[Raiko]

So as you all know I want a poodle. The other breed I wanted was an american akita.

IF they grew up together would a poodle get along with an akita?
I know that akitas by nature are a dominant breed, and two of them are enough to take down a bear. But they are also very very very loyal and family orientated, always checking on the rest of the 'pack' to see if they are ok.

I was wondering because of their renowned loyalty would I be able to have the two grow up together or do I have to choose a breed..?

 

[Purple Poodle]

I know a lady who has an Akita, a Beauceron & a Golden. The Akita is from show lines and shown on occation and I would say a Poodle and an Akita would not be a good match even if raised together ecspecialy by a novice. Her dog is the make of the pack and she has to keep him on a leash when playign with the other dogs as he will beconme agressive if not kept in check. Hde is a very sweet dog and she can do anything with him. he was a very soclized puppy and like I said she even shows him but thats they are.

Have you owned an Akita before? I know they need LOTS of training and continued socilization and training. Would both dogs be altered? I also know they are very same gender aggressive.

 

[Harley_chik]

No such thing as an "American" Akita, it's just Akita and they're a Japanese breed. There may be some differences in Akitas bred in Japan vs those bred here, but it's still the same name. There are also tons of bad Akita breeders out there, who don't consider temperment when breeding, so be careful! Bigger is definately not better either.

I suggest you join a good Akita forum. I don't know if you are thinking about getting to pups close together or not, but that would be a very bad idea. I think getting two pups of any breed is unwise, but if one or both is a dominant breed you're begging for trouble. With most large, dominant breeds, they don't fully mature until 2-3 years of age. They need a lot of work during this time. If I were you, I'd get the Spoo first (and do tons of socialization), then in a year or two start looking for a RESPONSIBLE Akita breeder. I would also get opposite sexes b/c Akitas are notorious for same sex aggression. I've heard two different stories this year from people having issues w/ Akitas and other dogs. One Akita was rehomed and the other has to crated and rotated b/c he fights with the male Spoo he lives with.

 

[aki]

I'm not too familiar with the Akita breed itself, but I would think they are similar in temperament to Chow Chows?

Do you have any experience with large bully breeds? If not, I'd say stick with poodles. Bully breeds can be hard to handle for the average person with no experience. IMO it's an absolute must to go through obedience training, and you need to make sure you have the time to meet their exercising needs. Ideally you should aim for some sort of PP training like Schutzhund. Socialization is also MAJOR.

Bully breeds are not for everyone, and should not be taken lightly. The biggest mistake one can make is buying a bully breed out of impulse. Please make sure you do your research, and understand what responsibility comes with owning a dominant breed.

 

[Harley_chik]

I agree with a lot of what Aki said (not the PP and Shutzhund part, unless your very serious though). Most reputable breeders of large dominant breeds, won't sell to people who aren't experienced dog owners. Many will also want to see that you did something with your previous dogs, like Obedience. If you find a breeder that will sell to you while you have another young pup or have plans to get another young pup, run!!!!!

(I'm not against Shutzhund or PP, but I think it's for the serious owner. It's not somethin you can dabble in. I've been told many times that if you are interested in it, you should join a club long before you get your pup. You also need to find a breeder that breeds for working or sport, not just show and companion. I'm not sure, but I don't think Akitas are a common breed in Shutzhund.)

Raiko, check out the breed club!

 

[Raiko]

american akita, akita, akita inu are all names for the same dog breed. but too my knowledge the akita ken was the origonal akita and at one point was mixed with other breeds most likely of the spits family creating the known dog today. Don't count me on that, We were going to get an akita a few years ago but then my mom had surgery, so it was awhile ago that I did myresearch.

My dads best friend [Mark is his name] owned a beautiful pinto akita, he was HUGE! Mark was rather close friends with his breeder, and taught an obedience class. I remeber the akita would let me do anything to him when I was a kid, lol I rode him, and I used to make growling or high pitched sounds and the akita would mimic me, either howling or growling back. Sadly that dog died, and Mark adopted a german shepard akita mix from a shelter, needless to say that was big too but he said it got along with other dogs in dog parks theorizing that the shepard in him dumbed down the aggression that akitas are known for [they were used as fighting dogs]

I have never owned an akita myself however, but I grew up with them, border collies, and shepards. Until recently my grandma lived pretty far away so I only saw her spoo sasha a few times a year.

Mark uses a method similar to a guy named Don Sullivan and Leerburg for training and I still have the DVDs from them and several books suggested by him. Ive trained many dogs with these methods [collies and shepards mainly] but was told by several people these methods were too militant for Spoos and or unessisary as a Spoo wants to just make you happy and isnt stubborn like some other breeds.

Yeah I'm aware of the breeder thing... with akitas.. them being once a fighting breed and still used as a fight breed in some places many breeders dont even temperment test, and encourage the aggressive behavior..

But I did go and do some more research after reading your posts and akitas are known to go into an aggressive mega dominant phase during their teen years.

But.. you guys dont think if they grew up together the wouldnt have a higherarchy figured out and act like a pack? Both dogs would go to obedience school together and be exposed to LOTS of other dogs and animals

 

[Harley_chik]

To answer you last question: HECK NO!!!!!!!!

IMO, that would increase the chances of injury. You would have two dogs coming of age at the same time. Plus they wouldn't have the foundation they would've gotten had they been raised as single pups. Something similar is going on with a member of another forum. Her two dogs who were raised together decided they don't like eachother and now have to be separate all the time. I have a Rottie and I got him after my Maltese. Harley never knew a time when there wasn't a little dog around. He even came from a breeder that had small dogs as pets. To be perfectly honest, I'm a teensy bit nervous about how he'll react when I do get dog number 3. If you can find an Akita breeder that raises their pups w/ other dogs (not crated or kenneled all the time), that would be a plus. No matter what you do, though, you have to be prepared for the fact that the dogs might not get along. If you're not willing to crate and rotate, if neccessary, don't get the Akita. Harley has never shown any aggression toward Bailey or the cats, but I still keep him separate when I'm gone. With the Akita and Spoo I posted about: the Spoo started and the Akita almost finished him! Dog aggression can happen w/ any breed.

 

[Raiko]

Okay.

 

[Purple Poodle]

No such thing as an "American" Akita, it's just Akita and they're a Japanese breed. There may be some differences in Akitas bred in Japan vs those bred here, but it's still the same name. There are also tons of bad Akita breeders out there, who don't consider temperment when breeding, so be careful! Bigger is definately not better either.

I believe most countries save for America/Canada, now split the breed into American and Japanese

"The Japanese Akita and American Akita began to diverge in type through the middle and later part of the 20th century with the Japanese Akita fanciers focusing on restoring the breed as a work of Japanese art and American Akita fanciers selecting for the larger, heavier-boned dogs that emerged from the post-war times. Both types derive from a common ancestry, but marked differences can be observed between the two. First, while American Akitas are acceptable in all colors, Japanese Akitas are only permitted to be red, fawn, sesame, white, or brindle. Additionally, American Akitas may be pinto and/or have black masks, unlike Japanese Akitas.

Much debate occurs among Akita fanciers of both types whether there are or should be two breeds of Akita. To date, The AKC and CKC, guided by their national breed clubs, consider American and Japanese Akitas to be two types of the same breed, allowing free breeding between the two. The FCI and Kennel Clubs most other nations consider Japanese and American Akitas as separate breeds."

- from Wikipedia

 

[Raiko]

What about a boder collie? Some breeders claim to have bred the herding instinct out. My friend Matt has two collies and they are fine with dogs and other children running around. They got them from a shelter so they could be mutts but they dont look like mutts. Idk if the collies before the shelter were from one of those breeders or if it was taught out of them.

But... to my knowledge you cant teach an instinct away can you?

Im not saying I will get a collie, Im just curious how well poodles would get along with the dog breeds I am used to.

 

[Raiko]

I believe most countries save for America/Canada, now split the breed into American and Japanese

"The Japanese Akita and American Akita began to diverge in type through the middle and later part of the 20th century with the Japanese Akita fanciers focusing on restoring the breed as a work of Japanese art and American Akita fanciers selecting for the larger, heavier-boned dogs that emerged from the post-war times. Both types derive from a common ancestry, but marked differences can be observed between the two. First, while American Akitas are acceptable in all colors, Japanese Akitas are only permitted to be red, fawn, sesame, white, or brindle. Additionally, American Akitas may be pinto and/or have black masks, unlike Japanese Akitas.

Much debate occurs among Akita fanciers of both types whether there are or should be two breeds of Akita. To date, The AKC and CKC, guided by their national breed clubs, consider American and Japanese Akitas to be two types of the same breed, allowing free breeding between the two. The FCI and Kennel Clubs most other nations consider Japanese and American Akitas as separate breeds."

- from Wikipedia

Thanks for clearifying that

 

[Purple Poodle]

Poodles are very adaptable dogs, mine get along with every foster that comes though the door, its the other dogs I have to watch.

Why are you bent on getting a Poodle and another dog? Why not just get a Poodle to start?

Any breeder who says they have bred the instinct out is someone I would not by a dog from!

 

[Raiko]

Well I used to voulenteer at a shelter, so Id like to foster or ultimatly adopt a dog from a shelter at some point

 

[Raiko]

but obviously If Im getting a purebred poodle, the adopted dog needs to get along with him

 

[Harley_chik]

What about a boder collie? Some breeders claim to have bred the herding instinct out. My friend Matt has two collies and they are fine with dogs and other children running around. They got them from a shelter so they could be mutts but they dont look like mutts. Idk if the collies before the shelter were from one of those breeders or if it was taught out of them.

But... to my knowledge you cant teach an instinct away can you?

Im not saying I will get a collie, Im just curious how well poodles would get along with the dog breeds I am used to.

I don't know about instinct and drive, but there is no way your average Show Border Collie could herd! I get a sick feeling in my stomach when I see what they've done to them. I change the channel when I'm watching dog shows. I see working BCs all the time and they are nowhere near that square or small. There was a lot of resistance towards BCs becoming an AKC breed for this exact reason. I agree, I would stay away form most breeders that want to change their breed.

 

[mandi]

Raiko-after my experience with a German Shepherd (now 2.5yrs) and 2 mini poos (1 yr and the other 5 mos), I would advise you to choose your favorite breed for now and go with that...all dogs take much time and training....my Shepherd has been in training since she came to us 4 mos.-she is now getting really good...but I will not leave all 3 dogs out together without supervision. The older poodle is very timid, sesitive and rather nervous-so the Shepherd gets more excited around him. Ironically, the younger poodle gets a better reaction from the GSD because he is more assertive and confident. So-you just never know how they will get along-the GSD is female and the poos both male.

 

[Raiko]

Yeah, Id be getting a poodle this summer and probably not adopt for a while after that, after reading what u guys had to say

 

[mandi]

Congratulations! You will LOVE the poodle-they make you feel like a Master Trainer they learn so quickly and you don't have to struggle with them so much-at least, that has been my experience. Aslo I think better for a novice dog owner even if you decide on a Standard.

 

[Fluffyspoos]

I was watching a dog show once, and they took a champion komodor, a dog that's basically been inside due to all the work it takes to grow his locks, to a flock of sheep. Without ever seeing a sheep or herding, he herded them and kept them in a neat little tight flock.

So I don't think instinct can be bred out of a dog that's bred to do something.

 

[Raiko]

okay. thanks guys