American Akita - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin

They might be named American, but their origin is in Japan, where they were bred to guard, hunt and sometimes herd. The first Akitas were brought to the USA in the 1930s by Helen Keller. She visited the Japan and fall in love with the breed immediatelly. After that, the American and Japanese Akita began to diverge.

2) Snow Lovers

If you ever owned an American Akita, you probably noticed, that they are more active when there is colder outside. They could stay outside all day long when its snowing. They are known for eating the snow and for rolling in it.

3) Two Akitas

There are still many people who believe that the American Akita and the Akita Inu are only varieties of the same breed. But that is not true and even though they share the same ancestors and you can find many similarities in them, they are two completely separated breeds. The main difference would be, that the American Akita is larger and heavier than the Akita Inu. The American Akita can also be in almost any color, the Japanese Akita can only be in red, white, or brindle.

4) Webbed toes

The American Akitas have webbed toes, which help them to walk on snow easily. It is because the webbed toes distribute the weight effectively. And even though most dogs do not practically use their dewcalws, the American Akita is known for using the front dewclaws as icy picks to climb out of icy water.

5) Other dogs

The American Akitas were never bred to live in a pack, so they can be agressive towards other dogs, but if they are socialized from the puppy, they could live with other dogs in the house. But it is very likely, that they will try to be the top, or alpha dog in the group.

6) Calm protectors

When the American Akita is with its family, they are calm, loving, affectionate and loyal. But they are also very territorial and protective. They are not big barkers, but when there is something susspicious around the house, they will let you know, which makes them amazing watchdogs.

7) Clean dogs

American Akitas are very clean dogs. I would say they are almost cat like in this area, because they will groom themselves without any help. They are very low maintance, but there is one exception, which is shedding. Oh yes, they do shed a lot. If you want to minimize the shedding, you should brush their coat daily.

8) Poker face

When you will meet almost any other breed than Akita, you can see signs of agression or stress in their face. They might bare the teeth or growl. But this is not true with Akita, they do not sign anything on them before the attack. Akitas will never show any sign that it’s about to attack and will just do it. It is important to be aware of it and you should always supervise your American Akita when they are playing with other dogs.

9) Family member

The American Akitas look like typical outdoor dog, but they will be very happy if they can live indoors with their people. And even though it is true they might be agressive towards other dogs, they are extremely loyal to their family. The children are no problem as well, at least, when they are little bit older and they know how to act towards dogs. Be prepared that the American Akita will follow you from one room to another and they will want to spend a lot of time with you. Another big advantage why they are great for living indoor is, that the housebreaking process is very easy with the American Akita.

10) Size

American Akita is a powerful, large dog with sturdy appearance. Their average height should be between 24-28 inches, which is 61-71 cm and their weight should be between 70-130 pounds which is 32-59 kgs. There is quite a big size difference between the males and females.