Akita Inu: breed description, character and cultivation

Akita Inu is one of the most popular breeds in the whole world, which is not surprising, since many people got acquainted with this animal from TV screens - while watching the movie “Hachiko”, where the main four-legged hero really amazes with his mind, devotion and nobility.

But what do we really know about dogs of this breed, are they really good? Let us consider in more detail the history of their occurrence, the features and all the most important nuances of keeping these animals.

The history of the Japanese husky - the so-called Akita-Inu breed is called - is quite interesting, since many chronicles refer them to the most ancient breeds. This is known not only from various studies, but also from rock art, created by our ancestors.

The first individuals in this form, in which they appear before us at the present time, appeared in the seventeenth century in Japan and belonged to the peasant people. But closer to the eighteenth century, dogs of this breed were recognized as elite, which allowed the animals to receive full custody from the Japanese authorities. From that moment on, only high-ranking, respected people and family members of the emperor himself could breed these dogs.

The Akita Inu breed has been subjected to experiments many times: the dogs were crossed then with Tosa-inu, then with mastiffs, if not with German Shepherd Dogs. But none of the crosses did not give the desired result, since the external features, characteristic only for dogs of this breed, were always lost.

Animals of this species were even members of World War II., which negatively affected their numbers. But thanks to a special conservation society, the Akita Inu breed, with its best qualities and pure blood, has been able to be preserved to this day.

Before you start a dog of this breed, it is necessary to study its description in more detail, to get acquainted with the characteristics, standards and other important nuances.

Despite the fact that the Akita Inu belongs to the group of large spitz-like dogs, the main purpose of this animal during breeding was hunting and guarding the home from wild animals and strangers. For quite a long time, the Akita Inu were used to hunt exclusively large animals., and only relatively recently have they become decorative pets.

The Japanese cynologists took part in the breeding of this species of this breed, for which the most important factor was not getting a new breed, but restoring the old standards that existed in the pre-war period.

It is for the Japanese species are characteristic: The peculiar shape of the head resembles a triangle, a small upturned nose and sly dark eyes of a small size. The animal has a strong, well-shaped body and powerful muscles, and strong bones allow the dog to be more resilient.

Experienced breeders claim that the most common coat color is a combination of white and ginger colors. But in fact, the color can be any: black, brown or even piebald. The main thing that he was neat and did not have a divorce.

In the early seventies, the American Akita Inu was officially registered, the appearance of which only vaguely resembled the Japanese "version." The quality of wool, height and weight almost completely coincided with the parameters of the Japanese dog, while the muzzle had a characteristic dark color, resembling a mask.

The color, like the Japanese dog, can be absolutely anything, but there is one notable feature of single-color white dogs - the absence of a characteristic mask in the area of ​​the muzzle.

In addition to these two species, they also emit a dwarf Akita Inu, which is a reduced copy of the standard representative of the breed - the height of the animal at the withers is only 40 centimeters. This species is suitable for those who do not dare to start a big dog., but really wants to become the owner of a small, but very intelligent and devoted animal.

Many breeders and owners speak of this breed extremely positively, noting that the negative aspects of character in Akita Inu are simply absent. Let us consider in more detail whether this is in fact the case, as well as we will understand the peculiarities of the behavior of dogs of this breed.

Indeed, it is believed that the Akita Inu is endowed with all the best qualities.inherent in other dog breeds, but there are still some negative aspects, but we'll talk about them later.

The nature of this dog in puppy age, though different mischief and playfulness, but is still quite calm and balanced. Akita Inu are not typical for outbursts of aggressive behavior, anger or sudden mood swings, such manifestations can be caused only by the occurrence of dangerous situations that threaten her life or the life of the owner.

But even in such cases, the dog will be restrained to the last and remain calm. The keen mind of this animal allows him to fully assess the situation and only with urgent need to take appropriate action.

Among the negative aspects of character inherent in this breed, excessive curiosity is noted. The animal will react to any rustle and the slightest movement and with curiosity explore various objects, holes, slots and much more.

Dogs of this breed get along well with a man, so they can become a true friend for the lonely owner or the pet of the whole family. The animal gets along well with children, so you can not worry, leaving the child with the dog - she not only does not offend him, but also plays, and sometimes even looks after him.

Looking at the calmness and balance of the animal, you may get the false impression that the dog is extremely independent and overconfident. This is not so because with longer contact and a trusting relationship between the animal and the Akita Inu host, it is revealed as a tender, vulnerable, friendly, very sensitive and sincere creation.

This should be taken into account when training, because too rough treatment may adversely affect the nature of the animal. With all external independence, a good attitude is very important for a dog of this breed, and, as a rule, it always reciprocates it.

As for the relationship with other animals - everything is much more complicated. Since the Akita Inu is very reverent and jealous of his territory, the dog will in every way protect and protect it from the encroachments of other quadrupeds, showing outright hostility towards them.

Like dogs of any other breed, the Akita Inu has its own advantages and disadvantages, which must be carefully studied before purchasing.

First of all, it is worth exploring the positive aspects of the character of the pet.

• A dog of this breed has very outstanding mental abilities.
• Thanks to its well-developed intellect, the animal perfectly gives in to training and training.
• She is practically afraid of nothing and is an excellent protector for the owner and the whole family.
• Akita Inu is characterized by such quality as cleanliness, which can not but rejoice the owners.
• Puppies of this animal from an early age rather wary of strangers, so the dog just will not go with someone unfamiliar and will not take food from the hands of others. This is especially important because people's intentions are different, and some of them can seriously harm your pet.
• In addition to protecting his master, a dog of this breed will also show friendly feelings towards him and will become a faithful companion for the rest of his life.
• Despite the considerable size, Akita Inu is quite suitable for maintenance in an apartment without damaging the property of the owner.

Negative points also need to be taken into account.

• A dog of this breed is very capricious and often demonstrates this character trait, which in itself is not a disadvantage until the manifestation of this quality goes beyond the limits of what is permitted.
• It often happens that the Akita Inu can show aggression towards other large animals.
• During the molting period, the owners will have to arm themselves with combs and furminators, as well as carry out regular cleaning in the house, since at this time this breed is characterized by large-scale hair loss.
• The dog may have problems with food, because it is very selective and picky in this matter. And if with natural food everything is a bit simpler, then the selection of suitable dry food can be quite a lengthy process.

Obviously, the advantages of this breed are much greater than the disadvantages. It should be noted that the minuses are also not critical and certainly will not be a decisive factor when choosing a pet, because proper upbringing, care and care will help eliminate almost all the negative aspects of Akita-Inu content.

Choosing a puppy is a very serious process that needs to be approached wisely. If you do not have his pedigree, appearance and activity, you can take any child, he will in any case become a favorite and loyal friend of the family.

But if you want to buy a purebred animal, are going to participate with a pet in various exhibitions and are counting on the top places, then necessary when choosing to pay attention to the important nuances.

• First of all, it is recommended to get acquainted with the medical records of the puppy's parents, as well as with the pedigree. Every breeder who faithfully performs his duties must submit these documents.
• Best of all, if the puppy is pre-examined by a veterinarian, and the breeder will be in the hands of a conclusion about his health.
• In addition, for those who intend to take part in exhibitions with their puppy, you must ask the breeder for health tests that can detect diseases such as dysplasia and others, or to notify about possible future problems with eyesight.
• The selection of a puppy should be given enough time and attention, because in a hurry you can easily make a mistake and choose an animal with a serious illness or appearance defects.In addition, the future owner is obliged to carefully prepare, study all the necessary materials and purchase all the most necessary things for the puppy.
• The future owner must pay attention to the conditions in which the puppies and the mother are kept, and also ask the breeder about all the nuances of feeding both an adult dog and her kids.
• When choosing a baby, you need to carefully examine it, paying attention to the coat, mucous membranes, ears, claws, gum condition and milk teeth. In addition, you need to look at how the puppy behaves and how it interacts with others. The kid should have both good health and a stable psyche.
• In addition to external characteristics and health, when choosing a puppy, you need to think about its gender, as boys and girls differ not only in physiology, but sometimes in size, as well as behavioral responses.
• And of course, when choosing a puppy with documents and pedigree, you should not pay attention to offers with too low cost, because there is a great chance to run into scammers. Purebred healthy Akita Inu puppies with a full package of documents are very expensive: the minimum price of one individual is from 30 thousand rubles.

In order for a dog to grow up healthy and properly shaped, it is necessary to track the change in its size. To do this, the future dog breeder needs to know the height and weight of puppies and adult dogs of the Akita Inu breed for months.

• Newborn Akita Inu babies can weigh from 300 to 700 grams. Their size and weight at birth will directly depend on the number of puppies that the mother carried and gave birth to.

• By the first month of life, the approximate weight of the animal will vary within 3–4.5 kilograms. During this period, the puppies begin to open their eyes and try to take the first steps, and the most nimble ones can even run awkwardly. Growth puppy in this period can reach 35 centimeters.

• By the second month, the baby is weaned from the mother, and the ears begin to rise. The weight of the animal gradually increases and can reach 10 kilograms, and height - 38 centimeters.

• By three months, you need to decide on a plan for training and training and gradually begin to enter classes in puppy mode. Its height by three months can reach 40–43 centimeters, and weight can vary within 12–14 kilograms.

• At four months, regular training and constant physical activity should be present in a puppy's life. Also for this period is characterized by the full formation of the ears. The growth of the baby reaches 50 centimeters, and the maximum weight can be about 22 kilograms.

• By the age of five months, it is necessary to begin regular long walks in the fresh air, as well as watch his games closely and forbid them after eating to the puppy's day routine, which may harm the puppy. By five months, an Akita Inu puppy can grow up to 55 centimeters and gain weight up to 25 kilograms.

• In the period from six to nine months, the baby Akita Inu already looks like an adult dog, and the proportions of the body take on their proper form. In addition, during this period, the puppy finally develops character, so it is very important to maintain effective training before that. Growth puppy in this period varies from 56 to 64 centimeters, and weight - from 26 to 37 kilograms.

• In the period before the year, weight gain and growth development occurs much more slowly, but the skeleton of an animal is actively formed, and the body acquires forms characteristic of adult dogs. Growth parameters by the end of this period are approximately 64 centimeters, and weight reaches 40 kilograms.

Though By the year the animal already looks like an adult, the dog is still not fully formed. The final maturity and full development occurs only by 3 years of Akita-Inu life: the backbone is formed and the chest cell expands.

In order for the animal to be healthy both physically and psychologically, it is necessary to provide him with comfortable conditions of detention and proper care. The animal must be regularly brushed, periodically bathed, and monitored for the condition of the claws, teeth and ears. Below, we consider in detail what conditions are necessary for an Akita Inu to live in an apartment and in a country house and what are the features of care procedures.

First of all, when a puppy appears in the house, you need to determine the location of his personal place. It should be a cozy "corner" from which most of the surrounding space is clearly visible, but which is protected from drafts and direct sunlight.

It is also necessary to ensure that the "corner" of the dog is always clean. Rest on a dirty litter with the remains of delicacies and food is not allowed. In addition, the dog must be fed in a specially designated place, located at some distance from the litter.

The dog can really be kept in the apartment, but for this it needs to be provided with everything you need: regular active walking, hard delicacies and toys. Active walks and games will help the animal to throw out excess energy, and hard delicacies will provide warm-up teeth and jaws, as well as protect the owner's things from damage.

If you plan to keep your dog outdoors, the recommendations will be slightly different, but the principle remains the same: the dog must have everything necessary for comfortable living. It is worth noting that the Akita Inu perfectly tolerates the cold, so it can live on the street, even in winter.

It is necessary to take care that on the street, in addition to the territory protected by the dog, the dog has its own place to rest. Best of all, it was a fairly large aviary with a summer stove bench and a warm winter booth. It is necessary to place the fenced area in such a way that the rest of the yard space is visible to the dog.

If you plan to keep an Akita Inu with other pets, you should immediately, from an early age, begin to teach the dog to respect the alien space and respect for other animals, especially if they are smaller than it.

In addition, it is necessary to feed the dog separately from other animals and in the process of training mark the boundaries of someone else's space during the meal: Akita should not climb into someone else's bowl and eat other animals' food (just like they should not touch the dog's food).

Caring for animals should be started from puppyhood, gradually teaching the dog to regularly wash its paws, combing its hair and grooming its claws, which is especially difficult, because there is always a risk of damaging the vessels in the claws and causing pain to the animal.

Bringing a puppy into the house may need bathing., because with the maintenance of a large number of babies breeders may simply not have time to take care of the cleanliness of the wool of each of them.

In order not to scare and injure the baby, you need to carry out the procedure correctly.

• First you need to cover the bottom of the bath with a thick towel or a rubber mat so that the dog's legs do not slide over the surface of the bath.
• In order not to harm the skin and hair of the baby, it is necessary to select gentle shampoos, corresponding to the characteristics of the dog's skin and its age. It is not recommended to wash the puppy with adult dog care: it may cause irritation or an allergic reaction.
• Some shampoos are concentrated, it is necessary to take this into account and dilute the product with water before washing. Otherwise, shampoo concentrate may cause dry skin.
• After washing, you need to thoroughly blot the animal's hair with a towel. It is necessary to have a personal thing for the dog that will be used only while bathing or washing its paws.
• If your home is cold and the dog cannot dry on its own without freezing, you should dry it with a powerful hair dryer and comb it well.

Paws of an animal need to be washed every time after a walk, otherwise the dog will move around the rooms, leaving dirty footprints everywhere. The procedure can be carried out in any convenient way for you, for example: in a small basin, in a bathroom or in a special device for washing paws.

Akita Inu has a dense woolen cover that needs careful care. Without combing, the wool can become clogged and tangled, and mats can often even form. It is necessary to tidy up the dog's coat at least several times a week, starting from the head and gradually moving towards the tail.

If necessary, you can contact the groomers, who cut the animal's hair, and if you are afraid to cut the dog's claws yourself, you can also turn to professional help.

Starting to self-clipping claws, you must follow some rules.

• Since the claws of Akita Inu are very strong, you will need a large claw for haircuts.
• It is necessary to cut the claws in small pieces, even if they have a very impressive length. This should be done for the purpose of safety - in order not to injure the animal and not cause discomfort.
• If after the haircut sharp edges remain, they need to be trimmed and smoothed with a file, and for shine, the claws can be polished.

In addition, it is necessary to care for the ears, teeth and eyes of the dog. Ears can be wiped with special wipes or simply with cotton pads, there are many veterinary lotions for eye care, and veterinarians can help you with dental problems.

In order for your pet to be healthy and active, you need to choose the right, balanced way of nutrition and strictly adhere to it. For example, if you feed a dog with dry food, veterinarians do not recommend spoiling the animal with food from your table or, on the contrary, when eating natural food, it is better not to add dry food to the diet, because the digestive system may not cope with such loads, which will lead to indigestion .

As for food from the host's table, it must be eliminated completely.If, of course, we are not talking about fresh vegetables, steamed, such products will even be useful for the dog. But most often people use sweet, salty or spicy foods that are very harmful for our four-legged friends.

If you decide to feed natural food to Akita Inu, you must first familiarize yourself with the list of permitted foods, which includes:

• dairy products;
• lean meat and offal;
• fiber and regular carbohydrates contained in rice, buckwheat and millet porridge;
• vegetables;
• fruits (can be included in the diet from 4-5 months);
• the eggs.

It is necessary to control the volume of dog servings, which should be calculated approximately as follows: for every 30 kilograms of dog's weight there is a portion of food weighing 400 grams. In addition, you need to control the protein content in the diet, since excessive consumption can cause an allergic reaction in an animal.

When it comes to choosing dry food, some dog owners believe that they are all the same, so you can choose the cheaper option. This is an erroneous opinion, since the low cost of feed says only one thing - the composition contains low quality raw materials. And it will not bring any benefit to the body of your pet.

For feeding Akita Inu, it is best to use high quality feed. Many veterinarians recommend paying attention to some proven brands.

• Dukes farm - British food with a high content of natural meat products. In addition, the feed is good because its manufacture does not use chemical additives and flavor enhancers.
• Eukanuba - feed, which is produced both in European countries and in Russia. It can rightly be attributed to the diet, because the main protein components in it are chicken meat, lean lamb meat and lean fish fillets. There is a special line of veterinary diets, as well as medicinal feed. In addition, the composition lacks various additives of artificial origin.
• BritCare - excellent Czech food with natural ingredients in the composition. A large amount of meat is perfectly combined with the carbohydrate component in the form of cereals, allows the feed to quickly digest and provide a supporting and therapeutic effect on the joints and bones of the animal. In addition, this feed is one of the best nutritional options for castrated animals.

There are also many other brands that produce high-quality food, so each owner can easily choose an option that is suitable for health reasons and taste preferences for his pet.

As previously stated, it is necessary to start raising and training an Akita Inu dog from an early age. It is up to 6–8 months that an animal best acquires information, remembers commands, and also forms its opinion about who is in charge and who should be obeyed.

When training it is necessary to take into account some important nuances.

• The carrot and stick method is unacceptable. Akita Inu well perceives only methods of training, based on the promotion. With mistreatment and punishment, the dog may withdraw and stop obeying.
• In the process of training it is important to bear in mind that it is very easy to distract a dog of this breed, therefore it is necessary to exclude all distractions.
• The owner must become the undisputed leader for his pet, but it must be done without the use of brute force.
• Educational processes, training and training should take place in the intervals between meals.
• The result, which must be achieved in the process of training, is the immediate execution of commands.
• If there is an opportunity to connect a professional cynologist to the process of training, it is recommended to do this, since it may not be so easy to build the right learning process on your own with a very capricious Akita Inu.

Many factors can affect the health and longevity of this dog: from nutrition to external circumstances. On average, an Akita Inu lives 14 years, but there are also long-livers with a much longer life expectancy.

First of all, it depends on the health of the pet. Akita Inu, though famous for their good health, but still quite often exposed to the following diseases:

• joint dysplasia, which is almost always hereditary;
• torsion of the stomach - a disease acquired due to a violation of the food regime or the use of inedible objects by the dog.

It should be noted that with proper and timely treatment of these diseases, Akita Inu can live a long happy life, and proper care and reverent attitude will help to prolong the life of your pet.

Perhaps there is not a single person who has not heard the touching, but rather tragic legend of Hachiko, a faithful and loyal Akita Inu, who has been waiting for his deceased host for many years.

Many people can familiarize themselves with this story with the help of books, articles or an incredibly touching film, but not everyone can immediately believe in this amazing story that shook the people of Japan in 1932, and a little later hit the whole world.

Every day a faithful dog came to the train station to meet his master and go home with him, but once there was a tragedy with the dog owner - he died right at work and did not return home.

For the next nine years, since the death of the host, the devotee Hachiko continued to arrive daily at the same station by the time his master usually returned from work. The dog continued to wait for him, no matter what.

The love and loyalty of this dog won the people of Japan so much that the day of his death was even symbolized by universal mourning. A monument to selfless love and devotion became a monument erected at the place of waiting for Hachiko after his death.

It is quite difficult to find the negative feedback from the owners about this or that animal, because everyone loves his pet and sees something good even in negative aspects. In general, those who speak poorly about Akita Inu dogs are those who, without paying them upbringing, expected the dog to fully obey and obey.

For example, some consider hard delicacies to be excessive indulgence, but they also complain that a puppy in the growth period is nibbling on shoes and furniture.

Others, without providing the dog with quite active walking, are unhappy with its excessive vigor.

People who pay the necessary attention to the training process, note only the positive aspects of keeping this dog, which are manifested both in everyday life and in conditions of hiking, country trips, hunting or even fishing.

It is not worth while choosing a pet of this breed to pay attention only to such reviews, because, on the basis of them, a false impression about the breed may be formed. It is best to consult a dog handler, evaluate your own strength and only then make a decision.

The following video is all about the Akita Inu dog breed.