Are Akitas Aggressive With Other Dogs?

Akitas as a breed have a somewhat complicated reputation. You might wonder if Akitas are aggressive toward other dogs.

Akitas could be aggressive with other dogs because they are reactive and protective of their territory and family. Desensitization to triggers and socialization is essential for these dogs. Obedience training and solid knowledge of commands are important in the task of teaching your Akita to get along with other dogs.

It is important to understand the typical personality of an Akita and note any particular triggers in order to target aggressive behaviors toward other animals.

Akita’s Temperament

Akitas are sweet and cuddly with their families, as well as animals they are well familiar with. However, Akitas are infamous for acting aloof, suspicious, and defensive in the presence of strangers, including dogs they do not know.

An inexperienced dog owner could find it challenging to take care of an Akita. A dog of this breed requires consistent training, in addition to socialization and a supportive environment, in order to blossom into a sociable pet that is amicable with other pooches and people.

Working Intelligence Of The Akita

A renowned canine psychologist Stanley Coren ranked about 130 breeds according to their working intelligence and obedience scores. The rankings are based on evaluations of multiple trainers and judges who scored different breeds independently.

According to Coren, Akitas are more trainable than one-quarter of all the breeds that were ranked. In other words, three-quarters of all breeds learn easier. That puts Akitas at the very bottom of the group with average working intelligence and right above the group that is considered fairly capable of being trained.

Responsiveness To Training

In practical terms, an Akita does have some challenges to overcome when learning new behaviors:

It might take an average Akita up to twenty-five repetitions to somewhat understand a basic command.

The dog may need up to eighty repetitions to show consistency in understanding a command.
Akitas have to practice skills regularly, otherwise, they could forget even the skills they mastered well.
Teaching Akitas requires much patience because they often act very independently and are distracted during training.

The dog could listen and understand the owner very well but behave differently when the owner is farther away or in a new environment.

The quality of training and skills of the trainer him or herself impact the outcomes of average and subaverage breeds much more than it would impact a highly trainable breed.

Coren himself emphasizes that there is plenty of individual variability within any particular breed. He provides examples of dogs of breeds that are subaverage for working intelligence per their breed but went on to become highly socialized and skillful dogs. So, the breed means a lot but the environment in the household has plenty of corrective power.

COMMON TRIGGERS OF AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS IN AKITAS

Dogs Of The Same Sex

It is common for Akitas to act aggressively towards large dogs of the same sex.

The dog feels competitive and territorial. Typical behaviors include growling, barking, and charging at the other dog. If the other dog is in fighting mode, the Akita could attack.

Protective Of Their Pack And Resources

Akitas are protective of their people and home. They are fabled for their loyalty.

Behaviors that could be perceived as aggressive, including barking, growling, and even chasing, often take place when your dog hears a noise outside or even simply sees another dog walking by.

The tendency to be defensive and dominant persists outdoors. Many Akitas need to be kept on a close leash if someone is walking by, with a dog in particular, until the Akita is trained and reliably desensitized to unfamiliar dogs, people, and any other triggers.

Specific Triggers

Like most dogs, Akitas could be triggered by very specific objects for a reason or none.

Many dogs who have a memory of something traumatic can transfer the reaction to any subject reminding them of that memory. For example, some dogs only react to one specific breed or type of dog if there was an altercation with a dog that looks like that in the past.

Running people, dogs, and even moving cars can be a trigger for many dogs, in general. That becomes a serious concern if your Akita is a running partner you bring along to jog or hike with you.

It is very important to avoid the triggers until your dog is sufficiently trained.

Strong Prey Drive

Akitas do have a very strong prey drive.

It is quite common for these dogs to bond with cats or small dogs in their household but react to and chase small animals outside. Such encounters could be dangerous, given the instincts and the imposing size of Akitas. So, unless your Akita is well-socialized and trained, these pups need close supervision around small animals.

Fear

Akitas could appear aggressive when they feel threatened, by a larger dog, for example. Aggression as a response to own fear is quite common for dogs of many breeds and other species, for that matter, so it is not an Akita-specific problem.

AKITAS AND OTHER DOGS

A typical well-socialized Akita may still have some behavioral problems around other dogs. There are three situations in which Akitas are likely to show some spirit inappropriately:

Akita sees an unfamiliar dog close to the Akita’s owner: natural guarding animals, Akitas are protective of their owners and could act aggressively with other dogs if they perceive them as a threat to the owner.

Many Akitas do not tolerate other animals in their home. They may be outright aggressive with any animal who is visiting or joining the household.
- The Akita and the other dog should first meet each other under close supervision and then be allowed to have more independent interactions, as tolerated.
- The evaluation period should be extensive and the dogs should be observed in several situations, particularly when they are both eating.

Male Akitas can be especially unfriendly towards other large male dogs. Female Akitas can also show a lot of hostility, around female dogs in particular.

HOW TO CORRECT AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIORS IN AKITA DOGS

Consider Using A Muzzle

Until you feel that your Akita is trustworthy around other dogs, as well as other animals and people, your pet needs to get used to wearing a muzzle. It is a question of safety.

Your dog might hate the idea at first but will get used to the muzzle over time. Have your pet wear it at home for practice, just like with any other gear, such as dog booties or a cooling vest.

Shifting Attention Method

A very effective method to address reactivity, to other dogs, in particular, is shifting your dog’s attention.

When you are walking your dog and there are any stimuli nearby that seem to get your pet too excited, give your Akita a command, such as “here”. The idea is to make your dog look away from the stimulus. Trying to focus the dog’s attention on you is especially effective.

Reinforce the distraction with a treat in the beginning.
If your pup responds well to getting distracted this way, you will not need to provide a treat for much longer. Your Akita will accept a command or any sound of your choice as a substitution.
If successful, you could train your Akita to switch focus right away with just a brief command.

How To Address Aggression And Reactivity

If an adult dog is generally aggressive towards people or animals, it may be beyond the owner’s ability to impact te animal to a sufficient extent. It could be a situation that warrants attention by a professional dog trainer or canine behavior specialist.

Usually, however, when owners speak about aggression in their dogs, they refer to reactivity, which can be addressed at least in a targeted manner.

Tips On Changing Specific Behaviors

Provide the dog with plenty of opportunities for activities and exercise
- A dog who is busy, engaged, and tired at the end of the day is less likely to erupt at another dog or act aggressively in general

Provide socialization
- If your Akita is exposed to other dogs, as well as people, bicycles, cars, and so on, she is less likely to react to them. Socialization is important for all pets but Akitas are among the breeds that need ample interaction with other animals and people more than other dogs.
Puppy classes
- The same is true about interactions with other puppies: puppy classes are useful for dogs of any breed but an Akita may benefit greatly from learning how to interact appropriately when they are still young. Given how strong these dogs are, even as puppies, it is crucial for them to learn early on when biting or jumping is not appropriate.
Verbal commands
- Choose a command and use it every time you want a behavior to stop. Understanding words and learning commands is not a forte of this breed, so prepare to be patient and methodical.

Impulse control
- You could start by playing a fetch game. See if you can get your dog to sit calmly for a few seconds before throwing the ball. Reward the behavior, especially if she is just beginning to learn. Patience is a transferable skill, so if your friend learns to control herself when playing fetch, she is more likely to be reserved in other situations.
Pick the right time
- It may be worth postponing the training if your dog is overly excited or worked up. Most dogs are more receptive when they are either calm or moderately excited.
Introduce triggers in a controlled environment
- If your Akita is reactive to dogs, keep the dog on a close leash when she is meeting a new one. Observe the animals’ interaction, and use commands to make sure the dog understands your expectations. Keep reassessing every time until you feel that you can trust your dog to do well.

It is possible that your Akita will learn to behave well around dogs outside but will continue being less than friendly toward any dogs visiting his or her home.

To Conclude

It is worth noting that you need to be consistent and patient with your dog when teaching her to stop any undesirable behavior. Until the change happens, you will need to either keep her away from the trigger or gradually introduce the trigger in a controlled environment.