Cross Breeds

Are Akitas good Pets?

So I recently was given a puppy as our last dog had died a couple months before and this was a rescue pup. I got him at 5 weeks old he was young I know but I have raised pups before. We didn't know what breed he was as the mother of the puppy was dumped at some ones house and had had puppies we thought he was a lab at first because he was lovely yellow but now he is getting a darker back pattern and his tail curls over onto his back. So I know for a fact that the pup now named Gunner is not a full bred Akita but I saw pictures of one and he looks much like them. I am curious as I have heard mixed reviews as I research this breed. My household has other dogs, small animals, and children. I don't know what his personality is yet since he is only 7 weeks now he seems a loving pup he gets rowdy when playing with our other dogs but I think that is just because he is a baby still and he needs to be knocked in line by other dogs. So I just want some opinions as I would like to keep Gunner and I just want to know if I should truly be concerned.

Public Comments

1. ghhdg
2. Akita's love children :) they are a wonderful dog, as are most when given love and attention, and obedience!
3. I am not going to judge you having the puppy at five weeks as you obviously know already this is too young, but do you know why it couldn't stay with the mother? Just curious. Anyway, as for the breed...it does not determine the future behavior in the dog. It means that with certain triggers, it will be more liekly to behave/react in a way that instinctive to that breed, but not where there is correct handling and training. If any dog of any breed is raised and handled correctly with the appropriate training, exercise and mental stimulation, it can be a very loving and loveable pet. As you have other dogs in the house, I would advise that you leave them all alone to get on with things as much as you can without stepping in and getting involved. Your current dogs will be able to teach your pup all the boundaries, communicate with him effectively and bring him into line when he pushes things too far. When he's older and has had his jabs, get him in puppy classes and training classes and continue with your research so that you can be sure you can give this dog what it needs on a daily basis. Good luck and have fun.
4. Akita's are sweet dogs. Aggression is brought out by owners, but this goes for any breed. If he is well raised, he will be a good pet and there will be nothing to worry about so I dont think you should be concerned.
5. Akita's are notorious for dog-aggression (they were used for fighting), small-animal aggression, and I've heard mixed information on them with children. They are also highly suspicious of strangers due to their guarding instinct and may develop distrust or suspicion of strangers. Since he is a mix, it is quite possible that he won't take after the Akita. That being said, I would never leave the dog unsupervised with children or any other animal. Socialize him all you can with kids, different kinds of people, different situations, and different animals.
6. We once rescued and fostered an Akita while he recovered from surgery. He was a sweetheart. Treat and train him right and you should have no problem. Treatment and training are the two most important factors in shaping a dogs behavior.
7. I have a friend who has bred Akitas for nearly thirty years, and I've owned one myself. As a cross breed, it's hard to say if you'll get the full characteristics of the breed, or perhaps a mix, or even more of the other mix in the breeding of your pup. Akitas vary quite markedly. They were bred for dog fighting, and hunting big game. As a result they have a very strong hunt and kill instinct (if you keep small animals inclding a cat, you could have problems), they are very assertive and naturally dominant dogs (likely to dominate your others - or at least try, dominate you and everyone in your home if you aren't firm enough with handling), they are large and powerful, stubborn and can be quite hard to train as they tend to be hard to dominate by anyone but the strongest of "pack leaders". Some akitas are of course, on the easier end of the scale, but some are very difficult for anyone who hasn't had experience in handling naturally dominant dogs. You need to be very firm and not give in an inch, or an akita will take the opportunity to be "top dog". If you allow this, you will end up with an untrustworthy dog that can be aggressive to humans, and due to it's size and strong personality, once this happens, you can have a real problem on your hands. Akitas are naturally quarrelsome with other dogs, and you tend not to see them all that often in free-range dog parks. They can and will pick fights, and will fight until incapacitated if not stopped. I know this is worst case scenario, but these things are very real problems that a lot of under-informed people end up with after buying these beautiful animals. They are not for a novice owner, or for someone who's only ever owned dogs like labradors or the like. I would suggest reading up on dog behaviour, and getting your pup socialised with as many dogs and people as possible in the next 3-6 months. It's VERY important!! Get the pup used to being disciplined NOW so it gets used to it before it starts trying to challenge you. Chances are he'll be fine and he'll be just like any other dog, but if you get one with the real akita attitude, you'll be thankful you were prepared early!! My akita was a wonderful loving dog - to me. But dispite all the socialisation in the world, and obedience training her to a high level, she was so untrustworthy in public that I needed to muzzle her. My friend's husband - a professional dog trainer, said that as the breed is growing in popularity, so is his business for trying to save these dogs from being euthanased for becoming aggressive - and it's not just bad owners who end up with aggressive akitas. Of course some dogs do become problematic due to their owners, but this breed has instincts and a naturally dominant nature - they are quite prone to problems in the wrong hands.
8. I dogsit this Akita for my friend and he's the sweetest thing ever. But I believe that the way a dog behaves is if he likes the environment he is in and if his ownsers care for him.
9. You may want to check this site to know more information about this breed. http://lnk.nu/dogtime.com/shg.html
10. Hello I have 2 Akita’s! I don’t think either of them are full Akita, although they both look like Akita’s but at 7 week it would be really hard to see what he will look like! But any way I did not get my dogs as pups and they are wonderful dogs! I don’t know my males back ground or where he came from but he is the biggest sweetheart you could find!!! My female was beat and kenneled all the time! It took a few months for her to snap out but 2 years later she is amazing! I got the chance to watch my 10month old nephew a few months ago and he crawled over them and pull there tails! Both dogs did nothing. They also did not leave his side that whole time he was there. •Katie J says it the best!!! Akita's are sweet dogs. Aggression is brought out by owners, but this goes for any breed. If he is well raised, he will be a good pet and there will be nothing to worry about so I dont think you should be concerned.