Akita/Bernese mountain dog?

[Casey09]

[QUOTE=sockmonkey;8201464]
As a veterinarian, obviously I have to handle the dog in a more invasive way than your average person. I have to open the mouth, look in the ears, palpate the abdomen, etc. I admit that while in the environment of a veterinary office with strange smells, other dogs/cats, it can be extremely stressful for any dog, the Akitas I have dealt with don’t handle it well. They often have had to be coaxed strongly by their owners out of the corners (I don’t do this myself as I don’t want them to dislike me even more). I move slowly, watching their ears and eyes very closely. They don’t like to be touched. They can be very stubborn. They are quick. Luckily, I have been quicker. I have been air-bitten more than once. Like most vets, I have a list of breeds I don’t trust - Chows, Shar Peis, some others, but definitely Akitas. Luckily I don’t see many since I’ve moved to the south.[/QUOTE]

I’ve never had one, but this isn’t surprising. However, if safety can be appropriately managed then I don’t know that this would be a complete turn off to me from the standpoint of it being what it is supposed to be - a bit of a one person dog.

[gaitedincali]

[QUOTE=Marshfield;8198376]
Every single one I meet has to be muzzled. Every single one has been a bite risk. When we’re at breed shows, it’s high on the list of breeds you don’t stand near. As a friend of mine put it, the pro handlers who work with Akitas all have scars from being bitten. I’ve also yet to encounter a nice Schipperke past 12 weeks of age.[/QUOTE]

This has been 100% my experience grooming them. I’ve never met one that didn’t put me on guard.

[Romahorse]

Let’s see. Akita- bred to hunt bear. That about says it all. Powerful, fearless, purpose bred to hunt large game.Huge small prey drive. Dog will prob be ok with other cats & dogs in your household, which will be perceived as it’s pack. Any other dogs,cats etc in your neighborhood may be perceived as prey. This is a liability. Dog will be incredibly loyal to you, but will be aloof with strangers. This is prob why the vets find them unnerving. Nothing like a great ,big dog staring coldly at you to make you feel a little uncomfortable. Living in the Southeast, I clipped my Akita in spring/summer. Seemed to make her more comfortable. I believe they are prone to bloat. Def as others have said they require quite a bit of training & socialization. I miss my girl everyday, but she was not a good choice for the suburbs. She thought she needed to patrol the entire kingdom, not just her yard. If I’m ever in the situation where I am living alone in a rural area, I would have another. Def makes one feel protected.

[Sillypony]

It always makes me sad to hear so much negativity regarding Akita’s. I grew up with one, mainly Akita with a touch of GSD, but she was a WONDERFUL dog. Completely trustworthy with ALL children, loved her kitties and her family. She was a little “aloof” with strangers and there were some dogs she really didn’t like, but no major issues with her. She made it to just shy of 15. I still miss her. I work at a vet as well, and every one I’ve met there has been super sweet. There is a breeder here in MN that breeds for temperament and it shows. All are nice dogs with no major health issues. We have long time clients who’ve had multiple dogs from this breeder. Anyway, I love Akita’s! I would totally get another one except I feel bad for them in the summer. I do prefer the working breeds in general however. My only concern with this mix would be the Berner side. I’ve seen way too many lost to cancer at way too young of an age. However, being a mix may be a bit better? Hopefully she can find appropriate homes for all the pups–these probably aren’t for inexperienced owners. I would say take a chance and get the puppy. Just do lots of socialization and you should be fine.

[beowulf]

[QUOTE=sockmonkey;8201464]
As a veterinarian, obviously I have to handle the dog in a more invasive way than your average person. I have to open the mouth, look in the ears, palpate the abdomen, etc. I admit that while in the environment of a veterinary office with strange smells, other dogs/cats, it can be extremely stressful for any dog, the Akitas I have dealt with don’t handle it well. They often have had to be coaxed strongly by their owners out of the corners (I don’t do this myself as I don’t want them to dislike me even more). I move slowly, watching their ears and eyes very closely. They don’t like to be touched. They can be very stubborn. They are quick. Luckily, I have been quicker. I have been air-bitten more than once. Like most vets, I have a list of breeds I don’t trust - Chows, Shar Peis, some others, but definitely Akitas. Luckily I don’t see many since I’ve moved to the south.[/QUOTE]

Akitas are by and large one of the more emotionally intelligent dogs. They are very receptive and IME can read situations very accurately. Similar to horses, being wary or afraid of them is going to lead to defensive behavior from both parties. Sorry you don’t like the breed. I have found them to be fantastic. I would prefer them over, say, a lab or a golden any day – those are the dogs that IME do not give much warning before a bite.

[S1969]

[QUOTE=beowulf;8202437]
Akitas are by and large one of the more emotionally intelligent dogs. They are very receptive and IME can read situations very accurately. Similar to horses, being wary or afraid of them is going to lead to defensive behavior from both parties. Sorry you don’t like the breed. I have found them to be fantastic. I would prefer them over, say, a lab or a golden any day – those are the dogs that IME do not give much warning before a bite.[/QUOTE]

Your description fits well-bred Akitas - just like many, many other breeds. When intentionally bred for the right traits, and appropriately placed in the right homes - all dogs are good dogs.

I would be more inclined to consider the mix if the Akita in question was well-bred with a good (correct) temperament. If the owners don’t know who the breeder is, or got the dog off Craigslist etc., forget it. Same is true for the Bernese, but I’d be more concerned with an Akita with aggressive temperament than anything else…in particular one bred in spite of a bad temperament, or one bred because of a bad temperament (for protection, fighting, or for “badass-ness”.)

[DiamondJubilee]

We owned a BMD back in the late 90’s and he was a great family dog. Very loyal, perhaps a little stubborn, but was great with everyone and was a really good boy. By far one of my favourite breeds. He loved the winter and really disliked the summers - this is why I never got another one as we now go to horse shows and take our dog with us. If I ever got another one, they would melt for sure!

He also had to be put down at 5 as he got wobblers. He had surgery but did not recover well from it and had to be put down several months afterwards.

I have never known an akita so I can’t say much about them…

[MontanaDun]

Agree with the folks who talk about making sure the pup is socialized properly. While Akitas are beautiful dogs, I am not a fan, especially since one of them almost killed my Corgi on my property. The owners were great about the incident but unfortunately they were not that familiar with the breed and “rescued” a young, un-neutered male, then let him run the neighborhood and failed to get appropriate training. Not the dog’s fault, but as others have noted, they have high prey drive and I think they definitely require an experienced dog person as an owner.

[dkcbr]

I am out and about in Dog World a lot, and have to say that the Akitas I’ve seen have tended toward being dog aggressive. Not very friendly.

Definitely be careful and diligent with the proper training of even a mix. (Of course we should all provide proper training no matter what dog we get, but…)

I guess we all have different impressions and experiences with Akitas. Not sure why that is, but it does show how anecdotal stuff is…well…merely anecdotal.

The many Berners I’ve known have run the gamut from low energy, cuddly bears to impish clowns. But - they all slobber and shed a lot, which may or may not be the case with a mix, of course. And may not be a problem for you anyway.

[nickv11763]

So I actually have this mix of an Akita BMD and he’s the most laid back dog I’ve ever had which I didn’t expect bc Akita is known not to have the best temperament but I guess the overly loving nature of a BMD kind of levels it out, he is one of my all time favorite dogs I’ve ever had and is extremely smart, if you ask me id say go for it mines 10yrs old now

[GraceLikeRain]

Welcome! This is actually a nine year old thread but super interesting that you also ended up with this unusual mix. Glad he’s been a great fit for you.