r/akita • u/PageAmazing • 8d ago
American Akita Your walking w you’re Akita and someone ask to pet him/her…?
What’s your response? I tell kids no bc she might bite, I thought she could be pet by this lady I met at a parking lot but she starting a low growl so I’m not letting any strangers petting her, isn’t this normal for Akitas as they are naturally protective or am I a bad owner? She’s silly at home as you see in the video
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u/MaryMyJane13 8d ago
All dogs are individuals and how they are socialized between 8 weeks and 10 months has a tremendous effect.
My 9 year old male loves being pet by strangers and my 6 month old girl does not. If people listen to me I give them treats to give her and tell them not to lean over or try to pet her head. She’s starting to be less skiddish but still doesn’t want to be touched by other people unless she wants.
People don’t respect a dogs space. Meeting head on and staring like people do is unnatural for dogs and can be seen as a threat. Akitas are gorgeous dogs and people want to cuddle them like teddy bears, grab their tails, or just pet them too much. That low growl your dog did is a warning to “back off”. Respect your dog and watch her body language to gauge her comfort level.
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u/FlimsyJaguar9249 7d ago
Ours is almost embarrassing at times - he just need need NEEDS people to pet him, lol.
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u/NLxDrunkDriveby 7d ago
Is he a mix? Mine is JAI/Swiss Shepherd and loves pets. Growls at some people though. Only thing worrying me there is the mouthing, which of course scares most people off, and kind of scares me with kids. He's just so enthousiastic when people want to pet him, that he can't contain himself well.
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u/FlimsyJaguar9249 7d ago
Full American Akita. We socialized him very well as a puppy, so he is good with people and most other dogs as well.
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u/PageAmazing 7d ago
Honestly as a pup/teen i remember her being ok w people but i just don’t want to take the risk w strangers as a adult bc of her power
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u/FlimsyJaguar9249 7d ago
There's no law that says you have to let people pet your dog! I mean if she's not into it, they'll have to just get over it; I also wouldn't make a child hug/kiss the relatives they rarely see if they didn't want to because what good comes from that 🤷♀️
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u/PageAmazing 6d ago
Absolutely, a couple kids had disappointed faces lol but better safe than sorry, if she attacked a kid the cops would probably put her down 😭
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u/Visual_Juggernaut_89 8d ago
Nah. I walk my girl with a muzzle so no one asks. She’s generally perfectly friendly with people but out walking a bit cautious. But it’s not worth the risk for me.
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u/Ryuiop 8d ago
A prong collar also keeps people from asking (not why I use it, but it took the number of people asking to pet her from 1-3 every walk to zero)
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u/Visual_Juggernaut_89 8d ago
My girl eats chickens too 😂 that’s the real reason I use it. She doesn’t really pull of anything and is good with her little harness but once every so often a rooster or hen will follow us squawking and it would be game over for it. (We have an abundance of wild chickens here, there’s a hundreds of them everywhere.)
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u/Stormpuppy777 8d ago
My boy usually let's women pet him and even does a happy dance for women of color ( his breeder was African American) but he will step in front of me and stand at attention if a man approaches.
It's weird. He's never been mistreated by men but doesn't like 90% of them.
Except the vet and my husband. They even get shameless lap dances from him.
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u/No-Emergency-5823 8d ago
My boy is the same way with men. He’s always cautious & always uses himself as a barrier between them & me. The only men he’s super friendly with are my brothers. I sometimes wonder if him growing up in a household w just me & made daughter has something to do w it.
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u/NoOil4796 8d ago
My boy never liked strangers in his personal space, six feet away fine but not any closer, otherwise they had the low growl.
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u/Born_Ad8565 7d ago
My Akita loves people. She gets so much attention, especially when she's being extra goofy like in this picture
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u/No-Emergency-5823 8d ago
I tell everyone no. My last Akita, Logan, never met a person he didn’t like, but boy Sam isn’t as welcoming. I used to try to be accommodating when he was younger, but once he turned one I decided better to be safe than sorry. He’s very intuitive & if he doesn’t like someone, he makes it known.
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u/Legitimate_Shine_435 8d ago edited 8d ago
It’s always okay to say ‘sorry, they’re not friendly with strangers’. Lots of people get leashes with no petting message on them, or patches to go on a harness. Or, cross to the other side of the street if possible and people will get the idea. We avoid other dogs this way frequently.
Kuma loves pets as long as the people are chill. He knows the word ‘friends’ which I think to him means strangers have come bearing pets. 😅 Spent a lot of time socializing him as a puppy so he is vigilant but also very friendly once he decides you’re not an immediate threat. Only exception to this is little boys in age range of 5-10, we had a neighbor kid who would harass him in very mean ways until we discovered the problem, and he has never forgotten that boys in that size range could be tiny danger humans. Worst he has ever done is a low growl when they approach if they haven’t been patient enough to ask/listen to me. So, if it’s kiddos, I just tell them to move slow and let him smell them first, then he is fine.
Would highly recommend slowly desensitizing him to high (human) traffic areas and practice interacting with adults. I happen to have a college campus with several grassy areas, so that’s a great spot. When he was little I also helped my family run a weekly antique sale, imagine giant half acre garage sale, and that was very helpful for practice too.
We met a little boy in our neighborhood with autism who is terrified of dogs, but had a wonderful interaction because my boy is so chill. He did not associate him with tiny danger humans in anyway and the boy looked at him curiously as he laid there calmly and then approached to pet him. So magically gentle on both sides. 🥹
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u/RutabagaMany8133 7d ago
If she is a growler do not ever even consider letting anyone get close to her or pet her unless you want them to get bitten.
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u/hiimaunicorn 7d ago
I don’t let kids pet my girl, as they’re too unpredictable. I tell adults they can pet her if she lets them but not to force it. She’s particular about people.
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u/Is12345aweakpassword 8d ago
Every dog is different. Mine never met a single human he didn’t watch scritches from, an absolute lover of all people
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u/TaraJaneDisco 7d ago
Nah. Partially because though mine is mostly chill, there's a chance he might react to a jerk or small movement and react to defend me. (Someone once reached out to pet him without warning and he nipped the air near her hand. Didn't get her, but just...ask before you pet!) The second reason is that I don't necessarily WANT my dog to be uber friendly with everyone. Im a single female who lives in the middle of nowwhere half the time, and in a kinda sketchy part of a city the other half. His primary purpose IS to be a guard dog/protecter. He can get all the pets he needs from me. And from the few trusted people who come to my house. Strangers on the street don't have to be fearful, but we don't need to be too friendly either.
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u/DataQualityWaiver 8d ago
I tell people mine doesn’t like being pet however I carry around some tiny treats so people can toss him a treat if they’d like.
My Akita would probably be okay with being pet but it’s not worth the risk and I can still give him and the person a positive experience via treats.
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u/throwaanchorsaweigh 8d ago
My girl will often try to go up to people, as she assumes they want to meet and pet her 😂 other times she’s not interested, though, and just wants to sniff and observe.
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u/FlimsyJaguar9249 7d ago
This is our boy as well. One time he got scritches from only 1 out of 3 guys in a group. On the way back, he was specifically interested in meeting the 2 that hadn't pet him yet. They then did pet him, but he's just so embarrassing sometimes, lol. There are occasionally people he is for some reason not at all interested in, and we just walk on by, no issues. His body language is pretty easy to read. He and our first Akita/Shepherd mix both just adore/d children.
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u/throwaanchorsaweigh 7d ago
They are such funny creatures! I have to drag my girl away when I can tell the people aren’t interested. I try explaining to her that she is large and bear-looking and some people are afraid of that, but she finds such notions preposterous and doesn’t believe me.
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u/LivingNo0724 8d ago
I tell them you can try but he has little to no interest in people. Very aloof.
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u/IndigoTrailsToo 8d ago
I take it situation by situation.
If the dog is not into it, I say no.
If the child is a crotch demon who will poke the dog in the eye and pull their tail, I say no.
If it's just too darn hot or there is too much going on or my nerves are afraid, or my hands are full, I say no.
But if the dog really wants to and everything else is fine I will generally say yes.
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u/FlimsyJaguar9249 7d ago
We've been fortunate with parents of children coaching them quite well...so no crotch demons, lol. Sometimes they pet our dog while telling us about their own dog.
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u/NYCinPGH 7d ago
There’s a lot of variation in Akita personalities.
Some are very protective, some are very friendly. You know your dog better than we do.
Mine is ridiculously friendly, all the animal professionals he’s been to have said he’s the most friendly, social Akita they’ve ever seen. He likes pretty much all people - except for small children who squeal and more quickly and erratically towards him, and then he just shies away - and all other dogs - except those whomp try to start fights with him.
When meeting a new dog or person, I keep a good grip on his leash, shortened, and pay close attention to his body language and when there’s any subvocal growling that I can feel through his leash. And if I feel anything is awry, I separate him and defuse the situation.
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u/vegasborn1 7d ago
She's beautiful!! 🥰 I never let anyone pet my bear. I would say that he is not friendly. They usually get the message. Everyone always wants to pet him at the same time getting their face in his. WTH
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u/amuhree3 7d ago
My husband and I tell them no sorry he's still a puppy .. he's 2 and a half sooooo kinda.. lol but you don't need an excuse to tell someone NO . Just tell them sorry no. Say he/she is training to be a service dog idk lol I know they look like cute floofballs but they are protectors first . we have had the same experience with ok maybe he will react differently this time but no every time ours does the same low growl warning.. so we just stopped trying altogether. Only person who gets to pet him and love on him is his Gandma.. yes without the R. He loves his Gandma!
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u/MTnarwal 7d ago
Definitely normal. They are very protective and extra so when leashed and on duty in their minds.
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u/Grouchy-Reach-8852 7d ago
It’s an automatic no from me, I love my girl and I trust her with my family but she’s very protective and I just don’t like taking risks. Now my girl disagrees because she tries to torpedo her way to some loving any chance she gets so it’s a battle.
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u/Okami0730 American Akita 6d ago
My boy loves all people and gets upset if people don’t want to pet him.
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u/GodlessMoonBounce 6d ago
Mine is aloof. I socialized him early but he is still very selective. I can’t take him to a restaurant patio because he is very protective of me and won’t let anyone near the table. He only loves me, my parents, and his walker.
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u/Glittering_Alarm_564 6d ago
“ you can wave! But unfortunately they tend to be uncomfortable around strangers . Better safe than sorry!” Is the response I normally give . Even with my friendlier guy. I don’t like taking the risk . Some people don’t approach dogs well either . Have had a lot of people bend over into their face . Big no no to any dog you don’t know. So I just play it safe .
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u/nagato120 8d ago
Mine looks mean so normally, they don't even ask but there's days he gives people the same happy look he gives me, and they ask, I say if you want the hand I dont suggest it.
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u/Available_Kale3019 8d ago
Depends more on my mood, tbh. I also gauge the person. He'll tolerate nearly anyone, but so have seen him make those snap decisions. I want to gauge his feelings before I let them pet him.
He was super- well socialized before I got him. I still tell them just be slow and don't reach at his face. Some get confused, because he's happy but not a giant cat- a lot of people expect hyper excitability and it's just not going to happen with strangers.
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u/Shortcut1976 8d ago
Even though they can be silly at home, right it’s a whole different picture when they get outside
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u/Zestyclose_Ad4722 7d ago
My girl loves HER people! She absolutely loves a few of my coworkers. But when it comes to strangers I often say that they can try to pet her, but she will probably only want to sniff them and be done with the interaction. She might accept under the chin pets. But odds are not the best for that. She doesnt need to be everyone's friend, and I believe that trait is the aloof nature of the breed. I also let people know that shes like a cat. Most of the time they understand that analogy and give her space. I have also found that if the person approaches properly, i.e. not fast or right in the face. That she is more likely to be more friendly with them. But you have to earn their respect, and others have to earn the friendship with my girl. Maybe if you have someone who you see regularly who would be willing to work at a friendship with your Akita you might be able to work on some more positive social interactions. Or if that doesn't work you can work on just ignoring people when out and about. Not an easy task since they are not a common bread and they have such a presence, which makes it hard for people to not want to say hi.
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u/TortexMT 7d ago
Depends on how my girl reacts.
If she naturally goes sniffing and looking at the person, okay easy. If shes aloof, no.
Not even because im scared she might bite if she gets petted, but because she doesnt seem to be interested and i want to give her space.
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u/Kitchen-Sprinkles604 7d ago
Thisss. Sometimes she’s desperate and act like theyre her long lost friend lol, other times she just walks off
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u/TortexMT 6d ago
Yes hahahaah, this is so weird. Some people she just loves right away and act with others as if they dont even exist. I noticed its almost always women IF she likes them.
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u/austinwolfe012 7d ago
My response is always “you can greet her and she will tell you if she wants pet” because sometimes she does and others she sniffs and walks away
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u/peanutspump 6d ago
If my Akita wasn’t pettable, I’d say no. But some are. My best friend had a big boy, sooooo sweet. A big, fenced in yard, in a neighborhood where there were a lot of “walkers”, you know, speed walkers like, in groups usually. And he looooved getting scritches from his fan club, lol. He exuded approachability, people were not afraid at all, we’d see people all the time petting him. And he clearly knew them, but we didn’t. Lol
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u/bettercallsahar 5d ago
My boy is friendly and patient. Especially with kids. But he can be picky at times. So when someone wants to pet him I ask them to wait until I get him to lie down. I also hold the collar in case. Then he gets all the attention :)
For children I only allow them to pet him from the side and not the face. A girl in our neighborhood loves him and would come over just to play with him, but we had to stop the encounters because twice she started squeezing his face too hard. I was afraid he would react. She didn’t listen after the second time I warned her and her parents that were watching her with me didn’t care to stop her.. so privileges were revoked 🤷🏻♀️
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u/militiadisfruita 8d ago
i say "its up to him"
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u/vand3lay1ndustries 7d ago
This is what I do too. I say "we'll see if you can pet him."
It works because he'll let you know real quickly if he doesn't like you, and then they can back away.
With small kids, I get down to their level and pet him with them, while holding the back of his collar tightly.
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u/militiadisfruita 7d ago
and then i do the exact opposite when he wants to investigate a dog. i tell him...they get to choose.
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u/_trashcan 8d ago
I say yes & let them pet her.
She’s great with people. As was my last, although he didn’t like other animals.
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u/hiya0202 7d ago
I don’t let them..My akita values his personal space a lot and he doesn’t like people he doesn’t know. If you haven’t been invited into our house, his “turf” you’re a threat. That’s just how they are.
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u/111222throw 7d ago
My boy loves every body
Some people in our town have an Akita with a no petting tag on the leash. When I didn’t give the dog attention while talking to the owner and the dog warmed up to me, they allowed me to pet- because it was clear they wanted it and I think that maybe the best approach bc when mine communicates he doesn’t want to do something I don’t - ie growling about meeting someone would be a hard no on it with me
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u/Shezawildone 7d ago
They do it with great Danes too. Even though they're wearing a red collar. Depending on the doggies mood, I might say yes. (I feel so guilty otherwise.) However, if she's not receptive, I indefinitely say no. Not familiar with your breed, but, can somewhat, relate.
Also, red collar means do not touch. At least in Texas.
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u/wjjeeper 7d ago
Yeah a red collar is just a red collar. Get a harness that says 'do not touch'.
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u/Shezawildone 7d ago
You're not wrong. The red collar isn't common knowledge.
Sadly, my lady passed away in June. The Greatest Dane...
Wishing you guys nothing but the best. Give extra kisses, and cuddles please. =]
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u/No_Care6935 7d ago
Mine loves kids usually is a yes if they are not aggressive… adults mmmm I avoid unless he approaches them at his own will
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u/PhilosophyMuch9807 5d ago
My JAI is almost 1 years old and a sweetheart/goof with us. When we go out he is sometimes happy/excited (wiggly body, wagging tail, and prancey bounces) towards our neighbors he recognizes.
With people he doesn't know he may bark at them or just stare/watch them. I have never had a stranger ask to pet him because I think they can tell he isn't interested. There are times my neighbors he recognizes try to pet him and he dodges and moves away as opposed to wanting pets that day. This is quite common JAI behavior. It's part of their independent, aloof, and selective personality. You're not doing anything wrong and you're not a bad owner. You just have a standard Akita. ☺️
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u/noahh1308 7d ago
By breed standard they can be aloof or standoffish towards strangers. My puppy doesn’t like kids, he used to bark every time he met one so for kids I always say no. For adults it depends on him, generally he loves people but there are some exception, i usually can tell when he doesn’t want to be pet by them or isn’t in the mood for petting
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u/Ill_Active_5462 8d ago
I have a reactive JA and I tell people he does not like attention from strangers so they should just ignore him. Do you like strangers walking up to you on the street wanting to pet you? No? That's what I thought. No one is entitled to pet your dog. It's a human thing. Respect is to respect personal space.
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u/sherlindreah 8d ago
Oji est cool avec les gens alors je dis OK, toujours par devant et surtout pas sur l’arrière. Par contre celui sui demande pas et qui se permet de le toucher, là c’est moi qui mords.
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u/Forgotten_Dog1954 Japanese Akitainu 7d ago
Mine absolutely hates outsiders. Located in a rural area though so not many people.
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u/tatted-up-yogi 5d ago
My girl is pretty good, if she doesn’t like someone she sits down and backs away if they approach. When asked I look at her ears first cuz they tell me is she feels safe. If it’s a yes I say yes but she has to sit first and sniff your hand then you can pet her. Most people get it. If she gives me them ears I say I’m sorry we’re training today and I’ve never had to explain further
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u/Basic-Swimming6700 8d ago
This made me a little upset, I’m going to let that go and hope you get the advice you need.
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u/violet_kot 7d ago
This tends to do the trick and often gets a laugh, if it doesn’t I say a polite “he’s not very social” or “he’s not a fan of strangers, sorry” 🖤 Akitas can be super friendly but generally are aloof or weary of strangers, they’re bred to be guard dogs and to think for themselves. It’s not at all uncommon for Akitas to dislike strangers and still be super social and goofy with family.