Low on the list, but still there is tolerance of other
dogs. To some extent, all northern dog are scrappy.
Akitas have the dubious distinction of being one of
the only ones actually used for dog-fighting.
Undoubtedly, Japanese breeders selected for the
more aggressive dogs throughout the years the
breed was used for fighting, but I'm sure their
choice to use the
Akita in the first place had much to do with their innate desire to scrap
with other dogs. This tendency made them a
good choice for the sport of dog- fighting.
Breeding programs over the year increased this tendency and kept it in
the breed.
Historical data tell us that the native dogs of the
Dewa area were also crossed with European dogs to increase
their size and, therefore, their fighting ability.
These were probably Great Danes (also known as Deutsche
Dogges) which were brought to the area by German mining
engineers.
Was this version of the Akita a ferocious pit dog?
They certainly were pitted against similar dogs. However,
Tatsuo Kimura tells me that one of the reasons the
Akita breeders shifted directions early in this century
was because of a fight between an Akita fighting champion
and a Tosa Fighting Dog, a breed resulting from crosses
of the Japanese native Tosa Inu with various European
imports. Looking at them today, I would guess the imports
must have included at least the English Mastiff and
probably some other Molossan-type dogs. Anyway, the
Akita barely escaped with its life. Its fanciers realized
that continuing to pit them with dogs like the Tosa
might be the death-knell of the breed. With the rising
tide of nationalism in Japan, they began to value the
Akita Inu as a native Japanese breed, for itself rather
than for what it could do in a dog fight. Instead of
crosses aimed at fighting ability, they began to look
for hunting-type dogs to restore the breed to its original
type.
If you can enhance a trait by selective breeding,
of course, you can also minimize it. Certainly, Akitas
today seem less dog-aggressive generally than they
were twenty years ago. This alteration is due in part
to selection for less aggressive dogs and in part to
better training techniques such as early socialization
of puppies, continued exposure of adult dogs to strange
dogs, and obedience training of young dogs.
I know several people who keep same-sex Akitas together
and others that have several mixed-sex ones that run
together with no trouble. Sometimes, a pack works because
a dominant dog keeps everyone in line, but maybe these
Akitas are just that much less dog-aggressive. I've
never been daring enough to put my older bitches together,
although I suspect a few of them would get along. One,
though, can run with any male but cannot be put loose
with a female without fighting. She's been dog-aggressive
since puppyhood, and I'm sure had she been put in a
pack situation, she'd have inflicted a lot of damage
on other bitches.
Putting dogs in a situation where they can fence-fight
builds up a lot of unresolved aggression. It starts
as a game and then escalates to serious dislike. To
minimize this, I have board fencing between my runs.
It is covered on both sides with chain- link to keep
it from being eaten. The dogs really don't see each
other, and rarely ever bark at dogs on the other sides.
Given a chance, though, they will fence-fight through
the gates or the outside chain-link.
According to the standard, an Akita may be aggressive
towards other dogs; however, it doesn't say that they
have to be so. In today's litigious society, the consequences
of an attack that damages someone else's dog can be
severe indeed. Also, many people do not understand
that a dog that is aggressive towards another dog is
not necessarily aggressive to people. Looking at a
snarling, bristling Akita doesn't inspire a lot of
confidence about the breed.
If you want to compete with an Akita, regardless
of the venue, you must have a dog that can be trusted
around other dogs. A dog that can't be trusted to leave
other animals alone on neutral ground is a real liability.
In obedience and agility, the dog works off-leash,
so he has to be reliable. At a dog show, he must negotiate
crowded aisles and stand close together in crowded
rings.
The demands
of such activities have shaped our selection for
less dog-aggression in our Akitas, and I think
this is perfectly acceptable
and somewhat desireable. Nonetheless, you should
remember that the most benign
Akita can conceive a sudden and
violent dislike for another Akita. In that case,
you'll have to avoid that
dog like the plague because if
your's has a chance, he'll get in a fight. That may
be only dog that ever
inspires such antipathy, but
both dogs will remember each other and renew hostilities
any time they can.
It's part of what makes an Akita an Akita!
