Akita  

The untrainable dog? 

A powerful, graceful and very strong character dog. Akitas are often misunderstood by other dogs and humans because they have a different body language than other dogs. There is also hardly any educational literature on this breed. 

There is barely a dog trainer who really knows the peculiarities of this breed. Akita body language is often misinterpreted even by dog trainers. As a result, an unknowing dog trainer can even do harm in training and unsettles dog owners.  In fact, that is very likely. 

In the photo you can see my wonderful Chiyo.

• Yes, she runs free, almost everywhere, and she comes back on command! Nevertheless, she stays on the leash on the street or when we don't feel like dog contact or it's breeding and birthing/nursing season with the wildlife! No, she does not hunt, but runs around interested and sniffs, which means stress for breeding animals and can trigger defensive behaviour in larger animals (deer). 
• She gets along with other dogs, both males and females in 9 out of 10 cases. She remains a watchdog and that's what we want. There are behaviours and circumstances that she does not tolerate and that we have deliberately not trained away. 
• She gets along with our cat and other cats.
• She can stay at home alone and is calm about it.
• She rarely barks. Only when she wants to indicate something, like a figure in the dark. And that is what we want. 
• We have preserved her guard dog character. This means:
  If a stranger enters the house without us letting the person in, she blocks and tells us. 
  Another situation: We had a picnic in the park with friends. It was already pitch dark. Our group was almost alone in the park. Someone headed straight for us out of the darkness. In situations like this, she stays still, tells us and warns (barks). If the person steers further towards us, she still lies still and warns a second time, and more urgently (growls briefly). After that, the person went around us in a wide arc. 
• When guests come, she waits for us and only greets them with permission. She is very cheerful, gentle and loves to receive guests. 
• She is infinitely patient, careful and very gentle with children.
• She feels comfortable in the car and also on public transport, even on boats or in a canoe. 
• She behaves very mannerly in restaurants and in hotels. In the latter, by the way, she can stay alone for a few hours. So we also (could) have dog-free times on holiday. 
• Our Chiyo has a high hunting instinct, which we have successfully diverted. This means she has high impulse control and does not chase animals. Even if they are right under her nose. If she does (would) start to chase, she can be called off immediately. I wish I had filmed the situation when we were at the Ancient Market, listening to the live music there. Chiyo was lying on the ground with her paws stretched out in front of her and a pigeon slowly walked over both of her paws. Chiyo just didn't react at all, even looking past the pigeon. It was a special moment. 
• She does not jump on people. 
• She does not dig up the garden. 
• She does not jump on the sofa and certainly not on the bed. But if that's what you want with your dog, then of course that's ok ☺.

This is all possible if the training and socialisation happens as early as possible and in the correct way! Of course, it is up to us to maintain these successes. This means a dog needs to be reminded periodically. Especially of situations that do not happen regularly. Dogs are not machines that you have to programme once and then it works. They are living creatures that react to their environment, gather experience and occasionally test the boundaries that have been set. It is important to react accordingly and not become careless. 

Would you like support with your Akita? 
I am very happy to meet you!