There is a reason for the saying that a dog is a human’s best friend, with most dog breeds being loving, friendly, loyal, and fantastic pets. The Akita pit bull mix combines two ancient and lovely dog breeds with an exceptional outcome. If you are considering adding one of these adorable dogs to your family, you might be curious about them, and if this is the case, you are in the right place.
Akita pit bull mixes are muscular, medium-sized dogs with short hair that sport solid or mixed colors in fawn, brindle, black, blue, and white tones. These dogs are strong-willed, but with the correct training, they are eager to please. Typically they are known to be loving, friendly, and loyal.
Bringing a new pup into your home is always a special occasion, but it can also be worrying, especially if you have a large family or small children. For this reason, it’s always a good idea to research your chosen pup before deciding. If you are considering adopting an Akita pit bull mix or have already decided, the following information will help give you some insight into this beautiful breed.
Akita Pit Bull Mix: The Origin Story
The best way to gain knowledge on a subject is to go right back to the beginning. It might be surprising for you to hear that the Akita pit bull hybrid is a relatively recent breed. Its short history only began in the late 20th century when designer breeders decided to pay closer attention to mixing the genes of the Akita and American pit bull terrier.
There is nothing to say that Akita pit bull mixes hadn’t occurred naturally before this time. Still, it was only around 1990 that breeders actively and intentionally started to mix the genetics of these two great dog breeds by breeding them. The common belief is that breeders were combining the two breeds to create a dog that would be the perfect watchdog and make the ideal family pet.
As time passed, the demand for this hybrid grew, and it’s no wonder as the puppies from this mix developed a mixture of intelligence and eagerness to please. Such characteristics are known to belong to both the Akita and American pit bull terrier breeds.
To fully understand this mix, it would be a good idea to look at the history of the two dog breeds that work together to form the Akita pit bull mix.
A Brief History Of The Akita
Contrastingly to the Akita pit bull mix, the purebred Akita has a long and exciting history. The Akita’s ancestors went by the name Matagi-Inu, which translates to “hunting dogs.” In the 1600s, owners and breeders of these dogs used them for hunting wild boar, elk, and Ussuri brown bears and as fighting dogs, often crossing them with other breeds to enhance their fighting abilities.
By 1927, a group formed the Akita Inu Hozonkai Society of Japan to preserve the original Akita. In 1931 they got their wish, and the Akita received the designation of being a national treasure of Japan.
World War II saw an increase in Akita in the United States brought into the country by returning soldiers who couldn’t leave their new friends behind when they left Japan to return home. After this stage, there began a divergence between the American Akita and the Japanese Akita.
In 1999 the American and Japanese variants of the Akita underwent a formal split and are now considered separate breeds. The American variants exhibit larger and heavier-boned features and sport various colors. While the Japanese variants are more finely featured and lighter, with colorations that only include white, red, or brindle.
Akita’s are typically reserved and can be aggressive towards other dogs if not properly socialized, especially other dogs of the same gender. They are intelligent and protective and are said to have an affinity towards children, making them excellent family dogs.
A Quick History Of The American Pit Bull Terrier
What we know as the American pit bull terrier today has its ancestry stretching back to the 1500s, where paintings from this period depict “bulldogs” that share similar physical traits to today’s pit bulls. People initially bred these bulldogs for hunting boar, as guard dogs, and for bull baiting, which is where they got their name.
In the 1800s in the UK, Ireland, and Scotland, dog breeders mixed bulldogs with terriers selecting traits for hunting, and the result was the pit bull terrier. The breeders during this time used these dogs for restraining and capturing semi-feral livestock.
The pit bull terrier that arrived in America in the 1900s and became today’s American pit bull terrier was a mixture of Irish and British stock. They worked well as pig catchers and cattle dogs, as herders and hunters, and made good guardians and friends to their human companions, as they still do to this day.
American pit bull terriers are highly intelligent, loyal, and easily trainable. They make excellent companion dogs, are willing to please, playful, intelligent, and moderately active. Pit bulls are obedient as long as they receive the proper training. Their temperament makes them excellent choices as family pets, with the added extra of them being optimal guard dogs and protectors.
Physical Characteristics Of The Akita Pit Bull Mix
The one thing about the Akita pit bull mix is that the variations are extensive and largely depend on the parents’ genetics. You can expect your pup to be medium-sized, although you get outliers on the smaller and larger sides. Akita pits’ are a strong muscular breed, generally showing a good amount of agility.
Typically these dogs will have short sleek hair, the density of which will depend on their parents. Their coloring is rather varied, and you can see them in brindle, fawn, black, blue, and white. Once again, depending on their parents, Akita pits can exhibit solid colors, and some show a mix of colors. Size-wise, they average between 30 and 70 pounds and reach a height of 16 – 23 inches.
What Is The Typical Temperament Of The Akita Pit Bull Mix?
Most Akita pit bull owners will tell you that their lovely pooch is rather strong-willed, but this is understandable as they are intelligent and headstrong. Luckily, these dogs are also very eager to please, so with the proper training, this strong-willed nature should not cause any issues.
Akita pit bulls often exhibit good temperaments, such as being loving, friendly, and loyal, with a need to please their owners. They can become rather protective of their human family members; in some cases, this can result in them acting out towards strangers. Although with the right amount of training and socialization, you can prevent your pup from becoming too overprotective.
Regarding other animals and small children, these dogs tend to be pretty easygoing. Research shows that they often thrive in large family situations, even showing an affinity towards their human siblings so long as they are socialized and trained appropriately, especially regarding other animals.
So if you are looking for an excellent guard dog who will also be an ideal family pet, you can’t go wrong with the Akia pit bull mix.
Common Health Issues In The Akita Pit Bull
Overall, the Akita pit bull mix is a primarily healthy dog breed. They have inherited a couple of predisposed health issues from the purebred lines of the pit bull and Akita. Luckily, you would only need to check for a few common health conditions. These include:
- Heart disease
- Progressive retinal atrophy
- Hip dysplasia
There are also a couple of minor conditions that are not as common as the above three, but they might affect your pup, and these include:
- Pemphigus
- Bloating
- Hypothyroidism
- Elbow dysplasia
- Cataracts
- Patellar luxation
- Sebaceous adenitis
One way to monitor your pup’s health is to take them for regular check-ups at your local vet. A couple of tests you could ask for include the following:
- Hip
- Eye examination
- Blood tests
- X-rays
- Thyroid tests
- Heart
A healthy diet will keep your pup strong, and regular vet check-ups will allow you to remain on top of your pup’s health and ensure that you learn early on if any adverse health issues pop up. Overall, you can expect that an Akita pit bull will have a life expectancy of around 10-12 years if they remain healthy and active.
Taking Care Of Your Akita Pit Bull Mix
It would help if you implemented a regular grooming regimen to ensure your pup looks its best. The Akita pit bull mix sports a dense short-haired coat that would benefit from a weekly brushing. This brushing will ensure they don’t drop their hair all over the place and keep them feeling good.
Another added benefit of a weekly grooming regimen is that it allows you to spend that time bonding with your dog. This bonding has a two-fold benefit for your pup. Firstly, it will teach it to sit still for extended periods. Secondly, this bonding will ensure that your dog becomes accustomed to you touching and holding it.
Dental hygiene is just as crucial for your dog as it is for you. You can maintain good mouth hygiene with regular weekly teeth brushing, which will help to prevent dental issues when your dog gets older.
Lastly, keep an eye on your pup’s toenails and trim them as required. Typically it would help if you cut them around once a month to keep them short enough not to cause any issues and ensure that they do not click against the floor.
How Active Should Your Akita Pit Bull Mix Be?
The Akita pit bull is a descendant of two moderately active dog breeds, and for this reason, it requires regular mental and physical exercise. Your best bet is to ensure that your pup gets daily activity in the form of long walks of around 30 minutes to an hour. You will also make your dogs’ day if you take them for a nice hike or jog.
The time you spend exercising your dog also depends on the space you provide. If your home environment consists of wide-open areas where your dog can get in some running during the day, it will require fewer off-property walks than if you have a small garden or live in an apartment.
Your dog will also need mental stimulation. For example, they will require you to engage in games with them, such as tug of war, ball games, learning games, or training activities. This sort of activity will help to stimulate both their body and their minds.
Training Requirements Of The Akita Pit Bull Mix
Due to the breed’s stubborn and strong-willed nature, proper training is necessary. You should start training your Akita pit bull from a young age. This early start will ensure that when your pup reaches adulthood, they are obedient and know who is in charge of their pack (your family).
You should try and deal with each training session positively and patiently. Akita pit bulls are known to be empathetic dogs. They will be able to sense if you become frustrated, which will negatively affect the training session and might even cause them to associate training with unhappiness resulting in them becoming unwilling participants.
Dietary Requirements Of The Akita Pit Bull Mix
Overall they do not require a special diet. Any good dog food that caters to medium-large dogs will be a good fit for them and provide them with all the necessary nutrients they need to remain healthy. Keep your eye on them when you introduce a new food, as there is the possibility that your pup might inherit a food allergy from one of its parents.
You should remember that an Akita pit bull tends to gain weight if not fed properly. Ensure that you put your pup on a good feeding schedule and don’t leave any food out during the day. It would help if you tried to limit their treats as much as possible and intermittently weigh them to ensure they are not gaining weight.
Conclusion
An Akita pit bull mix would be a fantastic addition to any family. They are medium-sized dogs and make excellent watchdogs. They are great with children, loyal, friendly, and eager to please their owners if trained appropriately. They tend to be relatively healthy dogs but suffer from a few common health issues, so it’s best to take them for regular vet check-ups.
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