NOISE STABLE

A dog that is not afraid of noise is more pleasant to own. To some extent,

noise shyness is an inherited characteristic. Steadiness to shot is of

primary importance in the temperament of gun and guard dog breeds. If

you attend a Schutzhund or field trial, you'll find the dogs impervious to the

guns going off all around. They are also fairly staunch in the face of all

noise.

Historically, I suppose Akitas have little reason to be unaffected by noise,

and many seem unsettled to some degree by loud noises. I had a female

who hated the sound of generators. Believe me, getting into a show site

without passing a generator can be difficult depending on the parking. If we

walked by one, I might just as well have turned around and gone home as

take her in the ring. Somehow, she seemed to think they were mobile and

any minute, one would make an appearance.

Most dogs aren't so neurotic, but you never know what will happen. We've

all seen dogs react poorly to loudspeaker announcements, falling chairs, or

other unexpected sounds at a show. Years ago, while the groups were

going on at the dog show site on one side of a river, the city set off

fireworks on the other for some sort of celebration. We spent hours trying

to catch a Sheltie that had gotten away from its handler. A multi-group

winning dog, it was so traumatized by the experience, it was never shown

again.

Noise shyness is a trait you can breed away from, although it is of

considerably less importance than many others. If you think you might

have a problem, the time to start working with your puppies is while they

are in the whelping box. Make sure they are in a noisy environment,

although it should not be at such a level it makes them unduly nervous.

Play a radio on rap, hard rock, and talk stations. I have a satellite dish and

one of the channels we get has nothing but war movies. My last few litters

listened to bombardments, machine guns, and bombs every night.

I took two of them out to a Schutzhund German Shepherd Specialty when

they were six-months old and was very pleased by their response to the

guns fired off in the ring right in front of us. The male, who was asleep,

looked around, then curled back up and went back to sleep. The female

was unconcerned initially, but after about ten shots, she turned around and

looked at me for reassurance. I continued talking to my friend and after a

few seconds, my puppy began playing with her toy. Her mother, on the

other hand, would have bolted out of there at the first shot, so I think early

exposure has helped.

Desensitizing puppies to noise is also important if you live in an area with

frequent thunderstorms. Since these never go away, the dog's fear tends to

escalate. In the worst cases, the dogs engage in escape behavior which

means destruction of their confinement area. This may be a crate or your

windows and doors.

INDEPENDENCE

Everyone who has Akitas knows that they are independent dogs. This is

definitely an inherited component of temperament and very strong in the

breed. I don't think this is something anyone breeds for. In some ways,

Akita would be more appealing if they were a little less independent, but it

is so intrinsic to the breed, it shapes many aspects of their behavior.

Without it, we'd have a totally different breed without the reserve and

dignity so typical the adult.

I've been around a lot of different dog breeds, but Akitas are one of the only

ones I'm sure could be depended on to survive without people, barring

encounters with cars about which they seem to have no sense. They are

unlikely to do anything reckless or daring; rather, they consider what they

are doing and use their experiences to evaluate their actions. In short, the

Akita is a survivor, due in large part to his capacity for independent action.

Therefore, leaving the dog outside to fend for itself can make him a poor

pet. Akitas need to be around the people in the household to bond with

them. Left to their own devices, Akitas will make their own world and rules

for living in it.

Mutual respect is the key to working with Akitas. You must be the alpha

person, but even so, sooner or later, you'll run up against their independent

nature. Pick your battles carefully. If it doesn't really matter, let the dog

have his way. He'll be easier to deal with later when something needs to be

done your way.

INHIBITED

Akitas are typically inhibited as opposed to excitable, a set of inherited

characteristics that mark the dog's response to stress. His inhibited nature

is responsible for the laid-back attitude that makes the Akita a pleasure to

have in the house.

It is obvious in puppies as they work through the PAT. They tend to get

calmer and less responsive. Sometimes, inhibited puppies get so stressed

out, they fall asleep. With excitable breeds, puppies end up running about

the room, jumping on the tester, and sometimes, even barking and whining.

When you start a new training exercise with your dog, whether it's heeling

in obedience or stacking for conformation, your dog will demonstrate signs

of inhibition. He may work slowly, show little animation, and/or seem very

tired. He may yawn repeatedly, which is a sign of stress.

In the worst cases, the very inhibited dog demonstrates a sort of waxy

catatonia. We had one one a PAT that literally never moved she was so

shut down. She grew up to be a wonderful, calm, non-adventurous

companion.

An excellent example of normal inhibited behavior is the puppy at its first

match. You can position him easily and then he stays like a little statue

without a lick of training. From one show to the next, it becomes more like

the other puppies, moving about and demonstrating a puppy's typical short

attention span.

As the dog gains confidence through exposure, it is less stressed, so it is

less inhibited. The more puppies are exposed to manageable stress, the

less inhibited their response will be. So, don't get discouraged initially by

your dog's response to new situations. He will become more active and

enthusiastic when he gets used to them. If you make them more stressful

by being disapproving of his hesitancy, you will only make worse. Just go

on positively, and your dog's performance will improve.

PROTECTIVE

Many people depend on their Akitas for personal protection. Until very

recently, I had both German Shepherds and Akitas, and I have found many

differences in how they respond to strangers in the house and outside the

yard. First, the Shepherds (and the other guard-type dogs, such as

Rottweilers and Dobermans) are much better area guards, especially if the

owner is in a situation where he needs or wants outsiders to be aware that

dogs are on the premises. Why? The other breeds bark more. Like the old

joke, that's the good and the bad news.

I love being able to have dogs without offending my neighbors. All twelve

of my dogs bark less than the one dog that lives next door. For eleven

years, two joggers came past our house every morning, and for eleven

years, my German Shepherd barked at them while the Akitas just watched,

a much more sensible response.

However, now that I have only Akitas, our yardmen have no trouble coming

in the backyard so long as my children are not outside. The Shepherds

wouldn't let anyone inside the fence, no matter how many times a week

they showed up. We have back-door garbage pickup, which means the

garbage men have to come inside the gates. Some of my Akitas will allow

them in and station themselves in front of the door, watching. Of course,

the Shepherds wouldn't let them in at all.

Do I think anyone could harm my daughters with an Akita present?

Definitely not! They are less concerned with me and even less with my

husband, probably because we are the dominant people. Maybe they figure

we can look out for ourselves most of the time. I'm fairly confident that

their attitude would change if they sensed we were frightened or

suspicious ourselves.

Guarding is a primary duty of the European guard dogs commonly seen in

Schutzhund work--Rottweilers, Belgians, Shepherds, and Bouviers. The

Akita's basic temperament, shaped for different purposes, gives it a

different approach to life. Protectiveness is definitely there but takes a

backseat to other facets of the dog's personality.

If our Akita's bark in the night, we know they have a good reason. They

know people don't skulk around after dark. On the other hand, if Akitas

were great protection dogs, they'd be working in police departments

everywhere, and some of us would be in Schutzhund trials. I remember an

interview with a policeman who trained his Akita for K-9 work. He said the

dog was a good worker but not a breed he would select again for that

particular job because the Akita was harder to train.

TOLERANT OF OTHER DOGS

Low on the list, but still there is tolerance of other dogs. To some extent, all

northern dog are scrappy. Akitas have the dubious distinction of being one

of the only ones actually used for dog-fighting. Undoubtedly, Japanese

breeders selected for the more aggressive dogs throughout the years the

breed was used for fighting, but I'm sure their choice to use the Akita in the

first place had much to do with their innate desire to scrap with other dogs.

This tendency made them a good choice for the sport of dog-fighting.

Breeding programs over the year increased this tendency and kept it in the

breed.

Historical data tell us that the native dogs of the Dewa area were also

crossed with European dogs to increase their size and, therefore, their

fighting ability. These were probably Great Danes (also known as Deutsche

Dogges) which were brought to the area by German mining engineers.

Was this version of the Akita a ferocious pit dog? They certainly were

pitted against similar dogs. However, Tatsuo Kimura tells me that one of

the reasons the Akita breeders shifted directions early in this century was

because of a fight between an Akita fighting champion and a Tosa Fighting

Dog, a breed resulting from crosses of the Japanese native Tosa Inu with

various European imports. Looking at them today, I would guess the

imports must have included at least the English Mastiff and probably some

other Molossan-type dogs. Anyway, the Akita barely escaped with its life.

Its fanciers realized that continuing to pit them with dogs like the Tosa

might be the end of the breed. With the rising tide of nationalism in Japan,

they began to value the Akita Inu as a native Japanese breed, for itself

rather than for what it could do in a dog fight. Instead of crosses aimed at

fighting ability, they began to look for hunting-type dogs to restore the

breed to its original type.

If you can enhance a trait by selective breeding, of course, you can also

minimize it. Certainly, Akitas today seem less dog-aggressive generally

than they were twenty years ago. This alteration is due in part to selection

for less aggressive dogs and in part to better training techniques such as

early socialization of puppies, continued exposure of adult dogs to strange

dogs, and obedience training of young dogs.

I know several people who keep same-sex Akitas together and others that

have several mixed-sex ones that run together with no trouble. Sometimes,

a pack works because a dominant dog keeps everyone in line, but maybe

these Akitas are just that much less dog-aggressive. I've never been daring

enough to put my older bitches together, although I suspect a few of them

would get along. One, though, can run with any male but cannot be put

loose with a female without fighting. She's been dog-aggressive since

puppyhood, and I'm sure had she been put in a pack situation, she'd have

inflicted a lot of damage on other bitches.

Fence Fighting

Putting dogs in a situation where they can fence-fight builds up a lot of

unresolved aggression. It starts as a game and then escalates to serious

dislike. To minimize this, I have board fencing between my runs. It is

covered on both sides with chain-link to keep it from being eaten. The dogs

really don't see each other, and rarely ever bark at dogs on the other sides.

Given a chance, though, they will fence-fight through the gates or the

outside chain-link.

Dogs that fence fight can cause significant damage to each other. Worse if

you have two together, they can become so enraged that the fight with

each other when they can;t get to the dog on the other side of the fence.

Aggressive To Other Dogs?

According to the standard, an Akita may be aggressive towards other

dogs; however, it doesn't say that they have to be so. In today's litigious

society, the consequences of an attack that damages someone else's dog

can be severe indeed. Also, many people do not understand that a dog that

is aggressive towards another dog is not necessarily aggressive to people.

Looking at a snarling, bristling Akita doesn't inspire a lot of confidence

about the breed.

I've heard from people who bought dogs as pets, listened to all that the

breeder told them about this less desirable aspect of Akita temperament

and failed utterly to understand what it really meant until their darling

scooped up the neighbors peekapoo and put it in the hospital with one

bite. Fence fighting with the neighbor's dog can result in an attack should

your dog ever get into his yard or his into yours! Hot wires, extra fencing,

or just vigilance on your part will help avoid this kind of disaster.

Mostly, your dog has to be socialized to accept strange dogs at class, in

the street, or wherever you might go with him. For some dogs with strong

tendencies toward dog aggression, one class at 12 weeks won't be enough;

you have to keep it up for most of his life. These tendencies also may not

appear until the dog goes through puberty. Misbehavior here should be

firmly corrected because the hormonal surges your dog is undergoing will

make him harder to deal with and can set up bad habits that last a lifetime.

Correctly managed, the dog will settle down when his testosterone does.

If you want to compete with an Akita, regardless of the venue, you must

have a dog that can be trusted around other dogs. A dog that can't be

trusted to leave other animals alone on neutral ground is a real liability. In

obedience and agility, the dog works off-leash, so he has to be reliable. At

a dog show, he must negotiate crowded aisles and stand close together in

crowded rings.

The demands of such activities have shaped our selection for less dogaggression

in our Akitas, and I think this is perfectly acceptable and

somewhat desirable. Nonetheless, you should remember that the most

benign Akita can conceive a sudden and violent dislike for another Akita. In

that case, you'll have to avoid that dog like the plague because if your's has

a chance, he'll get in a fight. That may be only dog that ever inspires such

antipathy, but both dogs will remember each other and renew hostilities

any time they can. It's part of what makes an Akita an Akita!

LOYALTY

After I started this series, I realized that I had left loyalty off my list of

temperament components. This is a hallmark of Akita character, and the

only excuse I can offer for overlooking it is that it so much an intrinsic part

of Akita nature that we take it for granted.

I don't think I've ever been around an Akita didn't have it. Is it an inherited

trait? Since some breeds to not have a lot of personal loyalty to any one

person or group, I suspect it is, and it is vital that we keep it in the breed.

I think their sense of loyalty makes Akitas accepting of all the household

inhabitants, including cats, kids, other adults, and livestock. It allows them

to form firm friendships with other people--your friends, trainers, handlers,

neighbors--and to never forget them. Akitas I raised and sold as puppies

have greeted me enthusiastically years later. Dogs that belong to friends I

travel with greet me enthusiastically every time I see them, even though

months or even years may pass between meetings. Akitas never forget a

friend.

The down side is that they never forget people the don't like either. Once,

my brother Steve had a picnic. To keep him from being a pest, Scotty and

Amy were in their crates. Rusty, Steve's brother-in-law, set his plate with

two hot dogs on top of Scotty's crate and went off to get something to

drink. I guess Scotty thought they were his, because when Rusty picked

them up and ate them, Scotty barked at him. Since then, Scotty has never

liked Rusty despite Rusty's overtures to redress the wrong. Akitas aren't

very forgiving either.

To some extent, their sense of loyalty is the fount from which other traits

arise. Without it, Akitas would not be protective of their friends. Given their

sense of independence, the Akita's working ability probably finds its roots

in loyalty. Can you imagine an Akita that is not loyal to its family and

friends? I can't; it is such a pervasive part of the breed that we just accept

its presence. Loosing it would make a profoundly different dog.

CONCLUSION

I hope this series on temperament has made everyone breeding Akitas

think about what you want in a dog and how to go about getting it through

good breeding choices. Those of you who are just owners or who are

considering this breed should take note of the areas where problems

commonly occur.

This doesn't mean that your dog will manifest these behaviors, but it does

mean that if he has problems, they are likely to be in these areas. Please

watch for signs that you might be having trouble, because if you catch this

at the beginning, you'll probably be able to either change the dog's or your

behavior and stop a molehill from becoming a mountain.

I don't mind answering questions when I have time. And I certainly

welcome your observations. You can at sherryATsherob.com (replace AT

with @) or call (713/465-9729, CST, USA, not between 8-10 p.m., please).