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Description
Origin
Raising Your Akita
Akitas and Children
Protection
Daily Care
Health Care/Problems
Selecting Your Puppy
How to Find an Akita
Description Akitas are large, double-coated dogs similar to huskies in appearance. They have a
thick, soft undercoat and a harsher, slightly longer outer coat. There are also a small number of long-coated Akitas whose outer coat is significantly longer than average, with "feathering" around
the neck and on the legs. Both types of coats shed, a small amount daily and a great deal 2 or 3
times per year when the entire undercoat comes out. Long-coats may also be prone to the formation
of "mats" or knots in the hair. For this reason, more maintenance is required for long-coated Akitas.
Male Akitas are usually between 25 and 28 inches tall at the shoulder, and weigh around 100
pounds. Females are usually between 23 and 26 inches tall and weigh around 85 pounds. Akitas
can be any color, including all black or all white; they may also have any pattern of white or black
markings on a different background color. Brindle, which is the appearance of "stripes" of different
colors, is a frequently-occurring pattern in Akitas, as is pinto, an abundance of white on the legs,
tail, chest, and body with patches of some other color. A complete physical description can be found in the American Kennel Club Standard for the Akita breed.
Origin The Akita is one of seven native breeds in Japan, and derives its name from the Akita
Prefecture (a geographical area like a state). Akitas began coming to the United States after World
War II and were recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1973. Ancestors of the modern Akita
were used for hunting large game, such as bears, and for property protection. In this century they
have been used as military and police dogs in Japan. Unfortunately, Akitas have also been used for
dog fighting, and for a time were selectively bred for aggression toward other dogs. This is why
early socialization is so important for young Akitas.
Raising your Akita Akitas are very intelligent and are usually intensely loyal to their own
families. They are inclined to think for themselves and are good at figuring things out. It is
important for the owner of an Akita to establish leadership (sometimes called "being alpha")
through kind, consistent training. "Training" refers to every interaction between a person and a
young Akita; each such interaction is a learning experience for the dog. An Akita who learns to
trust and respect his or her leader will grow up to be a happy, confident dog. It is also important for
a young Akita to be socialized thoroughly. This means taking the puppy out in public among other
people and dogs, and showing him or her, through praise and encouragement, what is acceptable
behavior. It is a very good idea to take an Akita puppy to "Puppy Kindergarten" at least once.
Akitas that behave aggressively toward new people and/or dogs wind up as unhappy prisoners on
their own property that are not welcome at the veterinarian's office or at boarding facilities. NOTE:
An Akita that bites one or more members of his or her own family is exhibiting very abnormal
behavior and needs immediate help!
Akitas and Children Many families with babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children
have found happiness with Akitas. An Akita that has a good basic temperament and has been well
socialized and trained will get along very well with similarly well-trained children. However, an
Akita has a strong protective instinct, and may not react well to children from outside his or her own
family, especially if they appear to be "attacking" the family. It is important to be careful in
allowing children from outside the immediate family to interact with the Akita, and of course
children should NOT be left with the dog unsupervised.
Protection As stated above, Akitas have a strong instinct for protection of their own family and
property, and will bark an alarm whenever something unusual happens within their territory.
Often, if an intruder enters the house, an Akita will "hold" the stranger (stand motionless directly in
front of and almost touching the person, staring and growling) until help arrives. In most instances,
the appearance of a barking, snarling 100 pound dog will be more than enough to deter intruders. It
is NOT a good idea to attempt to "attack train" an Akita. Once the dog's bite inhibition is removed
through such training, it cannot be restored. Being such independent thinkers, Akitas with no bite
inhibition will proceed to bite whomever they think needs it, whether their "handler" has
commanded it or not. The bite of an Akita can do serious damage to anyone, especially a child, and
there have been instances of small children being killed by Akitas.
Daily Care Adult Akitas who are not doing strenuous physical work can usually maintain their
weight and condition on 4 to 6 cups of a good quality dry dog food per day; females generally require
less food than males. Many people moisten the dry food with water and add a spoonful of canned
food or other meat for flavor. It is wise to feed Akitas twice daily because of the risk of bloat (see
below). Because Akitas drink more water than some other breeds of dogs, it is very important to
provide clean water for an Akita at all times. Their heavy double coats make them susceptible to
the heat, and panting and sweating through the paws, both of which use up water, are the only ways
the dog can cool itself. Also, if water is not available to an Akita for a significant period of time,
when the dog finally is able to drink he or she may drink too much and bloat. Akitas should get
some exercise every day, either in a kennel run, a fenced yard, or on a leash. However, an Akita is
not built for miles of jogging, especially on hard pavement. Because of their double coats, Akitas
adapt well to being outside in cold weather and like to play in the snow. Akitas have such strong
social needs, however, that it is not a good idea to keep an Akita outside all the time. An Akita
needs its family, and an isolated Akita is an unhappy, unhealthy Akita.
Health Care/Problems In addition to the usual vaccinations and heartworm prevention that are
needed by all dogs, it is important that you speak with your veterinarian about bloat. You should
discuss the signs of bloat and know how to recognize them. You should also discuss what to do if
bloat occurs after the regular office hours. Bloat is a true emergency in which minutes may mean
the difference between life and death. Be prepared! Some of the health problems that commonly
occur in Akitas are hip dysplasia, low thyroid function, autoimmune diseases, allergies, a skin
disease called sebaceous adenitis (SA), and a number of inherited eye diseases. It is best if the
parents of your Akita had their hips certified by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA), eyes certified by the Canine Eye Registry Founation (CERF), and thyroid function checked before being bred.
However, parents who are free of these problems can produce pups that have them. In addition,
there are currently no pre-breeding tests available to identify carriers of autoimmune disease,
allergies, or SA.
Selecting Your Puppy Meet the pup's parents if at all possible. Many times this means going to
a show or to a distant kennel to visit the sire, since most breeders do not own the father of their
pups. You want the parents to be happy, healthy, energetic dogs that are protective (barking) but
not aggressive if on their own territory. You want to see that the dogs respect and trust their owner.
You want to see puppies that are healthy, energetic, and curious. If a puppy is either very shy or
abnormally aggressive (keeps its distance and growls or snarls at you) this is not a good sign. Ask to
see written verification of any pre-breeding health tests or other accomplishments (championship or
obedience titles) mentioned by the breeder. Ask to see the blue litter registration forms for the pups.
Remember that often Akita pups change color several times before they are adults, so be careful
when selecting for a certain color.
How to Find an Akita Finding an Akita is even easier now that there are so many resources on the Internet! Use our Akita Links to find more Akita information, Akita breeders and rescue groups. Use Infodog to find dog shows in the area and the American Kennel Club to find the dates and locations of dog shows where you can meet Akita breeders in your area.
For an excellent article about why it's not a good idea to buy a puppy from a pet store, click here.
Last updated February 21, 2002
©2002 MillCreekAkitas