[reeskujo]

The Akita is a large spitz-type dog of Japan. The breed acquired its name after the prefecture of Akita, located on the northern part of Honshu Island. This dog was used as a hunter, guard, hearding, and fighting dog. The Akitas were introduced to the U.S. by serviceman returning from Japan after World War II.
This breed of dog is highly intelligent and unswervingly tenacious. Centuries ago, the Akita was owned only by the Shogun, the imperial leaders of the century. This dog was used to track large game and hold it at bay until the hunters arrived to make the kill. Some of the types of game the Akita tracked included antelope, elk, boar and the 800 pound Yezo bear.
The Akita has keen senses of smell, sight and hearing, making it a remarkable guard dog.
Two major setbacks occured to this breed during the late 1800's. The first, was the crossbreeding of the Akita with the Japanese fighting dog, the Tosa. This resulted in a dog of imposing size and aggression.
The second, was at the tun of the century, when Japan had a fatal outbreak of rabies with more than 3000 cases reported. Dogs both healthy and affected, were clubbed to death.
In the early 1900's two events occurred that focused positive attention on the breed. First was the story of Hachi-Ko, one of the most revered Japanese Akitas of all time. Hachi-Ko was owned by Professor Eizaburo Ueno of Tokyo. Everyday the Professor would commute to work on the the train from Shibuya Station. Hachi-Ko would accompany his master to the station each morning and meet him and accompany him home each night.
On May 25, 1925, when the dog was 18 months old, he waited for his master's arrival on the four o'clock train. But he waited in vain; Professor Ueno had suffered a fatal stroke at work. Hachi-Ko continued to wait for his master's return. He traveled to and from the station each day for the next nine years. He allowed the professor's relatives to care for him, but he never gave up his vigil at the station for his master. His vigil became world renowned, and shortly after his death, a bronze statue was erected at the train station in his honor.
Then, in 1931, the Akita was officially declared a Japanese National Monument. The Mayor of Odate City in the Akita Prefecture organized the Akita Inu Hozankai to preserve the original Akita as a national treasure through careful breeding.
The second positive event was the arrival in 1937 of Hellen Keller in Japan. She expressed keen interest in the Akita breed and was presented with the first two Akitas to enter the United States. Unfortunately, one of the dogs died at a young age, but the second dog became Ms. Keller's constant companion until his death in 1945.
World War II saw the Akita pushed to the brink of extinction. Many had been killed and eaten by the starving populace, and the pelts were used for clothing. The government ordered all remaining dogs to be killed to prevent the spread of disease. The only way that some owners could save their beloved Akitas was to turn them loose in the most remote mountain areas. It was there that the breed's keen hunting skills and hardiness helped them to survive the war years.
After World War II two main breed lines emerged, the Ichinoseki and the Dewa. The Dewa line was preferred by the American servicemen due to the dog's size and presence. This line had lost favor in Japan due to what was considered "impure" characteristics such as loose tail curl, wrinkles, loose skin, black mask and black markings.
The Ichinoski line was used to produce the Japanese Akita of today. These Akitas must have white markings - mask on face, on underside of jaw and neck, on chest and stomach, and on the undrside of tail, and on inside of legs.
The Japanese Akita is different in appearance than the American Akita. Both are beautiful, neither is better than the other. It just depends on your personal preference.
During the 1950's and 1960's the Akitas made their way into the United States. The Akita Club of America was founded in 1956. In 1973, the Akita breed was accepted into the American Kennel Club's Working

[lange]

*Recent news on Hachiko; They have found he died of cancer and worms, not because he swallowed a chicken skewer as legend had had it.

*Each year on April 8, Hachikō's devotion is honored with a solemn ceremony of remembrance at Tokyo's Shibuya railroad station. Hundreds of dog lovers often turn out to honor his memory and loyalty.

*Hachikō (Japanese for The Tale of Hachiko) the movie: Hachi-ko (1987)

*His Americanized/English movie: Hachi: A Dog's Tale (2009)

*Hachiko in childrens books:
Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog by: Pamela S. Turner
Hachiko Waits, written by Lesléa Newman

[akismaster]

I love Akitas. The only problem for me would be I have family and relatives that come over. Akitas are like chows when it comes to protecting their owner. The good solution to that is to socialize the dog as early as puppyhood.

[sarahAnd??]

Akitas are a restricted breed in Ireland...I have no idea what they did to get that spot.

[reeskujo]

Originally Posted by akismaster

I love Akitas. The only problem for me would be I have family and relatives that come over. Akitas are like chows when it comes to protecting their owner. The good solution to that is to socialize the dog as early as puppyhood.

I don't know why you would be concerned about your family or friends coming over..As long as they're people he knows and they've been socialized well they're usually not a problem with people coming to their house.The only time an Akita would act out in it's own home is if he felt threatened by someone or felt that person posed a direct threat to his family..Akita's don't go around biting people just for the heck of it..They have to have a pretty good reason to do it.

[akismaster]

Originally Posted by reeskujo

I don't know why you would be concerned about your family or friends coming over..As long as they're people he knows and they've been socialized well they're usually not a problem with people coming to their house.The only time an Akita would act out in it's own home is if he felt threatened by someone or felt that person posed a direct threat to his family..Akita's don't go around biting people just for the heck of it..They have to have a pretty good reason to do it.

Do you have an Akita? I really am intrigued with what I've been reading about the breed a year ago. Please describe the experience with your dog.

[furryfriend]

Thanks for sharing a little background on the Akita breed. I'm intrigued by the Akita. I am a renter and share part of my living space with the landlords (they have miniature daschounds). I can't really have my own dog, but if I could I would probably get a Shiba Inu; the smaller but related breed.

[reeskujo]

Originally Posted by akismaster

Do you have an Akita? I really am intrigued with what I've been reading about the breed a year ago. Please describe the experience with your dog.

I've bred and owned Akita's all of my adult life...I have to be honest and say they are not a breed for everyone..They require a firm and consistent owner and will not tolerate physical correction..They go through a testing faze every 6 months or so to try and gain rank but as long as they're reiminded of their place they come out of it...They need to be socialized and training started at the earliest age possible..Some will do great with kids others will only tolerate the kids they were raised with.They have a tendency to be same sex aggressive when it comes to other dogs and can be dog aggressive just in general.They will not tolerate children teasing them but they will willingly die to protect them.

Their guarding is instinctive and they have a very strong need to be with family both because of the company and because they feel the need to watch over them! They have a very strong prey drive and have no problem killing something smaller then they are. Most will also escape if given the chance anyway they can..While they may not attack a stranger,they are very aloof with them and watch them like a hawk...

On a good note,when they're reaised,trained,socialized and bred right you simply can't ask for a more loving and loyal friend..I will never have another breed.For me Akita's are it!!!

[lange]

Akitas also need a lot of commitment. They are not one time training kind of dogs. You also have to be very flexible with Akitas as far as your lifestyle. Be ready to change things if problems arise. At the same token they need structure & consistency in their leaders big time. They are not for the meek and they need a lot of understanding & experience. ...just wanting to throw that in. I'm sure I can go on & on for hours myself, but Ree could probably go on for weeks.

[reeskujo]

Originally Posted by lange

Akitas also need a lot of commitment. They are not one time training kind of dogs. You also have to be very flexible with Akitas as far as your lifestyle. Be ready to change things if problems arise. At the same token they need structure & consistency in their leaders big time. They are not for the meek and they need a lot of understanding & experience. ...just wanting to throw that in. I'm sure I can go on & on for hours myself, but Ree could probably go on for weeks.

LOL...Isn't that the truth!..Lange hit the nail on the head with structure and consistency and they're definitely not a breed for the meek..Training never ends with them either..It's something that must be constent and ongoing..They will take full advantage of an owner that becomes lax in keeping up on their training and will take full advantage of it which can certainly lead to problems.

[sibegirl]

hey all pls reply..due to get an akita pup tomorrow shes 13weeks only problem i have is i already have another female dog in the house shes a husky and shes 2 will the akita be o.k with her when she matures????

[lange]

You're more than likely going to run into problems. Even more if you didn't get her from a reputable breeder since byb don't usually breed with the best temperament/health in mind. The reason I think that you probably didn't get her from a good breeder is that they would have warned you about same sex issues and likely not sold her to you unless you were well experienced with situations like these. Breeders would also ask you what you will do if your Akita ever gets to the point that it doesn't get along with one of your other dogs. They usually want to know that you can live with keeping them separated by taking turns having them inside and out. Akitas need to be part of the family and so do Huskys so it's not going to be easy. Females are also said to be the most difficult when it comes to same sex aggression. The fact that they are close in age (1-2 year is close) than it's another red flag.

[reeskujo]

Lange is right on all counts..Same sex aggression is very common with Akita's and there's a high tendency for the females to be worse..You're also talking about two stubborn and dominant breeds which isn't a good mix...I agree with lange that you're going to run into problems..As a former Akita breeder I also have to concur with Lange on just how reputable the breeder is...My pups never went to homes with dogs of the same sex ad I also insisted on meeting the current dog to see if their temperament was a suitable match for that of an Akita's...Unless your Husky is extremely submissive I'd say it's a safe bet you're going to be dealing with some dog fights...I absolutely suggest you make sure they're both spayed! Akita's can cause some serious as well as fatal damage to another dog especially a smaller one in a dog fight so I would never leave them together unsupervised!