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GiantWorking Group

Akita

The Akita descends from matagi-inu hunting dogs of northern Japan's Akita prefecture, historically used for bear and boar.

Calculate Akita age
Lifespan11.4 yrrange 11–12
SizeGiantWorking Group
Weight70–130 lb31.8–59 kg
Senior at5 yrgeriatric at 8

Gallery (3)

About

About the Akita

The Akita descends from matagi-inu hunting dogs of northern Japan's Akita prefecture, historically used for bear and boar. American Akita and Japanese Akita Inu are AKC-treated as a single breed; FCI and KC treat them separately.

Aging

How Akitas age

RVC VetCompass gives a median 11.4 years (n=6,186). Autoimmune disease — including a VKH-like syndrome — is the defining breed pattern; hypothyroidism (OFA moderate) and sebaceous adenitis are common secondary findings in middle age.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 11.4 yr · range 11–12Senior careSenior at 5 · geriatric at 8Common health issues6 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
70–130 lb(31.8–59 kg)
Height
24–28 in(61–71.1 cm)
Coat type
Double
Colors
BlackFawnRedWhiteBrown BrindleRed, Black OverlaySilver, Black OverlayBrown, Black OverlayFawn, Black OverlayRed BrindleSilver BrindleBlack, Red Undercoat
Temperament

Temperament

How Akitas tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

courageousdignifiedprofoundly loyalreserved
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Moderatetypical onset ~5 yr

    Hypothyroidism

    Description and veterinary guidance for Hypothyroidism land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~2 yr

    Elbow Dysplasia

    Description and veterinary guidance for Elbow Dysplasia land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
60min
per day

About 60 minutes of activity per day keeps a Akita physically and mentally satisfied. Split it between a structured walk and free play.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.