Yes i know that this sounds like a good trait and it is as regards the furniture but my 18 month old akita now requires his teeth to be cleaned unless i can encourage him to chew bones or toys to help his teeth. I have tried everything but he simply will not chew anything for a prolonged period of time. Any ideas?

I assume your vet has checked his teeth etc? If everything is fine then what about raw chicken wings for dinner? If it's food presumably he'll eat it?

yes vet has checked his teeth and offered me no advice on how to encourage him to chew other than to say he needs his teeth cleaned. Il try the chicken wing idea thanks. No danger of bits getting stuck in his throat?

Always watch your dog when he has chicken wings (my girl loves them) as with all food eating, never say never, they are perfectly safe, raw chicken bones are very pliable, but always keep an eye.

Shouldn't think so :)  My lot have been eating them for years, and many many people on here feed them and I've never heard of one getting stuck in a dogs throat. (especially not  a throat the size of an akitas :D)

Does your Akita have a doggie friend who can come in and be offered a bone or chew? I have found dogs in the past offered a bone or a chew have no interest at all until there is another dog in the room also chewing a chew or gnawing a bone.  After that they will automatically chew them.

Or coat a nice bit of meat juice on the bone and then offer it to him.

It is important to try to get him to chew a little, do you brush his teeth at all, my girl enjoys having her teeth brushed. :-)

My akita will hardly chew - not like my lab.  In the end we resorted to giving her dry mixer with her food to keep her teeth clean and the odd dental rask.  she'll occaisionally have a right session with a bone but seems to think it's not worth the effort.

I wouldn't worry about it too much, my akita is 4.5 yrs old and doesn't have any problems with her teeth

Hes too interested in playing with other dogs to settle long enough with a chew :) i havent tried brushing his teeth as id rather fix the problem using natural methods. He will chew occassionally but never for longer than a few minutes when he loses interest. What worries me is that he already has teeth probs and hes only 18 months. il keep you all posted on the chicken wing plan.

Does he require mixer with the wings or are they a complete enough meal by themselves?

Hi dave!
Can I just ask first what type of recreational bones you've been giving your Lad?
It could be there's an alternative.. before you go down the route of RMB's and adjusting his diet accordingly (half and half can potentially be tricky if your new to or inexperienced in feeding raw)

Sorry!
forgot to say, also... something to bear in mind is enamel hypoplasia and/or Enamel Hypocalcification in Akitas (gets called 'Akita teeth'..even though it'll affect other breeds too)
Just wondering if thats was a factor in your brushing concerns..

Hi Dave, I have a 16 mth old Akita bitch who also never seems to like to chew anything.  I noticed her teeth started to get abit dirty and as I show her I wanted it to stop getting any worse so just made sure she got chicken drumsticks, wings, thighs etc as I know she chew these up.  It has definitely helped by her eating a couple wings or thighs per day.  I wouldn't recommend persuading your Akita to chew anything when another dog is around unless seperated by kennel fencing or securely on a lead as they can be extremely food possessive, not saying all are the same but many will not tolerate another dog near their food.  You can also get 'plaque off' at shows etc, never used it but have heard it is good.

HG i have previuosly given him cow thighs but he seems almost afraid of them! He has also been given almost every other sort of dog chew be it edible or plastic. He is currently fed raw food so there isnt a problem wth raw chicken consumption. He had a problem wth loose bowel movements for the first week but he now relishes raw mince or chicken. Whats hypoplasia??
Staff im going to give the chicken wings a few months before i resort to plaque off so hopefully they will do the trick as i am keen to remedy the problem naturally as he is so young.

Ckicken wings starting to make a good improvenent to his teeth. Thanks for all the advice