Japanese Akita Inu

Calm and loyal, but can be intolerant of other dogs.
A Japanese Akita Inu
Photo: TsutsuiKennel
Adult male
27–59 kg
60–130 lb
Adult female
25–45 kg
55–100 lb
Lifespan
10–12 yrs
Class · Companion
also Watchdog

What it's like

The breed is calm, dignified and loyal to its family, reserved with strangers and can be intolerant of other dogs. Hachikō, an Akita born in Odate, waited at Shibuya station for his master's return for years after the man's death, and Helen Keller is often credited with bringing the first Akita to the United States.

Day to day
Activity
A good daily walk and play
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs an experienced owner
With people
Affection
Likes its own space
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Decides for itself
Around the home
Sensitivity
Average
Voice
Quiet
Prey drive
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
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Size and growth

A Japanese Akita Inu is counted as a large dog. No published source gives its weight yet, so the figures are a general guide.

It is a large, sturdy spitz with a broad head, small, almost triangular eyes and thick triangular ears that stand erect and tilt forward. The tail curls tightly over the back. A harsh outer coat covers a dense undercoat, in red fawn, sesame, brindle or white. Coloured dogs show urajiro, a pale shading on the cheeks, chest and underside. A black mask, often seen in the American Akita, is not typical of this breed.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
Japanese Akita Inu dogs reach half their adult weight at about 5 months. They grow fastest between 4 and 5 months old. They keep growing past their first birthday, longer than a Beagle does. Most males grow into the size large-breed puppy foods are made for.
Fully grown
13 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight5
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
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Age
Male
Female
2 months
4.7–10.3 kg 10.4–22.7 lb
5.7–10.4 kg 12.6–22.9 lb
3 months
7.6–16.5 kg 16.8–36.4 lb
8.3–15.1 kg 18.3–33.3 lb
4 months
11.3–24.5 kg 24.9–54.0 lb
12.0–21.9 kg 26.5–48.3 lb
5 months
15.3–33.2 kg 33.7–73.2 lb
15.3–27.8 kg 33.7–61.3 lb
6 months
19.0–41.2 kg 41.9–90.8 lb
18.0–32.7 kg 39.7–72.1 lb
7 months
21.9–47.4 kg 48.3–104.5 lb
19.9–36.3 kg 43.9–80.0 lb
8 months
23.9–51.8 kg 52.7–114.2 lb
21.3–38.8 kg 47.0–85.5 lb
9 months
25.2–54.6 kg 55.6–120.4 lb
22.3–40.6 kg 49.2–89.5 lb
10 months
26.0–56.4 kg 57.3–124.3 lb
23.0–41.9 kg 50.7–92.4 lb
11 months
26.5–57.5 kg 58.4–126.8 lb
23.5–42.8 kg 51.8–94.4 lb
12 months
26.8–58.1 kg 59.1–128.1 lb
23.9–43.5 kg 52.7–95.9 lb
15 months
27.1–58.8 kg 59.7–129.6 lb
24.5–44.7 kg 54.0–98.5 lb
18 months
27.2–58.9 kg 60.0–129.9 lb
25–45 kg 55–100 lb

Lifespan

No vet study has measured how long Japanese Akita Inu dogs live yet. The 10–12 years shown is a reference range, not a measured one.

Where it comes from

The Japanese Akita Inu is the Akita as Japan's own breeders restored it. Its preservation society was founded in 1927 in Odate, Akita Prefecture, against the crossbreeding and dogfighting that threatened the local dogs. In 1931, the FCI records, nine of its dogs were designated natural monuments, and after the Second World War its keepers bred the heavy Dewa line, marked by Mastiff and German Shepherd blood, into older native lines to win back a Japanese look4,9,10.

The Japanese Akita Inu took its present form after the Second World War, when breeders favoured the Ichinoseki line and moved away from the Dewa type, which showed the influence of Western breeds, towards a more spitz-like dog. Akitas taken home by American servicemen developed separately, and the FCI now recognises the two as distinct breeds. Behind both lie the hunting dogs of northern Honshu, which matagi hunters used on large game such as bear.

Breed standard

Kennel clubs do not all register this breed the same way.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Japanese Akita Inu figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a large breed is most likely at the later end.

Compare with related

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Sources

Uncited on this page: Adult weight — no reviewed source yet, so it is a general reference figure rather than a published one.
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Parts of this page were written by AI ·