How to Get Akitas to Calm Down? (Explained)

Akitas are a loveable breed of dogs that many people cherish and appreciate. From their perky personality to their seemingly endless sources of energy, they’re the life of every home they live in. However, these boisterous animals have a dark secret. They sometimes can be a handful and getting them under control isn’t always that easy. So what should you do when your Akita becomes overexcited and too excitable?

There are many ways you can calm down a hyperactive Akita and bring it down a few notches. You can use your voice to calm it down and help it relax. Certain physical exercises can have a great calming effect on the puppy as well as a healthy diet, special training, and of course building a close relationship with your furry friend.

Of course, sometimes it’s easier said than done to get a highly-strung Akita to chill and smell the proverbial lilies in the field. It seems no matter what you do, your dog is on an edge somehow. In that case, you need to examine your environment, see what gets the Akita all worked up and provide a more Zen-like home for your special friend. Read on to find out how to implement each of those solutions.

How to Get Akitas to Calm Down?

Create and Follow a Strict Schedule

To keep your Akita on leash, so to speak, you need to teach it to follow a strict schedule. Food should be on regular times. Exercise should be followed faithfully, and bath time is etched in stone. Discipline makes the dog more amenable and obedient. It also brings those whims under control.

Removing the Stimulus

Look around your house and see what triggers your Akita to go on one of its famous rampages. Is it the noise? Is it another animal living in the house that your dog can’t possibly stand? Or is it something else? Maybe it’s the perfume you wear, or a type of clothing that sends the dog into a frenzy.

This would take a while to uncover. It’s always a mystery when it comes to the triggers that set off the Akita. But once you’ve narrowed down the causes, try to weed them out one by one. The idea is to create a comfortable environment for the Akita that induces calmness and relaxation and prevents those fits of anger or short temper from occurring.

Establishing a Quiet Place/Time

In addition to creating a loving and calm environment, you also need to get your Akita in the habit of relaxing. It works the same way for dogs as it does for humans. But how would you get your dog to relax, you ask? Meditation obviously is out of the question. And so is yoga.

Your dog won’t know the first thing about meditating even if you spend years teaching it. However, it can sense a calm vibe once you light some scented candles and play some easy listening music. You, yourself, should get in the mood too and learn to relax. Talk to your dog and use your voice to soothe its nerves and calm it down.

Dog Owners Need to Build a Close Relationship with Akita

Something that sets dogs as a species apart from other domesticated animals is their constant need for love and closeness with their humans. It’s the way their brains were built. Spending time with their owners makes the dog happier and calmer.

So learn to build that special relationship with your Akita. It needs love and attention and the closer you two get, the calmer the animal becomes. In some cases, their antics are just their way of getting your attention.

Don’t Beat and Scold

Punishing your dog for something that’s beyond its control is counterproductive. If your dog messes up, then denying them their treats should be punishment enough. But beating or scolding are tantamount to animal cruelty. Furthermore, in some states, being cruel to an animal is considered a crime punishable by law.

A better way to make the Akita behave is to be patient and use your voice to convey positive messages and vibes rather than threats and harsh words. Akitas are sensitive animals and you’ll do more harm than good by scolding or berating them. You should always reinforce their good behavior to help them unlearn bad habits.

How Exercise Can Calm Down Your Akita?

Akitas are strong animals. In every sense of the word. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. Despite their docile nature, their inherent hyper activeness can get them into trouble. Which is why you need to exercise your dog to help them get all that excess energy out of their systems.

Exercise not only will help the Akita calm down, it also makes them happier and more cheerful in general. Some of the recommended exercises include

Fetch

An easy to play game that all dogs love. Throw a ball or a small stick as far as you can in the park or even in your backyard. Your Akita will only be too happy to bring it back. Don’t do this inside the house.

Tug of War

Not all games have to see your Akita doing all the running and having all the fun. In this exercise both you and your puppy will enjoy a good physical exercise. You can use a piece of cloth that you don’t care much about. Once the Akita latches on it, pull it from the other side. He’ll have lots of fun trying to pull both you and the rag toward him.

Frisbee

This works the same way as a game of fetch, only this one is more strenuous and burns a lot of calories. Best played outdoors, you stand away from your Akita and toss the frisbee in its direction. Aim high because the dog will love to jump in the air and catch it before it falls to the ground. It’s an opportunity for the dog to display its acrobatic skills and let out steam.

Swimming

Akitas love swimming as much as the next dog. Well, maybe more than most dogs. On a hot day, your Akita will enjoy a good swim in the pool and work out their whole body muscles in the bargain. After a good swim, your dog will be fully refreshed, thoroughly exhausted, and happy as a clam.

How a Healthy Diet Can Calm Down Your Akita?

Because they hail from Japan, Akitas are used to the main diet of their original homeland. Rice, fish, and seaweed are the kinds of food that raised this breed and gave it its exceptional health and strength.

As you can see, all these foods are full of energy. While fish and seaweed are healthy, rice on the other hand might make the Akita hyperactive. You can swap fish for meat and add vegetables to keep the dog healthy. If you suspect that the puppy is eating too much carbohydrates, cut down on the rice and increase their vegetable portions.

A healthy diet not only keeps the dog healthy, but also takes the edge off their temperament and makes them docile and happy.

Get Akitas to Calm Down at Night (What You Can Do)

If your Akita gets overly excited at night, it might mean their diet isn’t healthy or they are too wired up to sleep. This could also indicate a lack of exercising and training as we explained earlier.

If it’s none of the above, and your Akita just can’t get to calm down at night, then you need to help it relax. Tune down the lights in the room, switch off the TV or loud music, and play some soft music. Talk to the dog all the while to help it relax and go to sleep.

Tips for Calming Down an Akita Puppy

Akita puppies are precocious and notoriously playful. The puppy is hard to make it sit in one place. It’s all over the house, jumping out of windows, racing around the yard and back through the back door turning over a few chairs and lamps. So what can you do?

• Use commands. “Settle” for example is a very effective command that tells the puppy to chill, relax, and abandon its hyperactive ways.
• Play calming music.
• Rub scented oil along the dog’s back and use air fresheners.
• Remove any external stimulations triggering the dog.
• Reinforce positive behavior with treats and encouragement.
• Use belly rubs to calm down the puppy.

Why Do Akitas Have High Levels of Energy?

Good genes is the short answer. As working dogs, Akitas have high levels of energy and both their diet and outdoorsy nature have instilled this proclivity to alway be on the move and never settle down unless to sleep.

This is why Akitas need to exercise a lot to burn out calories and get rid of excess energy. And this is the whole point of training, exercising, providing healthy diets, and encouraging the animals to behave. It’s so that they can learn to lead a calmer and more relaxed life.

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