Here are the top 5 best dog training books for Akitas:
Best Dog Training Books for Akitas
Here are our Akita dog training book reviews.
1. American Akita Training Book for American Akita Dogs & Puppies by Karen Douglas Kane From BoneUP DOG Training
American Akitas especially are large, powerful dogs with independent spirits and bravery and loyalty, which can be extremely rewarding, but also potentially dangerous, as they do not take well to strangers. Author Karen Douglas Kane writes for boneUP from a place of experience, having raised and trained American Akitas for a large part of her life in Idaho, and now works as a dog trainer for BoneUP’s series on dog training manuals. American Akita Training Book for American Akita Dogs and Puppies is written with the personal experience from Kane’s Ph.D. in literature and years of experience in dog training Akitas in particular and is available as both eBook and paperback.
- It is available as a physical copy as well as a Kindle eBook
- The author, Karen Douglas Kane, is experienced with Akitas and has a Ph.D. in literature
- Written as part of a series on dog training from an early age onwards
2. Akita Training By Blue Fence Dog Training, Obedience, Socialization, and Hand Signals By Douglas K. Naiyn
Douglas K. Naiyn, the author of Akita Training by Blue Fence Dog Training is an experienced author when it comes to writing books about how to train challenging breeds, from guardian dogs like Akitas to shepherds of all kinds, and this book is a reflection of his research in writing these books. This book details, in various chapters, the life of an Akita from the moment you bring your pup home to the gradual stepping stones in development, and how to train and discipline your Akita from a young age onwards. As Akitas are dogs with a very particular temperament and personality, this book recommends starting from the first day you bring your puppy home and specializes in training young pups how to develop into charming, well-mannered dogs.
- This book specializes in training Akitas from an early age onwards and talks about breed habits and growing stages
- The author, Douglas K. Naiyn, has written many books about dog training
- It is available as both paperback and eBook
3. The Akita: A Complete Beginners Guide by Michael Stonewood
While most books on Akitas focus on the larger American strain, the original Akita Inu is the subject of Michael Stonewood’s The Akita: A Complete Beginners Guide, as a smaller and more ancient dog breed. This book focuses on the distinct Japanese dog breed, Akita Inu, its life expectancy and needs, and how to train your pup as an individual as well as a companion. Given Michael Stonewood’s thorough repertoire on dog training, you can be certain that the information found in The Beginners Guide to be well-researched and founded on numerous reliable sources.
- The author, Michael Stonewood, has written many dog training guides and speaks on dog caretaking as a whole as well as Akita training specifically
- This book focuses on the less-discussed and rarer Japanese Akita Inu, rather than the far more common American Akita
- It is a very available book, in both a physical paperback copy and Kindle eBook
4. Akita Secrets: A Guide to Training and Care by Marc Gillespie
While he isn’t as much of a known voice in the dog training world, Marc Gillespie writes about Akitas in Akita Secrets: A Guide to Akita Training and Care from a source of personal research and knowledge that is beyond comparison. In this book, he discusses the origins and uses of the breed, the differences between strains of American ad Japanese, the health and personality of Akita dogs, and how to approach training as an equal rather than a master. With this being the only dog training book under Gillespie’s belt, you can be certain that the training tips and care information in this book aren’t recycled from past books, but are unique to this book and this book alone.
- It is written from the point of view of a writer who has invested a lot of research in studying the Akita breed
- It functions as a great starting point for anyone considering whether Akitas are right for them and willing to put in the time to learn about them in great detail before adopting one
- It’s available as a Kindle eBook and paperback copy
5. Japanese Akita Complete Dog Owners Manual by George Hoppendale & Asia Moore
When you’re searching for a book about dog training, the names George Hoppendale and Asia Moore will come up often, and for a good reason: this pair of co-writers are as prolific as they are experienced, with Hoppendale’s talents as an animal lover and skilled writer, and Moore’s skills as dog-whisperer Cynologist. Japanese Akita Dog Complete Owners Manual is a book that takes you from figuring out which breeder to adopt your Akita from, to the various processes and training methods, including clicker and positive reinforcement, from a young age on to the rest of the canine life. Written from such reliable sources and in such careful detail, this book is a recommendation to anyone ready and willing to share their life with such a distinct breed.
- This book comes from two very reliable and experienced sources in the dog training manual world.
- Like few other books featured on this list, it focuses mostly on the lesser-known Akita Inu and takes you from pre-adoption to training throughout your dog’s life.
- It provides numerous background details about the needs and habits of the Japanese Akita Inu.
- It’s available as an eBook only.
Akita Dog Training Book Buyer’s Guide
Whether your pup is a rare Japanese Akita Inu, or the much larger, black-masked American Akita, you can expect a few consistent personality traits between the two, such as fierce and indefatigable loyalty to one person and one person alone, and staunch independence. As an ancient and relatively primitive breed, the Akita is an intelligent and independent dog not too distant from their wolf ancestors, and so demands an owner who can keep up with them and manage training consistently and with patience and regularity. Simply put, the average Akita is far more dog than the average dog, and so a commonplace book for dog training will not be enough to yield good results, and so there are a couple of specific things to look out for.
Author’s Experience with the Breed
When researching authors for potential Akita training books to purchase, don’t hesitate to check out the library of other books the author has written, and to research the author’s name to see if you can find any details about them. Some writers about dog training don’t have much experience at all or don’t have any relevant experience with Akitas in particular, and because Akitas have such specific training requirements, it’s important to make sure the author has the background to write in verifiable detail about how to care for them. Authors with relevant experience will often name that experience in their author biography in the Amazon listing for the book, and so a lack of author biography could indicate a lack of personal knowledge.
Specificity to Akitas
Another aspect that’s important when making sure a book speaks to Akita owners is the contents of the book, which is why taking a look at the first few pages, or the table of contents, is vital. You want to verify that the author isn’t just recycling background information that they have about large dogs in general, but that they’ve invested the time and research in getting the best content regarding Akitas in particular. Looking at the available sample will help you determine if the book is relevant to Akitas, or if it’s just a slightly revised version of an older book.
Format & Availability
Whether you’d prefer to purchase a physical paperback or a Kindle eBook is a matter of personal preference, though it can help to have a physical book to sift through while actively training your Akita. With this in mind, making sure that the book is both available in your preferred format, and has been properly fitted with that format in mind, is an important step in the purchasing process. While eBooks are often cheaper to purchase than paperbacks, it’s vital to check that the eBook has been coded correctly and is legible before buying it.
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