[lange]

Hi. I have a question for the Akita owners. I was wondering how often you brush your Akita for general maintenance and what you use.

[nattiej1976]

We can be a little lazy with grooming sometimes, however we hand strip Kato whilst patting him on a daily basis (when your first coat blow occurs you will know exactly what I mean by that)

we have a combination of a several brushes and combs, and you may find that over time what someone may reccomend, you find something else easier for your self, or moreso that you dog may prefer different brushes or combs. But the ones we use the most.

I have an evil looking coat stripper, It looks a nasty medievil torture device, it has a long (2 foot toothed blade that you hold in either hand and run through the coat (the handles can also be hooked up together to make it a one handed tool), it is easy to use, and strips the coat well.
(a little like this one http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgu...w=1280&bih=530)

We also have a large metal tooth comb, and a large slicker brush, the slicker brush give a nice finnish to the coat and I use it last just to boof his fur up a bit

Oh i really should add, that once your little ones coat starts its first blow, DONT have any washing on the line when you are grooming and stripping otherwise it all comes in looking like old shag pile LOL

[lange]

LOL@washing I'm already nervous about the first blow but I'll take those words of wisdom! Heck I need it!...coming from a dog that doesn't shed to one that has a full coat blow.

Do you go in that order of use as well?.. stripper, comb, slicker brush? You must have your hands full (literally) with your boy. LOL I started using a slicker brush on Kuma today, of course she kept trying to bite it the first few minutes! lol But I plan on grooming her a little every other day so she can get used to it.

OK, ONE MORE question since we're talking fur...sorry! Is it just me or are some Akitas furrier than others (long-haired aside)? I've seen some pics with non-long haired looking a little fluffy and others pretty short. Or maybe it's just me eyes playing tricks on me. :?

[nattiej1976]

There does appear to be some dramatic variances in coat length. Even Kato in comparison to other long coats is quite short coated, ive seen some with really long hair. But have never fully explored the differences.

I always use the slicker last, stripper and comb entirely depends on how we feel that day, and how Kato feels, the comb pulls and tuggs a little more, so if I have been lazy and not kept up with grooming really reguarly will start of with the stripper, but once again, your preference as you play around with it may be different to mine, I wouldnt say there is a hard set rule, just work with what is most tolerable for you both. You may not have too many problems because of the differnece in coat length, but I do find around the bum, ears and armpits can be prone to a little bit of matting, so its important if anywhere, that any loose undercoat is cleared reguarly away from these areas.

Originally Posted by lange

OK, ONE MORE question since we're talking fur...sorry! Is it just me or are some Akitas furrier than others (long-haired aside)? I've seen some pics with non-long haired looking a little fluffy and others pretty short. Or maybe it's just me eyes playing tricks on me. :?

On that one, and someone may correct me if im wrong, I have not ever really got into anysort of showing, but I understand or heard somewhere that breeds like the akita, mals and huskies, that when being showed, the owner tries to keep as much of their undercoat in rather than stripping it out. Not sure why, and not sure if this really is correct, but if so, pictures of the show dogs would certainly appear much more fluffy.

[lange]

That's an interesting observation on the show dogs, I wouldn't have thought about that. I'll be sure to pay attention to those trickier areas you mentioned when grooming. You have a lot of great information, and I really appreciate you taking the time to help me.

[reeskujo]

I use a Furminator...It's kind of expensive but a real life saver...I try and get Seigi brushed out at least once a week but two or three times a week when he's blowing his coat which he's just recently started....

Some Akita's have a thicker undercoat then others and that can be caused by the temps of wherever they live....Colder climates you'll see a thicker undercoat and warmer climates somewhat less...

They do try to keep the undercoat as much as possible as it does make the coat look fuller..

I will also tell you that adding fish oil to their diets preferably Salmon oil helps quite a bit with not only the health of their coats but how much they shed all though it does not stop them from blowing their coats twice a year.

[lange]

Hi Reeskujo. Thanks! I bought the large Furminator a few weeks ago on Amazon for $20. I just seen it's even cheaper at $15 (with shipping) through a third store seller on Amazon. They are definitely more expensive else where. I jumped on it when I seen it. Do you use the furminator even when your Akita is not blowing their coat? I'm going to look into the salmon oil today. Thanks for the tip!

I keep going back and forth on whether Kuma is a long coat or somewhere inbetween. Her breeder said she had a fuller coat but wasn't a long coat. I don't care one way or the other since I won't show her. I'm excited to see what she will look like when she's older. She's gonna LOVE the winter either way. She can't stand being out in this hot weather we're having.

[angiesample]

i personally dont have an Akita but i volunteer at the humane society near me and right now we have 3 Akita mixes... although they look full blooded, we arent allowed to say any breed is full blooded bc u never know, but i use a furminater on them and it works amazing!! I recommend the furminator for all breeds from Akita's to beagles to Chihuahua's. they work for short or long hair. Good luck!

[lange]

Thank you fellow Hoosier (And it's very nice of you to volunteer your time!)

[reeskujo]

Yes I do use the Furminator even when he's not blowing his coat because it seems to get off more of the loose hair then user some of the other brushes...The Slicker that Nattie was talking about is also a great toll to use on the breed...

You probably really won't be able to tell for sure how long your fur baby's coat is until he looses his puppy fur and gets his adult coat which won't be for quite awhile...

The breeder is probably right though as Akita puppies tend to be nothing but big fur balls when they're young.

[Yogi]

I can sympathize with your situation, be grateful you are not having to deal with a 170lbs Malamute Wolf. Trust me, being a Northwest dog, Thor's yearly blow could fill a queen size mattress when he was alive....

[lange]

She is definitely a furball. A few people have told me they thought she was fake when they seen her. I'll have to learn patience & wait and see.

I bought a comb & salmon oil (had slicker brush). I'm all set! I'm going to give my Lhasa some of the oil too and see how it works for him. I did a quick search online ealier & there are a lot of glowing reviews on the oil! I'm glad you mentioned it.

Yogi, 170lbs??? Well, in that case Akitas must be a piece of cake for you!! If you're ever in the neighborhood... LOL Do you have a photo of Thor on here? I've never heard of a Malamute with wolf.

[Lunareclipse]

I mostly use an undercoat rake for my saints. Especially when they blow thier coats, which seems to be all year long. When they blow their coats it looks like there's enough hair to make another couple of dogs. I throw it our back for the birds to make nests with.

[lange]

And a good way of recycling!