Akitas de MacLeod, Swimming Akita (Katana)

[COOLMIMO777]

did you train your American Akita or they just started swimming?

[SuperLittleLena]

Lovely video. I have a 6month old akita Lena - she loves the dam up the road we visit nearly every day. Sje swims right out to the middle an just swims round and round to the edge and out to the middle again - don't they hold a lot of water? one shake and you really are drenched!Shes very aloof though - doesnt always respond to my call back just looks at me and walks off in another direction

[macleodakitas]

@SuperLittleLena You might want to take her to an obedience class to work on that recall.  If it is ever an emergency you will need her to react immediately. She thinks she is the alpha of your relationship and you need to correct that before she is too old. You also might want to check out Jan Hemmell's book The Dog Listener to help you understand what she thinks is happening.

[Gendus1]

Looks just like my 4yr old male Akita. he's a good swimmer now (used to only use his front legs and keep his back ones like he was laying down) He has a bad hip so swimming is the best way to exercise with him. it took a little encouragement to get him in the water past the middle of his chest, the 1st time he got in the water he panicked because he didn't feel the ground. but he got used to it. it makes it real easy for them to get used to the water if you go in with them.

I love the video!

[vme02]

When that thick undercoat gets wet they don't float to well, mine barely gets his snout and eyes out of the water. 125 lbs semi-floating rock :D

[macleodakitas]

@vme02 boys arent usually as good at it as females but it is not because of their coat, it is because of their build. The coat being wet doesn't affect their swimming. They just need to not panic and move their front legs. It works alot better when you swim with them though.

[Rolfgroup]

my akita hates the water

[macleodakitas]

:-( Have you ever taken him to open water?

[dkzmanyt]

miss penny is a natural swimmer, too. when she was 10 weeks old we gently put her in our pool and away she went. she loves it!!. before you, i didn,t know about the natural pars;d rules. thanks.

kim zimmerman

miss penny's mom

[macleodakitas]

I am glad you liked the videos and glad Penny likes to swim, it makes it fun to go to a lake for sure and they get lots of attention from onlookers for swimming as well! :-) Thanks for the comment!

[villaliberty]

Look in google IADCRO, important for the future of the breeds.

Next day 4 of July, we will begin the battle against the BSL, we needed to you, your dogs also need it. "UNITED WE STAND".

Villa Liberty

-------

Busca en google IADCRO , importante para el futuro de las razas.

El próximo día 4 de Julio, empezamos la batalla en contra de la BSL, Te necesitamos, tus perros también lo necesitan. "EN LA UNION ESTA LA FUERZA"..

Villa Liberty

[macleodakitas]

Thank you for the comment :-)

[NyamoSan]

Lol my female american akita HATES water...unless she'd drinking it(she drinks a ton) she doesn't like baths or anything...tried to run through the sprinklers with her and she dragged me the opposite way xD

[macleodakitas]

All of mine would do that as well but i fyou take her to open water like a lake or river, she may very well like it. Open water provides her with a decision on whether or not to enter so it is not so frightening. Especially if you get in as well and make it fun as I did in the video. Thanks for the comment! :-)

[GUMMYBEAYUH]

LOL. My Alaskan Husky/Akita Cross HATES, I mean absolutely DESPISES the rain, but after a walk tonight she stuck her head in my neighbor's sprinkler and completely succumbed to her curiosity of it (Maybe because it was 80 Deg. F and Muggy tonight, she hates the Heat, as do I). Mine loves Snow like you wouldn't believe, but as for open water, I haven't managed to take her to a lake yet (Forget the Ocean, most Huskies freak at Salt Water smell anyways, which is good for Ice Mushing in the Arctic).

[dogbreedforum]

Nice video, I've added it to our forum

[macleodakitas]

Thanks for the compliment :-)

[TerryFamily1]

our familys dog loves to swim she is really great at swimming too one day at the lake my dad left on a boat for a ride and the poor dog tried too follow them but got to tierd and started swimming back :)

[macleodakitas]

Our first Akita went swimming in the Atlantic and decided she liked it and just kept going. We had to charter a boat togo get her.... this was back in the early 80's and we had no idea that she would try to keep going :-) Thanks for the comment :-)

[lgbdmr]

I have a black and white male 10y years old - he's a swimmer but he looks like a gator in the water. They swim LOW in the water!

We also shave him in the summer to help with the weight of wet fur and the heat. SoCal dog and all. Thanks for the post!

[macleodakitas]

We don't shave ours because they need the fur to insulate out the heat but being in Arizona, they don't have the massive coats that they do in other states as an adaption to the heat. Thanks for the comment :-)

[copzi]

my akita wont swin. not many do

[macleodakitas]

Actually, many of them do swim. Most of mine do and always have although females tend to be better at it then most males. They may not like water from a hose, bathtub, or even a pool but when they get to free flowing water of a lake or ocean they love it. You can follow to my home page and see many of our Akitas enjoying a dip in the lake. Thanks for the comment!

[jaytaxz]

my german shepherd got hit by a car 2 days ago.... =(

[macleodakitas]

I am sorry to hear that :-(

[MDthornton83]

Wow! Cool video! Man its amazing what the Akita can do!

[macleodakitas]

Yes they certainly are an amaizing breed - thanks for your comment :-)

[dkzmanyt]

awesome! my penny

awesome! my penny (also on youtube) loves to swim as well.cool!!

kim zimmerman

[macleodakitas]

It is so fun to be able to take them with you when they thoroughly enjoy themselves :-) Thanks for the comment!

[Mojowillyray]

We feed our 2 year old female Matty mostly raw Bison or Elk ( frozen patties from a company called URBAN CARNIVORE ) She goes crazy for it & with a lil holistic kibble with low fat cottage cheese, & salmon oil added, she is GOOD TO GO...Her coat it magnificent ...Gotta get her swimming...That looks great !!!!

[macleodakitas]

Thanks for the comment. We also feed Salmon directly but have to take it easy on that because a vet told us it can be linked to Bloat so we now use more tuna just to be on the safe side. Ours eat chicken, beef and garlic...

[macleodakitas]

........ eggs especially as treats but the puppies love eggs and we give a mix of all of the above with kibble to our pregnant and lactating mothers daily to keep them beefed up with the additional strain the litter puts on their body but everyone has FRR kibble available all the time. It sure gives you piece of mind to not have to worry about recalls or even driving to get dog food since it gets delivered! Thanks for the comment! :-)

[SilverSword16]

Wolfgang was my brindle akita. Also called him wolfie for short.and sometimes George...I don't know where that name came from but it was cute. We had to put him down in Feb. becuz he was old and was having trouble walking and going to the bathroom. He was my first dog.Had him since I was 2 now 16. He was loyal and smart. When my sisters and I were younger we weren't allowed near the oven and Wolfie caught onto that and nudged us in the other direction.He was a brindle Akita. Thanx.

[macleodakitas]

We have two brindles ourselves, some videos of them are on here... I'm sorry yur lost your pet.... Thanks for the comment!

[dreamerthing]

KYAAA! OMEGACUTE!!! ^o^<3

[macleodakitas]

Thank you! Thanks for the comment :-)

[stitch462]

i wish i had a lake for my keeter to go swimming in!

[macleodakitas]

Yes, we are very lucky to have one really close by! They love it too, especially the girls and even though the boys aren't as good swimmers, they are mesmerized by the ducks! Thanks for the comment :-)

[tayrafan]

Hi,

I am Denise from Bulgaria, my akita loves swimming and playing on the beach!!!

Greetings to all the akitas!!!

[macleodakitas]

Thanks for the comment :-)

[murillo3193]

This akita almost looks like mine!! Only mine is a male and the nose i all black!! For some reaosn mine is scared of water!! Haha!! Never took it swimming but when it comes to bath time or he sees someone get the hose, he leaves!!

[macleodakitas]

Maybe he would react differently at a lake with the wildlife all around. They seem to get more aroused by that as well which makes them more willing to enter. Mine are always captivated by the ducks :-)  The boys don't seem to enjoy swimming as much in general from what I have seen. Thanks for the comment :-)

[macleodakitas]

I am not a big fisher, much more into swimming :-), but I give my Akitas fish that I buy all the time, it is excellent for them, especially their coats! I have some bird catchers as well. Sisha, a female, looks amazing when she does it because she is so fast and jumps up to grab a bird in flight. I feel sorry for the bird but it is amazing to watch their instincts to hunt kick in...

[macleodakitas]

..... Then she carries it around as if to say "Look everyone, look what I got" and of of course to taunt the other dogs but she doesn't know what to do with it after that! LOL :-) Thanks for the comments!

[jbneely]

Haha! That's awesome. My boy Che has never caught a bird, to my knowledge. He did get a field mouse, though. Like you, I felt kinda bad, but it was funny watching him hop around the garage chasing this thing (plus I wouldn't want a mouse in my garage anyway!). You're right about the fish, too. I like to make a tuna salad for Che, but without the mayo. Tuna, hard boiled eggs, and celery. Great protein for a healthy coat. What kibble do you feed your lot? I like that Nutro lamb & rice meal.

[macleodakitas]

Back some time ago there was talk of Nutro causing seiaures, actually I think it was the lamb and rice, so we switched from Nutro products to Flint River Ranch and couldn't be happier. The price is relatively the same but the product is not even comparable. Their coats changed so much and their eyes got much more clear....

[macleodakitas]

I wouldn't consider feeding anything else ever. Plus FRR is the only product I know of that is not extruded but is actually twice oven baked and I don't feel so hot about my dogs eating rapid processed kibble just so the companies can save a buck! I have never had a dog not like it and it has fixed weight issues with some of my boys that don't like to eat around the girls!

[macleodakitas]

...and Thanks for your comment. I sent the website to your inbox if you want to check out the food :-) They have a lamb and millet product as well if your Akita has a sensitive tummy :-)

[jbneely]

I have a two-year old male, and he LOVES to swim. When he was a pup he would swim in the pond, now we can't keep him out of the pool! He's just trying to beat the heat! Akitas are very strong swimmers, though. Just about every Akita I've known has loved the water. Great vid!

[macleodakitas]

My girls love the water more than the boys - the big water anyway :-) They ALL love kiddie pools. The go straight to the kiddie pools and lay down in them as soon as they take a footstep outside! At the lake, where this video was taken, the males would rather watch the ducks and try to figure out how to catch on then actually swimming while my girls are just boogying around all over the place! Thanks for the comment!

[jbneely]

Haha, yeah Mac, my boy's a bird-chaser as well! He's a swimmer, though. If I'm in the pool talking to him, he'll snort and scratch at the pavement for a few seconds, then jump in! He also loves fishing with me. Akitas LOVE fresh fish.

[63blonde]

I can barely get my big boy in the lake. Then he acts as if he is cemented to the bottom. Perhaps its because he was once a show dog and didn't get the chance to be a dog.

[macleodakitas]

That could be the case, our very first Akita was a retired show dog and when she would start to play she would realize what she was doing and drop the ball or whatever she was playing with. However, I find the bigger males can't swim nearly as well and on average all of my females are much better swimmers than the males so it might just be his size holding ....

[macleodakitas]

.....him back. Duke and Kabuto try to walk out as far as their paws can reach and then panic when the next step never meets ground!  Thanks for the comment :-)

[slater442w30]

holy crap...this is the first Akita I have ever seen swimming. Both mine will go in till the water touches their chest, then they jump back out. I know they have ginourmous webbed feet, but I was told that by instinct they will not get wet because they are from snow country, and when icy land+water+fur=death to an Akita, they dont go in.

[macleodakitas]

:-) I've never heard that before but almost all of mine love to swim - not sure if you looked at the other videos of them swimming - the really big males have a harder time swimming because they tuck their feet under their belly and swim entirely with their upper bodies so the really big guys start to sink when they tuck their legs but all of my girls are really good at it!!! Ours would swim as far as we would let them but we keep the lead on them for safety :-) Thanks for the comment!

[420Nites]

haha, although it must've been scary at the time, thats got to be a great story to tell.

[macleodakitas]

for sure :-)

[420Nites]

some tv show I watched said akitas dont like to swim.

this video makes me laugh.

[macleodakitas]

Well that is just silly. Akitas are equipped with webbed feet specifically for swimming. Mine love to swim. There are a couple that don't like it quite as much but usually you can take an Akita that has never seen water before and they will jump right in. In the 80s we adopted an Akita that jumped in and swam all the way out to sea. We had to charter a boat to go get her because she kept going and going - hence they are always on lead now :-)

[macleodakitas]

Akitas de MacLeod, Swimming Akita (Katana in Canyon Lake of Tonto National Forest - dogs must be on leashes at all times in national parks, that is why you see me trying to keep it out of her way. She is distracted by a little girl she wants to play with off the right of the screen)