Akita Inu: Nutrition, character, training and much more about the Akita Inu dog

By Roland Berger

Akita Inus are exceptionally beautiful dogs. The ancestors of the Akita Inus may have entered the Japanese islands. The ancestry and breeding in the past resulted in a very atypical character for dogs. You must treat these dogs with respect and never try to force them to obey in a way that goes against their nature, then you will have a lot of joy with your Akita.

Read the basics about the Akita Inu in this book:
- Origin of the breed
- Demands on living conditions
- Acquisition of the dog
- Character of the Akitas
- Housetraining the puppy
- Commands that every Akita must learn
- Dealing with the hunting and protective instinct
- Communication among dogs
- Nutrition of Aktia Inus

You will also find in the book more than 15 illustrations and many useful tips and tricks from the everyday life of a dog owner. In most books about Aktia Inus you will read that it is not a dog for beginners. In reality, the point is that you need to get involved with their special character. Akitas are self-confident and independent.

Learn now in this book how to have a lot of fun together with loving consistency and respectful treatment of the Aktia.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Apr 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9783986468828

Book preview

Akita Inu - a little more wolf than suspected

Akita Inus are exceptionally beautiful dogs, which are also called Japanese Spitz. The ancestry and breeding in the past leads to a very untypical character for dogs. Akitas are therefore suitable only for people who are intensively familiar with the education of dogs and respect their nature.

Image 1: Akita Inu in full beauty

Origin of the breed

The ancestors of the Akita Inu may have entered the Japanese islands accompanied by man. This means a long development before man and dog first reached the island kingdom.

From wolf to dog

When the wolf became a dog, can no longer be determined today. Findings show that for about 20,000 years, people have been accompanied by dogs. The development of humans began more than 300,000 years ago in Africa. Today it is considered proven that humans spread northward by an average of 400 meters per year. They reached Siberia 25,000 years ago and crossed the Bering Strait 15,000 years ago.

Japan was settled in the period from 10,000 BC to about 300 BC by people who probably came from Central Asia, Siberia and the South Pacific region. They brought with them dogs that most likely resembled the Nordic sled dogs.

How it came to the friendship of wolf and man is not known. According to the scientist Francis Galton, people have raised wolf pups in your settlements and made them pets in this way. However, wolves may have been rather frightening to people. In addition, meat was a coveted and precious food. So why would man have brought an animal into his dwelling that was a food competitor. Man must have discovered a trait in the wolf about 20,000 years ago that seemed useful to him. Perhaps people noticed that wolves are good hunters from which you can get the prey. The dogs that moved to the Japanese islands together with the first people at that time may have been typical working dogs that carried or pulled heavy loads.

The fact is that there are images of dogs from the 2nd century BC, which look similar to today's Akitas with their standing ears and the curled tail over the back. On bronze bells, which were made around the same time, this type of dog can also be found in relief. The dogs of that time were smaller than today's Akitas. Watase distinguishes three geographical types: an extreme northern, a northern and a southern. Depending on the circumstances and adapted to the living conditions, these dog types looked different. The northern one was large, long-haired, predominantly white and with the typical tail curled over the back, this is one of the ancestors of the today's Akitas.

Chinese wolves in the recent ancestral lineage

The development of the wolf to the dog does not always run in a straight line. It came again and again to crossbreeding of wolves. It is unclear whether such crossings happened intentionally. It is also possible that the descendants of feral domestic dogs that joined wolves were tamed again by humans.

The fact is that genetic studies confirm that the ancestors of Akitas include Chinese wolves.

Akita Inus breeding

The name Akita Inu probably comes from the present-day Akita Prefecture. The additions Inu as well as Ken are only Japanese words for dog. In former times the additions belonged to the breed name. Until 1999, two types of the breed were bred, one type is since the year as an independent breed American Akita by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale) led, the Japanese type carries only the breed name Akita.

The first ancestors were medium-sized dogs kept in Matagi villages (hunter villages) characterized by hunting and fishing. They were considered to be good hunters, which sighted both antelopes and bears.

In the Middle Ages, hunting took a back seat and agriculture was developed. The period was marked by fights between different noble houses. The farmers now use the strong dogs for protection and less for hunting. The Matagi Inu became a dog similar in character to the Akita Inu of today. He was a vigilant, defensive, confident, large and powerful dog that impressed human attackers with his imposing appearance. However, there are still some of the original Matagi Inu.

In the 19th century, Japanese nobles adopted the then European custom of dog fighting. Therefore, Molosser and Terrier now also flowed into the breeding. Character and appearance changed. The new breeds had floppy ears, hanging tails, loose skin and drooping flews.

When dog fighting was banned in 1909 and a return to Japanese values and traditions began, attention turned to the few remaining Matagi and Akita Inus. Consistent breeding of the old breeds resulted in today's Akita, which was the first of the Japanese pointed breeds to be declared a natural monument in 1931. The export from Japan was even forbidden until 1945.

The Second World War was not without consequences, because there was a lack of food for animals and people. In 1945, breeding was resumed with the few remaining animals.

Initially, there were two breeding lines, the Ichinoseki line, which resembled the original Japanese dog type, and the Dewa-go line, in which the cross-breeding of Molossians and German Shepherds could still be seen.

From representatives of both lines developed the Japan Akita (today Akita), which is tall with short back and pointed head, and the American Akita, with stocky figure, lower legs, longer back and more rectangular head.

Breed characteristics

Akitas are undeniably beautiful dogs, reminiscent of teddy bears with the thick fur and seemingly smiling face. Unfortunately, the beauty often tempts people to make an ill-considered purchase. People tend to purchase pets according to their appearance and hardly think about the character of the animals and their needs. This mistake is especially tragic in the case of the Japanese Spitz, because he loves his people very much. A separation he copes only with difficulty.

Head and physique

The breed is quite unadulterated and still strongly resembles a wolf in appearance. Akitas have one of balanced physique without physical exaggerations. Males reach a shoulder height of 64 to 70 cm and weigh between 45 and 59 kg, bitches are smaller and lighter with 58 to 64 cm and a weight of 32 to 45 kg.

The broad skull with the distinct furrow in the forehead is well proportioned in relation to the body and the nose has a pronounced stop. The large black nose, the usually black lips and the dark small eyes give the face a very friendly expression, as if the dog were smiling.

The strong muzzle is of medium length, broad at the base and gradually tapering, but not pointed. In the mouth is a strong scissor bite. Most people fall in love with the small triangular thick ears with rounded tips.

The thick and muscular neck without dewlap is in good proportion to the head and body. Characteristic of the Akita are the straight strong back, the broad muscular loins and the deep chest.

The elbows are close to the body. Forequarters and hindquarters are strongly developed. The thick round paws are arched and the toes are close together. The dogs captivate by the elastic and powerful movement and the sporty as well as dignified appearance.

The most striking feature is the high set, thick, well and tightly curled tail that the Akita carries over the back. It reaches down to the hock. The way the tail is carried, however, makes it somewhat difficult to discern the mood of the dogs. Wagging for joy or tucking the tail for fear are less visible than in other dogs.

Coat and coloring

The outer coat is hard and just the undercoat soft and dense. At the withers and on the croup the hair is somewhat longer. The longest coat is on the tail. Permitted colors are white, red fawn, sesame and brindle. Only white Akitas are solid, because the breed standard requires urachiro (urajiro) for the other colors. This means whitish hair on the sides of the muzzle, chin, neck, chest as well as on the ventral side of the body including the inner side of the legs. Typically, the puppies are often born with a dark stippling of the coat. Some even have a black mask. The dark hairs are lost quickly.

Image 2Japanese Akita Inu puppies sleeping

Features of the colors

White: They are not albinos, because the dogs have dark eyes and a black nose, often with small pink parts. There is a gene variant (recessive yellow) that prevents black pigment from forming in the coat. Puppies of this color have no stippling. The white is more of a