I Think I'm a Bad Owner of an Akita

[einalem]

Hi my name is Melanie, and my Akita name is Shoda. I also own a chiwawa pomeranian name Russell. Russell is almost three years old and Shoda is a year and four months, and he is a stud. I got him when he was four months.

The reason I think I am a bad owner is because:

1. I don't think he respects me. He doesn't exactly listen, he growls at me if i try to move him out of the way and sometimes over random things. He even shows his teeth and does the bark growl

2. I need help on disciplining. I try to speak loudly and stern to show i'm serious and this is when he says i don't care and growls at me. I'm not going to lie at first I use to slap him on his butt but i don't do that anymore.

3. Also, sometimes I feel he isn't completely comfortable with me. Sometimes if I walk by and he was naughty he makes sure to keep me in view.

4. I think he just needs to be fixed to take care of the aggression but I feel like there is more to it. When my roommates pet him sometimes he sits and allows it but growls at them. He use to attack as in bark and snarl at them when I wasn't home. I took him to petsmart training when i first got him and he passed with an extra award so i know he can be trained. I can't afford to take him to more training classes for aggression and more obedience training but I don't want to have to give him up. I use to take him to the park ever so often when he was about six months but after a fight begun by a doberman, he always fights when at the park so I've stopped taking him.

As to his temperament, he likes to meet other dogs but once off leash in an open area a fight is waiting to happen. He doesn't have a problem with Russell but doesn't allow other dogs to come in his food and water area. I have recently begun crate training him because I'm tired of him destroying all my pillows. Why does he do that? I tried getting a bone and stuff bears to persuade him that the pillow isn't as fun but he still does it no matter what toy he has available. He does this when I am not home only. He likes my cat but my cat doesn't like him, they don't live together though.

Help needed. Thanks

[FXgirl]

I don't own an akita but I do know of someone who has owned many akitas over the years and was very adamant that akitas should never be let off leash at parks.  They just don't get along with most dogs.  Shoda is now in adolescence so you may not be able to have him off leash anymore but that doesn't mean he can't met dogs on walks as long as he is under control and comfortable.

Some of your problems may be because he is intact but most of your problems are still going to be there even after you neuter him. 

Your relationship with Shoda should be based on respect.  If you don't treat him with respect he most certainly isn't going to respect you.  Do you have a command for when he's blocking the door way and you'd like to pass?  "Excuse me" is what most people use(I say "look out", myself.)  The best way to get him out of your way whether he's blocking the hallway or laying in front of the fridge is to teach him commands than to physically remove him.  Does he have a command to get him to stand from a lying down position?  That one's always useful around here when someone is lying in front of the fridge.

Around here my dogs rarely get "disciplined".  I never understand what people mean when they use that word.  To me it means getting yelled at or hit or dragged into the crate for a time out.  If you can give more examples of specific problems maybe we can be of more help to suggest ideas.  For example: if my dog is barking in my face while I'm lying on the couch watching T.V. I either get up and walk away into another room and close the door behind me or I may give me the "quiet" command that he already knows and ask him to lie "down". 

If he's growling at you when you pet him then he's probably getting pet too much.  He's demanding to be petted.  Ignore him.  If you want to pet him call him over and ask him to sit before pet him.  I would cut down on the petting if you think you are doing it too much.  You can also use it as a reward for obeying a command.

As far as barking and snarling at your friends when you're not around that seems like a pretty normal guarding behaviour.  I don't think it's wise for your friends to be walking into your house without you there.  Someone could get hurt!

This age is sooooo tough but if you stick to it, keeping respect and manners in mind when teaching Shoda you WILL get through it.  I always have a tough time through adolescence until about 18-19 months when it just seems to click for the both of us.

[einalem]

Wow, I never knew there was something as too much petting. He comes up to me to pet him quite often and when I do stop, he informs me tha he wants me to continue. At time I pet him some more or I tell him no more. He does have a command for him to move but if he doesn't want to move, at times, he will twitch when I say the command but not move. It is like when your trying to wake someone up but they don't want to, sometimes they snap you.

I feel like I'm depriving him of a part of life by not being able to let him off leash with other dogs. He is quite friendly with other dogs in the beginning. But it happens all the time that other dogs don't seem to like him, they always try to attack him, especially little dogs. It's like they can see he is dominant from afar and can't wait to test him. In all honesty out of 4/5 times other dogs start something with him. He loves to run and chase other dogs while in the park.

A problem we have is, when going for a walk he gets extremely excited. He starts to jump or prance like a deer. I make him sit before and while I'm putting on the leash but once its on he starts to do it again. I use a stern no or I walk away and continue what I was doing so he sees the over excitement will not get him a walk but he does it anyway.

Once I open the door, I make sure to be the first out the door but once I'm out he jet out always hurting my hand with the leash. I've tried just keeping the leash short at this point but it hurts just as bad and he still does it even though he doesn't get far.

I continue to use the same commands but he still does not have the obedience down to a T yet.

How do I show him respect without "disciplining" and not allowing him to walk all over me? I'm not going to lie, I've even tried reasoning verbally with him. I've asked why he does the things he do, but of course he never responds.

[patrick]

There is a ton of info on the internet In particular you should read NILIF  Nothing in life is free.  In order to gain your dog's respect your commands need to be absolutely consistent and his refusal is not an option.  It can't be sometimes its OK and sometimes its not.  I have Pyrs and they don't always listen either BUT if I tell them to move they will move or I will physically move them.  Not in anger, never raising my voice.  I also absolutely NEVER let a dog show its teeth to me EVER.  The dog is not the leader of my household and he cannot challenge me. Nor can he challenge anyone in my household that is there by my invite. Guarding the house when I am not home is one thing but this behavior is not acceptable and can actually be dangerous. Consistency and routine help set the tone for what is expected for the dog and erases a lot of reasons for challenging. It sets boundaries so the dog knows what is expected of him.

One great deterrant is water- I have spray bottles which I use to enforce commands  But if they ever growled at me they probably would get a full bucket of water in the face! It only takes once to cure them forever!
Stop thinking of discipline as punishment - rather think of it as insisting your wishes be acknowledged.. For charging and dancing around when you leash him-stand perfectly still until he settles then walk- if he starts again immediately stand perfectly again until he settles or turn around and go in the opposite direction.  Done often enough he will stop but if you do it twice but then the third time let him charge off what you have taught him is that he doesn't have to listen.  Most dog behaviors are by what we have taught them- whether we realise it or not. If you allow a bad behavior to occur then you have actually taught them this bad behavior is OK.  Once they develop bad habits then it is much harder to overcome - key is to not accept bad behavior the first time.

[Bubbalove]

OK, I do own an akita. He's a boy, he's nutered and he IS TOUGH. I have used this website for much needed advice.  Here is what I have learned...
1)NILIF.  Period. No exceptions. No vacations. No breaks.
2)Specialized training. Find the money because you will regret each day that you don't train this dog. Mark my words.
3)On leash and backyard socialization (with dogs, people, kids, bikes, strangers, squirrels, etc)early and often. We have said "no" to dog parks. The breed is generally unreliable off-leash(and you will notice they have a bad rap at dog parks).
4)Educate yourself. I think I may have read every dog website that has any information on Akitas/large breeds that is out there. It's a lot of information to dig through, but educate yourself.
5)Find a good advisor. A specialized vet, a rescue, a good friend on this website...some thing so that when things come up (welcome to adolescence, things are GOING to come up)you will need some support. 
I am sorry if I seem harsh...but my sweet, sweet Kana-boy has put us through a lot (and we were previous owners of an Akita) and it has taken a lot of time and the above to get him to be a reliable and respectful dog.  We work at it every day and we can tell the days that we slack b/c his behavior suffers.
Take good care, hope all works out for you and the dogs in the house- once again, I am thankful that I found this website and the angels on it...
Kristen

[einalem]

Okay thank you soo much. I will try starting tomorrow the ignoring for 24 hrs. Then start the NILIF training. I do make him sit to put on the leash and when I come home he gets excited, I tell him no and ignore him for a while. I've been doing this for some time but he is still the same but I'm sure I haven't been consistent. I also try to read up on Akita at least once a week to remind myself what they are capable of and I've been googling Akita training specifically. I use commands all the time like "sit", "down", "no more" and "easy".

There is something I am unsure of, at some point in my researching, it is said that if for example I'm trying to put on his leash and he doesn't sit, ignore him or to continue until he does listen. Which one do I do? Or with the spray bottle, if I say sit and he doesn't do it, do I spray him and then try again and if he doesn't listen spray again until he follows the command and praise him?

[KiraNGunnersmom]

Another Akita lover and mom here,  follow the training advice of the others and Shoda will be a different dog obedience wise and definitly get him neutered, it does help some dogs alot, as for other dogs and socializing with them takes time and LOTS of patience.
My Akita is a spayed female and chooses who she will befriend and the process is usually a long one and let the other dog try and be dominant for even one second and she is on them like stink on poop.  We recently had the chance to adopt a beautiful great dane but Kira wanted to eat him alive even though he weighed 100lbs more than her and was at least 5 inches taller.  we tried 3 times to do an introduction to no avail.  However, when we brought Gunner home she loved him instantly!
She is never let loose near other dogs aside from Gunner (our mastiff)and a few select others that she has known for some time and even then if she hasnt seen them in a bit we have to slowly reintroduce them to her.
I know of 2 Akita's who are great with all other animals, even cats and a rabbit!  Unfortunately, my girl is not one of those Akita's.

[KiraNGunnersmom]

Oh and Pictures, we LOVE pictures...*hint, hint*

[People Whisperer]

You have gotten some great advise  I just wanted to add one thing...don't make him sit for everything. It's very common for dogs to sit to get their meal or get out of the door or get a treat, etc. Make him go down or shake paw or an other trick, that way your dog will not anticipate the command he has to do 
My dog was sitting for most of the stuff and one time asked her to go down and she got very confused...I know where my training went wrong 

P.S. You are not a bad owner at all! We all learn every day 

[einalem]

Okay so repeating the command is a bad thing. Sometimes when I say sit he starts but pauses and return to standing, at this point I say "go on" to encourage him and it works, but then again this is sometimes. Other times he just doesn't listen. I feel like he doesn't like to lay down unless he is going to relax.

For example we are working on crate training using the technique on this website. Its working pretty good so far. The only problem so far is he doesn't go in the crate unless I throw a treat in first. I'm trying to use to command "inside" to get him in. First I need to get a kong ball to continue the training though. The first three is Shoda and the last one is Russell I caught the hint!

[KiraNGunnersmom]

Russell looks like my friends yorkie/jack russellX but hers is a girl named Emma.  Emma is one hyper little girl.  Is Russell high enery?
Shoda is one handsome boy! In that last pic he has an "I dare you look" in his eye.

 

[einalem]

LOL he does have that "I wish you would" look. Russell surprisingly isn't very hyper. He does have moments when he runs around the apartment 40 times, but majority of the time he just wants to cuddle and lay on a person. Russell is the protective one between the two, if you tap anyone he starts to bark at the person, Shoda just watches. I think to see if it is a serious situation or not. Also, if Russell is barking at someone Shoda thinks is okay too much, he tries to shut him up.

[FXgirl]

Yeah, there is such a thing as too much petting.  I got in trouble from the instructor the first day of puppy class with my first dog.  Who would have thought, eh?

My apologises for mistaking your roommates as just friends.  He definitely shouldn't be snarling at them since it is THEIR house.

Anyways, don't give up on him.  You can read about dog adolescence to familiarize yourself with what your guy is going through and common mistakes people make.  There is light at the end of the tunnel.  I have much respect for those who have such well behaved young dogs.  I wish I was as good.

[Bubbalove]

Shoda is HANDSOME!!  I have to say, though he and Kana have that same sideways adolescent look about them...it's uncanny! They are mischevious aren't they...but the pic of his face on the floor...ohh, I died.  So adorable! 

[einalem]

OOO thank you soo much. I thought to same thing when I saw your baby.  If not for the difference in color I would have thought u took Shoda before I got him.