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oh and plucking...no realy during shed i find it much easier to pluck the under coat out from the northern breeds than trying to comb it out lol.
When Bandit is in moult, we do a lot of plucking. I lay him on his side and just work one section of his body at a time. Pluck...comb...pluck...comb. It's a great technique. Once he has fully blown out -- which takes a few weeks to complete -- the furminator is a great maintenance tool for once-weekly clean-ups during his non-moult months. But if he gets tufty...back to the plucking and combing we go!
(One area of his body I can NEVER groom very well is his neck/throat. And every day, he has a few tufts that sprout up and work their way past the guard hairs. I drive him nuts because I can't resist the tufts. MUST PLUCK!!! MUST PLUCK NOW!!! Seriously, it's like some Pavlovian instinct. Ring a bell, get a cookie; see a tuft, pluck it out.)
Random comment about the Furminator, especially if one is wanting to use it on a dog like a Sibe or an Akita.... The other reason this is not my preferred tool is because it is very messy. When I comb-and-pluck, I have far better control of where the hair is going. It comes out in clumps, I can pull it off my comb and lay it in a pile. When I'm all done, I pick the pile up and put it in a bag, then vacuum the floor. Very contained mess, easy clean-up. Not so much when I use the furminator. The hair just seems to go everywhere...gets all over everything (including my person)...floats around in the air...settles on surfaces far from where we're grooming. Drives me nuts. (To visualize, it's sort of like the difference between opening a feather pillow, reaching in and pulling out a handful and laying it down beside you...OR opening the pillow and giving it a good flick so that the feathers go everywhere the air-currents take them.)
if you live somewhere hot they will shed 24/7 and typically in handfulls of short sharp downy type hair that sticks to everything...
if you live somewhere closer to their natural environment, they will blow their coat twice a year. when they blow the coat its fast but Heavy, again it will go everywhere but itll be over qute quickly, but you will be pulling out clumps of undercoat lol.
definatly not a breed for anyone allergic to dog hair/dander, or anyone very fastidious about their home lol
I guess mine will she 24/7 since I live in Florida but there was like 3 months that he didn't shed
but i have to vacuum every day all day and brush his hair
I always had male German Shepherds, they were my main big hunky guy protector. Very loyal and I always felt safe. After my last male passed I bought a female. She is beautful but not like my male shepherds but I decided I can't replace my other Sheperds and decided to get a baby male Akita as a friend to my female and as my new side kick.
I have little girls, all under 5. I have researched Akitas and I am getting mixed stories, some say good with kids, others say do not get if you have little kids. It also seems very difficult to adopt these dogs because it doesn't seem like there are very many breeders.
Anyone here have experience with this breed? I love the big bear heads these guys have. They look so cute and cuddly, it's hard to believe these can be mean.
I have an akita, got him when he was 6 weeks old. He is almost 3 now and he is the best dog I have ever had. He is trained and we have socialized him, we take him everywhere we go if we can. He loves kids and is very protective of them. My dog has never, growled or bitten anyone. He greets everyone at the door even people he doesn't know and I have had friends come over when I am not home and he is friendly.
I think its how you train them. YOU have to be consistent and spend alot of time training him. He waits for the little kids across the street after school and greets them. All the little dogs I have had have bitten me and bark alot. Also he shares his bowl with other dogs and anyone can take a bone out of his mouth BUT i spend ALOT of time with him and trained him to be the wonderful dog he is and they are great with kids. My little ones yank his tale pull his ears and he just lays there wagging his tail
I always had male German Shepherds, they were my main big hunky guy protector. Very loyal and I always felt safe. After my last male passed I bought a female. She is beautful but not like my male shepherds but I decided I can't replace my other Sheperds and decided to get a baby male Akita as a friend to my female and as my new side kick.
I have little girls, all under 5. I have researched Akitas and I am getting mixed stories, some say good with kids, others say do not get if you have little kids. It also seems very difficult to adopt these dogs because it doesn't seem like there are very many breeders.
Anyone here have experience with this breed? I love the big bear heads these guys have. They look so cute and cuddly, it's hard to believe these can be mean.
They are great dogs, the best and I have had other small dogs, which bite and bark too much.
My akita loves kids and has never growled or bitten anyone, I have had him since he was 6 weeks old
he is almost 3 now. They are stubborn and sometimes hard to train that's why unless you have alot
of time to dedicate to them, I don't suggest it. Mine is a very socialized dog, listens and he is very very sweet, loves everyone but consistancy is the key here. Let me put it to you this way. Anyone can take a bone out of his mouth and he won't do a think because we started doing it at 6 weeks old. AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED IF YOU HAVE THE TIME AND PATIENCE, THEY ARE THE BEST DOGS
Location: Finally escaped The People's Republic of California
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Great Posts folks..to often all you get is "they are the greatest dogs ever"
plenty of people posted who owned Akita's over the years
I think Cupcake has her answer...
Well...........unbeknownst to me, two akitas came out of their house, and SILENTLY approached from behind; I turned around HEARING dog toenails on the sidewalk (my elderly 21 lb. dog's nails were short, hence no sound), and at that instant one of them grabbed my dog by the neck........long story short.....they both attacked.......my dog died less than 2 days later despite emergency vet care and surgery......I think my small dog was prey to them........If you get one, please be aware of this possiblility....I repeat, there was no warning bark or growl from them....eerily SILENT BEFORE and DURING the attack.
My uncle had one and he said he would never have another one . They are an aggresive breed and they dont do well with smaller dogs or cats and my uncle had his since it was a yr old . It was a biter and he bit several people when they were in my uncles house . My uncle said he would keep that one but after it was gone he would never have another one . He now has a german shepard dog and he is the best dog no bites ever to this day . He wags his tail when someone comes to the door and if my uncle knows them , he goes and lays down after greeting them . My uncle much prefers this breed to any other he has ever owned . we dont know what happened to him in that first year , but I have heard that they are an aggresive breed fro a vets office .That was good enough for me to know that I most likely will never own an akita ..
I think the problem with this breed is that people don't do research before they get a pup.
This will be our next breed of dog, but we have been doing plenty of research. Any good, reputable breeder will tell you the positives and negatives of owning an Akita. They are a dominant, working breed of dog, one that is very loyal to its family. They tend to be same sex aggressive, so it is encouraged if you already have another dog, to get an Akita of the opposite gender. (This can hold true for any breed, or dog depending on temperment.) If you get one it is highly encouraged that you purchase from a breeder where you can meet both parents so you can know a little more about the dog's bloodlines. I've been warned about rescuing an Akita due to temperment issues since we have a toddler. That being said, when they are raised with kids, they are fantastic with them. It is often said that an Akita, while the protector and guardian of its family and would do anything to protect that family, has an "affinity" for the children and the kids often become the favorite family members. It's almost as if they sense that young children need more "protection" and are therefore watchful over them. After all, one of the things they did in Japan was watch the family children while the parents were working.
Too often Akitas are in homes with poor human guidance/leadership. They are a naturally dominant breed and are not reccommended for the first time dog owner. They blow their coats twice a year, and from all the owners/breeders I've spoken with are mild shedders between those coat blowings. They are also a very "clean" dog, meaning they clean themselves. All the "Akita" people I've spoken with also say that Akitas are silent hunters (they were used to hunt Bear), so when your Akita barks, you better pay attention because there's a reason. Let's not forget the Akita, while stunningly beautiful, is a powerful, fearless, and large dog.
After all the reasearch I've done, I think everyone contemplating getting one of these marvelous dogs should do the same. They aren't for everyone, they need a great deal of training, as well as a firm but loving owner. Can they be aggressive? Sure. But any dog can be. It's all about ownership, and how the animal was handled from puppyhood. While Akitas can get a bad rep, I think they are starting to have a more positive one as owners are becoming more aware of the dog they are getting before purchasing a puppy. It's all about being a responsible pet owner!
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