hi does anyone have any advice for me. I am planning on going to see an akita this weekend, she is 10 months old, red and white, fully inoculated, wormed and meant to be top pedigree. and the person obviously cares for her as he could make money off of selling her however is giving her to me. assuming it gets a good home. does anybody know what to check for. Had a good browse around the net and believe i could look after one. even though i have never had one i have had other dogs like gsds, danes and labradores. Can anyone offer me any more advice about them. Prefferably someone who owns them or breeds them but thiisnt important happy with any advice you can offer. i am told it has an exelent temp for kids and other dogs. so other than taking my dog up there to see how they get on what else can i do. and if i am not currently planning on breeding her should i ask for papers, does any one know any tests i can do to see how healthy she is without a vet on site, and how reliable is him telling me he can't keep her because he cant show her should i believe this.
sorry to sound so jumpy this is my first post, im really excited, nervous and not used to buying dogs myself. :)

"he can't keep her because he cant show her should i believe this"
Does he mean that he doesn't have the time to show her, or she doesn't have papers, so he can't show her??  Is he giving her to you so that you can show her?  In which case you will need the Kennel Club registration signed so that you can transfer her into your name.
I would go and see her, ask lots of questions, including who is her breeder, then come home and contact the breeder.  If the breeder is reputable, been breeding and showing for many years (please be aware that many Akitas are bred by backyard breeders!:)) ask her advice.
I know that many dogs are re-homed every year but as a groomer I've seen many disasters - the ones that they don't show you on the TV!!  People wanting to "get rid" of their dog rarely tell the truth about why they are parting with them!!  Personally, I wouldn't take a dog into my home unless I knew the true history of the dog.

Don't think this is a breed you should take on without knowing how she was bred, I know that there have been some very poorly bred Akitas and that they can be very difficult to handle and are not trustworthy. Ask why she is not being returned to her breeder, all good breeders will take pups they have bred back even if they then re-home them, so why is this one not going back to it's breeder. 10 months is the start of the teenage time and a dog that has not been properly trained can start to become very difficult and in the case of a dog the size of an Akita dangerous. So ask lots of questions and I would not touch her unless you know who the breeder is and spoken to them, you may well need their help with this pup.

I would advise caution on this. It could all be genuine but somehow it does not add up. A pedigree Akita is an expensive dog and the thoughts of someone giving away a 6/7/800 pound dog for nothing. . . . . . Maybe there is a Father Christmas but. . . . . . All advice I can offer is Take care! And if you are not REALLY sure then walk away.

Regards, John

snap John..posted at the same time :-)

hi i spoke to the guy today and he said that she is of the best breed and that the reason he can't show her is because she is aloof with strangers and specially the thirty secs that the judge walks up to her i think is the words he used. he bred her himself he has sold the rest of the pups and is giving her to me on the understanding she is going to a good pet home and will not be bred from. so i have to get her spayed. so i don't sell her to be bred from as this is supposed to be bad for the breed but come on i don't think i would have the heart to sell a pup let alone an adult dog that i have grown attached to I have never met this guy before in my life just saw his ad in the loot and thought i would give him a ring and it all went downhill from there he doesn't know wether we are meeting on saturday or sunday yet but will know tomorrow night worried about meeting this guy on my own so bringing my brother and 2 mates with me is this a good idea or will he get the wrong impression also am thinking of giving him £100 even though he hasn't asked for any money hopefully then he wont mind all my endless calls if i need any advice i never knew akitas were expensive dogs how much do they normally cost he said it isn't chipped any more questions i can ask this guy to see if he is genuine and if so what and any ways of telling if she is healthy before taking her up the vets should i ask about hip scores and stuff like that i am not so worried about getting bitten myself its an occupational hazzard workin in a vet and all but am worried about my bitch losing her face saw howmuch damage a staff can do the other day letalone an akita and i heard ther are about 60 cm tall so how high would that be on a person
sorry about all the questions i know i am over worrying.

I basically would not touch this dog with a barge pole

No decent breeder would advertize in Loot for a start & Akitas can be very difficult dogs to handle & own.

You do not sound as if you have researched the breed in any depth(apologies if you have)as you are asking questions that you should research through books & by contacting breeders/owners directly about & by meeting the breed before taking on a dog sight unseen.

Any one could say their dogs are the best of their breed doesn't mean they are.

Snap Tohme

Hello Rottie :-) is the person with the akita a friend? Don't want to sound too sceptical but I would be cautious and ask lots of questions. It does sound a bit too good to be true,people rarely give away things of value and they must have paid a lot for it if it is so good a dog, or did they breed it? If they did not breed it why didn't they get back to the original breeder about rehoming as most breeders would wish them to do? I would also think very carefully about and act on the points raised by Val and Jackie.  If you go ahead I think you should ask for her paper at the very least the Kennel Club Registration (and no other form of 'so called' registration) even if you don't want to show. A genuine person with nothing to hide would not mind being asked for these. Good luck :-)

Golly, we're all saying the same thing Rottie.  Sorry if it's not what you wanted to hear.  Please be careful!

...Val  :-) I think that's because we all worry about 'the wrong dog in the wrong home' and the consequences for both the dog and the owner :-(

If she is pedigree & KC registered her name will start with an Affix.   Ask what her affix is, then call the Kennel Club and ask if they can tell you who owns the affix, then call the breeder who should be able to tell you more about her.

Again, like John and the others, I am wary about someone giving away a puppy like this if it is as well-bred as it is supposed to be.   Reputable breeders will not hesitate in taking back even a large puppy if the owner can't handle it, and will do their best to ensure that the second home is a permanent one.

Regards
Margot

I was under the impression that not all KC reg and pedigree dogs have affixes!?

You're right Poppynurse, but breeders who are serious about their breed and their puppies would want their stock to be recognised and so would have an affix.

i was given my girl,tara. they had no time for her & just wanted a good home. it all turned out fine, but id be abit wary about taking on a Atkita,especially if i knew little about the breed traits!
do you think it may be possoible to go & walk the dog a few times to get to know her before committing yourself? or maybe have her then on a trial period?
have a look to see if you can find a akita website,to find out the health probs etc, but obvisley bright eyes,healthy skin & coat,clean teeth & ears. have alook at her feet for uneven nail wear that could indicate leg probs.

when you meet the owner youll get a gut feeling if he is genuine or not. if you feel that something is not quite right then it probaley isnt.

sorry couldnt be more help but i dont know much about the breed

Tara was 18months when i got her & i was her 4th home,problems,to big(???) to lively!,no time etc. she settled right in & was no problem,so it can work.........but tread with caution!!!!

I may be out of line but I would not touch this dog with a barge pole!

This dog may possibly be fine, however I very much doubt it.  The dog could possibly be being rehomed because of her nature; you do not know if she may be being got rid of because the owner has been threatened to be reported under the DDA!

If the person bred it himself he should have an affix, if you know the affix you can ask other reputable breeders their opinion on it.  If he does not have an affix, why not?

Akitas are not a dog for the novice owner and can be very difficult, especially if they have not been bred or socialised correctly.

If the dog does not have the temperament to be shown in the ring under strictly controlled conditions then I would consider very carefully if it had the temperament to withstand other situations.

If you really want an Akita, do your research, visit reputable breeders and take someone experienced in the breed with you to help choose.

I feel that this venture can only end in tears, one way or another.

Rottie
do you have any children? If you do I would be even MORE cautious!
If you are considering taking this dog on ask if they will take him for a walk with you then you can see his behaviour outside the house with other dogs etc.Can you be there at dinner time...see if the owner can go near the dog while eating etc..
I hope this poor dog is being rehomed for genuine reasons and that you can give her the permanent home she deserves ...however make sure your heart doesn't rule your head...if theres something wrong...walk away!
Why not go armed with the phone no of Akita rescue and then if you can't offer her a home you could suggest they phone them.I would also try and remember or write down the affix of the dog and/or its parents and try to contact the kennels ...if you don't want her they may want to have her back.
Good luck
Archer

I own an Akita and like many others here I wouldn't touch this dog with a bargepole, especially if I didn't know about the breed. At 10 months, most dogs are good with other dogs, but not many Akitas will live happily with same sex when mature. Can't show her because she is aloof with judges - that sounds like -won't let the judge near!!!! Being aloof is no problem - I wish my boy was, he just wants to mug everyone with friendship! I have a male who easily eyeballs me when standing on his hind legs, he weighs over 100lbs and altho' many Akitas are much smaller than him he is only just at the lower end of the breed standard height (bitches should be 24-26inches). But it's not just about size, Akitas have the most incredibly strong jaws, they quite often have broken teeth, just because their jaws are stronger than their teeth. They may not be the biggest breed but they are amazingly powerful. Has she been eye tested, is there any history of VKH, thyroid problems, microthalmia(sp?) in her breeding? Akitas have many health problems particularly those bred by the ignorant.
Like Huskies, Akitas should never be exercised off the lead, not just because they won't come back but because of the potential for damage that they COULD do.
If I wanted to rehome an Akita, advertising in Loot is the last thing I would do - so many people want them for the wrong reasons. Well bred Akitas with correct temperaments are wonderful - I can't imagine life without one, but they are a very big responsibility and not a breed that should ever be passed into the hands of someone who has no experience of them. If you really want an Akita, join the breed club, go to some of their shows and talk to loads of breeders - if you don't mind an adult, contact breed rescue who will have vetted the dogs for temperament etc.  We paid around £400 for our boy nearly 7 yrs ago - that was quite cheap, even then we could have paid £600-£700, so anyone giving a bitch away has to be questioned as to their motives. How do you know this bitch isn't stolen? Just a thought - are you meeting at his home???
Sorry to go on, I just love the breed & hate to see how they get such a bad name.  :)

thank you soooo much to everyone you really are great i have tried as hard as i can to do the research so am sorry if i am wrong in any aspects would love to be corrected though to be honest the first thing i thought of was the possibility of the dog being stolen but didn't believe anyone would do this and give it away there would have to be some kind of catch i.e. i think if it was stolen he would want cash i am not seeing it at home no and would but i dont really want to travel miles and miles to god knows where when i dont drive after speaking to this guy on the phone i believe he feels really strongly about me taking care of it and spaying it as if it gets into the wrong hands someone could make loads off her he has aggreed to meet me at a station or near to a station but still am mildly worried at the end of the day i really don't mind being bitten its nothing to me but would be really upset if it hurt my baby (gsd) and brother am taking my younger brother down to see it to see what he says and how it acts around him but is this a good idea or is he in the firing line have heard they are unpredictable like most dogs but more powerful and when they hit it hurts. been bitten by a cat and that hurts enough 4 me letalone a massiv dog chompin on my brovs arm aint exactly fun but it happens dont know if this is important but been told she has been in kennels so is 80% house trained was the words he used. i haven't asked him about an affix but promise i will tomorrow if it will help and what should i do with it what do you call novice i have had dogs all my life  a dane labs a st bernard and a gsd thanks alot awen especially if you own one you must love the breed but at the end of the day there i guess are always risks with buying a dog and other than what you see is what you get how else can i do it thanks soo much for all your help do you think my plan is okay so far
will meet him with my brother and a mate
ask to be able to walk the dog
handel it alot to see how it reacts i.e. will it bite my face off
ask for papers
ask for an affix
check for bright eyes,healthy skin & coat,clean teeth & ears.
ask if it has been hip elbow eye and whatever i can think of scored if not why
ask what vet he uses to check his id and see if it is stolen i believe if a vet has seen him before when it was a pup it shouldn't be
ask him to give it some treats then take them off of it
and then call my brov aside and ask him if he was even remotely scared of the dog and what he thinks about it
he says he also has another akita so might ask him to bring it along to see if it is in good condition
from there rely on instincts
is this right have i missed anything please tell me
thankyou sooo much for all your help it really is great i never thought there were such people in this world especially willing to give up their busy lives to help me out

If the dog is stolen he could jsut be wanting rid of her as she is too hot to keep(or too hard to handle)

Why can't you go to his home, meetingt anywhere else is very very suspicious

It sounds like you have made up your mind to meet this person so good luck

You aren't seeing it at home?    Sorry - I just would not go down that road.    This does make it sound as if (1) he has something to hide - conditions that the dog has been kept in, maybe?
(2) address could be false - are you speaking to him on a mobile phone no?

The akita is more likely to attack your other dog than you - akitas are by nature very dominant dogs.

If you have set your heart on an akita, there are good breeders out there who breed for family temperament - but you do have to be prepared to travel to see them, to be put on a waiting list maybe, and then you can be more sure of what you are getting!

Don't let your heart rule you on this one - it could break.

Regards
Margot

Exactly! Listen to Loki's Mum!!

Can I add to my post of yesterday :-)  What I would do and think you should do to get your dog.
1) I would never buy from or obtain a dog from anyone other than a reputable breeder, someone I knew or a rescue. 2) If this dog is so wonderful why don't they sell it when it is worth hundreds of pounds? 3) What are you going to do if you find it is not as you thought and can't cope with it?
As an owner I would not want to give a dog away to strangers, what is given away is often deemed to be of little value. If I were you and wanted a particular breed and did not want to or could not pay a lot I would contact the 'Rescue' for that breed. I would  contact this person with the dog, explain my reasons for not wanting it and recommend they contact the breed rescue, that way the dog will be screened before it is rehomed and maybe you could rehome it later when people who know the breed have assessed the dog.
How often do strangers walk up to you and say here is £500? Too good to be true?

Sorry if this is not what you want to hear - this is too good to be true!! There's no such thing as a free lunch. An Akita is worth bags of money - no-one in their right mind would give one away UNLESS it has problems. The whole set-up sounds extremely dodgy and I think you're setting yourself up for loads of grief if you get involved. Obviously it's your decision but please be very careful. And let us know how it turns out.

Sorry Rottie, so many people have given you good advice. If you choose to ignore every single post on this thread then it is on your head. No one can make your mind up for you.

John

Rottie,

The general consensus appears to be that noone else would touch this dog with a barge pole! However, it does sound as though you have you heart set on getting this dog as long as it doesnt try and kill you during a brief meeting at a service station. So, lets try and give you some advice.

Are you prepared for the consequences of this rehoming going horribly wrong, this is a serious dog we are talking about and if things go bad they are likely to go very bad indeed! Why not try and contact an Akita rescue organisation who should be able to give you some good advice about introducing the dog to your home, family and pets and assess how suitable you are for this breed. They may also be able to help you should things go wrong in the future with the dog.

Any genuine breeder that needs to part with an older dog for reasons such as these would be more than happy to take the dog back if things went wrong in the new home. If he appears unwilling to do this then expect things to get a bit 'emotional' once you take the dog home!

Please be very, very careful with the new dog and your GSD, you may never be able to fully trust leaving the two alone. Taking on an older dog (of any breed) can potentially disrupt or even spoil the life of an existing pet, so make sure you are ready for this to happen, and have some plans in place. (Just because they dont fight in a quick meeting doesnt mean that they are going to be best friends, or even accept each other for the rest of their lives.)

Very best of luck! (rather you than me) ;-)

Ditto!
i can "hear" in your words that you write that you are very keen!
please be careful!!!!!

Hi Rottie,
You say "I guess there are always risks with buying a dog" and you may be seen as being right but if you do things in the right way , like everybody on here is saying, that risk will be tiny compared to the risk you are taking.
If you first research the breed you are interested in, visit/talk to lots of breeders,make sure the breed is right for you and your lifestyle, visit the litter a few times, see the parents, see where the puppy is kept, see proof of health checks, kc doc's, research the breeder/affix, etc, you will know exactly what you are getting too. Also with a puppy you can make sure it has all the training and socialisation it needs, instead of just taking a mans word for it who you know nothing about and isn't even willing to let you come to his home.
If he did breed the dog you should be able to view her parents and also if he really cared about the dog and wanted her to go to a good home I think he would want you to come to his home at least a few times and meet him, see how you are with the dog and how much you really know about the breed. I certainly wouldn't hand over a dog at a station (and im not even a breeder, like he says he is) and there is no way I would take one like that either.
Just listen to what everyone on here is saying and think about it.
Gary n Lou

okay i can see where you are all coming from and can understand why you are all worried. i will go and see the dog i have nothing to lose by doing that
the other akita he has got is the mother so i will ask to see the mother
aswell as this ask him if he is a proper breeder and registered or anything if so call up someone i am sure you can tell me of and comfirm this
i will try as hard as i can not to let my heart rule my head even if it does and it is stolen then i will take it to my local vet have it scanned and checked for tatoos and maybe return it to its owner so i dont really see any problems if it will go back to its owner he said it wasn't chipped anyway so if it is stolen it could be a good thing for the owner
he said he could sell it but if he did it could end up in the wrong hands and be decremental to the breed as it would be over bred i dont get this part please explain
i will ask him if it doesn't get on well in my home will hge take it back but to be honest i expect it will my dogs will never be left alone anyway what i was thinking of doing is building a kennel so if for any reason someone is not in then it can sit in there for a few mins been meaning to do something like that nany way coz it will be a laugh and keep me active coz watchin tv and downin beers aren't really helpful
he is willing to let me go to his home but i really see no point as a he will bring the mum and b it is miles to travel by train
if there is something wrong the worst that can happen is i will have to take it back or won't get it in the 1st place
i am also used to looking after chows and know how they are and told the akitas temp is better than a chows is this right
when i take it out i am going to always keep it on a leed any way and will probably keep it on a muzzle
so what else is there i can do
if it doesn't work out i will be alot more experienced with the breed anyway as i can see first hand how they act this is somewthing you can't learn by just talking to people and reading books and web docs but i promise you if for any reason i dont feel entirely comfortable with the dog and the owner after meeting them i will walk away
because from the bottom of my heart if for any reason my baby doesn't get on with her or my bro dont get on with her i would not jeprodise their safety or for that matter the akitas safety by taking it on if they look badly treated or in bad condition i can always ask the rspca to go and have a look at this guys place anyway
i am going to give him a ring at about 5:30ish if there is anyother questions i have missed out i could ask him over the phone please tell me
thanks alot for all your help

good luck Rottie!
just keep in mind what people have said, fingers Xd for you!
will you let us know????

Good luck - I do hope it all works out well for you!

Margot

now i am happy with him he seems really genuine he was very happy to answer all of the questions i asked him he said it does have an affix and it is registered to him told papers and is kc registered said he wasn't in a hurry to sell it and there is also someone else interested in buying her as well all i am going to do is go and see the dog advised to bring a phone so i can check all the details of him he also said that it has been in a ring before and all it was interested in doing was playing with the others he seemed annoyed that earlier someone had called him and said the wrong thing
and said if he saw me and thought i was the wrong person for the dog he wouldn't give her to me no matter how much money i offered
does all this sound right to you
thanks for all the help
very happy now think i will celebrate with a nice cold beer lol

...but you never mentioned buying the dog in your original post , you said 'GIVING IT TO ME' sorry you have lost me????

yeah he is giving it to me

In some ways it all sounds geniune & in other ways dodgy!!! youve talked to him & sounds like you believe him. do you normally have good instinct bout people lying ,pulling a fast one?

if it all works out & you decide to get the dog do as much reading on the breed as you can,talk to other experinced owners etc. ireally do wish you luck & hope it all goes well for you!

yeah course i will im gonna call him now see what he says to some of the questions

If having the dog speyed is so important to him, why hasn't he done it already - she's 10 months old, right? 

He says he doesn't want her going to anybody, and yet you are anybody.  He's not bothering to come and check your home, your garden, your fence, nothing.

You clearly don't have experience of the breed (no offence intended), so what is it about you that makes him feel he'd like to give you the dog - just because you sound nice on the phone?

Him saying that he has someone else interested in the dog is typical car salesmans talk to make you feel that you'd better grab the deal while it's available.

I think you've been given really sound advice by the others on this board. 

I hope it goes well for you though of course.

((i am also used to looking after chows and know how they are and told the akitas temp is better than a chows is this right))
What do you mean by that Rottie.
I don't have a problem with my chows temp.
I used to have two males together no problem.
One of the top Akita breeders told me he could never run two male Akitas together.
My opinion is all dogs are ok in the right hands.It is a lot of common sense
Also i know one breeder who advertised some pups for sale in loot.
The dam got reserve at Crufts so some breeders do advertise in Loot.
Its free.Me I cant understand why.
My chows are very laid back.
Saying that I would walk anywhere with my male anytime.
If ever there was any trouble where I used to live I would take him.He has caught three burglars.Me and him went in when the police wouldn't.
I would trust Khan with my life.I am so proud of him.
He has done us proud in the showring.That doesn't mean a thing  to us any more.
We just love him to bits.All seven stone of him.
Chow

Okay I have spoken to the breeder and have read the information wrong he does care about the dog I know this now he has been feeding her all her life on James well beloved. As well as giving her all the jabs worming and yeah she was good with people It wasn't free was meant to be £300-£400 he told me he wasn't interested in the money at the start and was interested in a good pet home he said I could have her spayed as I could have had it done for free.
I am sorry for any probs I caused but yeah this guy is genuine he was coming to meet me because he lived miles away and I didn't drive so couldn't see where she was kept.
Anyone interested in an akita I would recommend got it off him because I don't think you really can do much better. He does care for the breed and it's my fault I read it all wrong.
I hope he as well as you lot can understand this. And I don't think I should have got you involved as he was giving me brilliant advice
Sorry all
Rottie

Rottie don't worry - I think we all gave you good advice - it's good that the guy with the dog is genuine - he could have been a backyard breeder who had no interest in the wellbeing of his puppies - and what we all said stands as good information for anyone else who might be in the same situation as you - but without a genuine person behind the dog!

Regards
Margot

Hi rottie! well let us know what happens! if you fall in love with her etc! id be interested to know as i have a rehomed dog too!

yeah thanks alot all you did give me good advice but i got it all wrong he is a genuine breeder and everything no i am not going to get her myself dont worry why it is my fault and nothing at all to do with him he basically wants 400 for her and on top of that will vet your home so do you think he dont care will now go and top myself coz i feel so bad for him and you lot sorry for wasting your time

"he does care about the dog I know this now he has been feeding her all her life on James well beloved. As well as giving her all the jabs worming" - the minimum requirements for any responsible dog owner then??.....

Hi,
Are you not going to see her then now?