Akita

Akita has proved that they are exceedingly durable and faithful. The owner who appreciates these qualities must be consistent and forgiving at the same time. Akita is a dog by nature distrustful of strangers, but accepts them if they are welcome by the owner.

Nature

Akita is a dog of moderate temperament, loyal, attached to the owner, but restrained in showing affection. He doesn’t demand caresses, although he values ​​contact with people. A representative of this breed is not recommended for children, although he usually gets along well with them if he is brought up properly. Due to the strength and size of his supervision, his contacts with several-year-olds require special supervision. It should also be remembered that foreign toddlers may not be forgiving.

He is a dog by nature distrustful of strangers, but accepts them if they are welcome by the owner. Noisy, not very excitable, with strong territorial instinct he will perfectly cope as a guardian. He often gives the impression that he is not interested in the environment, but in fact, constantly controls it and is ready to intervene.

Akitas tend to be aggressive towards strangers. In his own herd, the owner must supervise the relationship between the dogs so that there are no conflicts (especially between males). The representative of this breed gets along with the second dog if he is submissive. Most akitas will accept small pets accompanying them from a puppy, but strangers may fall prey to them. You should also remember about the strong hunting instinct of these quadrupeds – when released, they can hunt or follow an interesting trail.

Akita does not like idleness, she is an active, strong and durable dog. Every day he needs a large dose of outdoor movement. Suitable for a pen, but you also need to allow him to be at home with his family.

Skills

In the past, Akityas were used as hunting dogs to hunt wild boars, deer and bears. They were also used to haul loads and guard the bypass. Currently, they are mainly family dogs, although they still fulfill the role of a guardian or defender.

Some work well in the police, army and rescue. You can do sports with them: agility, canicross, dogtrekking, bikejoring, weight pulling or winter sled sports. Because representatives of this breed do not cooperate best with their brethren, it is worth choosing a competition in which one dog competes.

Training and education

The representative of this breed is intelligent, but stubborn and independent, so training him is not a simple task. Clever and independent easily gets out of control if the owner cannot establish a proper relationship with him. Akita has a tendency to dominate and at the same time is sensitive. Therefore, on the one hand, it requires iron consistency, and on the other hand, understanding, patience and a gentle approach.

Properly motivated, he learns willingly, especially if the exercises are varied and do not last too long. During training, you must not use force, because Akita can not only refuse to cooperate, but even respond with aggression. The dog of this breed will not be blindly obedient, it may also be less responsive to commands issued from a greater distance, so it is better to always have it under control.

From the beginning, you have to take care of the socialization of puppies and set their limits. They must visit new places, have contact with people and other dogs. In kindergarten, in addition to learning basic instructions, they will establish relationships with representatives of their genre, and this will positively affect their attitude to their compatriots in the future. During the period of growth should not allow the mentees to jump, walk on stairs or intense fun.

Who is this race for?

Akita is a friend for a true fan of the breed, who will appreciate his independence, and at the same time will be able to subordinate the animal. Akita’s owner should have experience in raising dogs, he must be consistent, responsible and not expect absolute obedience.

Advantages and disadvantages

Disadvantages

• stubborn and independent
• tends to dominate
• she can be aggressive towards her friends
• manifests a strong hunting instinct
• I molt abundantly twice a year

Advantages

• faithful and loyal to the family
• serves well as a guardian and defender
• active, you can do dog sports with her
• properly motivated, he is happy to learn
• easy care
• resistant and durable
• barely barks

Health

Akita is a resistant and durable dog. The thick coat perfectly protects it against frost, snow and moisture. It tolerates hot weather, so in the summer you should provide it with a cooler place to rest and remember about drinking water.

The representative of this breed is considered a specimen of health, but there are eye problems – cataracts, progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) and retinal dysplasia (RD), which results in partial or complete detachment of the retina, which can lead to blindness. Sometimes there are hip and elbow dysplasia, stomach enlargement and torsion, as well as allergies of various grounds.

Sometimes autoimmune diseases occur in which the body’s immune system destroys its own cells and tissues. These include sebaceous adenitis (leads to the destruction of the sebaceous glands in the skin), pemphigus (manifested by the formation of intra-epidermal blisters usually around the nose, ears, pads of the paws and groin), Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome (causes depigmentation, alopecia, loss of claws) ) and hypothyroidism (leads, among others, to skin lesions, alopecia, loss of appetite, apathy, weight gain, cardiological problems). Occasional diagnosis of von Willebrand’s disease involving a blood clotting disorder is also diagnosed.

Feeding

Akitas are usually not fussy eaters, and for small dogs, they eat little. The type of food should be adapted to their lifestyle. Dogs that don’t move much should not get too full meals, because they will gain weight quickly. In turn, the menu of animals that live outside in winter is worth enriching with additional calories.

It is most convenient to give good quality dry food with the addition of glucosamine and chondroitin for large breeds. However, they should not contain too much protein, because akitas have food allergies. Products with lamb or fish work well. If we want to feed a pet with self-prepared food, we must supplement it with calcium and vitamin preparations and protecting joints.

The daily portion is best divided into two meals and provide the dog with at least an hour rest after eating. During the molting period, agents may be used to help coat regeneration and improve skin condition.

Care

Akita care is not troublesome. Moults profusely twice a year – in spring and autumn. For about three weeks, mainly the soft undercoat is changed. It is worth noting that Akita does not lose hair evenly from the entire body surface, but in batches (like wolves). At first, they molt the trousers, then the legs, torso, neck, and finally the tail.

It happens that at this time the dog gets nervous and even looks sick. You can comb it every day (except for the coat replacement period, it is enough once every 1-2 weeks), but gently, because its skin is more susceptible to irritation. The best tool for this is a powder brush and a medium-density metal comb. In the summer, the dog may still lose small amounts of casing hair, but this is usually hardly noticeable to the owner.

If necessary, we bathe a representative of this breed in shampoos for hard hair or optically increasing its volume. You can also use whitening cosmetics (with white ointment) or ones that emphasize the contrast of the color.

Akita does not require special preparation for the exhibition. His coat should stand slightly away from the body, so before the show, you do not use hair care products that weigh down the hair, but rather those that lift them at the roots and stiffen them. After the bath, we dry the dog with a not too warm stream of air from the dryer, while modeling the coat with a brush.We present Akita in a natural attitude on a ring or in a thin chain and on a short leash.

Accessories

Since the akita has a neck circumference similar to the head circumference, it is best to lead it in a textile semi-clamp collar – from the usual, it can break free. The leash must be solid so that this strong dog can be supported. Due to the hunting instinct of this breed during walks outside the city, a long line will work, which will allow the dog to move freely.

Akita will take care of woven cords, hard balls, rubber wheels or natural teethers. Avoid stuffed toys, because it will quickly destroy them, as well as squeaking toys that resemble the sounds of hunted animals. It is worth teaching a toddler that toys belong to the owner – they are issued at a designated time and then taken away.

History

Akita is a dog breed that is part of the Japanese national heritage, a symbol of strength and prosperity. Akit ceramic figurines are offered to the sick, wishing them a speedy recovery, as well as young couples and newborns to bring them happiness. The name of the breed refers to the Akita prefecture located on the Japanese Sea, on the northwest coast of the island of Honshu.

The most famous story related to the breed is the story of the dog Hachiko, which belonged to Eisabuiro Ueno, a professor at Tokyo University. Every morning he escorted the owner to Shibuya train station and picked him up from there in the evening. One day the professor suddenly died at work. For the next 10 years – until his death in 1935 – Hachiko came to the square in front of the station every day and waited for his return. The monument to the faithful dog – funded by the inhabitants of Tokyo – stood in front of Shibuya station.

The dogs of this breed proved their endurance during the Japanese expedition to the South Pole in 1957. The polar explorers took 20 akitas to pull the sleigh. The expedition was interrupted due to bad weather. People returned home and the dogs stayed in Antarctica, which outraged animal rights organizations. When the expedition resumed after three years, the researchers found 12 dogs in surprisingly good condition in the former camp. To commemorate this event, Emperor Hirohito ordered to erect their bronze monument.

Apparently akita already 5,000 years ago on the Japanese islands accompanied the samurai. The first drawings depicting these animals, however, come from the 12th century. From 1603, medium-sized dogs used for bear hunting were organized in Odate. From the mid-1860s, in order to obtain a stronger structure and larger sizes, they were associated with tosses and mastiffs, which lost their spitz characteristics.

At the beginning of the 20th century, fighting was banned. In 1931, nine akitas from the Matagi area, representing the most desirable type, were recognized as monuments of nature and pedigrees were issued to them. Seven years later, the first breed standard was created.

During World War II, dogs were mass-killed (except for German Shepherds considered military dogs), and clothing for soldiers was made from their skins. To protect Akitas from extermination, breeders associated them with shepherds, and such crossbreeds were shown in 1947 at the first exhibition after the war. In turn, breeders who did not like this look of the breed, using the type of matagi, recreated the old, lighter akita. Dogs from akita crosses with shepherds and mastiffs formed the basis of American Akitas breeding.

Template

Akita – group V FCI, section 5, reference number 255

• Country of Origin: Japan
• Size: height at the withers of dogs 64-70 cm, bitches 58-64 cm
• Coat: coat rough and straight; soft and thick undercoat; on the withers, rump and tail, hair slightly longer than on the rest of the body
• Ointment: red-faded, sesame (red-faded hair with black tips), brindle, white; urajiro required with each ointment (except white) – whitish markings on the sides of the muzzle, cheeks, underside of the jaw, neck, chest, torso and tail, and on the inside of the limbs
• Maturity: 1.5 years – 2 years
• Lifespan: 12-14 years
• Weather resistance: high

Interesting facts

The famous dog Hachiko, who walked his owner to the train station every day and picked him up from there, and then waited for his master for years, when he had long since died, was of the Akita breed.

It used to be called “akita inu”, but since “inu” is a Japanese dog, this part of the name was abolished and the official full name of the breed is “akita”.