# Working Akitas



## todd pavlus (Apr 30, 2008)

just wondering if anyone has had any experience working with akitas? Are they any good ? I love the breed but, have never seen them do any work.


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## Mike Scheiber (Feb 17, 2008)

What sort of work could a Akita do?


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## Howard Gaines III (Dec 26, 2007)

todd pavlus said:


> just wondering if anyone has had any experience working with akitas? Are they any good ? I love the breed but, have never seen them do any work.


Todd nice post! I have been waiting for the same answer. My sister has one and it is very large and very protective. Never seen one dog Schutzhund. My guess is that because it is a very large breed, the man stopper breeds like Rotties and some larger German Shepherds will win out. They have the power to hurt you but I am going out on a limb and say they might not have the down range endurance to work in prey, the way Malinos does. I wouldn't want a live bite from one!!![-X


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## Gillian Schuler (Apr 12, 2008)

I think a lot of dogs, Akita, amongst them are not predestined for dog sport. I have experienced that these breeds carry out the schutz "protection" to the end. I tried to achieve SchH 2 (Swiss) with my Landseer. As the helper shot off down the field, Ben stayed with me. I have the feeling they "all" bite civil if need be. Ben didi, as far as was necessary, no court cases!

It brings me to another subject "bite trained". What exactly is this? If I want protection, my dog has to provide it, bite training or not. In my opinion you can't "train" a dog to protect you. Ok, he can put up a good show but really protect you can only the dog who is determined to do so. Sometimes, I am not aware of the danger, but I rely on my dog.

I also have difficutly comprehending the dogs who are "bite trained". If they haven't got it in their makeup to protect, they won't bite, even on command, methinks.

Looking forward to opposition 

Good luck with your Akita, who knows???

Gillian


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## todd pavlus (Apr 30, 2008)

I don't have one, just thought that protection/ guarding is what they were bred for in Japan. I have been around a few and they are very protective, and are dog aggressive. That's just what I have seen.


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## Howard Knauf (May 10, 2008)

I had one for 4 years. A bitch reportedly bred in Japan but the papers never got to me. Anyway, very family oriented, aloof and dog/animal aggressive to strange ones not in the pack.



> I wouldn't want a live bite from one!!!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Michelle Reusser (Mar 29, 2008)

Howard Knauf said:


> She had low prey drive but would bite civil if pushed. Not the most balanced dog so no bitework done with her. In the end she was rehomed when we had our first child. I knew it was a disaster in the making as she was very protective of the household members and was quick to react.


They are guard type dogs, too serious and not prey driven. Allot are not balanced at all and can be downright scary. Not the correct type to do PP work with. I like Akita's, think they are beautiful dogs but after seeing a few and hanging out, I wouldn't want to own one. I like to take my dogs everywhere and around crowds, probably a liability with most Akita's, that prefer a small group "family". I would put them at the top of my list of dogs that will "be OK one minute / rip a kids face off, the next".(Thanks to unexperienced, non dog reading people owning them)


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

Back in 81 or 82, there was a guy in the same club as me who claimed to have titled an Akita to a schH1, he did show me an old black & white photo of the dog getting a grip. I have no clue as to the truth of this dog being titled or not and no way to verify.


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## Al Curbow (Mar 27, 2006)

I just read the book Dog Man by Martha Sherrill, Penguin Press. It's basically about a man who wanted to keep the working lines working vs the showlines, and dedicated his life to the cause. He never sold a dog, he simply gave them to worthy people and this was a man without a lot of funds. At the time of the Japanese surrender there were 16 Akitas left in Japan due to martial law (the animals were used for boots and food) it was an interesting book and crosses the culture divide through the love and respect of a breed. His dogs worked for their food everyday. He's still alive and 94 yrs old. It also gave me a different perspective on the breed itself,
AL


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

I think as far as looks wise, the mostly dark brindle ones in particular would be a good deterrent type dog. I've heard they're kind of like owning a cross between a Siberian husky (or a Malamute) and a Rottweiler and since I own that particular cross, I don't think I'd be doing too much working sport with it except perhaps carting, weight pull, or a little light sledding. Soooo, probably not a breed I'd personally choose, although I've known an occasional nice individual.


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## Drew Peirce (Nov 16, 2006)

I'm a great admirer of them, always have been since childhood, in those days, you couldnt get a bad one.
Couple years back I spent a few days contacting some breeders to see if there was anyone in the country trying to work them, I was hung up on and cursed out most times.
Nowadays you cant even mention protection to akita people without getting them pissed off, they have made every effort over the years to turn the breed into teddy bears, occasionally a tough dog will leak out but they've suceeded for the most part.

It's a dead end street in my book.


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## Mark Horne (Oct 12, 2006)

They're a great dog, again ruined by breeders particulary in the US. I last heard they were dividing in two breeds now named the Great Japanese Dog (US version large with tri colours etc) and the Akita itself.
I met a licensed one 20yrs ago(fully operational police dog) but it was put too sleep at 2 1/2 due to a hereditary blindness it developed.
I have just spent my 40th touring Japan and the local ones look very different to what we see. They are dog aggressive because the samurai used them for dog fighting, and when they went onto their battles the dogs protected their homes. Interestingly Helen Keller(Guide Dogs) always had Akitas herself although she favoured the GSD as a guide dog.

Mark


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