THE
AUSTRALIAN AKITA INU RESOURCE CENTRE
We would like to think we are providing as comprehensive a service to the Public as we possibly can here, advancing the cause of the breed of dog known as the Akita Inu. From this page you can read a little of my own thoughts on the breed, skip off the the Breed Club nearest you.
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1800
AKITAS
I have a toll free number
for Akita related inquiries. If you're here in Victoria call 1800 AKITAS. If you don't have a phone with
letters on the dial, phone 1800 254 827. If you're interstate, you can still
reach this location, but it's not free - call 03 5997 7133. I also recommend
you contact your nearest Akita Breed Club for specific local knowledge.
So, here we go.
Australian Breed Clubs
|
Akita Inu Club of Vic Inc |
The Secretary, N Parkin, PO Box 40, Pakenham, VIC 3810 |
|
|
Akita Club of NSW Inc |
The Secretary, A Molan, 32 Foster St, Valley Heights, NSW 2777 |
|
|
Akita Inu Club of WA Inc |
The Secretary, P Green, 7 Jaccard Way, Lynwood, WA 6147 |
|
Australian Kennel Authorities
|
Victorian Canine Council |
Royal Showgrounds, Epson Road, Ascot Vale VIC 3032 Telephone: 03 9376 2255 |
|
|
Australian National Kennel Council |
www,ankc.aust.com |
A few of my own thoughts on the breed. If you want more, ask me. The Breed standard here in Australia is linked here.
The AKITA INU is a Japanese
Breed of Dog. It was reputedly bred some hundreds of years ago as a hunting and
guarding dog in ancient Japan. There is archaeological evidence of dogs
migrating to Japan about 4000 years ago. Since the 12th century
there are drawings and artifacts which depict a dog with erect ears and curled
tail, obvious ancestors of the modern Akita. Later, in the 19th
Century, the breed was used in dog fighting, but lost favour as larger more
powerful specialist fighting dogs were bred. The Breed is characterised by its
noble and dignified bearing, its great beauty, aloofness with strangers, and
unsurpassed courage.
Akitas are a heavily built,
powerful dog whose devotion to their owners is typified by the legendary
Haichiko. It is reputed that this dog was in the habit of attending the railway
station at Shibuyu each morning and afternoon with his master, Professor
Eisaburo Ueno. One day, his master died at work. Haichiko continued to attended
at the railway station each morning and afternoon for the next 10 years.
Hachico has been preserved and is on display in Japan.
Akitas are a dominant breed,
who will not tolerate another dog assuming the lead role. Any challenge to
their authority is met immediately with great ferocity. It's been claimed that
"An Akita never start fights". A dominant dog will always simply respond
to the challenge of an interloper. This certainly is the case with my own
experience of the breed. This circumstance results in a situation where the
responsible Akita owner can not allow their dog to run free, off the leash, but
is always alert to the possibility of another dog approaching or challenging
their dog. It is much simpler to walk away from a potential conflict than find
yourself with the near impossible task of trying to separate your Akita from
another dog which is exhibiting aggressive or domineering habits. It is simply
terrifying to see the transformation of your sweet darling into a demonic
monster.
There is much debate about
the true nature of the Akita Inu. Slight divergances have been taken in the
development of the dog, leading up to and following the 2nd world
war, in Japan. This has resulted in "American" and
"Japanese" style Akitas being recognisably different. The Japanese
argue that the Akita dog which was prevalent between the late 1800’s till the
1950’s was a cross bred dog, which was a poor example of the real Akita. This
argument presupposes that the Akita gene pool was completely swamped by
crossbreeding during a period in time where the interaction of the Japanese
people, with the rest of the world, was limited, to say the least, and then,
forcibly opened up by Admiral Perry in the mid 1800’s. It is the opinion of the
writer that this complete dispersal of the Akita gene pool was not physically
possible and that the dogs seen and loved by US servicemen at the end of WW2
were a fair representation of a true Akita Inu (Akita ken).
The Japanese style of dog
which is seen today, in the writers humble opinion, is an idealised animal
which may have existed at some point of time in history. I'm not sure how the
standard is derived other than by artistic licence and wishful thinking. It is
my opinion that the systematic reconstruction of a historical animal is of
little benefit to anyone other than the canine historian. The wheel having
turned, cannot be set back. None the less, I recognise the Japanese style of
dog as a legitimate Akita and trust that the same acknowledgement is provided
for what is sometimes called the American type of Akita, by the Japanese style
enthusiasts.
The first Akita seen by the
western world was probably a dog called Kamikaze-Go (Divine Wind) who was
presented to Helen Keller in 1937. "Kami" died of distemper 8 months
later, and Mrs Keller was presented with a second dog, Kenzan-Go, who lived
with her till he died in the mid ‘40’s. At the end of world war 2, American
Servicemen fell in love with the breed and exported some specimens back to the
States, when they returned home. Some arguments say these dogs were stolen,
that they were very poor examples of the breed, that they were mass produced
cross breeds produced for the demands of the US Servicemen. There are, however,
sufficient documented examples of earlier Akita dogs to suggest that there are
tremendous similarities to the "traditional" style of Akita. The real
answer will probably never be known, there are too many myths and legends
associated with the breed.
What we can say is, that the
Akita today, whatever style, is simply a beautiful, stunning dog.
16th
Century Japanese art depicting a puppy dog which looks for all the world like a
modern "American" style Akita
Here in Australia, the breed standard which has
been adopted to describe the breed, was adopted from the British standard. In
turn, the British standard was based upon the US, AKC standard. The major
difference between the British, Australian and indeed Canadian standards, is
that in the AKC standard, the breed is described as "AGGRESSIVE" and
in our standard it is recognised as "DOMINANT". A matter of semantics
perhaps, but in my opinion, an important distinction in the true nature of the
breed. The Akita, is unlikely to be a danger to any other dog, unless
challenged. This is the case with the dogs I have at home anyway. If
challenged, the Akita responds with frightening ferocity and speed. For this
reason, the Akita is not a dog for everyone. Constant vigilance must be
maintained _ what is my dog doing - where are the other dogs? What are the
other dogs doing?, and Akitas should never allowed to roam or walk "off
leash". They are people dogs, they love lots of personal contact, they
thrive and blossom with it. Left alone in a run, they are incomplete.
Obedience training is
another struggle that Akita owners have to endure. Never be told that Akitas
are stupid. I have seen surveys placing Akitas well down the list of
intelligent dogs. The authors of the lists haven't got a clue. They have examined
the statistics of obedience trials and reasoned that the most prolific dogs
being trialed must be the smartest - that’s why they are used. Sounds OK?
What
do you want? A "Yes" dog, or a dog which thinks for itself?
Have you
ever seen this - HEEL (Border Collie): Yes Boss, straight away boss, am I
doing it ok for you boss? What do you want me to do now boss? How about
this - HEEL (Akita): What? Again? Look here you, we did this before, I
showed you I know what you want. Lets go over there to that pretty poodle bitch
that I was telling you about last week. I think she likes me. Oh and by the
way, the dinner menu, it sucks, tastes like dog food. Hey, who's that coming
across the paddock with a stick, lemme get a good look at them, you stay behind
me for the minute while I make sure it's safe for you. What? Fetch the stick,
you gotta be kidding, you threw it away, if you want it, get it yourself, you
should have hung onto it. Geez what a dope. Now, where's that pretty poodle
bitch. Independent thinkers these dogs. Makes life a misery for the
obedience trialer, but when they do it right, boy do you feel good.
The Akita Inu Club of
Victoria Inc was founded in 1987, for the purposes of protecting and promoting
the breed. The members are a diverse group who own, breed, exhibit, trial their
dogs or who just love them as the family pet. The Club can be contacted by
writing to the Secretary, Nicole Parkin at PO Box 40, Pakenham, Victoria 3810 or
by ringing the President, Julia Jones on (03) 5428 9191, or you can send email
to them, at akitaclubvic@aol.com.au.
Last
updated 29 March 2002