Skip to content
ShareYourPets

Akita

The akita is Japan's largest native dog, from the mountainous Akita prefecture in the north, where it was used on bear, boar and deer.

It was declared a natural monument in 1931 and nearly lost during the Second World War, when dogs were culled for their pelts.

It is a powerful, heavy-boned spitz with a broad head, small triangular eyes, prick ears and a thick tail carried curled over the back. The temperament is the thing to understand: akitas are dignified and undemonstrative, deeply loyal to their own household and naturally reserved — often actively intolerant — with strange dogs. Hachiko, who waited nine years at Shibuya station, was an akita.

Origin
Akita prefecture, Japan
Size
32–59 kg, 61–71 cm at the shoulder
Lifespan
10–13 years
Coat
Thick double coat, short and harsh
Temperament
Dignified, loyal, reserved, dog-selective
Exercise
About an hour daily

Related: Japanese akita inu

3 akita photos, newest first

Akita feed
  • Kenji, a akita

    Kenji

    Kenji waits at the gate at exactly this hour every evening, snow or no snow.

    FrostyOtter · 6 days ago

  • Biscuit, a akita

    Biscuit

    Biscuit was promoted to hotel concierge receiving impossible luggage; unfortunately, a parade of rubber ducks heads the wrong way.

    FrostyOtter · 1 week ago

  • Biscuit, a akita

    Biscuit

    Somewhere under all that is Biscuit.

    MerryBadger · 2 weeks ago

Living with a akita

The undercoat blows out twice a year in quantities that surprise first-time owners; daily brushing for those weeks and twice weekly the rest of the year.

This is not a beginner's breed. Akitas are strong-willed rather than eager to please, and same-sex aggression toward other dogs is common enough that many live as the only dog. Early, sustained socialisation and calm consistent handling matter enormously.

Hip and elbow dysplasia, hypothyroidism, progressive retinal atrophy and an autoimmune condition affecting the eyes and skin all occur. Akitas are also sensitive to some anaesthetics, which is worth mentioning to a vet.

Deep-chested, so bloat is a real risk: gastric dilatation-volvulus twists the stomach and kills within hours. Unproductive retching, a swelling abdomen and restless pacing mean an emergency vet immediately, not in the morning.

General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.

Worth reading alongside this

More dogs by breed

Every dog breed somebody has posted a photo of.