An Akita will adjust well to just about any housing situation as long as it is with his/her family. Take precautions to close in the balcony so the puppy will not go through bars or over them - walk him daily for potty breaks and brush regularly and you will not have many problems.

I have an akita, hes 8 months old. As well as i live in a one bedroom apartment. My little man is very happy and well behaved in the house. We do take him on dialy walks and to the dog park on a regular basis. Im sure if you walk him several times a day you'd have no problem.

No the apartment will not be large enough. The dog needs alot of space due to their large space. In addition they shed for almost a month excessively.

This will vary based on the size of the puppy. Smaller puppies will raise their ears sooner than those that are larger and carry more bone mass in their legs. Once the ears do come up you can expect them to relax as the puppy goes throw teething. An additive to their kibble of plain powdered geletin (kind at the grocery for womens finger nails and cuticles) will also help during this time.

Try Ichiban Akitas in California or NorthLand Akitas in California.

My akita had his ears straight as early as 8 weeks AFTER being with me for about 2-3 weeks after he was given to me his ears fell but took him like a week to erect them again so if they fall down dont get scared or anything.

9 weeks or 63 days from conception.

I have an akita a rat terrier and a fox terrier. the last 2 breeds i mentioned are small breeds. I always leave my akita alone with them. I recently noticed when I got my 2nd rat terrier he was new to the house and my akita rejected him. Now this behavior went away after a few weeks after the new dog arrived. My opinion would be that what ever dog or member to the family you are introducing to your akita either if it is human or animal it requires time and patience and socialization with the akita for him to accept his presence. And the pack leader should be the owner NEVER ever forget that.

With the right human as a pack leader ANY breeds of dogs can come together to form a pack. It doesn't matter what breed of dogs you have, as long as YOU make it known to them that you are pack leader and you don't want any fighting amongst your pack, the dogs will obey. They should be equal in the pack with you as pack leader, if you let them fight amongst themselves for who is more dominant at the end of their tiff one of THEM is going to be pack leader and calling the shots around the house and not to mention everywhere else. When it gets to that stage you'll have no authority at all, looking around and wondering why your dongs are still squabbling AND now not listening to you. In short, as long as there is a human pack leader who can take control and give corrections from the start of the dogs' relationships with each other, any breed of dogs can become a pack. Even cats that you may have should aslo be members of your pack. A good program to learn about dog behaviour and pack management is: The dog whisperer on sky three (this can be watched on free view most week days)

Like any other breed of dog, matching personalities is important. Just like humans, Akitas can like someone (other dog) or hate them. It is best to determine outside the home if the dogs can get along so neither has a territorial issue. I have two Akitas (one new to the family as my other dog passed from old age) and they are still going through the dominance thing to determine who is last in the pack. Before they ever met I established myself as the Alpha and maintain a tight control. Even when they have postured ready to fight my voice is enough to call the fight over before it begins. With Akitas you HAVE to BE an Alpha or they will take the spot.

Akitas will get bored in a yard, and possibly try to escape. Also, you must make sure that the area is a quiet area and the fence is secure, since not only will Akitas try to escape, they are also natural guardians. You could have a problem on your hands if a neighbor or another dog comes into your yard. In addition, Akitas require socialization and companionship. The independence and stubborness of the breed may turn into aggression if left alone without proper training and socialization. I have had Akitas roaming 2 acres of land and Akitas living in a small one bedroom apartment, and the Akitas who lived in the apartment were more responsive and friendly animals. Finally, Akitas (and most dogs) will not exercise themselves. They will find a place to lay down and wait for you to come home. If they do get "exercise" it will likely be in the furtherance of undesirable habits (digging, hunting, chewing, etc.) Therefore, even if you have a yard, you must make time to walk you dog - promoting both bonding and exercise.

They can get bored fast and are consummate escape artists. These dogs need human companionship and want to be with you constantly. After all you can't protect your person if you are not with them. If you must keep your Akita in a yard I would suggest a large pen and shelter from the sun (with a fan or they can overheat). The pen should be large enough for the dog to exercise, set in concrete so they can't dig out and tall enough that they can't clear it.

They can co-exist, but some dogs are more likely to pursue than others. I have two akitas and two cats that came well after both my dogs, both of whom lived with my prior cat. One dog still chases the cats and the other couldn't care less. An Akita that is new to you should not be permitted around small animals, as they do have a strong prey drive. Once you have established yourself as the leader, you can introduce a cat -- but be careful and do not leave the two unsupervised for the first few weeks (or months, depending on how their "relationship" is progressing). As far as an introduction, let the dog meet the cat outside (in the carrier). Then bring the cat in first to his or her "safe place" that has food and a litter box, and no dog access. Leave the carrier out for the dog to sniff. As the cat is more comfortable with you - bring him out to the dog, who should be on a leash, and have them in the same room. If the dog is calm, let him sniff the "new family member" and trust your gut in how to proceed. All that being said - unless you can keep the two separate for a prolonged period - I recommend getting a full grown cat rather than a kitten. A cat has more common sense.

The same as any other dog, some will chase a cat others will ignore it and my male Komodo grooms our cat (she hates it). Our female Keiko ignores her unless the cat takes a swipe at her first, then she will grab and toss her, but not bite, its a warning. Establish yourself as Alpha and make sure the dog is under your control when you introduce them..more than likely the cat will avoid the dog until it feels safe.

Our Akita is prefect with kids and always has been. Its people like this who give Akitas a bad name -non-owners that is. Akitas guarded there family children in Japan while their Mother worked in the field. Check out the new Jap Akita film coming soon Hachiko the story of a loyal dog with Richard Gere as the main star. This should give Akitas the name they deserve.

It is always difficult to answer this question - "for no reason" to a human, to a dog may be a very good reason (a kid staring into the eyes to a dogs is a challenge and a sign of disrespect). Akitas are usually very good with children in the home, provided they are raised with them. As with all dogs, an Akita should not be left unsupervised with a small child, regardless. However, Akitas are very protective, and a friend of the child would have to be formally introduced to the Akita, and the dog should not be left alone. If the dog perceives the non-family member as challenging him or hurting his "kid", there could be a problem. My one Akita loves kids. He was raised with my nephew and when we moved he was a frequent guest outside the playground. The kids could climb on him and pull his ears and tail and he loved it. We added to our "family" with another Akita who was older and not as trustworthy, so there are no more trips to the playground. that being said - I would trust both of my dogs if I had a child, since they are both trained and I would slowly intriduce them and NEVER leave the one I don't know the history of, alone with a child. Basically, if you take all common sense precautions - an Akita will tolerate children and if properly exposed and supervised, an Akita will learn how to behave around children.

The chances are small if they have socialized with kids form a young age however if the kid is teasing it or hurting it the chances will incrase. They are not "evil helll hounds" but are protective of their pack (Their owner and family). My Akita has never bit a human and only bites other dogs when the other dog has bitten him first

Don't put your Akita in the back yard and never work with him. Socialize him, socialize him I can not stress enough. My large white akita loves people and it took socializing him even when I didn't feel like it. If you want an akita take time with them and work work work with them.

As with any large dog there is always a risk of a nasty bite, and if they wanted to do some damage they could. But as long as the Akita was raised lovingly and introduced to many people when it was young there should be no problems. Our Akita was very sweet but protective of us (kids) and a lot less trouble than our Boxer, Pit bull, Rottweiler, or Pomeranian for that matter.

How an Akita is with other people and children has more to do with the dog's overall socialization then whether he was raised with kids. As a puppy, an Akita should be exposed to all types of people, especially children, and learn proper interaction. This does not mean seeing people at the occassional dinner party, but rather daily walks, trips to the park, trips to friends houses, etc. This is a fantastic breed, but these dogs require a real time commitment from the owners. I live in NYC with 2 Akitas, and they have learned how to interact with people from all walks of life. They are still guard dogs, and at night are far less friendly during the day. With kids, I trust one of my dogs completely - but I have had to remind parents that not all dogs are "kid-friendly" (no lie - I have a 130 pound akita and a 70 pound akita, and have had 4 and 5 year old children run screaming at my dogs from behind and slapping him in the head while the parents watched from behind). Take a proactive role in training and exposing your Akita to as many people and dogs while they are young and continue the exposure throughout their lives, and I guarantee you that will be an AMAZING dog.

They have to be socialized because both my Akitas love people. I take them to various places to experience different environments. I have seen some aggressive akitas but only when they are left outside unattended.

All the answers (and books) suggest that they are good with their own family, but not with strangers. Other peoples kids are other people too, and not their own family. The short answer is "No."

If the Akita Inu has not seen the kids before, it will be quite wary as they will not accept them as members of the pack. However, if the Akita Inu has been raised with children, the circumstances will be much better.

Yes, but they might not do too well with cats,unless they were raised with them since puppyhood.

Akitas are very protective and loving towards children that it frequently sees (family members, or friends that come by often), but are usually wary of strange children. With my Akita, we made sure that she met as many people as she could as a puppy, by bringing her to a Walmart parking lot, and by the time she was an adult, she was fairly welcoming of strangers.Remember however, never leave an Akita alone with kids, because they are known for 'biting back,' figuratively and literally.