American Akita

The American Akita, often called simply Akita, is a dog breed from the mountainous northern regions of Japan. The American Akita is considered a separate dog breed from the Akita Inu (Japanese Akita) in many countries around the world, with the notable exceptions of the United States and Canada. In the US and Canada, both the American Akita and the Akita Inu are considered a single breed with differences in type rather than two separate breeds.

American Akita Appearance

The appearance of American Akita reflects cold weather adaptations essential to their original function. The American Akita is a substantial dog breed for its height with heavy bone. Characteristic physical traits of the dog breed include a large, bear-like head with erect, triangular ears set at a slight angle following the arch of the neck. Additionally, the eyes of the Akita are small, dark, deeply set and triangular in shape. American Akita have thick double coats, and tight, well knuckled cat feet. Their tails are carried over the top of the back in a graceful sweep down the loin, into a gentle curl, or into a double curl. All colors are permitted by the AKC Akita Breed Standard, and Pinto markings are also permitted.

Mature males measure typically 26-28 inches (66-71 cm) at the withers and weigh between 100-130 lb (45–59 kg). Mature females typically measure 24-26 inches (61-66 cm) and weigh between 70-100 lb (32–45 kg).

Recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1973, the American Akita is a rather new dog breed in the United States. It has grown steadily in popularity, in part because of its extraordinary appearance and in part because of its captivating personality.

American Akita Temperament

The American Akita today is a unique combination of dignity, courage, alertness, and devotion to its family. It is extraordinarily affectionate and loyal with family and friends, territorial about its property, and can be reserved with strangers. The American Akita

is feline in its actions; it is not unusual for an Akita to clean its face after eating, to preen its kennel mate, and to be fastidious in the house.

Because it is a large, powerful dog, The American Akita is certainly not a breed for everyone. Their background gives them a strong independent streak that can make Akitas unreliable off-lead and more challenging in obedience activities. The The American Akita thrives on the love and respect of its master and, with constant reinforcement training and a little creativity, can be a very good worker.

The The American Akita was never bred to live or work in groups like many hound and sporting dog breeds. Instead, they lived and worked alone or in pairs, a preference reflected today. Akitas tend to take a socially dominant role with other dogs, and thus caution must be used in situations when Akitas are likely to be around other dogs, especially unfamiliar ones. In particular, The American Akita tend to be less tolerant of dogs of the same sex. For this reason, Akitas, unless properly socialized, are not generally well-suited for off-leash dog parks. The Akita is docile, intelligent, courageous and fearless, careful and very affectionate with its family. Sometimes spontaneous, it needs a firm, confident, consistent pack leader, without which the dog will be very willful and may become very aggressive to other dogs and animals.

There are many pluses to owning an Akita. They are excellent watchdogs, although they do not bark unless something is amiss. The American Akita are generally easy to housebreak. They require moderate exercise and need to receive daily walks. They do not eat large quantities of food. They have quirks which they reserve strictly for those they trust.