(Akita Dog Breed Story at Dog Grooming!)

Akita Dog Breed Story at Dog Grooming: One of the most devoted dog breeds is the Akita. This brave and vigilant breed was bred to protect royalty and nobles in feudal Japan, and it is naturally distrustful of outsiders. Akita will always keep an eye on you and your family. This breed takes its guarding duties seriously and will usually do them with little to no training. This dog will need obedience training, or you may want to pursue guard dog training to improve its abilities. To avoid undue standoffishness or hostility, it, like other canines, will require good socialization.

The Akita, or Akita-inu in Japanese, is a big dog breed that originated in northern Japan’s hilly areas. Akita dogs are divided into two types: a Japanese strain known as Akita Inu (inu means dog in Japanese) or Japanese Akita, and an American strain known as Akita or American Akita. The Japanese strain has a limited colour palette, with all other hues being considered atypical of the breed, but the American strain has all dog colours. The Akita has a short double coat similar to that of many other northern spitz breeds like the Siberian Husky, however due to a recessive trait, long-coated dogs can be discovered in many litters.

Related article: (The Dog Breed American Bully Story at Dog Grooming!)

The Akita is a robust, independent, and dominating breed that is typically reserved around strangers yet loving towards family members. Akitas are a sturdy breed in general.

The Japanese and American strains of Akita are considered two different breeds in all nations save the United States. However, in the United States, the two strains are grouped together as a single breed with slight variances in type. For a while, the American Akita was referred to as the Great Japanese Dog in several places. The actual storey of Hachik, a devoted Akita who lived in Japan before World War II, is probably best known internationally for both varieties of Akita.

Akita Dog Breed History:

The Akita dog breed was developed in the snowy and rural plains of Odate, Akita Prefecture, in Japan’s mountainous region. They were taught to hunt elk, wild boar, and Ussuri brown bears, among other creatures. This breed was active in dog fighting in the 1600s, which was popular in Japan at the time. The Akita served as samurai companions from the 1500s through the 1800s.

The Akita was in decline in the early twentieth century as a result of crossbreeding with the German Shepherd Dog, St. Bernard, and Mastiff. As a result, many animals began to lose their spitz features and developed drop ears, straight tails, non-Japanese colour (black masks, any colour other than red, white, or brindle), and loose skin instead. To bring back the spitz phenotype and reestablish the Akita breed, a native Japanese breed known as Matagi (hunting dog) was mixed in with the remnant Akita Inu, along with the Hokkaido Inu breed.

The modern Japanese Akita has few genes from western dogs and is spitz in phenotype after the breed was reconstructed; however, the larger American breed of Akita largely descends from mixed Akita prior to the breed’s restoration, and thus American Akita are typically mixed and not considered true Akita by the Japanese standard.

During the Russo-Japanese War, the Akita was used to search down prisoners of war and missing sailors. During WWII, the Akita was mixed with German Shepherds in an attempt to preserve them from the government’s wartime mandate to eliminate all non-military dogs. During the conflict, some were utilised as scouts and guards. The American Akita’s forebears were originally a variant of the Japanese Akita, a breed that was not popular in Japan owing to its markings and was therefore not suitable for show competition.

Hachik, the most famous Akita of all time, was instrumental in propelling the Akita into the worldwide canine market. Professor Hidesabur Ueno of Tokyo owns Hachik, who was born in 1923. Professor Ueno resided in a city suburb near the Shibuya Train Station and took the train to work every day. Every day, Hachik escorted his master to and from the station. Professor Ueno suffered a fatal brain haemorrhage at work on May 25, 1925, when the dog was 18 months old, and eagerly awaited his master’s arrival on the four o’clock train. Hachik kept waiting for his master to return. For the following nine years, he commuted to and from the station every day.

He let the professor’s relatives look after him, but he never abandoned his master’s vigil at the station. His vigil was immortalised when, just before his death in 1934, a bronze monument was constructed in his honour at the Shibuya railway station. During the war, this statue was melted down for armaments, but a new one was commissioned thereafter. Hachik’s dedication has been honoured with a solemn service of commemoration at Tokyo’s Shibuya train station every year on April 8 since 1936. Hachik’s legendary fidelity eventually became a national emblem of loyalty, particularly to the Emperor’s person and institution.

The Akita was designated as a Japanese Natural Monument in 1931. The Akita Inu Hozonkai was founded by the Mayor of Odate City in Akita Prefecture in order to conserve the original Akita as a Japanese natural resource via meticulous breeding. Following the breed’s designation as a natural monument of Japan, the first Japanese breed standard for the Akita Inu was published in 1934. The Akita Dog Museum was created in 1967 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Akita Dog Preservation Society’s establishment. It houses information, records, and images. In Japan, it is customary to present a kid with an Akita figurine when they are born. This statue represents good health, happiness, and longevity.

Helen Keller visited Japan in 1937. She demonstrated a strong desire to learn more about the breed and was given the first two Akitas to reach the United States. Mr. Ogasawara gave her the first dog, Kamikaze-go, who died of distemper at the age of 7+12 months, one month after she returned to the United States. A second Akita, Kamikaze’s litter brother, Kenzan-go, was planned to be given to Miss Keller. In the mid-1940s, Kenzan-go passed away.

By 1939, a breed standard had been developed, and dog exhibitions had been organised, but as World War II broke out, such activities ceased. In the Akita Journal, Keller said, “If ever there was an angel in fur, it was Kamikaze.” I’m certain I’ll never feel the same way about another animal. The Akita dog possesses all of my favourite characteristics: he is kind, companionable, and trustworthy.

World War II drove the Akita to the verge of extinction just as the breed was stabilising in its home region. The dogs had a scarcity of nutritious food early in the war. Then many were slaughtered, their pelts used as clothes, and they were devoured by the famished inhabitants. Finally, in order to prevent the spread of illness, the government ordered that any remaining dogs be murdered on sight.

The only option for worried owners to rescue their beloved Akitas was to release them in distant mountain places, where they could breed with their ancestor dogs, the Matagi, or hide them from authorities by breeding them with German Shepherds and calling them after German Shepherds of the period. Morie Sawataishi’s efforts to breed the Akita are largely responsible for the breed’s current existence.

Through the efforts of Sawataishi and others during the occupation years following the war, the breed began to thrive again. Akitas were bred for the first time to have a uniform look. Akita enthusiasts in Japan began gathering and showing remaining Akitas, as well as breeding litters, in effort to restore the breed to sustainable numbers and to highlight the breed’s natural traits, which had been muddled by crosses with other breeds. When American troops returned home, they fell in love with the Akita and brought back a large number of them.

Akita Coat Types:

The Akita has two coat types: a conventional coat length and a long coat length. However, in the show ring, the lengthy coat is considered a flaw. The long coat, commonly known as Moku, is caused by an autosomal recessive gene that can only be seen phenotypically if both the sire and the dam are carriers. They have softer coats and longer (approximately 3-4 inches) coats, as well as gentler temperaments. This gene is thought to have originated in the now-extinct Karafuto-Ken Samurai dog.

Grooming Needs:

Akitas are a low-maintenance breed of dog. They groom themselves in the manner of a cat. It should be a simple task to groom them. They are heavy shedders, and two to three times a year they might shed more than usual. Akitas, in particular, “blow out” their coats twice a year. Brushing your teeth on a daily basis may help to alleviate this issue. Bathing is recommended every few months for this breed, however it can be done more frequently depending on the demands of each owner. Every month, their toenails should be cut, and their ears should be cleaned once a week.

Akita Dog Personality:

The Akita is known for being possessive of its property and can be reticent with strangers. It is not uncommon for an Akita to wipe its face after eating, to preen its kennel mate, and to be meticulous in the house. According to the AKC breed standard, they are known to be intolerant of other dogs of the same sex.

The Akita is not a breed for first-time dog owners since it is a huge, robust dog. Breed-specific law in various countries has designated the breed as a dangerous dog. The Akita is a huge, powerful, self-reliant, and domineering dog. A well-trained Akita should tolerate non-threatening strangers; otherwise, they will be hostile toward all strangers. They should be nice with children as a breed; it is stated that the breed has a special affinity for them. Akitas do not all have the same disposition.

Because Akitas are reactive to other dogs, caution should be exercised in settings where Akitas are likely to be around other dogs, particularly unknown ones. Akitas, in particular, are less tolerant to dogs of the same gender. As a result, unless well-socialized, Akitas are often unsuitable for off-leash dog parks. It requires a confident, persistent handler since it is sometimes spontaneous, and without it, the dog will be highly willful and may become violent to other dogs and animals.

Health Issues:

Autoimmune disorders:

The Akita is known to suffer from a variety of autoimmune diseases. Among them include, but are not limited to:

• Uveo-Dermatologic Syndrome, commonly known as Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada syndrome, is an auto-immune disorder that affects the skin and eyes.
• Autoimmune hemolytic anaemia, a kind of autoimmune anaemia.
• Autosomal recessive inheritance is thought to be the cause of sebaceous adenitis, an autoimmune skin condition.
• Pemphigus foliaceus is an autoimmune skin condition that is thought to be hereditary.
• Lupus, also known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is a systemic autoimmune illness (also known as an autoimmune connective tissue disease) that can affect any area of the body.