Yes, my Akita is very sweet.....

[Theresa]

I've had 3 Akita's every one of them sweet as pie. Yet, I (they) still have to prove it to people

We had to take Kitana to the Vet Friday(ear infection) we decided to switch Vets since this one is much closer and he was already seeing our cats, so it just made sense.

We go in the room and the first thing the Tech says is we'll need a muzzle for her My husband and I both explained that she would be fine with whatever was done, the girl said ok. Vet comes in and asks her to bring a muzzle, we explained the same to him, but since he seemed real uncomfortable we said fine get the muzzle.
Mark put the muzzle on her while she's wagging her tail like crazy The Vet examines her poor achy ear while she stands there like the good girl she is
Vet says "Wow, she's really good" well duh The muzzle was a bit too small for her so it slipped off, apparently she "proved" herself enough for the Vet not to ask us to put it back on for her shots. She took her shots without a twitch

The Vet kept going on and on about what a good Akita she was and how we must have raised her right, so I told him how she and Raiden helped raise both the kittens. He was shocked again

I understand him being a bit nervous, at 135lbs she's big girl but I wish he would just take my word for it, when I said she'd be fine.
I mean I did tell him Mia(Siamese) would bite and scratch given half a chance

 

[expressmailtome]

The vet is right. They are that way because of you.

Matt

 

[Theresa]

Meany Akita

 

[BraveheartDogs]

She is beautiful. I have worked in pet hospitals off and on for over 20 years and I get needing to be safe and I am okay and in favor of using muzzles when necessary, but geez, you would think that they could spend a few minutes interacting with her first to see if she was relaxed, comfortable and if it would be safe to examine without it. I'm glad she is okay with it. I know that it wasn't an issue for her and that is really good, but it is not a bad idea for those of us who have dogs that are fearful or dogs that may be discriminated against because of breed or size to desensitize our dogs to wearing a muzzle. I did that with my dog Jenny. It hasn't been necessary yet (because I have an awesome vet) but if it ever needs to happen, she has worn one before, it was trained with positive reinforcement so isn't scary, etc. The problem is that dogs can actually be made to feel more fearful when a muzzle is put on them, especially if they haven't had to wear one before.

When Sonic my Pom had to go to the emergency hospital because he had a foxtail in his ear, they were like, "Can I take him from you? Will he be okay with that? Can I take his temperature? Can I check his mouth?", like all worried, like all Poms are aggressive or something, even though Sonic is super friendly and outgoing. I just kept saying, "Yes, he has been desensitized to all that for this reason".

I've had 3 Akita's every one of them sweet as pie. Yet, I (they) still have to prove it to people

We had to take Kitana to the Vet Friday(ear infection) we decided to switch Vets since this one is much closer and he was already seeing our cats, so it just made sense.

We go in the room and the first thing the Tech says is we'll need a muzzle for her My husband and I both explained that she would be fine with whatever was done, the girl said ok. Vet comes in and asks her to bring a muzzle, we explained the same to him, but since he seemed real uncomfortable we said fine get the muzzle.
Mark put the muzzle on her while she's wagging her tail like crazy The Vet examines her poor achy ear while she stands there like the good girl she is
Vet says "Wow, she's really good" well duh The muzzle was a bit too small for her so it slipped off, apparently she "proved" herself enough for the Vet not to ask us to put it back on for her shots. She took her shots without a twitch

The Vet kept going on and on about what a good Akita she was and how we must have raised her right, so I told him how she and Raiden helped raise both the kittens. He was shocked again

I understand him being a bit nervous, at 135lbs she's big girl but I wish he would just take my word for it, when I said she'd be fine.
I mean I did tell him Mia(Siamese) would bite and scratch given half a chance
View attachment 123274

 

[ThatDarnBird]

I understand your frustration but I don't blame the vet. So many people think their animals won't bite and it's foolish for a vet to believe them and with such a large dog they hadn't met before there's not much room for error. I am glad they recognized that your dog was doing fine and treated her accordingly.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

Meany Akita

She is quite frightening

 

[BraveheartDogs]

That is true, a lot of people say their dog is fine, don't tell about previous incidents, etc, but still, they could have taken some time to get a feel for her themselves. I am sure that they have had experiences with Akitas who were not tolerant and easy going, but still, have some tact and talk to your client. Also, it doesn't make the client feel good when they don't even spend any time asking about how they think she will do, has she had any issues before, etc, before saying, "get the muzzle!". It is offensive to people with friendly dogs. JMO

I understand your frustration but I don't blame the vet. So many people think their animals won't bite and it's foolish for a vet to believe them and with such a large dog they hadn't met before there's not much room for error. I am glad they recognized that your dog was doing fine and treated her accordingly.

 

[LunaHestia]

I have a Rott/Lab mix and used to get the same reaction from our local vet who has made his dislike for most large breeds abundantly clear. We now take him to a vet that LOVES the big guys an many of their techs have Rotties and Pitties. Now Zeus has a high pain threshold and doesn't even notice shots and is always a model patient BUT if they are going to do something that I know will hurt him I don't get offended if they want to muzzle him.....Heck I would recommend it, even the best of dogs can act out in pain.

 

[merlinsmom13]

She's really sweet I love seeing how kind they are to each other even when they're playing. Somehow all of our large dogs have been sweet & tolerant dogs. I'm always more leary of the smaller yappie dogs when it comes to bites

 

[Lovebird Lady]

Kitana obviously has a very BIG heart Love her with your kitty

 

[Theresa]

Also, it doesn't make the client feel good when they don't even spend any time asking about how they think she will do, has she had any issues before, etc, before saying, "get the muzzle!". It is offensive to people with friendly dogs. JMO

Yes, yes and yes!!!
She has been desensitized to all kinds of things since she was 8 weeks old. Never to a muzzle, but we did try a halti for her for a while, so it was not an issue

When we were searching for a groomer, I asked the one we picked if they had issues with grooming an Akita, she said "Not unless her name is Pumpkin or Precious" apparently they've had the most issues with dogs that have cutesie names They love my dogs there

 

[Ribbit21]

I used to work as a vet tech. You wouldn't believe how many people say their dogs would never do anything. I've been bitten by a few of those dogs. I actually had one woman insist on not using a muzzle and insisted that her dog was perfectly trained for these situations. Got a really nasty bite from that dog. Never had an issue with Akita's though. I muzzled more Beagles, Cocker spaniels, Chows, and Rottweilers than any other dogs. Some dogs can be sweet in any other situation than being restrained at the vets.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

I would believe it. Like I said, I have worked in pet hospitals also and owned a grooming shop for 8 years and I agree that a lot of people are not honest, but they should still ask AND meet the dog and get a feeling for the dog and whether or not they feel comfortable rather than hearing "Akita" and immediately saying "we'll need a muzzle".

I used to work as a vet tech. You wouldn't believe how many people say their dogs would never do anything. I've been bitten by a few of those dogs. I actually had one woman insist on not using a muzzle and insisted that her dog was perfectly trained for these situations. Got a really nasty bite from that dog. Never had an issue with Akita's though. I muzzled more Beagles, Cocker spaniels, Chows, and Rottweilers than any other dogs. Some dogs can be sweet in any other situation than being restrained at the vets.

 

[millertammy7]

I know how you feel! I have an Akita too, and he's a big baby! People get really nervous when they see him. He is quite large and intimidating. He's a wonderful dog, and great companion.

 

[ThatDarnBird]

I would believe it. Like I said, I have worked in pet hospitals also and owned a grooming shop for 8 years and I agree that a lot of people are not honest, but they should still ask AND meet the dog and get a feeling for the dog and whether or not they feel comfortable rather than hearing "Akita" and immediately saying "we'll need a muzzle".

I don't think that people aren't honest about their pets, I think they want to believe their pets won't bite. I think a lot of times they expect their pets to think and act like humans. If a dog has bitten someone before they might not mention it because they saw it as someone elses fault, not the dogs.

I do agree that the vet shouldn't automatically call for a muzzle but I can also see why they'd rather have the extra safety measure. It's not fair to the dog that's doing fine at the vet but judging what is safe in a short time period and stressful circumstances isn't easy. They have to protect not only their own staff but the owner too because owners can interfere and cause things to get worse. It's a hard call.

 

[Mizzely]

I didn't realize Akita's were a "mean breed" A friend of mine has 3 of them and they are like teddy bears! A lot like Katana, it looks like!

 

[BraveheartDogs]

I think it's both. I think that sometimes people really aren't honest and just don't want the vet (or groomer) to say that they won't work with their animal so they don't say anything, or like you said, they don't think it will happen again or they think someone else caused it, etc. Which could all be true, or not.

I'm not at all disagreeing that vets should use muzzles when they are concerned about their safety or their staff's safety. I completely agree with that, I'm just saying that to automatically call for a muzzle in front of the client because of the breed is not very professional. I mean, yes, use a muzzle for any dog, of any breed that has a potential for being dangerous or even questionable, but they could have weighed her, listened to her heart and or even walked into the room and interacted with her for a few minutes to see if they could safely proceed or needed to muzzle her. It sounds like they said she needed to be muzzled before even touching her or meeting her and that is not okay, in my opinion.

I don't think that people aren't honest about their pets, I think they want to believe their pets won't bite. I think a lot of times they expect their pets to think and act like humans. If a dog has bitten someone before they might not mention it because they saw it as someone elses fault, not the dogs.

I do agree that the vet shouldn't automatically call for a muzzle but I can also see why they'd rather have the extra safety measure. It's not fair to the dog that's doing fine at the vet but judging what is safe in a short time period and stressful circumstances isn't easy. They have to protect not only their own staff but the owner too because owners can interfere and cause things to get worse. It's a hard call.

 

[crystaljam]

We have to Muzzle Fynn at the vet due to his anxiety - we'll be at a new vet for his next check up in February, so once we take the "good" dog (Gideon) to the vet this week, we will inquire if we can take Fynn into the office once every few weeks into the waiting room and exam rooms so he can relieve some of his anxiety (at least this is what his trainer hopes). We can hold Gideon any which way and he's such a suck.

Our old vet never asked us to muzzle Fynn, we just knew his anxiety levels were too high to go in without one. He has his own muzzle that we bring in (one of those hard plastic Italian ones - the fabric ones would be useless).

And why would anyone hide if their dog has been aggressive before? Prevention is key.

 

[Anne & Gang]

she is BEAUTIFUL!

 

[HungryBird]

I may be alone in this but I've always been the one to bring this up first. I always tell vets they can feel free to muzzle my dog(s) and I won't become hysterical. When I had larger dogs it was even more important to me. The fact is that large dogs like Akitas and German Shepherds (which is what I had) can do serious damage if they choose to and both breeds are not known for their extreme aversion to biting. Even though my current dog is only 20lbs I treat him like a miniature German Shepherd, which is what he believes anyway.

I love Akitas and would love to get one someday. How old was she when you got her?