Akita

Jennifer Garcia

Axia College

Comm. 125 Utilizing Information in College Writing

ANNE BOWERS, JR

June 3, 2007

Is it possible for Akitas’ to be raised with love and care and the proper accurate training will turn into the ideal companion? In my research and own experiences, Akitas need tender loving care, and when given this they are the gentlest creatures in the world. This is when stereotyping comes in. When someone comes face to face with an Akita, they jump to the fact that they are dangerous animals that were breed for hunting and tracking down bears (Pflaumer 1998 para 4). What people do not realize is that a “human” makes a dog a “dangerous” animal no visa versa.
In Japanese history, the Akita is one of the oldest native dogs, as described both verbally and written (Drake, copyright 2007 para. 6). As a dog high intelligence, its sense of smell, sight and hearing are its best. You normally would find that the Akita is a quite dog, only barking if overly excited or someone unknown is coming up to the house, which in turn makes the Akita a great watch dog. You can find that most Akitas stand from 24 – 28 inches, and weigh anywhere from 85 to 135 pounds (Pflaumer 1998 para 12). You will also find that Akitas come in many different colors and markings. In American history Helen Keller visited Japan in 1937and out of respect the Ministry’s of Education presented her with two Akita pups for the sprit she displayed by learning to communicate despite being deaf and a mute. The well know Akita Club of America was founded in 1956, the Akita was accepted into the American Kennel Club Working Group in 1973 lastly in 1996 the Akita ranked 35th among the 143 breed that AKC registered with 11,161 dogs listed (Pflaumer 1998 para 8 and 11).
Most people will agree that the Akita’s temperament varies from being very intelligent, extremely loyal, and can exalt tendencies of aggravation. This aggravation normally comes from owners trying to introduce other dogs of the same sex (ACA, copyright 2007 pap. 7). The ACA states that it is a phenomenal way that the Akita displays its loyalty and devotion (ACA 2007 para 7). An Akita will follow you room to room and be at you feet every step of the way. The Akita’s on e goal in life is to protect you and spend all its time with you (ACA 2007 para. 6). Ms Bouyet states that the Akita is a very family orientated dog and that they do not like being apart for their families and your Akita need to exercise regularly when you leave. Your Akita will sleep until your return (1990 para. 19 and 20). In Pflaumer article, she quotes Carol Forti:
The Akita is highly sensitive to their owners/handlers thoughts. Whenever I showed one, I always would send him the mental message that he is gorgeous. Invariably the dog notices my attitude and presents himself accordingly in the show ring. (Pflaumer 1998 para 19)

Akitas, like humans, do not like to be teased, and they may act aggressively in response to it. When it comes to large breeds, the Akita prefers to be the only male dog. This way it can show itself as the “Leader of the pack” (Andrew 1999). With experience to this, our Akita knows that my husband is the “leader” in the house and that I am the “mommy”. We also have a male Chihuahua who gets along with our Akita, and the only reason for that is probably the different size in the two. This goes to say that the Akita was NOT breed for hunting because if they were I would have a dead Chihuahua right now.
One way to make sure your Akita is the ideal companion is to make sure you are the one doing its training. This is one of the main downfall of any breed is the training, or the training they receive is the wrong training. It’s best if you enroll him into obedience class this way you can learn how and why he behaves the way he does with this you also learn how to communicate with him (Andrews 1999 page 89 para 3 and 4). There are different roles to play while you are training your Akita; they are of discipline, Reward and Punishment. With out disciplining him total and utter chaos breaks out and it will because the downfall of the group, they also need discipline to know how to live their lives in order with the pack (family). When punishing your Akita, you want to do this when the first cross the line with you, you don’t want to wait 15 minutes or so to this, this will in-turn confuse the animal. When rewarding him you want to do this when he has done something you commanded him to do. One flaw in my own training I found is that I have let him take charge of certain situations and he tends not to listen to me, but with a little work, you can fix this problem. With successful training your Akita will able to do tricks as sit, shake, lay, they will also be able to walk with their heads held high instead of down and their tail in between their legs.
There are times when you see tolls on these certain breeds as being classified as “dangerous” dog. People are now aiming finger of prejudice at the dog instead of the owner. If a dog attacks someone, people ask these questions: Are you going to put the dog asleep. You knew you were getting dangerous breed, why did you get it to start with. You do not hear: Where were the owners when this was happening; why did you allow this to happen? What kind of training has the dog received?

(there was a chart here but it didn't paste if you would like to see it please email me)

This chart shows four different breeds with the Akita having fewer than 100 attacks on adults and children as well as having little to no deaths with these attacks. The Rottweiler has fewer than 300 for all four of the categories, and the Boxer as you see is in the same boat as the Akita. The Pitt Bull however has more than 500 different cases sense 2006 (Clifton 2006 page 1 and 2). This is no fault of the animals but of their human counterparts. If I train a dog to attack then they are going to attack on command because their owner taught it not because they were born that way, and having this kind of training they will know to attack the smaller and weaker animal.
Not only are Akitas judged right off the bat but most large breed dogs are as well. When we brought home our Akita my best friend spent about two weeks trying to talk me into giving him back because he was a “dangerous” dog. What she did not realize was that she was judging him before she was getting to know him. After reading up on Akitas and spending time with him, she understood how gentle he could be. Before people say “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you got THAT type of dog its SO dangerous.” They need to read up on the breed and become educated with the way the mind of the animal works. What people need to remember is that violent and dangerous Akitas, and other breeds, are not born but created by the stupidity of their owners.

References
ACA (Akita Club of America), (1995-2007) The Akita- Is it the Right Dog For You?
Retrieved from http://www.akitaclub.org/info/breedinfo.html#topindex on May 21, 2007
Andrew, B & Carpenter-Purnell M (1999) Akita, Kennel Club Books
Clifton, M (2006) Dog attack deaths and maimings, U.S. & Canada
September 1982 to November 13, 2006 Retrieved on May
21, 2007
Pflaumer, S (1998, February) The Awe-Inspiring Akita, Dog world, Volume 58 Issue 2