The Beautiful Akita

The Akita is a beautiful and celebrated breed. They originated in Japan and are famous for their loyalty and intelligence. They are agile and quick dogs once used to corner prey and hold them at bay. Large prey such as bears. Sadly, at a time they were even used as fighting dogs. Any Akita owner and most dog lovers know the story of the famous Akita named Hachi-ko, owned by a professor who took his Akita to the train station with him each morning to go to work and each evening the Akita hatchi-ko would be waiting for him as he got off the train. When Hachi-ko was two years old his owner had a stroke at work and never returned. Relatives took the dog in but he was determined to return to his home and to to that station to wait for his owner every day for the rest of his life, which was an additional ten years. There are actual monuments of hachi-ko the Akita in the train train station and other places in Japan in honor of this Akita's loyalty and love for his master.

These are large and impressive dogs weighing between 70 and 130 pounds. They have a thick double coat and do well in cold weather. The coats come in a large variety of colors and patterns. The coat sheds to a lighter version for warmer weather, it will shed heavily for about a month! This occurs twice a year. Bathing should be minimum, he needs those natural oils that bathing takes away for his natural waterproofing. Brushing should be done often and thoroughly to keep the coat healthy and mat free.

The Akita is very much a family member and will be very unhappy if not made to feel like one. Akita's are super protective and may be stranger aggressive but are good with children and all family members. The Akita may also display aggression towards other, same sex dogs, so adding an Akita to the family should be well thought out. Akita's are fearless and wonderful guard dogs while also being a fairly docile pet if well treated. The Akita should be treated like a child perhaps, as family, but clearly not "top dog" or he will behave dominantly towards humans even his own master and if he thinks he is is boss he can become food possessive. Not something you want in a large, powerful dog!

This breed does not need a big yard or home as long as he gets adequate exercise, which is daily walks. The Akita can be a wonderful addition to the family if they have strong firm leadership and are socialized as pups. Still though, you may not want to keep two same sex dogs together. While he is known for his protectiveness small children should not be unsupervised around this breed or any this large. Akita's just need the right family for all to thrive together.

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