Here you will learn that Akita is not as scary as it seems, and most importantly, not lazy at all. Contrary to popular belief, Akitas are not just couch potatoes. They have great potential for work; you just need to choose an activity that is attractive enough for them. In our case, this activity turned out to be Utility Tracking. If you are hearing this term for the first time, let me explain!
Utility Tracking, also known as Mantrailing, is a canine sport that utilizes the incredible abilities of a dog's nose. The dog's task is to find a trail (scent path) leading to a decoy, which is a person lost in the woods for the purposes of training.
At the start of their task, the dog picks up the scent from an object that the decoy has previously touched, and it is this scent that tells the dog whose trail to follow. Scent work is very demanding for the dog, which is why proper motivation is crucial, especially for an Akita, which seldom acts without the prospect of a tangible reward for their effort. However, over time, the search itself becomes so enjoyable for the dog that the reward for finding the decoy becomes merely a formality—the fundamentals are what matter most. It's also worth mentioning that in this sport, it is our pet that makes decisions, which greatly aids in building a healthy relationship, as the dog chooses the direction we will go. This quickly leads to increased trust in the handler and greater confidence in the dog! In some cases, tracking is recommended as a form of behavioral therapy, helping to overcome canine fears, especially those related to strangers.
We always wanted to do more with our dogs than just the basic activities of every pet, and so our search began. Our first thought was nosework, which at first glance seemed like a low-demand sport, but it turned out to be too boring for our pups. The Akitas would start training, but after 5 minutes they were bored and saw no greater purpose in it, so we gave up as quickly as our dogs lost interest. However, we decided not to give up so easily, and that's how we stumbled upon Mantrailing! Mako, our tester for new ways to spend time, is always eager to try new things, so of course, she was the first to give it a shot and she absolutely loved it! I had never seen such pride and satisfaction in her after completing a task.
Today, Mako and her daughter Tamiko train regularly, preparing for their first tests, while the rest of the team attends for recreational and self-building purposes. In the posts below, you can read about our beginnings and training sessions, so feel free to read on and follow along :)
04.07.2024 r.
Litter K has just undergone its first sensory stimulation session.
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19.05.2024 r
And here we will also show other ways we spend our free time.
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