours are both away at university so not a concern there, however my friends visit with smaller children so that would be worrying.
Thank you veveryone for your help..It's so good to get a cross section of opinion.
DH I must say is not overly keen as we have been labrador and springer owners in the past which were very house, child and dog friendly. We can offer a loving home to the right dog.
Lots of food for thought, If I am honest with reading here and chatting to others maybe not such a good idea.
What a shame, it's hard to think of an animal, however well treated in a shelter, that doesn't have a home but we must go into this with our eyes open.

[prampushingdownthehighst]

Oh gosh pickle sounds dreadful and both of our neighbours have dogs too!!

[Bubble2bubble]

Akitas pretty much just look at you like, yeah... that's not happening, I see what you're doing here, but I think I'm just going to go over there and have a rest till you get over yourself - Tabula that completely sums up my boy!!

I also have springer x’s and a retriever x - my half akita is an entirely different beast in every way. If gundog types are your previous experience then an akita could be a steep learning curve.

[BoomBoomBoomBoooom]

Depends.

Japanese Akita= lovely. American one=nightmare. They are completely different dogs.

[SparklingRaspberry]

It's all good and well people saying "I wouldn't own an Akita, by uncles cousins brothers neighbour has one and it's aggressive and hates children" because whilst that may be the case not ALL akitas are like that!

The majority of labs are lovely and will do anything for food. My partners lab is aggressive, hates children/people he doesn't know and couldn't give a crap whether you're giving him food or not. It does not mean all labs are the same.

People still have the thought that going to someone's house with a gsd living there is crazy because they'll protect their house and attack you - not true! A poorly socialised gsd might, but not all would! Mine would lick you to death, she loves strangers.

What I'm trying to say is regardless of breed all dogs have the same risk. Personally I think you should rescue this dog. If we all worried about getting dogs because of their breeds traits then nobody would have a dog!

[Emabrmsca]

I had an akita x husky rescue a few years ago. It attacked my older brother for literally no reason and mauled him. He had surgery and skin grafts on his hands. If my brother hadn't put his hands up the dog would have killed him because it was aiming for his throat.
That is the only dog I wouldn't trust. I know not all of them are like this but after that I only see evil in them x

[tabulahrasa]

"Personally I think you should rescue this dog."

Not if it's not the right fit, it might be, they're great pets for some people or it could be a completely atypical Akita and suit other people.

But there's no point at all in having a dog that just doesn't suit you and what you want from a dog.

[prampushingdownthehighst]

I will certainly go and meet her, but have my mind ruling my heart and not the other way round which normally happens.
We have cats and other furry and feathered creatures which I have to bear in mind too ( all rescued )

[prampushingdownthehighst]

Yes, I totally agree.
It's a long term decision and we have to be right for each other.

[picklemepopcorn]

See I’m not breed biased, when the two moved in next door I offered to walk with them so all the dogs could get to know each other.

Now however, three out of three have been problematic so I’m a little wary. The first one I mentioned liked to stand with his paws on your shoulders and breathe in your face. I was trying to shovel snow one year and he kept playfully pushing me over. He was an escape artist, too, often out alone.

[prampushingdownthehighst]

I always try to have an open mind too, we have been lucky with our dogs but have known a lab and a spaniel that were problems, the lab having to be pts as it attacked their owner very badly.
Atika are a breed that we have no personal knowledge of apart from friend of friends advice and having always had working breed it's a whole different ball game I can see.

[Whitney168]

If we all worried about getting dogs because of their breeds traits then nobody would have a dog!

Well, no, precisely because one owner's great is another one's nightmare ... the trick is matching the right dog to the right owner.

[Santawontbelong]

Getting a dog of any breed is a game of chance when rescued. ...

[NKFell]

I just wanted to chip in again to add that my friend's Akita has never shown any sign of aggression to anyone, ever.

Also, he does get on with my dogs but just in a coexisting sort of way- not playful.

In your circumstance OP I would say to meet this dog. From what you've said, it may be she is a good fit. If my friend was here she'd be telling you how amazing they are!

[BiteyShark]

I think the best thing is to research the breed and decide whether you are happy with its 'worst traits'. All dogs are different, even from puppies, but they tend to have some of the breed traits, it just depends on whether you would be happy with them.

[AngelaTwerkel]

I had the exact same experience as Emabrmsca's brother with an akita, a random one in the park. I didn't even see if before it launched itself at me. The 30 second attack left me needing wrist suegery and with awful scars but I'm fortunate I managed to protect my face and neck until someone pulled it off.

[dotdotdotmustdash]

I do hope you go on to rescue a homeless dog, whether it be this one or another.

We were dogless a few years ago after losing our old rescue GSD and I had a notion to get a Greyhound. I did my research and went to a local rescue to walk them a few times and they were absolutely lovely.

My decision ultimately came to lifestyle and opportunity. I work part-time and we live rurally with lots of lovely fields and outdoor walking and it felt like a missed opportunity to keep dogs who need to be on leads all the time. We rescued a BC instead and then another collie-X later on and they both love the freedom.

There are rescue dogs out there for every setting, you just need to find the right one.