Calling Akita Owners
 

Hi peeps,

OK I've been offered an akita pup (4months) as the owner is leaving the country . Now I know having a dog involves work and time, which is fine. but im worried it will eat the cats (seriously) I have not viewed the pup yet and I dont think it will have any papers/line to speak of, so its kinda like sight unseen, however I can see the parents etc. It would also have a vets exam so I know all is well.

The positive side is that at 4 months the bad habits cant have set in yet, and it can still bond with me because of its relative age. The only other issue is that for 6 hours a day it would be by itself. Is that too long, although soon I may be able to be with it all day.

Any thoughts/recommendations etc, esp with regard to the cats.

Don't know about this breed in particular but never had any problems integrating a cat and dog.. We've had situations where they hated each other but usually this means they give each other a wide berth.. Others have got along fine and slept rolled up together.. I don't think there's a 4 month old dog alive that would get the better of a cat provided it had an escape route..

Doesn't steve G man breed akitas? I might be wrong...

Are the cats at all used to any dogs? If so, and if the pup is still young (but 4 mths is already quite a size), they should give it a swipe across the nose and it'll learn to keep its distance. The older it gets, the less chance it will want to learn this way, and just use its size to bite them. At a guess (and having sad first-hand experience).

Oh wow, just did a google search.

http://toyama.cool.ne.jp/tyaw/img/top1.jpg

Thats ridiculously cute :D

Personally I think you're having a laugh.

It could be on its own for 6 hours, most days!

Let somebody who has time to spend with it adopt it.

Have to agree with Spoon I'm afraid. That's too long to leave a big dog every day.

I want one of those!! :D

That pic is just a pup.

Fully grown ones are incredibly strong dogs and have, like Rotties, plenty of attitude.

If you can get someone to look after it while you are at work (until you can be around full time) I donlt see why not.

Should be no issue with the cats.

My older rottie will chase anything that moves (not agressively, just for fun) but was great mates with the inlaws cat because she knew the cat had a right to be there.

D

so its owner leaves the country and gives it to you to lock up 6hrs a day?

nice start for the dog. why not wait till you have a family situation (im assuming you will regard it as part of the family?) that allows for a dog.

in fact, as you asked for advice...what is your situation? work from home? wife at home? kids at home? or are you on your own? these questions are very important in answering your question.

T

ps as for the cat...hope it eats it ;)

So does most of the UK population who own dogs not go to work then !!!

Well put it this way, if it isnt homed by monday, its to be put down by the current owner. The dog would have to be inside between 9 - 12 and 1 - 3, but id be home at lunchtime etc to walk it. I work about 5 mins from home so its not a problem. Soon though (ie 2 months or so) I intend to be working at home more. No kids, just the g/f so there is no probs there

As for the cats, I have decided its too much of a risk. I did my research, spoke to the vet etc and he said that really they should be introduced to cats at around 8 weeks, not 16. It really is a shame as it is a pure white one, that *does* actually have a line/all documents etc.

I realise its a big dog etc and the size they can grow too, this pup is HUGE and its only 16 weeks. The mother can actually place its paws on a humans head so its gonna be a biggun.

I also realise it will cost a fortune to feed, vets bills etc. Im going in with my eyes wide open but im asking for second opinions. Just not too sure re: cats.

That's harsh!

We had a discussion about dogs and cats a month ago, but I forgot the context. There was some suggestion about leaving the dog in its cage and letting the cats walk around outside it to get used to it. Can anyone here find the thread?

no its sensible.

why put the animal into an unsuitable home?

if it was up to me i'd cull all the dogs in the dog homes and introduce a new dog licence of £500.

i'd also ban ppl selling dogs in the free adds, etc and licence breeders.

the reason so many animals are treated like ****e is because they are cheap and easy to get.

the classic situation of someone having an accidental litter and passing those pups on to friends and mates would change if that person got hammered for unlicenced breeding and the buyers had to find £500 each......instead the puppies would get put to sleep and not end up in a RSPCA van because some scum dumps them on the M25.

Tiggs (puppy culler ;))

Tiggs, its not this was a stray. The dog was a pure breed, and it was purchased from a good kennel for £450 so its not a case of uncaring people etc. Just a case of the owner who has had several rotties fancied a change and didnt do the research about temprament, size. She didnt mean to end up in this situation but has. So the thing about dog licenses etc is mute in this case.

And whats wrong with my house :( ;)

My neighbour had 2 Akita's and 2 Geman shepherds, they were left some days for up to 5 hours with no problems, mind you they did have a door way through the garage to get to and from the garden, The Akita is a beautiful dog, very playful but sometimes can be very snappy towards other dogs, saying that The Akita's and Shepherds were also bought up with 3 small children with no problems.
Cheers
Colin

We had one for about 5 year had no problems with him but unfortunately had to give him away after me dad took ill, couldnt really keep in same house.

Hes fine with kids, gave the dog too my cousin who lives across the road he has 2 kids fine with them. Also fine with cats, we have a cat now and me cousin brings dog over regular and they dont bother each other. Other dogs is a diferent story, hell go running after other dogs usually just to play but the size of akitas scares most other dogs and people.

Only real downside to them is the amount of fur that comes off them, will cover your house.

As for being alone i wouldnt lock it in house they have a tendancy to chew things, weel at least ours did.

so me dad fenced a section of the garden off and built it a shed to go in if rained when was left alone.

ps when you say its a all white one, when we got ours i asked a few breaders about geting a pure white one. I was told that it was a sign of inbreading as they should have some colour.

Hello there scoobi people,

right firstly you cannot allow this Akita to be put down for all the wrong reasons, Akitas are very dominant dogs ans possibly the most loyal dog too, you cannot re-house an Akita once it has been owned by someone else for over a year.

As this "pup" is 4 months old thats not a problem in my opinion, remember Akitas do get very strong and very big, Akitas are family dogs but not very good to leave children with as they are very strong.

As for the 6hrs alone questions thats not a problem, mine stays outside for longer than that and is fine, Akitas demand their own time and dont like to be fussed over all the time, my Akita is now nearly 3 years old and is 10 1/2 stone in weight!!! and alot stronger than a rottweiler!!

Akitas are amazing dogs and you would be making a mistake by allowing this one to escape you, i have vast knowledge on Akitas so if you would like to ask any questions please do???

Was instructed to join this forum just for this thread so please ask away, i myself am a RX7 owner.

Gurj

Also the post about inbreeding makes the Akitas pure white is completely wrong!!!

My Akita is pure white and is top pedigree from a champion Akita.

although technically all pedigree dogs have been imbred more than the royal family to get to that stage http://instagiber.net/smiliesdotcom/...appy/op485.gif anyway i'll resist my normal gob shyte having seen Gurj's (GSB above) dog in the flesh it is proper bo i tell thee but as with all animals ownership should be thought about fully rather than being an irresponsible human who sheets on the responsibility later http://www.computerpannen.com/cwm/co...dvv/pissed.gif anyway that's another topic but as the man says they seem to be top notch doggies....http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/15/15_1_54v.gif
Si

Sorry, but I didnt understand a word of what you said :confused:

All, I know is we have two cats cos I work and dont have the time to walk/look after a dog.

When the inlaws bought their labrador round 'once' there was fur flying, so now we dont allow any guests with dogs.

Just personal experience, mind you, so if a cat has been used to Dogs in the home, it may turn out differently.

Hi Gurj, thanks for the info there. So do you leave yours outside during the day ? Is it safe to do that cause im sure an Akita could jump our 6ft fence. I take it you just feed him in the same mannor as any other dog? I was told by the vet little and often.

We owned ours for over 5 years before we gave him away and me cousin who we gave him too havnt had any problems.

The caption about not being able to re-house a Akita after 1 year period is very well known, if you were lucky enough to re-house with no problems well done, but i did intensive research into the ownership of this breed before owning and that was one of the important notes found.

What makes this breed what it is, is the fact that Akitas are so independant not easy to train but a joy to live with, the most striking thing about the Akita is the absolute beauty of them, no other dog has the presence of a Akita.



About the fence jumping??? - 6ft might be diffecult to jump as they are heavy dogs but that isn't the problem?? the problem is if the Akita when fully grown wishes to get out he wont go over the fence but through it!!!



We have reinforced our fence right the way around for the first 4ft so he can't break through, as we found one layer wasn't nearly enough

Have now placed wire mesh around too so he cant bite through either.

Gurj

I dont see anything wrong with leaving the dog alone. It will get used to the routine and know it will be alone till you come home from work. They seem to know when its the weekend and you will be at home anyway.

Perhaps take a week off to let the dog settle in?

I can never understand dog owners, apart from people that live in the country.

Picking up a warm turd of the pavement at 6:30 am, would sort of take the shine off it for me, however cute the dog is. On my drive to work I always see one or two dogs walkers carrying placcy bag full of sh1te - thats enough to make me barf alone, picking it up in a bag, then carrying it round for 45 minutes......nahh.

MJ - dude obviously a dog is not for you then???

Dogs provide much happiness and comfort to lots of people, also added security too, i guess until you own a dog you wont know???

Gurj

To your original question Stueyb. I can’t offer you advice on an Akita with cats, but experiences I have had with GSDs and cats have varied wildly, so it will all boil down to the temperament of dog and cats. The cats I have had have always been in situ first before a dog.

1] Two adult cats with 8 week old pup – not problem at all, they just ignored each other, pup a few times chased the cats but realised it was futile.

2] Two adult cats with a 10 month old GSD rescue dog. One cat ignored the dog totally and vice versa, the other cat just took to the dog immediately [think this surprised him a bit :)] she adored the dog and they struck up a huge bond. A year later got another 12 month old GSD rescue dog, who wanted nothing to do with the cats at all. If one approached her, she would get up and move away.

3] Current situation :rolleyes: 2 year old cat and 8 week old GSD pup – this has been a nightmare, even though the GSD is now 18 months old. The cat barely tolerates the dog and is only just venturing back into the main part of the house [from living in the utility since we got the dog] and will only do so if we are there to stop the dog stalking or chasing her. The situation is getting better, but we are unable to stop the dog chasing the cat while they are in the garden or going up to the cat and giving her an almighty nudge if she comes into the house. The cat has batted the dog on the nose and spat / hissed at her loads of times – but this still doesn’t deter the dog. In all other respects the dog is incredibly obedient just except where the cat is concerned.

Well purely by chance we were in Borders yesterday reading up on Akitas and after a bit of reading a chap was stood outside with an Akita and we went and had a nice long chat with him about them. He was polite and helpfull and the dog was also a 4 month old pup :) It was like sooooo cute :) We told him of the situation and he said that if it didnt work out he would gladly take him, but 2 males in 1 house, could be interesting.