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The American Akita is a dog breed from Japan. It is not
identical with the Akita Inu ("Japanese" Akita).
Note that in 2006 the FCI-designation Great Japanese Dog was
officially changed to American Akita.
The breed stands 24 to 28 inches at the withers (60 to 71
cm). Females weigh anywhere from 70-110 pounds. Males are
85-130 pounds. The Japanese Akitas comes in only four colours:
Red Fawn, Sesame (red fawn hairs with black tips) Brindle and
White. All except white must have whitish hair on the sides of
the muzzle, on the cheeks, the neck, chest, body and tail. The
Pinto color is not accepted as a Japanese Akita color, but
only as an American Akita color.
In the U.S., however, some breeders still mix the original
Japanese type with the heavier American type, which is larger,
shorter in fur, and allows more colors. This is not the same
Akita as the Japanese Akita. In fact, these two types are
nowadays different breeds. The original Akita Inu is now
simply called Akita, the American type is called American
Akita or Great Japanese Dog (GJD).Akitas are very strong but
not wild.
Although the American Kennel Club has put the Akita in the
Working Group, the Akita was historically used as a hound to
run large game, such as bears, in the mountainous areas of
Japan. Anyone who has had hounds will recognise that group's
very laid back, easygoing temperament in this breed.
Despite their enormous size, they are excellent house dogs.
They require only a moderate amount of exercise. Akitas are
known to be very quiet dogs, only barking "when there is
something to bark about".
The two most outstanding characteristics of the Akita as a
house pet are that they are very clean and that they are very
easy to house break. Akitas have been described as almost
"cat-like," they are so clean and odorless. This may
also be one of the reasons why they housebreak so easily. Most
Akitas respond so well to housebreaking that they are trained
in a matter of weeks, although it may take longer if other
"slower learning" dogs are present.
As far as the family children are concerned, there are few
worries. Akitas are devoted, patient friends and protectors of
children. Akitas are typically very gentle with children, and
it is said that Japanese mothers often left their children
with only the Akitas to watch over and protect them. Remember,
however, that young children should never be left unattended
with a pet. When raised indoors with children, they can be
excellent companions.
Left unattended in the backyard or in a kennel, they tend
to develop "personality" problems and become very
destructive to the yard, which is due to boredom. They are
highly pack oriented, thus, isolating them from the pack
(i.e., the owner) causes them great stress.
Akitas tend to be stubborn and require a firm but loving
education where "no" always means "no" and
never "whatever".
While not aggressive to humans, Akitas have been known to
attack, and sometimes kill, other dogs. Two males can easily
get violent with each other if given the chance, which is why
most breeders keep their studs separate. The same is true for
females, although they tend to be more tolerant towards other
females. The Akita is a dominant dog who expects other dogs to
be submissive. If they fail to live up to the Akita's
expectations, incidents can happen. The Akita is not a
dangerous dog but their sociability with other dogs should be
handled with caution.
Akitas have a high and well-developed prey drive,
particularly to small animals, including cats. An Akita is not
likely to shower affection on someone that is not a member of
his family or a close friend that he sees frequently, and can
be extremely aloof.
The loyalty and devotion displayed by an Akita is
phenomenal. The typical pet Akita will follow you from room to
room, yet has the uncanny ability not to be underfoot. Your
Akita lives his life as if his only purpose is to protect you
and spend time with you. This trait is evident in the tale of
Hachiko.
Health: Some of the health conditions known to
affect this breed include:
Canine herpesvirus, a strain of the Herpes virus that
happens to affect canines
Gastric dilatation volvulus (GDV), a condition
associated with bloat;
Pemphigus, which causes the autoimmune system to attack
the dog's skin (leading to pustules)
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), an adult-onset
condition which gradual degeneration in the eye cells
(i.e. rods & cones)
UveoDermatological Syndrome (UDS), known as
Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease in humans
Sebaceous adenitis, an autoimmune condition which
attacks and destroys the dog's sebaceous glands
History: The Akita's ancestors were dogs used by
matagi for hunting. These dogs, usually called matagi inu,
were not as large as modern Akita dogs.
Edo Period: In the Edo Period, Dewa Province
(present-day Akita prefecture) was ruled by the Satake clan.
Since the Satake were tozama daimyo (considered potentially
rebellious), they received severe restrictions by the Tokugawa
Shogunate in all military areas. The clan decided to encourage
dog fighting around 1630 in order to make it possible for the
samurai to retain their aggressive edge in a way that would
not offend the shogunate. Dog fighting became especially
popular in the Odate area. Dog fighting enthusiasts in the
area began to interbreed matagi inu with dogs indigenious to
the area. These dogs, which later turned into the Akita, were
called Odate inu at that time.
Before World War II: After the Meiji Restoration,
people began to breed Akita with many dogs from other regions
in Japan, such as the Tosa. The Meiji Restoration also ended
Japan's closed door policy, and large, western dogs began to
enter Japan. As a result, Akita were also bred with German
Shepherds, Great Danes, and Mastiffs. This resulted in the
breed losing many of its spitz-like characteristics. Akita
were later bred with Hokkaido and Karafuto dogs, which were
introduced to mainland Japan after the First Sino-Japanese
War.
In the Taisho Period, people such as the mayor of Odate
Town began a movement to preserve the Akita breed. By this
time, the Akita had began to turn into a mixed breed as a
result of excessive breeding with other dogs. Watase
Shozaburo, a Japanese zoologist that successfully proposed the
Law for Protection of Natural Monuments also worked towards
preserving the Akita breed. As a result, the Akitainu
Introduction Foundation was created in May 1927 by the mayor
of Odate, and nine Akita dogs were designated as natural
monuments in 1931.
In 1932, the faithful Akita dog Hachiko was featured in an
article in the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, which contributed to
the popularity of the breed. When Helen Keller visited Akita
prefecture in 1937, she expressed that she would like to have
an Akita dog. An Akita called Kamikaze-go was given to her
within a month. When Kamikaze-go later died because of canine
distemper, his brother, Kenzan-go, was promptly sent to her.
By 1938 a breed standard had been established and dog shows
had been held, but such activities stopped after World War II
began.
The War and the Aftermath: During World War II, the
number of Akita dogs greatly diminished because of the lack of
food. There were also orders to capture all dogs except German
shepherds, in order to use their fur for warm army uniforms.
Many people bred Akitas with shepherds to avoid capture. When
the war ended in 1945, there were fewer than twenty purebred
Akita dogs in Japan.
However, the Akita became quite popular during the postwar
period. Many occupation soldiers liked the Akita, because it
was by far the largest Japanese dog. The fact that Helen
Keller had an Akita also became well-known when she came to
Japan in 1948 and thanked people in Akita for the dogs she was
given. Most of the Akita dogs at this time had many German
Shepherd-like characteristics. These dogs are currently known
as Dewa line, or Dewa type Akitas.
On the other hand, the Akitainu Introduction Foundation was
breeding the remaining purebred Akitas in order to omit
western dog characteristics and make the breed closer to the
original matagi inu. Their efforts created the Ichinoseki
line, or Ichinoseki type Akitas, which became recognized as
the mainline in Japan by 1955. Although Dewa line Akitas are
now rarely seen in Japan, they achieved popularity outside
Japan through occupation soldiers who took them back from
Japan. The Japan Kennel Club and the FCI consider Dewa line
Akitas to be a separate breed, called the Great Japanese Dog
or the American Akita.
Miscellaneous:
Recent DNA analysis confirms that this is one of the
most primitive breeds of dog.
Perhaps the most famous Akita is Hachiko, a dog
remembered in Japan for his loyalty. When his owner died,
Hachiko returned to the train station every day for the
rest of his life to wait for him. A life-size statue of
Hachiko still stands at Shibuya Station.
Many manga titles by Takahashi Yoshihiro feature Akita
dogs as the main character. These include Gin of Ginga:
Nagareboshi Gin and Weed of Ginga Densetsu Weed.
This is said to be because Takahashi Yoshihiro was born in
Akita Prefecture.
The title character in the anime and manga animated
series InuYasha, along with his brother and father,
are said to be Akita yōkai. A yōkai is a
mythical Japanese creature that is said to take human
form. InuYasha himself is technically a hanyō,
a mythical half-human, half-yōkai.
Lead singer of Disturbed, David Draiman, lives alone
with his dog Lisa, a Japanese Akita.
In the rock opera RENT, Angel gets paid $1,000 to get
rid of a wealthy woman's neighbor's Akita, Evita. Later
on, it becomes clear that Evita's owner was Benny, the
despised landlord of the group of friends.
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