Akita Inu

Akita Ken

This samurai at heart is endowed with great intelligence and capacity for adaptation. Very dominant by nature, the Akita Inu must be treated with respect by his master who will allow him to flourish in his role of companion dog. This dignified and majestic dog will, in return, treat all members of his family with the utmost respect and affection.

 

Height 58 to 70 cm
Weight 30 to 50 kg
Life expectancy 10 to 12 years
Hair Loss High
Excercise Need High
Home country Japan

Index

Personality Appearance Characteristics Price Breeders Tips Health History

Quick Overview of the Akita Inu

Temperament

  • Very sweet and friendly
  • Affectionate
  • Very family-oriented
  • Intelligent

 

Appearance

  • Robust frame, strong constitution
  • Very well proportioned
  • Graceful gait
  • Large musculature

 

Health

  • Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease
  • Sebaceous adenitis
  • Generally robust

 

Temperament of the Akita Inu

This highly intelligent dog possesses a reasoning capacity, specific to the breed, that surprises and unsettles humans. He makes his decisions and fully assumes them. Very gentle, friendly, affectionate and even extremely cuddly, the Akita Inu is a family dog.

He loves children and their games. Not very athletic, he will still appreciate games and daily walks.

Without much interest in strangers and not aggressive at all, the Akita Inu will be an excellent watchdog if the need arises. His warrior attitude and his power of dissuasion are generally sufficient without needing to intervene too much.

Very dominant, cohabitation with other dogs of the same sex will be difficult, especially for the Akita Inu male.

With a strong character, his education must be taken care of from an early age. A bond between the master and dog will be preferable to an overly dominant education. Violence is to be totally avoided.

 

akita inu personnalité

Breed Appearance

akita inu

He is the largest of the Asian Spitz. With a sturdy frame and a strong build, the Akita Inu is well proportioned and has great musculature. From a puppy with a doggie-like appearance, he becomes a magnificent rather graceful dog, combining dignity and nobility while maintaining great simplicity.

 

Height

Between 64 and 70 cm (25.20 to 27.56 inches) for the male
Between 58 and 64 cm (22.83 to 25.20 inches) for the female

Weight

Between 30 and 50 kg (66.14 to 110.23 pounds) for the male
Between 30 and 50 kg (66.14 to 110.23 pounds) for the female

Color

The Akita Inu's coat can be a variety of colors, including white, tawny red, sesame, or brindle ranging in tints of blue, silver, sand and red and even sometimes black.

 

Hair

His hair is rather straight, hard and short.

 

Morphology

The head of the Akita Inu, pin head type, is well proportioned. His small eyes are dark brown. His small, very straight triangular ears are rather stretched forward. His nose is black most of the time. His tail, full and thick, is curled over his back.

 

According to the FCI breeds nomenclature, this breed belongs to group 5, section 5 and is #255

Characteristics of the Akita Inu

Does this dog suit your lifestyle?

Every dog breed has its own characteristics. However, the actual character of a dog can vary from one to another within the same breed.

Find out if the Akita Inu is your ideal dog breed with our quiz.

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Life in an apartment
Good first dog
Tolerates solitude
Tolerates cold weather
Tolerates hot weather
Affectionate
Friendly with children
Friendly with strangers
Friendly with other animals
Hair loss
Drooling level
Easy to care for
Robust health
Easy to train
Intelligent
Tendency to bark
Tendency to nibble
Protective
Instinct to hunt
Adventurous spirit
Energy level
Level of intensity
Need for exercise
Playful

Price and monthly budget

Price you can expect to pay for a Akita Inu puppy: between and
These prices are indicative and may vary from breeder to breeder
Average monthly budget for a Akita Inu:
The monthly budget includes the average expenses for food and hygiene products (grooming, anti-parasite...)

Akita Inu puppies near me

Tips About this breed

The Akita Inu is not everyone's dog. This majestic animal with magnificent fur is a reserved, calm, independent dog with a very strong character.

This companion, however, must receive an adequate education in order to become an excellent companion dog. An iron fist in a velvet glove will be ideal to make a good companion.

A great bond is necessary between the master and this dog with a rather dominant character.

 

The Akita Inu, in no way aggressive, does not really like the company of other dogs but loves that of humans.

Even though he can live outdoors and withstand all temperatures without a problem, he greatly appreciates the life of humans.

In an apartment or in a large garden, the company of his masters is always pleasant to him, whether they are young or old.

 

The Akita Inu is a breed of dog that can live and adapt to just about anything. He hardly ever barks  and possesses a very calm temperament, therefore he can live in an apartment in the city or in a large house in the country.

More of a homely dog, a daily walk will be more than enough for him to exercise.

 

Health of the Akita Inu

The Akita Inu is generally very robust. Two hereditary diseases however affect the breed, VKH and AS.

VKH or Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome is inflammation of the iris of the eye and brain, followed by depigmentation of the nose and skin. It can be triggered by too much stress or any kind of stress the dog is experiencing.

No treatment exists to cure this disease. Certain treatments are available to alleviate suffering and prolong the dog's life. The main symptoms are blindness, hair loss and depigmentation.

AS or sebaceous adenitis is a skin disease followed by significant hair loss. This serious disease is not fatal but it is very difficult to reduce the intense suffering. The disease in itself does not cause suffering, but allows the development of other problems causing great suffering to the dog.

Main symptoms are hair loss, darkened skin, musty odor, plaques on the body, refusal to eat, and the appearance of lumps or earaches. The destruction of the sebaceous glands caused by this disease generally leads to many other problems creating suffering in this type of dog.

The disease cannot be treated, however, symptoms can be alleviated or completely disappear, but the treatment will be for life, to avoid recurrence of symptoms and pain.

These two hereditary diseases can not be detected by any preventive test. No breeder is immune to these diseases and all lines can be affected. No Akita Inu puppy is guaranteed immune to these two hereditary diseases.

 

GROOMING

The very dense fur with an important undercoat of the Akita Inu requires a good regular brushing. Generally, he has two large moults per year.

During these two periods, the Akita Inu loses his fur completely. The moults are therefore very impressive but normal and necessary for the health of his beautiful fur.

 

History of this breed

Originally bred for bear, wild boar and deer hunting, the Akita Inu comes from Japan. As most Japanese canine breeds originated from the Korean dog, the Jindo and the Akita Inu are no exceptions.

Dating back around 3,000 years, Akita Prefecture, an island in Northern Japan, is believed to be the source of his name. Modified with molossuses for aggressiveness and dog fighting, such as the Mastiff, the breed almost completely disappeared following legal abolition of dog fighting in Japan.

Proclaimed a natural monument by the Japanese Ministry of National Education in 1931 , the Akita Inu breed was thus preserved and could also regain his former standard.

North America saw his first Akita Inu land in the 1930s after writer Helen Keller brought back a specimen during a visit to Japan.

The number of specimens greatly increased in America following World War II after American soldiers adopted the breed and brought several dogs with them.

However, after multiple crosses in America, the American Akita became a little different from the original Japanese breed, these two breeds should not be confused as their peculiarities are no longer quite the same.

The most famous Akita Inu in the world is Hachiko who is known today as "Hatchi". This very faithful dog accompanied his master, Mr. Ueno, a university professor, every morning to the station where he patiently awaited his return.

After the professor's death, Hachiko continued to make the same journey every day. He was then fed by the residents of the area. He continued like this until his own death, nine years later. He died in front of the station still waiting for his beloved master.

In 1987, a Japanese film "Hachiko Monogatari", inspired by this story, was released on the Japanese big screen. "Hatchi", the American remake with Richard Gere playing the professor, appeared in 2009 and thus made this sad but so beautiful story known to the entire world.

This Japanese national treasure, once used as a fighting, guard and great hunting dog, is now used as a police dog in Japan.

 

https://pixabay.com/fr/photos/akita-akita-inu-japonais-akita-2534986/
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https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Akita_Inu_Fond_Blanc.jpg

 

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Last Updated: 02/03/2021

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