Training methods are like opinions....

everyone has one!! No matter who you talk to in Akitas, they will have a method that they use for training -- and you may never hear the same one twice. Seems to me that its gottten a bit crowded out there in the world of training -- so many different ways to skin a cat these days!! But if you take the time to read and learn, you might find many of them have a LOT more in common than you may think!!

I like a lot of different trainers for different reasons. I like people like Brian Kilcommons and Sarah Wilson for their well-thought out methods of working with the dogs & their willingness to learn & change as they grow. I like Cesar Millan for his common sense in how to handle dogs and how to make humans realize their dogs aren't HUMANS!! I like Carol Lea Benjamin because she understands Akitas and writes very common sense books designed to make you understand how to work with your dog. I appreciate the teachings of Suzanne Clothier because she understands Akitas and has never shied away from helping an aggressive Akita. I am thankful for the website that Leerburg Dog Training, by Ed Frawley, has set up, because some of the articles there are indispensible to me when helping people with problem Akitas.

There are also tons of people I turn to for help with training who've never written a book but should have! Each and every person I work with, have met and read, all have VERY different methods yet there is something to be learned from each and every person -- even the ones whose methods I totally disagree with. After all, you have to know what you don't agree with in order to understand what you DO agree with, eh?

If you have a computer, you have a great tool to help you learn about training. But don't take everything on one site to heart. Read everything you can -- learn something from everyone -- take methods that make sense to you, that will work for you and then apply them. ONLY you can be honest to yourself about what you are willing to do, how much time you are willing to invest in your Akita or your future Akita. No use promising yourself the stars when you know you won't even get on a stepladder to change a lightbulb, right?

Its the people who are most honest with themselves, who know their own limitations, who are willing to read, learn and work with what they believe in, that make the best Akita owners. And you know who you are -- yes, you do!!