Akita History and Breeder Information
By Lane Jordan
The Akita, also known as the Akita Inu or Akita-ken, is a large Japanese dog breed. They are named after Akita Precture, which is a region in Northern Japan. In Japan, the Akita is usually referred to as Akita-ken. ‘Ken’ means ‘dog’ is Japanese as does ‘inu.’ Male Akitas usually stand 24 to 28 inches tall and weight approximately 120 pounds. Females usually weigh about 100 pounds. Akitas can be black, brindle, white, fawn, or any combination or variety of these colors. Akita puppies and teens look very similar to Shiba Inus.
Originally, Akitas were bred as a hound dog to round up large game animals throughout the mountains of Japan. Like many hounds, the Akitas disposition is quite complacent and easygoing. While Akitas historically have been used as hounds, the AKC has put them in the Working Group. Akitas only bark when prompted to and are generally very quiet dogs. Relative to other large dogs, Akitas don’t require as much exercise which makes them very good house dogs.
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