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The Long Coat Akita
The Long Coat Akita is a beautiful and unusual
looking breed. Strangely, this lovely dog is not
“kennel club breed standard” so can not be
shown, and is therefore unlikely to be bred by
registered breeders.
The long coat which is often described as looking
like a teddy bear, has a more laid back approach
to life in general, somewhat different to the more
aloof traditional short coat!
Short fur is the dominant version of coat length, while the long coat is
recessive so pups are quite rare, and are only born if both mother and
father are carrying the long coat gene - which would be highly
improbable. The long coat is thought to be the result of breeding the
Russian “Karafuto” dog with the Japanese Akita to produce a longer
thicker coat to help with the harsh cold climates.
Sadly the Karafuto is almost extinct, so it is even more of a tragedy that
the long coat Akita is deliberately being selectively removed from the
breed, especially considering what a lovely temperament they have.....
From day one the long coat needs a lot more care than the short coats, it is in fact quite high
maintenance and requires some form of daily grooming with the correct tools to keep matting at
bay, and regular professional grooming is highly recommended.
With this in mind invest in some good quality grooming tools for the home,
and get your puppy used to being groomed by yourself and a professional
as soon as you can, as this will be a large part of both of your lives!
As a new born it is not obvious this is going to be a long haired one!
Slowly but surely the dense fuzzy coat pushes through to become a
woolly thick mass of fur, grooming during this puppy coat time is essential
to keep the woolly coat from matting - particularly behind the ears.
As the woolly coat comes
out - it is replaced with the
more traditional thick
straight coat, but the top
coat is longer -
so still needs diligent
grooming.
The seasonal coat blow is quite irritating for
them, and is much messier than the short coat -
it can be quite difficult to keep the house clean
and tidy during the coat blowing weeks, but
surprisingly (and thankfully) they do not shed too
much outside of their normal blow.
Size wise - they tend to be a bit heavier, bigger boned and bulkier than the short coats with
slightly rounder heads. Keep a close eye on their weight as with any breed, a little extra weight
can be hidden under all that fur! With good handling through regular grooming you should be
able to detect extra weight quickly and keep it under control.
Make sure you and your family provide enough exercise for
their age and health needs. It is a common mistake with
larger breeds to think big puppies need much more exercise,
but joint development can be slower in large breeds so care
must be taken not to overdo it. Running and jumping around
with the extra body weight on undeveloped joints can lead to
injuries, if you are in any doubt contact your vet for advice.
Another consideration is the heat, while Akita’s generally don’t fair well in hot weather, the long
coat is particularly uncomfortable during warm weather - water on their daily walks SHOULD
NOT be forgotten so be prepared. It is especially important to monitor their exposure to sun,
keep them in shaded areas or take them out during the cooler hours of the day.
Central heating can also be uncomfortable for
them - but if you turn it down you’ll save money on
your fuel bill and you can always stay warm by
cuddling up with them!!
Don’t be too surprised if you
cant get them in once they get out
in the snow - its what the Akita
lives for!!