American Akita

The American Akita is often known only as the Akita. These dogs come from the mountainous regions of Japan. These dogs are a distinct breed, much different from the Akita Inu. However, in the United States and Canada, these dogs are clubbed under the same breed.

These dogs can be massive, but have balanced bodies. The skin should not be wrinkled at all when the dog is at ease. The skull is flat between the ears and broad. The jaws are powerful with very little dewlap. The head forms a blunt triangle when seen from above. The ears of these dogs are characteristic to the breed. They are strongly erect and much smaller than the rest of the head. The tip of the ear, when measured, should touch the upper eye rim. The ears are also triangular in shape, slightly rounded at the tip, wide at the base and set wide on the head without being too low.

The neck is thick and muscular, comparatively short, widening gradually towards the shoulders. The body is longer than it is high. The chest is wide and deep. The ribs are well sprung and the brisket is well developed.

Being a northern breed of dog, the American Akita’s appearance is adapted to cold weather. These dogs have thick double layered coats. Their feet are strongly knuckled and somewhat like cats’ feet. They carry their tails in a graceful upward curl above the hind part of their bodies. Adult males typically grow up to 26-28 inches and weight up to 130 pounds. Adult females can be up to 26 inches in height and between 70-100 pounds in weight.

The American Akita began to be separated from its Japanese counterpart during the mid and later 20th century. Unlike the Japanese breeders, who wanted to resurrect the Akita as a symbol of Japanese culture and tradition, the American breeders preferred a heavier, big boned dog. Some of the differences between the two varieties are that the American Akita is acceptable in any color whereas the Japanese Akita has to be fawn, brindle, red, white or sesame. American Akitas are also allowed to have black masks on their muzzles, whereas the same feature can disqualify a Japanese Akita from shows.

By temperament, American Akitas demonstrate qualities like courage, affection and dignity. They are also exceptionally alert and are useful in informing family members about the presence of guests and/or intruders. Akitas are known for their cat-like grooming habits and they are also very clean around the house. It is not uncommon at all for an Akita to clean itself after eating. However, due to their large size, these dogs can sometimes be challenging to train and may not always listen to its owner’s commands. The best way to train an Akita is to give it lots of positive reinforcement during training but not letting it become the boss.

Since the United States does not distinguish between Japanese and American Akitas, free breeding between the two types is widely accepted.