Training Your Akita
Training An Akita
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Training is a must if you have an Akita. An untrained Akita is a danger so take training seriously. This big powerful dog is not afraid to throw its weight around if it thinks it can get away with it. Start training when the Akita is a puppy and reinforce the training throughout its life.
You need to incorporate training into the dog’s daily routine as well as setting aside times for specific training. The Akita is a very intelligent dog and will soon become bored. Consider this and make training sessions short, about fifteen minutes long. It’s better to have three fifteen minute sessions a day than one long session.
It is vital that the Akita respects and accepts you as the pack leader. There can be no room for doubt about this. The Akita’s natural instincts are to dominate. If it senses doubt about your ability to lead the pack, it will take over. If that happens your life will not be easy with the dog. The last thing you want is a war of wills with an adult Akita.
Your Akita must not only be trained to respect you but it must respect all other members of the family as well. It is naturally protective of members of its pack and will always defend any member who it feels is under attack. You must train the Akita to respect the family and that not all strangers and dogs are enemies.
The Akita is dog aggressive by nature and does not mix well with other dogs, especially male dogs. Extensive socialization training is required if you are to take the Akita into public parks where other dogs are. Again, begin this when the Akita is a puppy if possible. You must train the Akita to accept other dogs are not a threat and should not be attacked for no reason.
Your Akita will also need training to stay within its boundaries. If it spends most of the day in a garden for example, it must be trained not to leave the area. The last thing you want is your Akita leaving its garden when you are not around. You will be surprised at how fast the Akita will respond to good firm but fair training. Once you have the dog trained, you will have a loyal protective member of the family for its life. The effort required to train an Akita is well worth the payback. So don’t neglect the training.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
The vet maybe right, why he’s doing this is a mystery and is probably rooted somewhere in his past. It’s never too late to train the dog but it will take time and patience. Start by taking the dog out to an area where it can relieve itself (relief area) When it does something lavish praise on it. When the dog urinates in the house say “no” firmly and take it to the relief area. Stay there for five minutes or so, I know he may not want to do anything once he has urinated in the house but you need to create a routine for the dog. He may take some time to settle in his new home so you will have to be patient. Once he settles he should stop urinating in the house. Also train him to sit when you command, so when he starts to get excited this may calm him down. Good Luck
The jumping up can be cured by training however the suspicion of strangers is normal for the breed as it is by nature very protective and territorial. Many people will lock their Akita in a cage if visitors come who the dog doesn’t know until it is socialized with them. If the dog whines when it senses things outside it sounds like it’s worrying, if it about nothing then just take the dog outside to see there is nothing. You can reduce the suspicion of strangers somewhat by socializing the dog more. You would have to keep her on a leash but you could walk her around areas with people and show her there is nothing to be afraid of. Strong socialization is essential with an Akita, you will never eliminate it’s inate suspicion of strangers because the dog is loyal to it’s home and pack, if it sees someone it doesn’t know it will be concrned until you, the pack leader lets the dog know, by your relaxed behaviour or commands that everything is fine. The barking is unusual. Akitas are bot known to bark a lot, in fact they bark very rarely, usually when it senses something unusual. I think your solution lies in rigourous socialization of her among other dogs and people until she can distinguish between a real threat and normal behaviour.
Look locally first, contact the kennel club via the internet for approved trainers. If you can’t find a trainer specific for Akitas, ask the local training organizations if they will help you. Most will. Make sure they are familiar with the Akita though because the dog has many unique characteristics.
Hi
I would like to know where i can get a good trainner for my akita, just to get her trained for the most important things…..
Thank you Tina
Hi my female akita is 2 years old and we got her from a rescue home when she was 8 months. We have tried many methods of training and she has responded to the usual commands very well e.g. sit, paw etc however she jumps up constantly when we arrive home and also is very protective when any visitors comes in that she does not know. Also is it common for a dog to whine alot as she makes almost a squeaking sound everytime she sees anything or anyone outside especially if its another dog and also barks alot any ideas on how i can stop this?
We just rescued a 6 year old female Akita from the humane society and everytime she sees my husband she pees on the floor she also pees anytime she gets excited what can we do to stop this? The vet said she is doing it to show she is submissive but we are getting very tired of cleaning her pee up. Is it too late to stop this?
Hi Ria,
Please have a read of this article, it contains some good advice on stopping your dog from biting. http://www.japaneseakitadogs.org/stopping-your-dog-from-biting/ First I don’t like the advice you have been given from the pet shop. It may work with a small lap dog but it won’t work with an Akita. You mention that the dog is getting aggressive, this is because it sees this as a challenge, it also senses that you maybe a little afraid of it. If an Akita senses doubt or fear in the pack leader it will challenge you for control of the pack. You can’t allow this to happen. You need to reassert your position as pack leader. If you don’t do it now it will be much more difficult when the dog becomes an adult.
Your dog sounds happy and well balanced apart from the biting. This is common among puppies as they realise they have teeth, it’s simply a matter of consistent training that has to be reinforced until the dog’s beehaviour changes. As I’ve already mentioned I wouldn’t use the method recommended by the pet shop. The fact that the Akita growled at you is significant. It suggests the dog is interpreting the jaw nipping as a challenge and it is responding.
You need to establish your position as pack leader before you can get control of this problem. When the dog tries to bite say “No” in a firm voice, nothing else just “No” (the shorter the commands the better for dogs. You can reinforce this by holding your hand up. Give her a toy to chew on. Be consistent with this training everytime she tries to bite, eventually she will get the message and stop. The first time she does not attempt to bite praise and reward her with a treat.
Biting furniture is a common problem with puppies, it’s basically a sign of boredom and the fact that the puppy has just learned it has some teeth. Again when you catch her chewing furniture tell her “No” always firmly but never shouting.You have done the right thing in buying her some toys. A possible solution while the puppy is going through the chewing stage is to buy a cage, not everybody likes them but they can provide a solution.
Good Luck with your puppy
Hi,
I have recently just got a female Akita pup and she is almost 8 weeks! The pup is fantastic and already knows basic comands like ‘sit’! She is already house trained and knows where to go to the toilet! Shes very friendly and playfull and is not shy when meeting new people and surroundings. The only problem we have is that she constantly bites whatever she can, whether it be furniture or us. We were told by our local pet store that when she bites us we should hold her mouth together by out thumb and forefinger and gently shake her saying ‘no’ firmly. We tried this but the pup seemed to think it was a game and straight away went to bite. The more we do this the more agressive she has started to get and at one point growled. We have bought her toys and treats to help with her teething and when she goes to bite us we give her a toy that shes alowed to bite. How can we her to stop biting us and furniture?
Ria.
Hi Barry,
This is classic Akita behaviour around other male dogs. Akita owners need to constantly reinforce training especially socialisation. You always need to watch an Akita around other dogs, this is not a lapdog that you can let off the lead and forget about. You must always be on top of the dog, always aware of it as you are out with it. The good news is you’re obviously aware of this which is great. The price you have to pay for owning such a great dog is constant vigilance. Good luck.
hi my male akita is now just turned 14 months old and i interacted him with other dogs from a early age but the last month or two when other male dogs approach him if he does not know the dog he sumtimes becomes aggresive, or becomes like this if he has been shown any but apart from that he is well trained and a amazing dog.