Akita dogs are big dogs that need plenty of training to turn them into them a good friendly house dog. Having an Akita dog is not like owning any other dog. This is a huge assertive dog that by nature is domineering and will look to take authority of a group or family. If you are thinking about owning an Akita dog then you really need to do your homework before taking the plunge. The dog can be very challenging and is not for everyone

Akita dogs are by nature dog aggressive and require thorough socialization when they are young to get them familiar to other dogs. Even a well-trained Akita has to be carefully watched when in the company of other dogs, especially male dogs. The dog is not a natural mixer and doesn’t like strangers.

The Akita has lots of great qualities like unquestionable loyalty to its family; it’s this deeply innate loyalty that can lead to the Akita dog to become hostile when near other dogs. It may mistake playfulness by other dogs, as a threat and attack in what it believes is a defence of its pack. You need to counter this tendency by coaching the Akita from a puppy that not everyone is a threat.

It’s also very territorial and does not mix well. If you introduce an Akita dog to your home it will soon try to demonstrate its position as pack leader. A huge part of coaching the dog is to make certain that it acknowledges you and other family members are above it in the pack hierarchy.

It’s important that you do this, if you don’t, then the Akita will take command and if that occurs your ownership of the dog will not be agreeable. Don’t even consider taking on an Akita dog without having a good training plan in place.

It will require a lot of your time in the early days to train it to its new home. Lots of people take on Akita dogs and fail with them because they don’t understand what having an Akita involves. You need to do some serious research about this dog before committing yourself to getting one.

A properly trained Akita is a wonderful companion for life, they’re loyal, funny and once trained pretty easy to look after. They’re not the kind of dogs you can take onto a general space however and just let free. Even a trained Akita requires watching when around other dogs and strange people.

Akita dogs make superior guard dogs and family pets when they are well socialized, I can’t emphasise the well trained advice enough. If you’re thinking of getting an Akita then look for an training school to take it to while it is young. The sooner it becomes socialized with other dogs the better. Training is the key to successful ownership of Akita dogs

Once trained though you’d be hard-pressed to find a dog that will give you total loyalty and become a protector and friend for life. The dogs are very loyal to their pack and will not allow any member to be threatened. Despite its domineering nature a well-trained akita is a wonderful dog to have.

10-year-old Entrepreneur Keith Boyd with his mentor Thrive15 CEO Clay Clark

Ten-year-old Keith Boyd, CEO of Keiths Ice Cold Lemonade Stand, is teaming up with entrepreneurship education resource Thrive15 and several local businesses to make lemonade out of lemons. Boyd, who was born with nonverbal cerebral palsy and is unable to use his arms, legs or mouth, set out to raise $ 250,000 for The Little Light House, a Tulsa-based development center for children with special needs. The Little Light House gifted him with the technology that allows him to now verbally communicate. The Tobii EyeMobile is a tool that allows Boyd to communicate by using his eyes to type what he wants to say on a screen, which is then verbalized by the tool. In response to this gift, Boyd crafted a business plan to set up lemonade stands around Tulsa for the summer, the proceeds of which would benefit The Little Light House.

“My goal is to raise money for The Little Light House where I went to school until I was six. They have done so much for me; I want to give back so other kids can go to that school without paying any money,” said Keith Boyd.

Recognizing Boyds entrepreneurial spirit, local franchised Chick-fil-A Operator and Thrive15 mentor Arthur Greeno reached out to Keiths parents to ask how he could make the lemonade stands become a reality. Greeno enlisted the help of other Thrive15 mentors, who helped create a website for the lemonade stands and to secure local sponsors and media partners for the initiative. Additionally, Greeno secured donations of lemons and tea for the stands.

I knew I had to meet Keith when I heard his story, said Greeno. I was so inspired when he shared his business plan with me that he had written with his eyes. Many people dream big, but to take action is very admirable.

Thrive15 was honored to provide Keith the tools he needs to succeed in business, says Thrive15 CEO Clay Clark. Keith reminds us that it doesnt matter what your circumstances are, you can thrive if you are diligent.

Keiths Ice Cold Lemonade Stands will launch on Wednesday, June 18 at ten Tulsa area business locations and will be open every Wednesday from June 18 through August 20 between the hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For donation of any amount, guests will receive a cup of either Chick-fil-A Lemonade or Chick-fil-A Sweet Tea. For donations of $ 100 or more, guests will receive a reusable Chick-fil-A cup that they can take to any Tulsa-area Chick-fil-A restaurant through August 20 for unlimited beverage refills.

Participating sponsors of Keiths Ice Cold Lemonade Stand include: Thrive15.com, Tulsa-area Chick-fil-A restaurants, Bob Hurley Ford, Lawn America, KOKI Fox 23, The Apothecary Shoppe, The Vintage Pearl, The Journey Training, M&M Lumber Co., Sunkist, Tetley, TetleyHarris Food Group, Lamar Advertising Group, American Waste Control, Halo Branded Solutions, Domino Foods, Bryan Smith State Farm Agency, E-Z Up, Red Dog Construction and Healthy Living Games.

Keith’s Ice Cold Lemonade Stand Quick Facts:

http://www.KeithsIceColdLemonade.com For more information about Keiths Ice Cold Lemonade Stand, or to donate, visit Facebook, the website or contact Thrive15.com.

Thrive15.com Quick Facts:

Website – http://www.thrive15.com Thrive15.com provides entertaining online education for entrepreneurs taught by millionaires and everyday success stories including, NBA Hall of Fame Basketball Player, David Robinson, for Executive Vice President of Walt Disney World Resorts, Lee Cockerell, Tulsa’s own best-selling author Clifton Taulbert, founder of Regent Bank Sean Kouplen, Oklahoma’s Small Business Administration Entrepreneur of the Year, Clay Clark.

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Training your dog at home may be one of the most rewarding activities known to pet owners. Just seeing your pet respond to cues and commands can bring immense satisfaction, because you will see concrete results from all of your training efforts.

Pet owners who are just starting out with their training sessions will often encounter small problems that can directly impede the progress of the dog. If your dog is not responding to more classical training approaches, you may want to try clicker training. Clicker training (or operant conditioning), emphasizes the relationship between target actions and rewards.

Since the association between rewards and actions are continually reinforced during training sessions, dog trainers have minimal problems when teaching their dogs new tricks. Clicker training is so simple that it can even be done by a ten-year–old child.

There are two indispensable elements that must always be present during clicker training: the clicker, and the treats. Some people offer toys, and even verbal praise, as treats. But for the purpose of quickly getting your dog’s attention, I highly recommend that you find a tasty treat that your dog will not mind eating again and again.

Expert tips for trainers

If the dog is not following your commands, it is possible that the dog has yet to establish a solid connection between the command, and the action itself. Review the lesson and repeat the cycles to see if the dog is responding to the nonverbal cues.

If the nonverbal cues are not working, that means the dog has made no association between the action and any signal. Go back to square one, and repeat the association games. Use the clicker to mark the target behaviors during the action, and not after.

Verbal signals can be added to the training equation only when the dog has become an expert in responding to nonverbal commands. Nonverbal commands are easier to master than verbal commands (this is why some folks who use classical conditioning often have a difficult time teaching the simplest of actions).

Training sessions should not be drawn out and boring. Ten minutes is already a long session for an active dog who has never been trained before. During the first few sessions, limit your training timeframe to just three minutes. If the dog responds well to the clicker training, it can probably complete 20 successful cycles in three to five minutes.

Don’t be harsh with your pet if it does not immediately respond to your commands. Review the information signal (the cue), and check to see if the dog has made the association between the cue, and action itself. If the dog looks unmotivated, the problem may lie in the reward that you are offering. Change the reward and see if the dog will respond.

Punishment should be limited to a neutrally toned word such as “wrong”. Don’t scold your pet for not understanding. It doesn’t help the animal learn, and the animal may associate training sessions with being scolded. That is never a good thing for home-trained dogs.