courtesy of "Akita World", November l983
In horses, we blindfold them and if they are not careful to protect themselves, but instead thrash around and crash into fences, etc., we know the horse is crazy and could be danger to himself or others. I wish we had such a simple test for Akitas. Granted, there are times when something is physically wrong; a tumor for instance, that literally causes a dog to go bad. In such instances, the Akita should be humanely put to sleep, regardless of how loving he is when the influencing factor is not affecting him.
Because our Akitas are both aggressive and dignified, I believe there are some whose attitudes are too keyed into the wild to be totally safe. This does not mean that such Akitas are "bad"; it just means that the natural reactions of the wild are not softened enough for the Akita to make a value judgment -- so they react as an undomesticated animal would. These Akitas need to have a carefully structured life. If you are not willing to be responsible for this type of Akita, it should be euthanized, not passed on to an unaware home. In the wild, those members of the pack who are hurt and not salvageable are put out of their misery, often referred to as: "they are turned on and killed".
Danger signals are: 1) the Akita pup that frequently attacks you as you pass by his food bowl in spite of repeated discipline; 2) the Akita pup that never gives up going after something even though restrained and disciplined; and 3) upon maturity, but sometimes sooner, the Akita that comes running to a crying child, not with licks and reassurances, but with an intense resolve.
In my mind, there is a vital difference between discipline and training. In training, various instructors have promoted an assortment of means and equipment to accomplish specific things with various breeds of dogs. There is nothing wrong with what they have done as long as it suits you and your dog's personality and traits. Except in rare instances, canines, wild or domestic, do not train each other. So, all the man-made ideas and equipment, as long as humane, are fine for training as long as they suit both you and your dog.
There is no question as to who is pack leader when disciplining. Discipline should be immediate and on a level of the seriousness of the infraction and clearly understood as such. In no instance does a canine "swat" or "spank" another canine, but they all, wild or domestic, shake by the scruff of the neck if a warning growl does not stop the errant behavior. In some cases, the offender is thrown to the ground. In no case is the offender choked into submission. Whether to submit or fight is dependent upon the offender. The sooner we follow through with this simplistic approach to discipline, the sooner the pup will understand more readily what is expected of him before dignity sets in to complicate things in the future.
I have heard Akita owners, usually men but not always, mention that their Akita challenges them on what seems to be a regular basis, such as once a year. It seems to be (forgive me men) a matter of pride that you are able to force your dog to submit. In instances where a dog is allowed to challenge a person for leadership, you as a trainer have not established yourself as the pack leader. Although you are initiating training and controlling the situation, you are giving the dog a choice in as pleasant a manner as possible. Certainly, discipline that allows an Akita to challenge a person for leadership works in a lot of cases, but not in all cases. The recent tragedy in Maryland where an Akita killed a three year old boy is what I would hope to prevent by either weeding out a mentally unsound animal or by correct, understandable discipline for the dog. Look for potential problems and head them off before they become a real problem. Don't hide ostrich-like with your head in the sand while you hope your pup "outgrows" his behavior that may lead to disaster.
I have found that puppy owners who "shake by the scruff of the neck" for discipline do so with good results, until they get into obedience. Many times you will find a growling dog provoked into something worse by the so called "stringing up" he gets with his collar. I know there is a time and place for discipline using a choke collar, but why not head off that situation by shaking? If I did not understand or like a situation and I suddenly found myself choking to death, I would certainly fight back, and resent the person inflicting the choke. On the other hand, a verbal command from a person I respect (parent, spouse, police officer) would bring about the needed response. The Akita is not human but similarities in response can be drawn to bring about a little more understanding. Various physical, combative type human responses when disciplining put you on your Akita's level. If this happens continually, believe me when I say, there will come a day when the Akita (particularly a male) will win.
I advocate shaking by the scruff of the neck because: 1) the dog understands and accepts this form of punishment; 2) it does not break the spirit of the Akita unless unfairly and severely overdone (I have yet to see any cowering except from yelling and spanking); 3) there is no equipment required; 4) nothing is expected of the dog except to stop growling and cry and/or submit; 5) only a self-assured authority (i.e. pack leader) would do this; 6) it is not life threatening; 7) it is totally reproduced in nature; and finally 8) because it works! When it does not work, you know you have a problem dog. There are specific guidelines set down by nature; the dog knows how to respond to given situations. If he continually defies normal responses, you know this dog is out of control by norms set by humans as well as nature.
If, after carefully evaluating the dog's responses, he does not react normally to discipline -- seek help immediately!! If the help is to no avail, then it is time to consider having the dog destroyed. For your peace of mind and the dog's, it is better to destroy a sometimes good dog than to allow a potential killer to be free. The more you understand nature, the less likely it is you will ever be faced with this decision.
Once again, I raise my voice to ask you to choose to mold your Akita into a useful companion. I not only ask you, I beg you! Particularly now since some money hungry fools have managed to make the Akita look like "The Dog" to own. Ignorant novices seek to raise their status with an Akita because of recent exposure in non-dog publications. Then follows the sales pitch something like "...this is the only breed for you." As a result, all Akitas whelped are sold for "mucho bucks", and these breeders amazingly can even sleep at night.
Do not own an Akita if you cannot be responsible for his death as well as his life!
(C) Akita World magazine, November l983