I've just seen the movie Hachiko, you can see the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaS37E3gK…
the emotional bond of the master and the dog is really amazing. i'm just wondering, are other akitas also like that? or is Hachiko really special? if I'd have an Akita dog, can our bond also be like that?
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If you take the time and train the dog right, absolutely!
shareI think that animals, as persons have their own personalities. So, this could have happened with another dog, from another race as well.
Good gurls are just bad gurls that haven't been caught.
There is an old Disney movie, called "Greyfriars Bobby" about a little terrier who slept many years on his master's grave after he died and didn't want to be taken in by anyone else. The people there (in Scotland) also erected a statue to him after he died.
sharei had an akita called amber, she sadly died last year aged 12 years old and i can say they are the most faithful and loyal dogs i have ever kept ( and i have had many dogs before her,) but none like her. i loved her to bits and still do and miss her everyday that passes.
shareI'm so sorry for your loss, bamiboa d. I'm a dog lover too; I used to have a dog, Lance. He was a Shepherd/Collie mix, he lived to be 20.
Since my parents had him a couple years before I was born, he bonded tightest with my dad. When Lance was 19, he developed cancer and also severe arthritis in his hips common to large breeds. He began to lose weight rapidly, and eventually could not walk at all and began to cry in pain. We had to put him to sleep.
It almost wrecked us all. My dad cried, and he never does.
I'm glad you had such a great friend, there's nothing like the kind of friendship a pet gives you.
I've read that akitas should 'be for experienced dog owners and/or certain types of people only. Is that because they tend to bond with only one person mostly?
Or are they excitable, bark a lot?
"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."
hi fiatlux-1
i can totally understand how you and your family felt after losing Lance :( Amber also had to be put to sleep as all her organs were closing down and also like your dog she had arthritis in her back legs.
i still cry now when i think of her bright eyes fading as she died :(
i would say that akitas are for experienced owners. they are very intelligent and if not trained as puppies they can get very dominant especially males so must be brought up firmly but fair too. they do tend to bond with only one person, or close family. Amber would not go anywhere with anyone if i was there. if i went on holiday i could only leave her with my sister or gran because she refused to eat if left with anyone else in the family.
Amber was very excitable and would bark at anything that passed her also they howl like wolves. they are also very good guard dogs.
in my experience i would not trust akitas with very small children. they dont have as much patience as some dogs do, although i suppose this varies from akita to akita. my daughter jade was 5 when i got Amber and she used to chase jade allover the house and jade would have to jump on a chair to get out of Ambers way, but i believe that this was the dominant streak in Amber and she was probably trying to establish the pecking order in the family 'pack'. this behaviour must be stopped immediatley. when i first took Amber to the vet for her inoculations the vet told me you must always show these dogs who is the boss because they will try to assert their dominance over you and a dominant akita can be an unpleasant dog. she told me that compared to an akita a rottweiler is a pussycat!!!!
but i would recommend an akita as long as you have a strong personality to cope with their equally strong personality. :)
if I'd have an Akita dog, can our bond also be like that?
I've read that like Hachi, Akitas are only loyal to one person, and are a bit agressive toward strange people and dogs.
shareYes Akita's can be that faithful and loyal. Drusilla, my Akita, is the most amazing dog I've ever had and I have had many many dogs my whole life. She is the most loving and loyal dog to both me and my mother. She is just amazing, she makes us laugh when we are sad and you can see the worry in her eyes, she's very expressive and intuitive to all are emotions and she give the best kisses and is so full of love. She is also a great guard dog, I know she would do anything to protect me and my mom. Akita's are Japan's national dog, they were popular with royalty and it is even said that parents would go out while an Akita watched the children. They really only care about the ones they love and are not very social with other animals and people, although my Drusilla is great with my cat. She's a very special dog. She's my first Akita so I don't know if they all would be like this, but I think they are good dogs to have. She is a rescue dog, she was found running down a very busy street. I thank the heavens that we got her. I'm by no means an expert on Akita's, but the one I have is just as faithful and loyal as Hachi and is she is overflowing with love.
shareI've had other dogs in my lifetime, and they have all been loyal to an extent but they were loyal to everybody in the family equally. I can honestly say that my Akita is the most loyal dog I've ever had. They are very independent dogs but he waits for me everywhere. He has bonded with his master and while he loves the family and is very protective of my nephew. He is very much attached at the hip to me. In fact if I happened to keel over somewhere, I would expect my Akita to react very similarly to Hachiko. Fantastic special breed and I doubt I will ever own another breed of dog. Training and bonding are very key, but if you do that, that dog will love you unconditionally forever.
shareVery true akitatika716. I had an American Foxhound that lived to be 13 until, sadly, he got hit by a car last year. That was the most loyalest and loving dog I have ever had and probably will ever have. I grew so attached to that dog and spoiled him like no other. He was my stepdad's dog before he and my mom met and he actually cried a little when we had a burial ceremony and my stepdad hardly ever cries.
"Now the whole world's gonna know that you died scratching my balls!" ~James Bond (Casino Royale)~
There are quite a few instances of dogs bonding with their owners like this.
Hachiko, Greyfriars Bobby. There was a dog in the U.S. called Old Shep that waited at the train station when his shepherd owner died and the body was taken away by train. I'm sure there are more.
I think it is more dependent on the personality of the dog than breed or training.
I don't think loyalty and bonding is specific to any breed. Specific breeds are known to have different characteristics. But when it comes down to it, it really depends on the dog's personality. IMO most dogs bond to their humans, regardless of breed. Some dogs are "needy" towards their human and some are "independent."
The most loyal dog I have ever had the pleasure of raising was a shiz-tsu. She had to be with me every second of the day. Of course, I loved her neediness. We had to put her down on Christmas Eve 2012 and I still miss the sound of the clappity-clap her toenails made while following me around the house.
I'm an automatic steeple for depressed and lonely people. ~ Blue October