For this Friday, when I like to post something a little different or just for fun, I have someone very special to introduce to you. My wife and I got a puppy a couple weeks ago.
His name is Nakodo’s Warrior’s Friend ‘Ronin.’
Ronin will be 12 weeks old this weekend. He is a male purebred akita, and he’s growing FAST. He’s gained 8 pounds since we picked him up two weeks ago.
Meet him in this video while I encourage you to get outdoors this weekend.
Getting Active Outside with John Sifferman
Some quick facts about Ronin:
- he eats rocks when we’re not paying attention to him outside
- he’s sedentary most of the day, but LOVES going outside to play for a few hours
- it’s difficult for people not to love Ronin – he is adorable, after all
- he will probably grow to be 100-115+ pounds
- he licks EVERYTHING – shoes, socks, feet, toys, walls, grass, rocks, wood, you name it!
Akitas are known for being excellent family dogs, always quite loyal to their pack. They were originally bred in Japan for hunting and as house dogs. Akitas are generally gentle with children, aggressive toward other dogs of the same sex, and excellent guard dogs. They are not barkers, unless something is unusual – certainly not the yappy-type. Akitas do not shed (and I can attest to this, we can’t get fur off of him, even with a slicka brush!). They blow their undercoat twice a year, though – making for a furry mess around the house. Akitas are very people-oriented, but can also be independent – they will take charge if their human leaders don’t.
We couldn’t be happier with our new family member!
Your Question of the Day is: do you have any fun plans for the weekend?
To your health and success,
.jpg "John Sifferman")
Fitness Professional and Wellness Warrior
That’s a fine looking pooch, John. Plenty of personality in that face of his :)
hey john
hope you are well
i introduced myself to you, at ryan lee’s bootcamp in september…
i complimented you on your site and content, and you continue to put forth great info… thank you…
i love the dog… i had a female akita for 12yrs, a very tough dog, strong minded if you will… i miss her every day…
stay on top of him, and check out the dog whisperer, that guy is the best…
good luck with him, and if i can help with any questions, please let me know…
thanks
mike romano
Hey Mike,
Thanks for checking in again – I remember you very well from CT.
When my wife and I were trying to select a breed, the akita just made perfect sense. The more we read about them, the more it was right for our family. Then, we met some akitas for the first time – and the rest is history :)
We’ll definitely stay on top of him. That’s one of the reasons we chose the akita, because they do require a little extra work, extra attention. They are a hard dog to adapt to a different lifestyle – but well worth the effort.
I’ve read both of Cesar Milan’s books, and some others on dog behavior – excellent stuff. From day one, Ronin has known exactly whose higher than him in the “pack.” I suspect he will be difficult to train, not because of dominance issues, but because of boredom and stubborness :)
thanks again for checking in, Mike!
Hey Mark,
He’s definitely a looker. I’d like to have some more brown in his coat, but he still gets plenty of “ooooo’s” and “ahhhhh’s,” when out in public. Most people can’t believe he’s only 12 weeks!
thanks for stopping by!