Kirk Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Some will remember I took in an Akita from the dogs trust nearly 2 year ago and had a bit of an eventful first few months getting her to settle. Well she's much better now and maturing slowly with age, she's now nearly 3, but she seems to be developing her confidence and quite alarmingly her ability to hunt. Today I observed her stalking 'prey' so to speak in the form of a wild hare. Now at first I had no idea what she was actually doing as she does tend to run off with her ball and roll around in the grass with it or lie down in wait for me to come get it off her so I thought nothing of it. Suddenly she pounced and caught the thing before it could escape into its burrow then proceeded to parade around with it in her mouth. This is the second time she has done this. The first time around it was a small bird which I was surprised she managed to catch as she was very clumsy about it. Again I thought nothing of it on that occasion as she was still young and chased smaller things. So this leads me to my first question. Is it bad practise to allow your dog to pursue her natural hunting abilities? The second question is about malting. Ive had such a nightmare the past month or two with controlling Tia's shedding. She starts off lightly which then leads to much more heavier fur loss and this lasts for a few months easily. She gets brushed twice a week, bathed once a month and now recently I've gone and bought the dog grooming adapter for the dyson as its getting too much to handle at the minute. Does anyone have any good tips or recommendations for controlling her shedding? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Mitchell Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Shave her? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Well at least you didn't suggest polished CCW's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dim Sum Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Well, theres nothing wrong for it to hunt but think she needs a bit more training. She needs to learn obedience and listen to you more. but thats just my opinion:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 I had a feeling someone would say something like that. See the thing is she is obedient. I admit she does have a few flaws that she still needs to correct but a lot of that comes from her first owners who didn't really treat her well at all. I don't really see it as an obedience issue when I didn't realise what she was actually doing and didn't ask/told her to do something. She did drop the hare when she was told its just quite alarming how suddenly her hunting instincts have surfaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garethr Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 [wildlife pedant mode]If it had a burrow it wasn't a hare. [/wildlife pedant mode] On the other hand, if it was a hare, that is very impressive (actually, it's quite impressive if it was a rabbit). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Well it looked liked a rabbit but bigger so I assumed it was a hare Still it was quite alarming to see her do that. Very silent hunter but quick to strike. In some ways I wish I had the camera with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Stop her immediately, use a shock collar if required. It'll be after cats, other dogs, chasing cyclists, even chasing running kids. Increasing prey drive in a big guarding breed is a recipe for disaster, it's hard enough keeping it in check without encouraging it. It WILL develop into chasing other things... If it gets amongst livestock it will be history, one local farmer's tally for 2011 is 5 dogs and a gypsy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Raven Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Id have to agree with cw. A large dog with a strong pray drive is an accident waiting to happen. Not come across it in a mastiff yet, the problem is the sheer size of the dog and how it is working out what is pray and isnt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobUK Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Use a hacksaw blade as a brush, I find that helps a bit, you can buy brushes that do a similar job but they are expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Id have to agree with cw. A large dog with a strong pray drive is an accident waiting to happen. Not come across it in a mastiff yet, the problem is the sheer size of the dog and how it is working out what is pray and isnt. I have a vision of a dog with a strong pray drive facing the east and awaiting noises from the nearest minaret. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyT Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Mr Wilson and tbourner are experts to talk to here. I have seen enough dog problem programmes to wholeheartedly agree that she needs stopping now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Stop her immediately, use a shock collar if required. It'll be after cats, other dogs, chasing cyclists, even chasing running kids. Increasing prey drive in a big guarding breed is a recipe for disaster, it's hard enough keeping it in check without encouraging it. It WILL develop into chasing other things... If it gets amongst livestock it will be history, one local farmer's tally for 2011 is 5 dogs and a gypsy. Unfortunately she already does chase cats, squirrels and more recently motorcyclists although tbh I think its just the noise of the bike that makes her angry. She sounds like a bit of a handful and a danger I know but she's a really good dog she just has issues which were still dealing with. Her back ground before we took her in wasn't a good one and most of her aggressive behaviour is probably down to that. She was extremely hard work for the first few months but she has come along way and is alot better although she still doesn't tolerate being teased by young kids. I've never used a shock collar on any of my dogs before and didn't really want to resort to that. We have tried is one of those collars which sprays her in the face but that gave her bad nose bleeds so naturally we had get rid. I'm going to have a word with the local breeder/trainer and see what she recommends first then take it from there. Luckily there is no farms locally to me so that's not likely to happen. A large dog with a strong pray drive is an accident waiting to happen. Not come across it in a mastiff yet, the problem is the sheer size of the dog and how it is working out what is pray and isnt. That's one thing I'm afraid of really. She is a fair sized girl now weighing in at just over 6 stone, has massive strength and speed at 2 year old so she still has a bit more growing to go. She could easily take down something considerably bigger than her now I suspect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 I have a vision of a dog with a strong pray drive facing the east and awaiting noises from the nearest minaret. https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/420017_10150654822882214_584057213_11404915_234210182_n.jpg You decide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyT Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/420017_10150654822882214_584057213_11404915_234210182_n.jpg You decide Glad you're hoovering up the excess Martin. She is lovely isn't she? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 I'm not, its bloody hard work! She's an absolute beauty mate. She's a big softy at heart just has a few issues to work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike33 Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 Hello mate we had three but no two huskies they hunt cats,squirals,rabits,rats, etc if it moves its fair game. Its in they genes. You are not allowed to let huskies off lead due to 1 they bugger off and two if they have a chance they would chase live stock and kill it. Same as akitas. So we let ours off lead in a enclosed enviroment. To help with our dogs multing go to a pet store and get a under coat rack it adjusts and pulls they hair out really easy. Do akitas have a oiley fur if so bathing them is not a good idea. I know huskies you are not supposed to bath them. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Hello mate we had three but no two huskies they hunt cats,squirals,rabits,rats, etc if it moves its fair game. Its in they genes. You are not allowed to let huskies off lead due to 1 they bugger off and two if they have a chance they would chase live stock and kill it. Same as akitas. So we let ours off lead in a enclosed enviroment. Well this is the thing she was In an enclosed place. Its a park which is well out of the way of the public and she never comes off the lead if someone else is around. Unfortunately it seems the park also houses wildlife as I discovered. To help with our dogs multing go to a pet store and get a under coat rack it adjusts and pulls they hair out really easy. Do akitas have a oiley fur if so bathing them is not a good idea. I know huskies you are not supposed to bath them. No mate Akita's don't have oily fur. Ill take a look for what you suggested although she will probably decide to stop by then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRD DAN Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 A neighbour of mine has a spaniel , as she will catch rabbits all day long yet have such a lovely nature about her she has always been this way since she started it and I'm sure they have tried all sorts , she is good with everything else they even have a cat but it's just the hunting rabbit thing lol , I'm sure if you work hard at the obedience thing hopefully she will react to your voice when you see her behaviour change to hunt mode so to speak Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Raven Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 The Akitas were bred for a few uses, hunting small game being one of them, however they where also used for fighting, and taking down large game such as bears/boars ect. She needs to learn what you deem acceptable and what you dont. At 2 they arnt much different to teenagers they push to see how far they can get away with, many of these dog with issues are the result of people not taking control of the dog and showing it that they are the leader of the pack, i dont think you have to much of a problem just needs nipping in the bud. I trust she killed the rabbit? Did she try and give it to you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Havard Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Your dog doesn't seem to like me Martin..!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 The Akitas were bred for a few uses, hunting small game being one of them, however they where also used for fighting, and taking down large game such as bears/boars ect. She needs to learn what you deem acceptable and what you dont. At 2 they arnt much different to teenagers they push to see how far they can get away with, many of these dog with issues are the result of people not taking control of the dog and showing it that they are the leader of the pack, i dont think you have to much of a problem just needs nipping in the bud. I trust she killed the rabbit? Did she try and give it to you? Well it died of shock I would say as she wasn't malicious with it. She then brought it over to me, dropped it and backed off when she was told. Your dog doesn't seem to like me Martin..!! She's not one you can just approach and get love from tbf H! Doesn't trust anyone she doesn't know and if you impede her space she will tell you to back away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbourner Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Can't you just keep her on lead until you know she won't chase? We never let ours off lead, cos we don't trust them, I'm sure we could bring them around small furries and train them not to do it etc. but it's too much hassle for us to bother with, so we do cani-cross and never let them off lead, even in enclosed areas. As for blowing her coat, it's normal for some breeds to blow twice a year and the rest of the time not moult at all, one joke amongst Mally owners is that they only blow twice a year, but it lasts 6 months at a time! If you get a furminator (we didn't get on with it and it's bloody expensive, try a Mikki undercoat rake instead) you can get it out quicker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Wilson Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 You could fetch her round here and she can see if she's any good with foxes? Our younger Karabash and her Black Russian Terrier kennel mate have had a couple, but they work as a team and are VERY patient. They have also let plenty get away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted February 6, 2012 Author Share Posted February 6, 2012 Can't you just keep her on lead until you know she won't chase? We never let ours off lead, cos we don't trust them, I'm sure we could bring them around small furries and train them not to do it etc. but it's too much hassle for us to bother with, so we do cani-cross and never let them off lead, even in enclosed areas. She spent her entire life locked up in a flat and in a kennel before we took her in. I like to give her some freedom off the leash to explore and she's not bad at all. Just unfortunate there was a rabbit there on this particular occasion. I don't people to misunderstand my angle here. I'd class myself as a good owner and sorta know my stuff. Tia is just a special case. I've done lots of research and speaking to other owners and breeders. I was just looking for an opinion off another fellow dog owner I've been pondering about whether her new diet is contributing factor to her sudden hunting antics as i've introduced her to a more natural diet of rice with either salmon or white meat with veg. Possibility? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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