
As a dog lover, the intelligent and loyal American Akita must be one of your favorite dog breeds. However, becoming an American Akita dog parent is not an easy task. One of the main challenges is to train Akita dogs. Their stubborn and dominant nature is one of the main challenges of training an Akita dog. Moreover, Akita dogs are extremely solitary and refrain from socializing with strangers. This makes it even more difficult to train them with other dogs.
However, it is not an impossible endeavor. In fact, their physical strength and intelligence makes them ideal for training for dog games and other agility enhancing activities. With the right approach and determination you can successfully train an Akita dog. Find some useful strategies to train Akita dog in the following section of the blog.
American Akita Dog Training Strategies
Your Akita dog is expected to display aggressive reactions initially when you start to train it. However, with considerable time and proper guidance you would notice significant positive changes. Let’s discuss some of the important Akita dog training techniques that you can follow.
Start Akita Puppy Training Early
Since Akita dogs have a dominant personality, it would become difficult to train a grown up Akita. Starting with a puppy is the best way to overcome the challenges of training an American Akita dog. It is recommended by veterinary doctors that you start training as early as 8 weeks of age. This is the ideal time when you can control Akita with basic commands like “sit”, “eat” and “stay” and many more. However, it is important to continue this training to obtain obedience from Akita during its grown up ages.
Initiate Socialization Early
As discussed above, Akita dogs are not sociable and like to be on their own most of the time. However, this might lead to several problems later on. For instance, you might face problems accommodating Akita dogs with other dog breeds and animal species. Moreover, they might turn violent towards other people and animals while on training and so on. Hence, it is important that you start socializing your Akita dog early.
One of the best ways to approach is to invite friends at home and ask them to touch and cuddle your Akita puppy. This would enhance their socialization skills from an early age. Also, top brands offering Akita puppies for sale in Georgia initiate socializing Akita dogs before giving them up for sale. Make sure you choose Akita from such top brands to simplify your task.
Practice Reward-Based Training Methods
Positive and empathetic encouragement is extremely important in training Akita dogs. It provides a positive training experience for your Akita. For instance, physical exercise is important to keep Akita healthy and happy. However, they might refuse to go for exercise with strangers. Positive rewards are a useful tactic to motivate them to take part in group activities. You can offer treats, use verbal praise and so on.
Avoid Long Training Sessions
It is important to keep training sessions short to obtain effective results. Akita dogs have a short attention span and keeping them occupied for a long time would lead to negative reactions. It might become even more difficult to convince them to go for training the next day. It is recommended that for puppies you must keep training duration 3 to 5 minutes only. However, you can train them twice daily if you want.
Additionally, you must ensure a fun training session for Akita. Their favorite training session includes problem-solving challenges that require brain activities. So, make sure you include problem-solving tasks for them.
Crate Training is Important
Akita dogs need a safe place to feel secure. Crate training is essential to step to make them feel safe and secure. They are by nature anxious unlike other dog species and a crate can make them feel comfortable and at home.
Conclusion
The blog has discussed some of the useful tips to overcome the challenges of training an Akita dog. However, it is important to note that Akita dogs are by nature reclusive. Thus, over forcing those to socialize would be counterproductive. Make sure you follow a systematic approach of Akita training to bring about basic changes effectively.