You want to see how the puppy interacts with people, not with other dogs, and how he interacts with you. Noise shyness is a trait you can breed away from, although it is of considerably less importance than many others. Sooner or later, they feel compelled to use the Akita as a demonstration dog, so they take it away from the owner and try to make it do something. While this would be great for a German Shepherd, my experiences since have made me very cautious with such dogs. No, they had not been run over as puppies. Dominant dogs eat first and get their pick. Next, get up and walk around slowly, talking cheerfully to the puppy. Without it, we’d have a totally different breed without the reserve and dignity so typical the adult.

He jumps up and bites her in the face. They cannot hear you, but they can feel the vibrations from your speech. For the obedience trainer, these traits present a real challenge.

This is probably a displacement activity, a face-saving advantage which gives him something to do while he makes up his mind. Take all this in small steps and realize you may have some set-backs. When a dog bites, the family’s first impulse is to find a good reason for their dog’s behavior. I remember an interview with a policeman who trained his Akita for K-9 work. From both his function as a hound and his heritage as a northern dog, he has a core of independence that makes him unable to always do what you want. A famously loyal Akita of the 1920s named Hachiko is among Japan’s most cherished symbols. If you are fortunate enough to live in an area with a number of training classes, before you sell puppies, take a tour and watch how the people train. They accept new surroundings, people, and situations with aplomb and react, if not positively to change, at least without anxiety. If he is so suspicious you cannot get him into a down, then put him in a sit stay. Level back with firmly-muscled loin and moderate tuck-up. Forelegs heavy-boned and straight as viewed from front. Your suggestions, comments, or (perish the thought!) 6. Interlace your fingers together to provide support for his ribs and let him hang in the air. Any dog in its relationship with other dogs and with people fits onto a scale of what is most often called “dominance behavior.” At the upper end is the dog that does what he wants when he wants and enforces his will if he is thwarted–the alpha, the most dominant dog.

He was their beloved pet until his death at ten. Only intimate friends and family are invited home. With the rising tide of nationalism in Japan, they began to value the Akita Inu as a native Japanese breed, for itself rather than for what it could do in a dog fight. More assertive responses on these tests range from flailing and struggling to whining, pawing, and biting. I’ve been around a lot of different dog breeds, but Akitas are one of the only ones I’m sure could be depended on to survive without people, barring encounters with cars about which they seem to have no sense. Just as retrievers like sticks and balls, this breed should have an affinity for children. Two dogs, for instance, disliked anything with wheels.