Guest Anonymous Posted February 27, 2002 Share Posted February 27, 2002 I have been thinking about getting an Akita for a long time, and wanted to get a few opinions from owners before making my purchase. First, how bad is the shedding really? Compared to a Lab? I have heard mixed opinions on this in the past, everything from horrible to hardly noticeable. Also, I already have a male Manchester Terrier, who is a little over a year old. I have read that Akitas can be dog agressive, but I am wondering if a male Akita is raised with another male dog since puppyhood will still have these agressive tendencies? Cause I would really rather have a male, but not if it is going to be a big problem. Sorry for long post and thanks in advance for any help you can provide! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted February 27, 2002 Share Posted February 27, 2002 Hi, well as far as the shedding goes - some Akitas blow coat a couple of times a year, this is a severe shedding that lasts about a month or so. Other Akitas shed all year long, that's what mine do. If they shed all year, brushing twice a week would take care of the problem. Actually, they should all be brushed twice a week or so. Akitas are EXTREMELY tempermental, even when raised as puppies together. I have two female pups right now and they can be quite aggressive to each other - nothing more than noise, but if they weren't the same size I would be worried. Having a male puppy raised with a Manchester and how they get along all depends on the disposition of each dog - if you get a dominant Akita and your Manchester feels that his rightful place is Alpha - you're going to have a major problem on your hands. IMO, I wouldn't bring a male Akita into the household with another male dog. Getting them nuetered will make some difference. Even females are very tempermental, so you aren't going to ever be assured that the puppy you bring home isn't going to challenge the Manchester. Visit [url]http://akitaclub.org[/url] and [url]http://akitarescue.com[/url] and read up on the breed. Make sure to review the health section - hypothyroidism affects 70% of the breed which is linked to aggression. The treatment is meds for the rest of the dogs life. Akitas are my breed of choice, but anyone that owns an Akita has to be very experienced and able to be train the dog properly early on - and I do mean formal training so the dog is socialized with other dogs and people - this helps with the dog aggression! My male Akitas has bitten my husband on two occasions, we are in training twice a week - Storm is a rescue though and couldn't even walk on a leash when we adopted him. My female would just roll over and die to please us. We've been working with her for 3 years and Storm since August - it can be done, but it takes a lot of time and patience, training and discipline. They are not the breed for everyone. _________________ Jessica Allen Akita ResQ [url]http://akitaresq.tripod.com[/url] <font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: akitaresq on 2002-02-27 14:31 ]</font> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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