TikaAkita

Let the OH take the dog for a walk the last three nights, I just came back from walking her on my own tonight only to discover she is now pulling on the lead something shocking! Argh. So frustrated!! She wasnt perfect before but she certainly was not this bad. I will insist on walking her from now on until he decides to listen to my instructions! I think because he is stronger than me he didnt find it hard to walk her while she pulled the whole way and never corrected her. 10 steps backwards on the loose lead training...

Thanks for all the suggestions, I will definitely try a few! Especially spreading her kibble out for breakfast or putting it in a bottle :)

I am spending a couple of weeks away from home due to uni commitments and I have been fortunate enough to get accommodation that has allowed me to bring Tika my 4 month old pup with us. She has a whole backyard to herself. Its only day one and she is still settling in but seems to be stressing a bit, especially as she cannot come inside. She has her crate outside in a place where she can see me through the window but she still whines and paces on and off. She has been asleep for a while now :) I am hoping this stress will reduce over a few days as she gets used to a new yard. I will be giving her bones each day while I'm away and she has all her toys with her. She decided to hide her kong the day before we left home though, so she doesnt have that unfortunately! I'm just seeing if anyone has any advice or other ideas of things I could give her to help her relax and think about other things during the day while I'm gone? I can't think of anything personally so this may be a long shot! She is fine as far as eating and acting normally, I just want to make sure I do the best I can to make her settle in quickly. Hopefully someone will have a bit of advice :)

I never considered getting a protection trained dog, my dog handeling abilitys do not go that far or that serious! We are fortuante that in the event of a vet emergancy when we cannot cover costs, our parents would loan us money before they allowed our dog to suffer due to lack of funds. Not that we are doing badly in the first place. It certainly helps to know this though. As for protection, Tika has become far too used to strangers (especially work men) being outside the fence and even in the yard on the odd occasion. This is because we live next to a property that is used for the inlaws business. Currently if someone strange comes in the yard she will just watch from wherever she is. I havent seen her reaction if I don't go out and talk to them. The workers also make an effort not to touch her through the fence or lean over it. Hopefully this helps a bit. I do know that if we are ever attcked by a random 'object' in the yard, Tika will be on full alert. Just as she was with the tyre that OH put in the yard last week. She was extreamly suspicious and barked lots at it. I praised and encouraged this as I think its good behaviour for when something is unsual in the yard (afterwards I showed her it was okay and she got used to it)

Ahh the thread that ended up with people thinking I wanted an attack dog because I was scared of the world! After a bit of a reality check and some serious consideration of many facts, we decided on an Akita puppy. A higher trainability and not such a highly tuned guardian breed, as well as many other things. She has been the most wonderful pup and is just a perfect fit for us. I was very proud on our last night of puppy school when the vet nurse, dog training lady with 30+ years experience said she has been amazed by Tikas behaviour over the weeks and it will be very special if she continues as she is. She said this because many Akitas that come through the clinic are more of the, hmmm perhaps 'typical' akita? That express some aggression and stubornness. I suppose this may be because many local akitas have come from one or two BYB who sell their akitas to anyone who will pay up! Regardless of if the person is prepared to train and work with the pup or not. The praise came out of no where and I was so happy to hear we are doing the right things with her and are on the right track. Very very happy with our gorgeous Tika :) I met an Akita on the weekend... he was amazing, but I would assume training would need to be strict with an Akita? they seem very strong willed. More consistent than strict, although they could be considered the same thing maybe? Of course like any pup she pushes the boundries, but is always put back in her place with firm words. She is very loving and so adorable. Although she is fawn/red and white, she still has the black face and is developing a black overlay which has made her darker. I find her to be stubborn and refuse to listen when she has too much energy and/or becomes bored. These things are easily fixed if I am quick enough to identify the problem. The only thing that has been an issue for me is teaching loose lead walking!! On the advice of the trainer I bought a gentle leader for Tika, although it has helped very much, she is more interested in getting ahead and exploring than she is in seeking the comfort of a loose lead. And yes, I am using the correct method when walking. Unfortunately Tika refuses to be lured to my side more than about 3 times at the start of a walk, then thats it. Regardless of the chicken or schmaccos on offer! The smells of nature are much more tempting. We are working on it though :) Other than that, everything is going really well. I think it may be that we are a personality match? Another akita may have proved much tougher to get along with than Tika? I hope I'm not talking too soon. Who knows what trials we will face when she becomes a teenager! I have put a lot of work into her which of course would have contributed. I take her nearly everywhere with me (she can be left alone no worries, no stress) and am home with her most of the time. I think this has helped. ETA: funny how you see things clearer once they're written down! I have to walk Tika when hungry. That should help :) :)

Ahh the thread that ended up with people thinking I wanted an attack dog because I was scared of the world! After a bit of a reality check and some serious consideration of many facts, we decided on an Akita puppy. A higher trainability and not such a highly tuned guardian breed, as well as many other things. She has been the most wonderful pup and is just a perfect fit for us. I was very proud on our last night of puppy school when the vet nurse, dog training lady with 30+ years experience said she has been amazed by Tikas behaviour over the weeks and it will be very special if she continues as she is. She said this because many Akitas that come through the clinic are more of the, hmmm perhaps 'typical' akita? That express some aggression and stubornness. I suppose this may be because many local akitas have come from one or two BYB who sell their akitas to anyone who will pay up! Regardless of if the person is prepared to train and work with the pup or not. The praise came out of no where and I was so happy to hear we are doing the right things with her and are on the right track. Very very happy with our gorgeous Tika :)

A $35,000 fine, if there was around 250 dogs on the property when raided, it equates to a fine of $140 per dog. No where near enough for ruining each of their little lives IMO. Such morally deprived people. I would've thought that the courts would have made it mandatory for any future animals owned by them to be desexed. Its appalling enough that they are allowed to own more dogs, the least they could have done is made this a rule! So much public education is needed on this topic. Luckily for me, I live in a town where the two major pet stores do not sell cats or dogs. So i'm not confronted with the issue when out shopping or driving around as many others are.

Thanks for the chart! I tried to find one online but couldn't. I am feeding in line with what her breeder was feeding her, I thought there might be some additional advice gained here. She loved her chicken neck tonight so I gave her another small one after a reduced amount of her normal dinner, and up it all came! Revealing that she had hardly chewed most of it, which i'm sure is the cause of it coming up again. Even though i saw her working away at the chicken necks. I will make sure the vet checks her teeth just to make sure they're all right. Otherwise I may have to break up the foods she doesnt chew well. She also had her first bath tonight and I feel better now I have seen/felt her with all her hair flattened and her ribs were pretty good.

Thanks for the advice :) I have tried the egg mixed with dry food but was put off by the half dried egg mix when she didnt eat it, I will try the sardines mixed with them though. I have read that they shouldn't have food for free all the time, I was just worried that she would be hungry and wouldn't be able to tell me. But she is a dog and she won't starve if she misses a bit of food. I am babying her a bit in this area! I just continued with the beef as it was similar to the breeders diet. Is it not really the best thing for her? Or is it that she will be more interested in the chicken necks and such? I will post in the Akita thread too :) I will also try soaking her next dry food meal.

My 11week old Akita puppy doesnt seem to be eating enough. She is starting to look a bit too thin through her waist. I am taking her to the vet tomorrow for her vaccinations and will ask them for advice also, but i thought i would ask here as well I feed her a cup of Advance puppy dry food in the morning, which she will sometimes eat all, some or none of. I offer her more around lunch time, again sometimes she will eat it, sometimes not. At night she gets mince beef or chopped casserole steak with some 4legs all natural meat, it would be around two cups worth. Last night she only ate half of it, and ate the rest when i gave it to her this morning. Most of the time she will eat all of it. The first week she put on 1kg, the second week 1.6kg. She keeps busy by playing in the yard and going places visiting with me, sometimes I will give her a 20min walk, but am very conscious of not overdoing it with her joints and such. Could she just be growing faster than she eats, which is making her look thin? She does like food, especially the tasty treats I use for her training. She just seems to be picky about when she likes her food. Perhaps its just due to her being an Akita? So i guess I'm just looking for an answer as to is there something I should be doing to get her to eat enough? The last thing I want to do is underfeed her or overlook a food issue.

Yay I qualify to post in this thread now! :D Picking up my baby Akita puppy in 13 days :) Now to prepare the house and get everything organised!

Haha fair enough. I have come across like that in what i've said.

You start reading /watching now , so that when it does happen, you are confident and have some ideas to put into practice. if you do a search on here there are lots of useful threads ....and if you can, before you actually put your name on a dog , I suggest you volunteer at a nearby shelter - so you do get to handle large and small dogs/witness altercations, and learn HEAPS about body language - everything from submission to fearful aggression, to calm, to aggression. It will help you a lot, I think. Experience is a very valuable tool on which to draw. Haha yes the brindle did worry me! As I had only ever had the association of brindle with 'pigging' dogs, which to me was alarming :laugh: Of course in reality, there are plenty of lovely brindle dogs, turned out the dog was one of them. I find body language of animals, in particular dogs and horses, extremely interesting. Thanks for the idea :)

To be honest I've only ever had a dog run at me once while walking my Goldie, I had no idea what to do at the time and poor Tillie was growling and snaping in fear while trying to cower between my legs (its her thing when shes worried about something). Meanwhile this huge boisterous brindle dog wanted to make friends, she wasnt having a bar of it! It was a scary moment, having a huge dog running at me and not knowing its intentions. What do you do when a dog goes your dog? If both dogs are large, its not like you can interfeer without the dog turning on you?

Thank you for that :) I thought it must cost more for surgery on large dog because of the extra medicines required, but I wasnt positive. Cost wise we are probably looking at next year for actually getting a dog. Depends how OH goes getting the job he's after. Either way it seems that we'll have to have a decent amount of money sitting in a dog fund :laugh: Owning a large breed is turing out to be a similar cost to owning my horse! With around 600kgs difference ;p

Everyone is very right that dogs cannot be garunteed to act a certain way in any situation, and that a dog that is trained to attack is too dangerous and not something I could personally own safely. I was pretty shocked last night and this morning realised that some people will probably think i'm being very reactive. I just want to assure everyone that I will not be getting a dog and encouraging or training it to go crazy and be violent or anything. As with any breed I would be aiming to raise a happy, well adjusted dog. Not one who wants to bite everything it sees. My parents JRT would do anything to protect a family member, but a good kick and he would be down, you know? Where as their Goldie, shes very timid and although she gives warning barks, she would be likely to run away looking for mum or dad to protect her! But because of her size, if she had a more protective nature I'm pretty sure she would discourage anyone from entering the house or the likes. Its completely true, to me at least, that any dog of decent size barking and growling at a stranger should be off putting enough. I would just like it if the dog also looked a bit scary also, doesnt mean it has to have an aggressive nature. Again, I dont actually EXPECT something bad to happen to me, as much as it might sound that way. I just figure that if I can find a breed I like who has some of these characteristics and would also make a good family pet, then I should. Yes I'm just out of school. I've already taken care of the OH bit :) Something I've been thinking about is how to raise a dog of the mentioned breeds that would be well adjusted enough to cope with either family members visiting each day to feed/give attention, or to live with them for a week or two if we holiday. As a matter of curiousity, what do people here think their dog would do if you were walking them and for example, someone tried to steal your money or phone, and you started yelling or screaming at them or acting distressed? Maybe you think you wouldnt be approached in the first place because of your dog? Any response would be of interest to me :) *Considering that the girl was 13, I've got no idea how or why she could have known the guy who tried to abduct her. However as I dont know the girl, I could be wrong.

Wow! Just heard that a girl walking home from the high school I attended only last year, heading down the street only two away from where my grandparents live and where I used to live a few years ago, was almost abducted. A guy pulled over and yelled at her to get in his car, chased her to her house and tryed to bang the door down. She was walking the same route my cousin walks home from the school, the same one I used to walk even. Police were there pretty quick as the girl was able to call them and her own dad at the same time on two seperate phones. Such a lucky girl. The police knew this guy was in town as he was just out of prison for doing the same thing previously!! If i had any doubts, I am now absolutely convinced I want a dog that would protect me in such a situation. Too close to home this one! Too many horrible people exist! EDT: oh and the guy ran off, leaving his car behind. Im pretty sure they havent caught him yet.

Your rottweilers have such goregous faces, they're all smiling!

All the breed ideas have been great! Theres so many beautiful breeds to consider. I'm going to try to meet several of the suggested breeds, talk to some owners in person and possibly make a decision from there :) I think my list has been revised to Tibetan Mastiff Anatolian Shepherd Akita Rottweiler

Its okay I got what you meant :)

But if it's what you really want then it will be worth the wait and the expense. I agree - to be honest, if a few hundred dollars, or perhaps even up to a thousand dollars, is a deal breaker, perhaps look at whether you are going to be able to afford it in the long run. The upfront cost is something to wear at the start, but if it means saving for a few extra months, I really think it's worth doing. I really don't mean to be rude or offensive, or discriminatory or anything like that.. I don't think that dog ownership should be cost prohibitive at all. But you really do need to be completely aware of how much it can cost, for vet bills, good quality food, training.. I'm not just directing this at the OP, either. It's just my thoughts in general. IF someone complains that a purebred or xxx breed is expensive, I always think 'you're talking about a dog. This is a 10-15 (hopefully) year commitment - $1000, $2000 now .. just make it work, or wait until you can!'. It's something I just wouldn't skimp on. If I had my heart set on a particular breed, I would pay (within reason, of course) whatever it cost. I wouldn't go to one breeder over another based on a few hundred dollars, or one breed over another. Yes you are right, dogs, especially large purebred dogs are a big expense. I knew that, its just frustrating to have to face the reality that my puppy may be a year or more away. The cost is making me want to be 100% sure im chosing the right one! :) I guess thats a good enough reason alone to have a high price on purebred dogs, people are less likely to impulse by :)

But if it's what you really want then it will be worth the wait and the expense. Very true! I just dont like being patient :) I want a dog already, its no fun living without one.

Thank you! Really helps for comparison :)

Thanks for the idea pixie meg, lovely dog but a bit lean for what i want. Would anyone be able to tell me the rough purchase price of -An anatolian shepherd -An Akita :) Just found out the cost of a TM off the breeder i've been contacting. Its a bit steep Its similar to other Aus breeders still. I would have to wait until their next litter (most likely next year, not sure) until I could get one at that cost.

mumtoshelley- your right, a gaurdian breed does increase the risk of council or people in general having a problem with the dog. lyss- sadly yeah, short lifespans for big dogs. Tibetan Mastiffs are supposed to have an average of 10-12yrs though, which isnt bad. I'm so set on Tibetan Mastiffs, I've been researching them and thinking about the breed for a whole year, since i first came across them online. However I dont want to get a dog thats incompatible me. Trying to mix logic with love! :) I'm still waiting on another reply from the TM breeder, shes taking a while to get back to me. Maybe she will know if i could successfully own one or not. I wish there were some owners on here! Thanks to everyone else for all the advice and ideas, very helpful :) EDT: woops didnt see the other posts! I think there is an Akita living down the road from us? They are larger than i thought! Hmmm. Are they very active? A dog that looks intimidating to someone who doesnt know it is most important to me. But I want the dog to at least try and protect me if necessary! I dont mind the coat, long or short is fine.