All About the American Akita Dog - Akita 101

[@SteDon-xb1tp]

I owened an American Akita and it was a pleasure to own. She was a very large bitch, more like a male dog in size but she was obedient and never ever showed any aggression to my family and loyal especially to me, yet she was aloof to strangers and had a fantastic loud bark when people knocked on the door fantastic dog, but she did not like other dogs. She was exactly how the man in this video explains the breed. I did spend a lot of time training her when she was a pup that paid dividends and every dog owner should train their dog regardless of breed.

[@sledhead66krt56]

I have a 2 1/2 year old male American Akita named Saki. I am an experienced dog owner who has traditionally owned Labrador Retrievers in the past. Your comments on the demeanour of the Akitas is spot on. My Akita is particularly loyal to me as I spend more time with him than I do with anyone else. He is very protective of me and our family but also very affectionate with all of us. I have loved every dog I’ve ever owned but this guy has a particular special bond with me that I’ve never experienced with previous dogs, he is truly an amazing dog. I agree that you should not get one unless you’re committed to putting the work in to train them and give them a home that they deserve.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

They absolutely are special. Thanks for the comment!

[@johnpapas3371]

May ask how many puppies the do the Akita. ?

[@GetFitwithDogs]

Thanks for the comment! The average Akita litter is 5-8 pups.

[@zeusricochant7357]

My Akita is super chilled and super ripped for some reason. Yeah alot of other dogs feel intimidated i feel

[@GetFitwithDogs]

Thank you for the comment! Hopefully you like some of the other Akita videos I have made. I intend to do a lot more as well. I think that since the Akita is a large, powerful, and confident dog that it makes a lot of other dogs feel threatened or unsure. The Akita tends to stand very proudly and confidently, with their curled tail sitting up - which an upright tail is a signal of a dominant state of mind. Dogs can respond to those signals negatively and fearfully.

[@gregoryelliott8521]

Thank you for this video, I am thinking about getting a American Akita in the near future because I am in my own home now instead of an apartment. Thanks again..

[@GetFitwithDogs]

You're welcome! I love this breed, but they tend to require a bit of isolation from other dogs. Early on its fine, but as they age they become very intolerant. They CAN be around other dogs, but only very particular dogs who will not challenge them or assert themselves around the Akita. Not all Akitas are like this, but most are. Plus, with them being big and powerful, if anything happens they will likely be blamed. Always something to think about.

[@a.c.6475]

Hmm!...good info, I myself am looking to purchase one in the future. Question...when he was a puppy did you have to deal with food aggression towards you or other family members? If so, how did you mitigate the situation?

[@GetFitwithDogs]

Not towards humans. At 5 months he began challenging his sister over food, though. I fixed this by claiming the food myself. I would not allow them near the food as I prepared it. The one that was waiting patiently farthest away would get invited to eat first, and only when they were relaxed and calm. Then, I would practice claiming the food from them mid-meal by stepping over their bowl and they would back up and sit down. I could then pick the food up and set it back down. I would wait for them to give me eye contact before allowing them to resume eating.

[@enriquerojas9758]

Did you know the breed was named in Mexico 🇲🇽? After the Japanese tried to keep the name “Akita” only for the Japanese line (Ichinoseki), the American line (Dewa) was named as “Great Japanese Dog”; finally it received the name “American Akita” in Mexico.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

That's very interesting! Thanks for the comment!

[@alexhaplau-colan5414]

He's your 3 years old kid for the rest of his life, or yours. Everything you say is true. My Marcel, died at 18 , in my hands, he was my child. Never want to go through this again. He loved snow, and yes, he shed a lot, he didn't smell or bark, not even my wife could get close to me, is a dog that needs large spaces, try not to get him close to other big males. He will never attack a female, and the small dogs, he'll just ignore them.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your Akita. I know I'm going to be devastated when my boy goes, but I think I would get another pup when it does. The pain of loss is terrible, but emptiness seems like it would be worse. While no dog will ever replace Kinjo, I know I can still love another dog and would want to.

[@m.d.d.3051]

My Tomo is 8-1/2 years old. I agree with everything you say here. DON'T get an Akita if you think a dog exists to please you. And yes, I take my dog out for a walk, and I continue to be amazed at how many dogs react to him. Other than some Rotties, he couldn't care less.

[@solisdruid8442]

Akitas bond so heavily. I've had 2. They are amazing, but they take work.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

You are absolutely correct! Thank you for the comment. I love this breed, but it does take a LOT of know-how and effort to get them to a state of mind where you can do a lot of things in public with them if there's going to be strangers and dogs around.

[@solisdruid8442]

@@GetFitwithDogs It's very hard to get them to chill put and not spaz out when there is a lot of stimuli.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

Absolutely! Just this morning I sat on my front porch with both of my Akitas on a line while I drank coffee. My male, Kinjo, was calm and chill. My female. Yuki, was not being chill. A neighbor walked their dog nearby and Yuki ran to the end of her line and stared the dog down. This energy from her amped up Kinjo - who was chill - and he ran to the end of the line with her. In her excited state, she redirected her energy on Kinjo. He's a big boy, so he shrugged off her redirected bites (like a correction bite, not a fight bite), but that told me right there that she needs a lot of work. I'm getting ready to take them out to a public place and work on her specifically. Since Kinjo and I are so close, he has received the majority of my attention. That neglect needs to end, and Yuki needs a lot of work. The serious work begins today!

[@solisdruid8442]

@GetFitwithDogs It's good that you are aware of that. I failed with my female Akita. It's a long story. She unfortunately got cancer years ago and had to let her go. I chose not to train anymore about a year after that.

[@solisdruid8442]

@GetFitwithDogs my house was robbed when the female was only about 2/3, and she really wasn't the same since. I had her confined to half the house. Break-in was the other half. I worked really hard with her, but no matter what, she was super territorial over us and the house from the on. To the point of her not liking people even walking past the house. I worked with primates for about 2 more years after that as we as other species, but the 2008 crash took the wind out of my sails. I want a Malinois badly, but I don't have the tone to train one. I figure that will be my retirement gift to myself in however many more decades it takes to get there. Cabin and a dog living in the woods sounds amazing.

[@901pics]

My was a fawn female about 80 pounds... incredible dog. Best dog ever until I found a 7 week old boxer mix... but Kitsume was simply an amazing dog. She protected my wife when I was gone. She used to wait for me in the window. Never barked unless there was something to park at....stubborn but smart too.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

Thank you for the comment! I just uploaded a new video about the Akita guarding instincts. Check it out!

[@dom-kennedyharris148]

Great video man. Keep them coming. I love my Akita like a son.

[@rickytalton1914]

Same here, he looks at me how we look at a baby with love, like he adores me

[@rf8481]

Own two American Akitas in St Louis County. Mine are a 130 LBS unaltered Male and 105 LBS Female. I walk mine everyday around Clayton, Ladue, U City but I don't do the long hikes that you do at parks all over the region as I hate driving on crowded roads and I like to keep it local in case it is too hot or too cold, I can get home in 15 minutes. My male likes car rides but the female really does not enjoy them plus they are giant sized dogs so it is easier to just walk them locally. Other dogs often are intimidated by them and they often react with fear based aggression which of course triggers the Akitas who view their exclusive territory as wherever they happen to be at any given moment so yes they are hyper-territorial and extremely intolerant of any dog that challenges them. You are spot on in regard to these dogs being ready to fight on sight and they like to fight so they definitely need to be leashed around other dogs and they are not doggy day care or dog park eligible dogs. But if you have coyotes, these dogs will run them down and rip them up if they get loose. Massive prey drive is an understatement, as these dogs love to fight, hunt and guard and they are really good at all three. They also hunt like cats and very stealthy and will ambush prey. They are indeed very much like cats - very clean and odorless unless very wet. Wonderful gorgeous movie star looks but they are mostly introverts and generally don't want to be mobbed by strange people. Very intelligent dogs as in they are like trained bears who are very self-directed to have their human feed them, walk them, and pet them. They are incredibly vocal when playing but often their play sounds like a dog fight and when they fight, they often make no noise and simply go at it. Very powerful dogs as in they can literally tear your rotator cuff if they wanted to when leashed. Wonderful dogs but not for marshmellows as these dogs are canine commandos and need to be treated with discretion and respect at all times because these dogs can do immense damage in seconds in the wrong circumstances. Really only get along with opposite sex pairings so while I have seen people with 4 Akitas in the same home, most people can only manage 2 at a time unless they want WW III and can separate their home with gates to keep the dogs apart. Definitely the wrong dogs for 97 percent of people who cannot commit totally to responsible ownership and put in the work socializing the dogs. Socialization only takes the edge off these dogs, it never removes the instincts to fight, hunt and guard so you always have to maintain situational awareness with these dogs. Until you wrestle one and try to break up a fight, you really cannot imagine how powerful these dogs are and how much stamina they have. You really need to be a Division I collegiate wrestler to safely handle dogs like these.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

Thanks for the reply! All of your words are spot on! The breed-typical behavior is exactly like that. While there are exceptions, an Akita owner can expect all of those things. My male (Kinjo) and my female (Yuki) both share many of the same Akita traits, their differences in personality manifest those traits a bit differently. Kinjo used to be the most intolerant dog, but hard work has calmed him down to where Yuki is more of the concern. We have several other dogs on the street. Multiple Labs, a Golden Retriever, a Doberman, a Herman Short-haired Pointer, and a bunch of small dogs. Kinjo is fine around all of them except the Retriever who is an unaltered male like him, and a small mutt that has very weak energy owners so their 18 lbs dog feels it has to be boss dog to compensate. If left alone, Kinjo would maul these two. However, the others, he's fine with. So long as no one throws a treat between them. Yuki, on the other hand, isn't looking to fight the neighbor dogs, but she wants to control and subjugate all of them. Meaning, she will bite and pin down even dogs she knows well. She doesn't take it further, she just wants to let them know she's Queen B. The problem with this is that no neighbor wants to see their dog get a bite and a pin by my dog, so even if it's just really harsh communication from her it still - to the untrained eye - looks like she's trying to fight them. I'm not saying what she does is acceptable, just that her behavior makes it more difficult to manage her being around most dogs. Kinjo is capable of doing a lot worse than her, but if a dog is chill and ignoring him, he ignores it. It's when the dog challenges him like the Retriever or the little mutt next door that Kinjo has more issues. Thr neighbors would never understand either, because to them Kinjo is the one who wants to fight. They don't realize that their dog's are participating in the situation with hard stares or assertive body language - which Kinjo reads as a challenge or threat to him. I agree about the 97% thing. I really don't recommend these dogs. I've worked so hard on mine that they're very chill most of the time. Even in public, if we're sitting at a picnic table my dogs are just laying down at our feet and so mellow. When I tell people they're not an easy dog breed they look at me like I'm crazy because they're just so calm and chill. I have to tell them that this was achieved through a lot of work and that another dog or a weird person can set them off to where they go from 0 to 100. My two aren't fond of car rides, but they do get excited about going to a new place and to walk. I took Kinjo with me to Colorado Springs, which is 13 hours. We did camp overnight 7 hours in, so it wasn't a straight shot. He did good though.

[@rf8481]

@@GetFitwithDogs Indeed, a 130 LBS American Akita biting the back of the neck of a neighbor's rowdy dog and pinning it is just not going to go over very well with the neighbors who will see that kind of thing as an attempted murder rather than the social correction it was!! My male is like that but my female who is very sweet and playful is absolutely vicious around strange dogs and she will always want to rumble whereas the male will ignore most dogs which do not challenge him. Not something you can socialize out of them and God help anyone who tries to bring a new dog or cat into a home that the Akitas were not raised with from when they were puppies. These dogs are typically not good around pet rabbits, pet chinchillas or guinea pigs either so it is best to have plenty of gates and closed doors if you have multiple pets in the home. They are generally fine with cats they were raised with, but new cats, well, the cats might as well be wild rats as far as these dogs are concerned. Same with dog sitting chihuahuas for relatives - cannot let them share space as it would be a massacre. My male played well with other dogs until he hit about 2 years of age at which point he was still filling out and weighed about 125 LBS at which point he kind of instantly toggled into a much more territorial and dog aggressive beast. So they can become intolerant even of dogs they once played with and were raised with especially if the dog is unaltered and the same sex. All Akitas view themselves at the alpha - very Chow Chow like in that respect. The fighting instinct is very strong in the breed and what's worse, is that they seem to enjoy fighting and they are incredibly explosive as in they will as you stated go from zero to 100 in 2 seconds or less when triggered. My female does not go for walks, she goes on combat patrols and is always on point. The male thankfully is less dog aggressive and is more interested in marking territory. I love American Akitas, but they are just terrible with strange animals. Other than that, they are very chill dogs who almost never bark. I never heard my male bark until he was about 1.5 when some guy was getting out of a dump truck too quickly, the dog barked and it was like a lion roaring - very impressive. Yet my female will bark at strange humans while my male generally wants to say hello and get petted..so yes each dog is an individual and breed specific traits manifest differently in each dog. I owned chow chows before Akitas and Akitas are healthier, longer lived and smarter and less stubborn but equally crazy when it comes to dog intolerance and hyper-territoriality. Anyone who owns one of these dogs will tell you that they got surprised and horrified at least once when they were not paying attention and the dog redzones. Once you witness the explosive ferocity of an full grown American Akita, it is shock and awe and why most sane owners avoid dog parks, beaches and off-leash dogs because it only takes 2 seconds for an American Akita to grab another dog by the back of the neck and toss a large dog around like a rag doll. These dogs are like NFL linebackers and many owners underestimate the danger until they experience the dog red zone and then they don't know whether to be afraid of the dog or angry at themselves for permitting the dog to be in a bad circumstance. Many of these dogs need social distance and are not pack dogs. Once you experience the dog do an imitation of a tiger/grizzly bear, you never let your guard down again.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

About that barking.... My female almost never barks. She only does in two situations. One is when she is trying to convince my male to play - and he does not play much. The second is when she sees my male outside on his line and recognizes his body language change the way it does when he sees another dog. My male, on the other hand, barks a LOT for an Akita. Not German Shepherd levels, but if he sees or hears someone outside he leaps up, rushing to investigate as he barks repeatedly. His bark shakes your soul, as I always say.

[@kmsch986]

I had acreage and have owned two Akitas . Both ate raccoons, possums and sadly neighbors cats if they left them as outdoor cats. I told them not to let them be loose in my yard, but they didn’t listen. I reported it to local animal control and they said it was cat owners fault not mine since they were on my property, but didn’t make it easier. Super loyal, protected me. When I moved to the city two neighbors had home invasions and me, as single woman didn’t. Police told me it was bc of my dog. Loved them but as I have aged switched to smaller easier to handle dogs.

[@hazelsiazon07]

Ahh your Akita is so adorable. My Akita name is Kenzo. He’s been with me since he was 12 weeks. He is now 8months old (still a baby). So VERY PROUD to be his owner. Please do more of your videos! What you said in your video are all very relatable & 100% facts.!

[@alexhaplau-colan5414]

Michael, is NOT a dog, is your child, I'm old now, I will never have another dog again, I don't want to die before him.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

I dread the day.

[@voodoochild6741]

American Akita . One of the best dogs I ever had. I will probably get one again in the near future.

[@dansturman835]

I hope this video receives lots of views as you did a great job discussing the Akita and it's challenges and perks of owning one. Since my adult hood I've owned nothing but Akitas on my 4th. Would never own another breed. I will add that if people watch and do additional research and decide to become an Akita owner to continue to do research on who they will purchase from.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

I appreciate that! I'm not used to blabbering into a mic, and as I was doing it I felt like I said so much and should wrap it up. But then when I went back and listened to it, I thought of about 50 other things I wanted to say. The Akita truly is a remarkable breed of dog. I was gone for 2 days on a sporting event trip and just got home 45 min ago. My Akitas have been at my side and feet since I got home, just staring at me. They were excited at first but once they calmed down, now they're just sitting here gazing at me. Love these dogs.

[@Jay_dee915]

I love my American 🇺🇸 Akitas 🐾

[@BigOldScout]

I disagree with people claiming the Japanese Akita is 'purebred' and the American Akita is not. I've read two books on the subject, most notably Dog Man. Also, I wish I could remember the name of the video, but one on Japanese Akitas said the American and Japanese breeders simply went in different directions. Going back to the books I've read, they all claim there were fewer than two dozen Akitas in Japan after the war. So, the Japanese Akita, though a lovely dog, is just as mixed as the American Akita.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

I've heard this once before, so perhaps you're right. What I've been told, after WW2 the Japanese decided to save the Akita by breeding it back towards the more traditional standards. At the time, there were two lineages of Akita in Japan. The larger one (now known as the American Akita) was mixed bred for dogfighting purposes. Mastiff and Tosa lines had been bred into the Akita line to enhance their dogfighting capabilities. I don't know if that's true, but it does make sense considering that the American line is bigger, stronger, and certainly has the non-Japanese look to them when compared to so many of their other Spitz dogs. The Akita Inu, however, certainly has a very distinctive Japanese Spitz look. That, too, seems to fit what I was told. However, who knows for sure? I'd love to find the authoritative history on the lineage of these dogs and have it settled once and for all.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

I'm not removing your reply. If it's not appearing then you're probably copy & pasting or sharing links that KZbin is not allowing to appear. It's happened to me before.

[@BigOldScout]

@@GetFitwithDogs Thanks for the reply. I was trying to point out a page that showed the original dogs named Ichinosekitora-go and Goromaru-Go. The second, Goromaru-Go, looks a lot like my American Akita. Doing a simple search will show them. Also, the best book of the three I’ve read on the subject is Dog Man, An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain by Martha Sherrill. Also, a Japanese Akita breeder named Steven Takamatsu of Akitainu Hozonkai North America mentioned in a video he has about Japanese Akitas that American and Japanese breeders weren't able to communicate the way they do today, which led to the difference you see. He said the Japanese were breeding the non-Akita (German Shepherd and Mastiff) out. I would say you can't remove what is already there, but you can, through selective breeding, end with something that looks different. It's the saying that American Akitas are mixed and Japanese are pure, which I can't agree with. In the end, as I've worked with my neighbor's four Japanese Akitas, the American and Japanese breeds of Akita are lovely dogs, and a person is blessed to have one.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

Thank you for the information and leads. I want to be clear that in the video I mentioned that the Akita Inu was the Japanese attempt to breed the Akita back towards a more pure lineage. My wording may not be perfect here, but keep in mind that I didn't read a script, I just pressed record and began talking. I agree with you that you cannot breed out the mixed blood that is already there, but you can use selective breeding to get a desired look or traits. That's more of what I was meaning when I said that after WW2 the Japanese began breeding back to a more pure lineage. Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that the Akita was nearly wiped out during WW2 with only a small number remaining. Many Akitas were mixed with GSD to save them since the GSD wasn't being killed off like the Akita was. This led to a dog that had deviated from what it was. That's when efforts were made to get the Akita back to a more pure Japanese dog. I want to repeat that I agree that you can't breed out what is already there, so I don't want to get hung up on the choice of the word "pure". It was the traits and appearance that was being purified, whereas the American Akita did not undergo this process. If that's incorrect, I'm happy to hear more. I'll look up your sources since KZbin is not allowing you to post links. Thanks.

[@BigOldScout]

@@GetFitwithDogs My goal is simply at the wording that has had people telling me that the American Akita isn't a real Akita because many videos said "Pure." I also disagree with another video that says the original Hatchi looks like an American Akita and not a Japanese. The pictures I've seen, I would say he looks like neither of them. Though Hellen Kellers Akitas do look closer to the American Akita, but neither of her's had any off-spring. It is true that in accordance to two of the books I've read and a web site I tried so reference here, there were less than 20 in Japan after WW2. On the record, for an unscripted video, I thought it was very good.

[@MonteraChristian]

I love them they are the best I've ever had

[@hash0121]

I’ve got one rn and she’s a hand full for anyone trying to train an Akita pup just know it will take time and a lot of patience but it will pay off in the end don’t give up

[@partista77]

Loved the phrase: they just don't care.... 😂😂😂😂😂 Translated... They will ignore you until u do something Wrong . 😂😂😂😂

[@GS-in8zf]

dosent do much does it?

[@rickytalton1914]

Only royal families could own, and they left them to watch babies also, they almost went extinct, and aufomaticly are guard dogs and take guarding very serious, samarui warriors kept them as well, Akita is a mountainous are in Japan that is osolated from society = mountain dog having a lot of wolf like traits, and wild animal characferistics, and ifs a diffrent dog outside than inside

[@karenklein6069]

Love my Shayna. Female 1 year old. Favorite thing she loves to do is ging for rides in the car

[@DAdamTrammell]

You forgot to mention one of the best things, the head tilt. Your pup gave an excellent demonstration when he heard his name, lol. Good video, but your history is a little off. Look at a picture of Hachiko, he has the bear shaped head, and that's before WWII. Look at the eyes of Helen Keller' Kamikaze-Go. It's not that JA's are more pure than AA's, is just two different attempts to revive the breed after the war.

[@GetFitwithDogs]

Thanks for the info! My understanding is that the Akita was nearly extinct after WW2, with many having had German Shepherd bred into them to pass them off as service dogs during the war to save them. That line is more the American Akita line, whereas the Akita Inu project was to not go that direction and to get the Akita to be distinctly more Japanese, more like the Shiba Inu in appearance and not a mixed breed look like the American Akita. Thanks for commenting!