Breed # Akita Inu The Akita Inu is a working breed from Japan, standing males 25–27 in · females 23–25 in at the withers, weighing males 60–92 lb · females 55–80 lb. Recorded lifespan is ~10 yrs. ![A photograph of the Akita Inu](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/akita-inu.webp) Breed group Working Origin Japan Height males 25–27 in · females 23–25 in Weight males 60–92 lb · females 55–80 lb Lifespan ~10 yrs Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Akita Inu is taller than 81% of the measured breeds, heavier than 79%, one of 31 in the Working group, one of 10 from Japan. Compare the Akita Inu with another breed ## Living with the Akita Inu Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Akita Inu’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row. Around people and other dogs Affection with family 4 of 5 1 independent · 5 devoted Good with young children 2 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Good with other dogs 1 of 5 1 not suited · 5 very good Openness to strangers 2 of 5 1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend Watchdog / protective nature 5 of 5 1 unbothered · 5 vigilant What they will ask of you Energy 4 of 5 1 couch potato · 5 busy all day Exercise needs 4 of 5 1 a short walk · 5 a job to do Playfulness 4 of 5 1 only when invited · 5 non-stop Barking 4 of 5 1 only to alert · 5 very vocal Around the house Shedding 5 of 5 1 barely · 5 constantly Drooling 3 of 5 1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel What they tolerate Tolerates being alone 1 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates hot weather 2 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Tolerates cold weather 5 of 5 1 poorly · 5 well Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Akita Inu on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/akita/)[Akita Inu on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/akita) ## Breeds that look like the Akita Inu A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Akita Inu. - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/west-siberian-laika.webp)West Siberian Laika](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/west-siberian-laika/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/white-swiss-shepherd-dog.webp)White Swiss Shepherd Dog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/white-swiss-shepherd-dog/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/shikoku.webp)Shikoku](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/shikoku/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/swedish-vallhund.webp)Swedish Vallhund](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/swedish-vallhund/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/norrbottenspets.webp)Norrbottenspets](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/norrbottenspets/) - [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/maremma-abruzzese-sheepdog.webp)Maremma-Abruzzese Sheepdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/maremma-abruzzese-sheepdog/) Side by side Height 0–38 in 1. Akita Inu25–27 in 2. West Siberian Laika22–24 in 3. White Swiss Shepherd Dog24–26 in 4. Shikoku7–21 in 5. Swedish Vallhund12–16 in 6. Norrbottenspets17–19 in 7. Maremma-Abruzzese Sheepdog26–29 in Weight 0–220 lb 1. Akita Inu60–92 lb 2. West Siberian Laika30–50 lb 3. White Swiss Shepherd Dog66–88 lb 4. Shikoku35–50 lb 5. Swedish Vallhund25–35 lb 6. Norrbottenspets24–33 lb 7. Maremma-Abruzzese Sheepdog77–99 lb Lifespan 0–20 yrs 1. Akita Inu~10 yrs 2. West Siberian Laika14–16 yrs 3. White Swiss Shepherd Dog~12 yrs 4. Shikoku10–12 yrs 5. Swedish Vallhund12–15 yrs 6. Norrbottenspets14–17 yrs 7. Maremma-Abruzzese Sheepdogno recorded figure Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust. See the Akita Inu on the breed map Read about the Akita Inu on Wikipedia