While everyone who breeds or buys dogs probably agrees they want dogs with "good" temperaments, exactly what that means is left to the imagination more often than not. Each party assumes that he is talking about the same thing. Unfortunately, huge discrepancies may lie between their concepts of what constitutes good temperament.

For instance, many years ago, a group of us attended a party given by the owner of a champion male. He was outside when we arrived and remained there despite inquiries about him. Finally, a few of the guests prevailed on our host and were taken out to see the dog.

Several told me that later that they wished they hadn't been so insistent, Initially, the dog growled and snarled at them, quieting down after a few minutes, but remaining very alert and wary. One visitor said, "One wrong move, and you'd have been fair game!"

The owners later told me that they felt the dog's temperament was very correct for the breed and were quite proud of what they considered a properly protective nature. If he growled at a few judges in the ring and couldn't be petted by spectators, that was okay with them. They hadn't bought a poodle.

Is this good temperament? I don't think so, but it is certainly an "eye-of-the-beholder" question. This disussion of temperament was originally published in Akita Dog, the newsletter of the Akita Club of America, and later in Akita World magazine. It contains what I consider essential components of good temperament for an Akita, why I think they are important, how to tell if you have problems and how to strengthen weaknesses.

This material is garnered from my own experience, education, and opinion, and I welcome input from you. Your suggestions, comments, or (perish the thought!) criticisms should be directed to me by e-mail.

The priority of this list is rather loose. Some components are equally important; others depend on an individual's preferences. For instance, many people would rank protectiveness much higher than I have, but almost everyone would agree on the first few. However, I know from experiences like the one I just related that even they are open to challenge.