Akita Husky Play or Fight? You decide

Akita plays according to Samurai dog rules

Dogs often like to play with each other. This is true for our Akita. Husky Joy is always very happy to see him… or so it seems, since their play can get rough.

Akita Kensho and Husky Joy

In earlier times, in Japan, Akita dogs where used for dog fights. That sounds very aggressive, but if you look at it closely you can see that they have got the most beautiful technique. They are like Oriental warriors.

Akita's wrestle, push and hold on to each other. They don't growl, all that you can hear are panting sounds. Our Kensho likes playing with Husky Joy because she speaks the same language and obeys the Samurai dog rules, which are: no biting and no barking.

If Kensho growls it usually means “Don't come near me, I’m not in the mood”.

When dogs start to fight for real, it can turn out to be very dangerous. Luckily we don't have much experience with that.

Whenever an unfamiliar dog approaches us, when going for a walk, we always held Kensho's lead short and tight. From a distance we often can't see whether it is a bitch or a dog. And in case it is a dog, you're better safe than sorry.

Bitches are to play with - so Kensho thinks smile- and small dogs he just ignores.

This Siberian Husky is a good match for our Kensho

Now we've taken on a different approach as inspired by Turid Rugaas. The leash is not that tight anymore as this would increase tension build up. We've learned our Akita to just ignore the approaching dog. So just go sniff out a tree and let the other one pass.

Male Akita's don't go well with other males. Exceptions will always exist of course.

But Kensho does have dog friends! To be exact, one best friend. It's Max, a boxer that lives in the area. Max doesn't like dogs very much, but he likes Kensho and Kensho likes him. They're best buddies. Relatively speaking that is. Our Akita thinks bitches are much much more important.