I raise my Akitas inside (with a dogdoor into a fenced backyard). Eveyone in the house is under a wild canine pack structure, with alpha male and female, then the dogs. I teach them human voice and hand commands and they can even recognize the 'spelling' of a few words (t-r-e-a-t and g-o-4-a-r-i-d-e). I fervently believe you get MUCH more froma dog when you keep it close and train it at all times.
ALWAYS train with the following 2 basics in mind. They work in EVERY situation:
1)PRAISE the crap out of good behavior and reward it lavishly. The best reward is praise, by far, but treats work too.
2)Punish bad behavior. Punishment for an Akita is the Pack Alpha(you, I hope) ignoring the dog. Or a harsh word like No.
NEVER hit an Akita. It doesnt hurt anything except their feelings and they WILL remember it.
Method summary & response to both JB posts
Yes, you summize correctly. The article is not on the web, at least as far as I know. I read it in the paper copy. Article title is '5-Star Behavior Improvers'. The lead pic is a boxer doing Clicker training.
The Alpha Rollover was rated low, 1.2 out of 5. General panel consensus is that it can be a contest of muscle power with an adult dog.
FYI, here are the rankings, in the order they presented:(0 is bad, 5 is best)
alpha rollover= 1.2
anti bark collar: 0.5
bitter apple sprays:2.6
citronella collar:2.8
clicker: 4.0
crate: 3.8
food rewards: 4.2
head halter: 4.4
intense exercise: 2.5
interactive toys: 4.4
nothing in life is free: 4.6
a pet for the pet: 2.5
prong collars: 0.3
shake can: 2.2
shock collar: 0.5
shouting NO: 1.4
squirt/spray water: 1.8
swat with newspaper: 0.3
slip collar(choke chain): 2.0 (note that it must be used properly or rating drops drastically)
I cant recommend the mag, but this is an article worth reading. There are several comments by the panel that i found insightful.
Posted on Jan 03 2000, 10:06 AM
my male is 6.5 years, 125# and unneutered(its a guy thing)((UPDATE: THIS IS A TERRIBLE MISTAKE THAT I MADE. SEE POST ON NEUTERING FOR MORE INFO)). i control him with nothing but light tugs on a light nylon collar (wired so as to no longer be a choke collar) and verbal commands.
I used a choke on him while he learned basic obedience, but rarely needed it. Chokes are for a VERY short period in a dog's life!
I think prong collars are evil incarnate(in nonCujo cases).
If your dog isnt obeying you consistantly after a month of training (make sure you give it a fair shot, in other words, you have to WORK at this for a month), YOU are doing something wrong. (unless you do truely have Cujo, in which case he should be destroyed---which is my way of saying you are doing something wrong)
Posted on Dec 09 1999, 7:25 PM
Age matters not in a properly trained dog
When my maledog was a puppy/adolescent(or my female for that matter), light tugs were all that were required---AFTER obedience training---except on rare occasions, occasions that are THE SAME in frequency today as when he was a puppy.
If you cant control your dog with tugs and verbal commands after obedience training, you are doing it wrong. Period.
The only other way around this that I see is to say that the 4 Akitas I have trained were smart enough to know when they are on lead and always obey then since they know I have then under control regardless of what their instincts say. But to say that is to suggest that all my Akitas are much smarter than other Akitas, which I do not believe (exception is my current female who is exceptionally clever/devious). In all cases I have witnessed, it was the Trainer(99%) or Training Method that is at fault. NEVER the equipment.
on pinch collars:
I never have owned a pinch type collar. I feel that in virtually all cases it is the owner that needs the training when a behavioral problem arises. Firm corrections followed by showing the animal what it is you want it to do will get you anywhere you want to go.
I command my dogs to 'wait, wait' then release them to greet. They have been taught that jumping on someone is a cardinal sin, and when they do jump up to deliver a kiss, they keep their paws pressed closely against their chests. The result is a wet face, but no ruined clothes.
This message has been edited by krater on Jan 13, 2005 11:15 AM