 |
AKITA TEMPERAMENT PLEASE NOTE: Copyright, 1995 by Sherry E. Wallis, All Rights Reserved. The copyright to this article belongs to Sherry E. Wallis, however, you may reprint it for non-commercial use provided you credit the author and Akita Dog, Newsletter of the Akita Club of America, with its original publication. You must notify the author that you are using it and in what publication it appears. Please send a request to sherry@sherob.com |
LOYALTYAfter I started this series, I realized that I had left loyalty off my list of temperament components. This is a hallmark of Akita character, and the only excuse I can offer for overlooking it is that it so much an intrinsic part of Akita nature that we take it for granted.I don't think I've ever been around an Akita didn't have it. Is it an inherited trait? Since some breeds to not have a lot of personal loyalty to any one person or group, I suspect it is, and it is vital that we keep it in the breed. I think their sense of loyalty makes Akitas accepting of all the household inhabitants, including cats, kids, other adults, and livestock. It allows them to form firm friendships with other people--your friends, trainers, handlers, neighbors--and to never forget them. Akitas I raised and sold as puppies have greeted me enthusiastically years later. Dogs that belong to friends I travel with greet me enthusiastically every time I see them, even though months or even years may pass between meetings. Akitas never forget a friend. The down side is that they never forget people the don't like either. Once, my brother Steve had a picnic. To keep him from being a pest, Scotty and Amy were in their crates. Rusty, Steve's brother-in-law, set his plate with two hot dogs on top of Scotty's crate and went off to get something to drink. I guess Scotty thought they were his, because when Rusty picked them up and ate them, Scotty barked at him. Since then, Scotty has never liked Rusty despite Rusty's overtures to redress the wrong. Akitas aren't very forgiving either. To some extent, their sense of loyalty is the fount from which other traits arise. Without it, Akitas would not be protective of their friends. Given their sense of independence, the Akita's working ability probably finds its roots in loyalty. Can you imagine an Akita that is not loyal to its family and friends? I can't; it is such a pervasive part of the breed that we just accept its presence. Loosing it would make a profoundly different dog. If you found this article useful and helpful - please consider making a donation to the Akita Club of America to help fund Canine Research and Akita Rescue. Return
to Top |
|
