Japanese Akita .. Dangerous Dog ?

marystar

As i mentioned in a post before i was interested in the shiba inu , a smaller version of the akita ...
i seen on the new list of dangerous dogs atika is one .. i dont live in council area & it shiba i wanted anyway .. but what i was reading on the internet so far was that they are ok for pets .. how many atikas have attacked people? i thought these breeds were hard to come by in ireland so its suprising to find out they attacked alot of people .. i was suprised about the german shepard being classed as dangerous dog aswell ,as i noticed others on this board were .. lots of people have them as pets .. does anyone know any atikas .. are they vicious ??

alexdenby6

no dog is vicious mary.

Schlemm

They've banned crossbreds of the dogs on the list, and sometimes wolf hybrids are Japanese Akita cross...plus their ancestors used to be used for fighting, so I guess that's why they're out...I dunno how they're being bred in Ireland these days tho...

marystar

yeah i know it depends on the owner and everything ,,, but when you talk about pitbulls , rottweilers , doberman pinschers .. im sure lots of people on this board have them & i m sure alot of them are nice but supposedly they are the type of dog that have jaws powerful enough to kill you , if they did for some reason attack ,, as far as i know German Shepards didnt , and i dont know loads about atikas but i never heard about that with them either ..

alexdenby6

a jack russell can kill you if it gets your throat, its a terrier and wont let go if it doesnt want to.

peasant

marystar wrote:

but supposedly they are the type of dog that have jaws powerful enough to kill you , if they did for some reason attack ,, as far as i know German Shepards didnt

They're all just dogs, marystar, not great white sharks.

Power of course increases with size, as does strength, but there is no "super" dangerous breed out there that can just snap you in half, no matter what people try to make you belive. But a German shepherd would be able to bite just as hard and powerful as any other dog its size.

On the other hand, even our little terrier can reduce a great big bone to powder, given enough time.

Our man in Havana

Mary any dog can kill - very few do! If you care for a dog, love it, teach it, & feed it well you will have a friend for life regardless of species!

This country is becoming a joke! People who do not have or love dogs are making laws regarding mass slaughter of innocent dogs!

Bull breeds have a bad name due to a very few isolated incidence - how many Irish kiddies have been killed by dogs? Most of this current madness started due to the poor wee girl in the UK who's uncle was a drug dealer & she was with the dog in the early hours of the morning - I do believe they suspected the dog was mad due to ingesting some drugs?

All dogs have powerful jaws! My westie snaps rats necks with one bite! If she attacked she'd do so nasty damage - 99.9% of dogs do not snap & go crazy - 90% of dog bites are unreported! There are a few cases where big dogs have snapped, its a rare thing thankfully!

Son of Jack

We have had a beautiful 3 year old Akita for the last year. She has been a wonderful family pet, responsive and loyal. She is gentle with our children (and the neighbours') and well mannered with adults. Unfortunately she does not get on with other female dogs and bit the next door neighbour's dog. They called the dog warden who in turn said we had to get her rehomed or put down. This is due to happen Tuesday afternoon. We want the very best for her and are heart broken. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Nala

Mary, as countless people told you in the thread you made about wanting a purebred Labrador puppy because you think crossbreeds are dangerous:

Dangerous dogs are made NOT born

PS Why are you asking about Japanese Akitas when you're considering a Shiba Inu? That's like asking about a Cocker spaniel when you actually want a Cavalier KC.

EdgarAllenPoo

I've always wanted an Akita, they look a bit like a bear. My cousin has one and has never had any problems with agression. If anything she's very protective of the family.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Son of Jack wrote:

We have had a beautiful 3 year old Akita for the last year. She has been a wonderful family pet, responsive and loyal. She is gentle with our children (and the neighbours') and well mannered with adults. Unfortunately she does not get on with other female dogs and bit the next door neighbour's dog. They called the dog warden who in turn said we had to get her rehomed or put down. This is due to happen Tuesday afternoon. We want the very best for her and are heart broken. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Can I suggest you contact the people over at www.dogsindistress.org (When you enter that site, listed down on the left [your left] there's also a discussion forum)and I'm sure some people here might know of other bodies who might help rehome your dog rather than have it go to the pound, where it will be put to sleep.

Alternatively, since it hasn't bit a human ask a local TD or councillor can they interven.

Son of Jack

Thanks for that GDM

Will try Dogs In Distress Mairt. She has had a lot of love and respect in her life. The Dog Warden tells us he has the power to remove her, take her off in his van and keep her in the pound until this would come up in court. We can't be sure they would be kind to her.

We want her to suffer as little confusion and hurt as possible so if we can't get her rehomed we wouldn't hand her over to the pound but bring her down to our vet ourselves. That way we would know nothing could hurt her.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Son of Jack wrote:

Thanks for that GDM

Will try Dogs In Distress Mairt. She has had a lot of love and respect in her life. The Dog Warden tells us he has the power to remove her, take her off in his van and keep her in the pound until this would come up in court. We can't be sure they would be kind to her.

We want her to suffer as little confusion and hurt as possible so if we can't get her rehomed we wouldn't hand her over to the pound but bring her down to our vet ourselves. That way we would know nothing could hurt her.

Well maybe consider having her fostered until this mess can be sorted?.

Basically that just mean's someone will give her a home until she's ready to go back to you. The people fostering over on DiD.org have all been vetted and are well experienced and just have the welfare of the dog (and you) at heart.

Some good reading about your dog on wikipedia.com;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_akita

comongethappy

Hi There,

Just in response to your question, no, the dog is not a dangerous breed. What makes dogs on these lists dangerous is when people buy a breed because they like how it looks but don't respect the type of dog it is. The Akita, German Shepard, etc... they are all working breeds. These dogs need a lot of excerise and challanges every day. It's when these dogs are left on their own or have owners that don't know how to handle them that they can become "problem" dogs. If you don't give these dogs a purpose, many will take on the role as pack leader (instead of the owner, which it should be), and decide it's their role to protect you and their terrioritory, which is when they can become vicious towards people, sometimes even the owners. The only breed I've heard of that can potentionally become vicious even with good handling is a Rot.

However, good news on the Shiba Inu front! I'm looking into getting one of these myself and I've been researching the breed and speaking to breeders. These dogs don't require as much excerise as the Akita - they are not a working breed. Two short walks during the day and an yard to spend the day in is fine for this breed. If for some reason you couldn't walk them one day a week and they were stuck in the garden they wouldn't be too pushed either. However, they have incredible endurance, so a long walk on the weekend would make them just as happy. When you're home in the evening, bring them indoors, as they like to be part of the pack. Good with cats in socialised as a puppy, but not with smaller animals. Socialisation with other dogs and humans as a pup is important.

I'm glad to see you're looking into the breed, as there seem to be many people that don't which can lead to the dog having a troubled life. Good luck with your dog search!:D

cowzerp

marystar wrote:

yeah i know it depends on the owner and everything ,,, but when you talk about pitbulls , rottweilers , doberman pinschers .. im sure lots of people on this board have them & i m sure alot of them are nice but supposedly they are the type of dog that have jaws powerful enough to kill you , if they did for some reason attack ,, as far as i know German Shepards didnt , and i dont know loads about atikas but i never heard about that with them either ..

Mary rottweilers are meant to have the strongest jaws closely followed by german shepards, pitbulls jaws actually only work out the same as the average dogs jaw strenght-this should not be the deciding factor on what dogs are dangerous though-my rotty wont bite so it does not matter, in my opinion every case needs to be dealt with individually, most of the fighting type dogs are bred to be human friendly and this is very apparent if you've ever met a staff or a bull terrier-the problem is the owners who dont socialise there dogs and instill discipline and good training..Akitas are good if trained and socialised.

Son of Jack

We have this sorted now thanks

leonie xxx

marystar wrote: »

As i mentioned in a post before i was interested in the shiba inu , a smaller version of the akita ...
i seen on the new list of dangerous dogs atika is one .. i dont live in council area & it shiba i wanted anyway .. but what i was reading on the internet so far was that they are ok for pets .. how many atikas have attacked people? i thought these breeds were hard to come by in ireland so its suprising to find out they attacked alot of people .. i was suprised about the german shepard being classed as dangerous dog aswell ,as i noticed others on this board were .. lots of people have them as pets .. does anyone know any atikas .. are they vicious ??

Marystar i hav a 20mnth akita and hasnt shows signs of aggresion against any1 she knows but a great guard dog also. If teased or pushed to a limit she would stand her ground. If she was to get near anotha dog on her own she would fight but my little bichon frise stays in house with her and they hav nevr fell out. These dogs were used as nannys in japan when the mothers worked in the cornfields so how can it be the breed is a threat. Dogs are like people they all have different personalaties so who can judge.

Dyr

I have a shiba inu and an akita, the shiba inu is far less even tempered than the akita, he's also much much smaller lol

Hermit07

Bambi wrote: »

I have a shiba inu and an akita, the shiba inu is far less even tempered than the akita, he's also much much smaller lol

If I was to choose between these two breeds, it would be the akita every time.

The akita is not a vicious breed. Vicious breeds are man made. They are however, a very large powerful breed who are definitely more suitable for experienced homes. They need firm handling from puppies and in the right hands they make exceptional family dogs but I feel they are better in homes with older children.

I have had experience of many of this breed and have found that as young adults they tend to test the boundries quite a bit. Responsible owners will correct this behaviour and not encourage it.

They are very intellegent and need lots of mental stimulation, exercise to keep them happy, They have a tendency to be dominant towards other dogs and again good training will help with this.

They will stand their ground should they feel their family or fellow canine members are being threatened so they like every other breed of dog including the non RB should be kept under full control at all times

I think lots of people look at how a particular breed appears rather than if it would suit their lifestyle, sure if it doesnt work out you can always throw them in a pound:mad:

andreac

Leonie, this thread is nearly 3 years old so i wouldnt say the OP is still about.

Hermit07

andreac wrote: »

Leonie, this thread is nearly 3 years old so i wouldnt say the OP is still about.

Well spotted

I hope she is still about but I reckon she has long since got a dog

Knit wit

I know this is an old thread but I'm looking for some advice.

My neighbors have an Akita who is about 18 months old. Up until recently he has stayed inside his grounds. A couple of days ago I was walking my dog (a female collie) past the house when the Akita jumped the wall and savagely attacked her. I was terrified. I live in a cul de sac and must pass this house to get out. Up until now I was happy to let my kids walk the dog but now I'm afraid this animal could go for one of them if they had our dog with them. Should I report this to the dog warden? Could they insist the dog be muzzled?Thanks.

Zapperzy

Knit wit wrote: »

I know this is an old thread but I'm looking for some advice.

My neighbors have an Akita who is about 18 months old. Up until recently he has stayed inside his grounds. A couple of days ago I was walking my dog (a female collie) past the house when the Akita jumped the wall and savagely attacked her. I was terrified. I live in a cul de sac and must pass this house to get out. Up until now I was happy to let my kids walk the dog but now I'm afraid this animal could go for one of them if they had our dog with them. Should I report this to the dog warden? Could they insist the dog be muzzled?Thanks.

How is your dog now? Hope she's ok after the attack. Have you spoken to the owners of this dog yet? I would first try contacting them and see what sort of a reaction you get. If they are willing to make the wall higher and ensure the dog can't get out, and if they seem to make a genuine effort to make sure it doesn't happen again I would leave the dog warden out of it. If they have a so what do you want me to do about it attitude then by all means call the dog warden. Perhaps suggest to them getting a behaviourist in to deal with the dog's aggression towards other dogs. I would be expecting them to pay your dog's vet bills also.

Until this is sorted I wouldn't let the kids walk your dog, dog aggression and human aggression are 2 very different things but I would be afraid of the kids trying to separate the 2 dogs if it happened again and in flared tempers either dog could bite a hand trying to separate them. How is your dog with other dogs now? Do you know any friendly dogs she could meet to get her confidence back again with other dogs?

belongtojazz

Zapperzy wrote: »

How is your dog with other dogs now? Do you know any friendly dogs she could meet to get her confidence back again with other dogs?

+1 on this one. My little JRT was attacked 2 weeks by a terrier and again quite seriously last week by a very large golden lab and I have taken every oppurtunity I can to get her to mingle with with other dogs. I even took her to her agility class last week knowing she couldn't take part as I thought it was very important to her socialising skills.

Thankfully for us this has worked brilliantly she had a whale of a time this evening playing with a malamute pup, a husky cross, a lab, couple of terriers, a cocker spaniel and a boxer.... chaos reigned but it was fabulous, all of these dogs just happened to be in the same area of the field at the same time but it did them all the power of good

Knit wit

Thanks folks for the advice ... I would prefer to keep the dog warden out of it. As it turned out the Akita is a female (not a male as I thought) who is in heat at the moment ... The owner explained that this is why she attacked my little dog ... IMHO they need to ensure this cannot happen again.

My dog is ok now ... She was very sore for a few days and scared witless ... She's a very gentle dog anyway so this didn't do her confidence any good. Thankfully she has some doggy friends that she likes to play with so slowly but surely we'll build her back up again.

Thanks again folks.;)

Tito Ortiz

Knit wit wrote: »

Thanks folks for the advice ... I would prefer to keep the dog warden out of it. As it turned out the Akita is a female (not a male as I thought) who is in heat at the moment ... The owner explained that this is why she attacked my little dog ... IMHO they need to ensure this cannot happen again.

My dog is ok now ... She was very sore for a few days and scared witless ... She's a very gentle dog anyway so this didn't do her confidence any good. Thankfully she has some doggy friends that she likes to play with so slowly but surely we'll build her back up again.

Thanks again folks.;)

Well done Knit,you did the right thing talking with them.Female Akitas are very aggressive towards other female dogs. My Akita hates other females but is very good with males.

annascott

As a previous poster said, it depends on how you socialise them. However, Akitas generally do not get on with other dogs. Apart from a pit bull, Akita would be the breed that I would least want to meet while walking my dogs.

marley123

Son of Jack wrote: »

We have had a beautiful 3 year old Akita for the last year. She has been a wonderful family pet, responsive and loyal. She is gentle with our children (and the neighbours') and well mannered with adults. Unfortunately she does not get on with other female dogs and bit the next door neighbour's dog. They called the dog warden who in turn said we had to get her rehomed or put down. This is due to happen Tuesday afternoon. We want the very best for her and are heart broken. Any suggestions would be gratefully received.

Try Karen in Irish Sled Dog Welfare plus post up on Irish animal Shelters FB Page

ISDW

marley123 wrote: »

Try Karen in Irish Sled Dog Welfare plus post up on Irish animal Shelters FB Page

Sorry, Akitas aren't sled dogs, there is an organisation in the UK, Friends of Akitas that may be able to help. Just re-read the thread, that post was from a few years ago, and apparently they managed to sort the dog with somewhere to go.

adser53

Tito Ortiz wrote: »

Well done Knit,you did the right thing talking with them.Female Akitas are very aggressive towards other female dogs. My Akita hates other females but is very good with males.

I cant believe that a fellow Akita owner could make such a sweeping and inaccurate statement.
Female Akitas are not very aggressive with other female dogs by nature. As with ALL dogs, a socialised Akita will get on famously with all dogs regardless of sex and breed. Just ask my 3 (male Akita, female akita & female cavalier- the latter 2 being best buddies)

annascott wrote: »

As a previous poster said, it depends on how you socialise them. However, Akitas generally do not get on with other dogs. Apart from a pit bull, Akita would be the breed that I would least want to meet while walking my dogs.

Unsocialised dogs in general wont get on with others. Akitas (and pitbulls) are not aggressive or dog aggressive instantly from birth so its wildly unfair on the majority of their owners to say that. From your post I gather you've come across the bad pit & Akita owners (i.e scangers trying to look hard with bad tempered dogs) but they are the 1% that give the rest of us a bad name and make people like you afraid of some of the most amazing dog breeds on earth.

Oranage2

Unsocialised dogs are a big problem and you can see a lot of the time its the small terrier types but because of there size the get away with murder -

So many dogs are un-socialised because they're left at the back all day and walked once or twice a week - Other dogs arent trained at all

The problem with the restriced breed list is that all the dogs on it are big and powerful - so an unsocialised akita that attacks is going to do a lot more damage than if a jack russel does.

So anyone wanting to get an Akita or other big dogs, the key is training, socialising and exercising. This is true for every dog but more so bigger breeds.