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Akita breeders

About the Akita The Akita is a large, powerful dog and, according to the Royal Kennel Club (RKC), the largest breed in the Utility group.

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Advertise your Akita puppies, litters and stud dogs

Breeding Akitas? List your kennel

If you breed Akitas in the UK, add your kennel to caninebreeder.co.uk so people searching for Akita puppies for sale near them can find you directly. A basic profile shows your kennel or business name, website, social media, location and breeds. You can advertise Akita puppies for sale when a litter is due and list an Akita stud dog with his health test results. Adding hip scores, eye results and, if you hold one, your council licence number helps buyers check the details for themselves. Read our listing rules and how we verify breeders.

No breeders are listed here yet, so the first profiles get the page to themselves.

  • Free basic profile: your breeder or company name, website, social media, location, breeds and industries.
  • Litters and stud dogs advertised in their own sections, never mixed with puppies for sale.
  • Premium showcase for your services and prices, previous customers, awards, video, gallery and health certificates, with your phone and email shown to buyers.
  • Sponsored articles about your breed or industry, written and published by our team.
  • Featured placement at the top of this page, labelled as sponsored.

Create your free breeder profile Advertise a litter Advertise a stud dog

Is it free to advertise here?

Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.

Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?

In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.

Is my listing already here?

We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.

About the Akita

About the Akita

The Akita is a large, powerful dog and, according to the Royal Kennel Club (RKC), the largest breed in the Utility group. Its roots are in Japan, where dogs of this type were used to hunt bear, deer and wild boar, and were also used in fighting competitions. The RKC explains that the Akita seen today was shaped in America, where it gained strength of bone and substance. In the UK the Akita and the Japanese Akita Inu are separate breeds with their own breed standards. Akita Rescue & Welfare UK dates the split to 2006 and describes the Japanese dog as less heavy and less substantial, with only four recognised colours.

Size and build

The breed standard asks for a large, alert dog with heavy bone and plenty of substance, a broad head, relatively small eyes, erect ears and a large, curled tail. It gives a height at the withers of 66 to 71 cm (26 to 28 in) for dogs and 61 to 66 cm (24 to 26 in) for bitches.

Coat and grooming

The coat is double: a coarse, straight outer coat over a soft, dense undercoat, about 5 cm long at the withers and rump. The RKC classes the coat as short and suggests grooming once a week, but Akitas do shed, and Akita Rescue & Welfare UK describes heavy moults twice a year when the undercoat comes away in clumps. Any colour is accepted except merle, including white, brindle and pinto.

Exercise and living space

The RKC lists the Akita as needing more than two hours of exercise a day and a large garden, although it can live in town or country. A dog of this size and strength needs secure fencing and a handler who can hold it on the lead.

Temperament and suitability

The standard describes the Akita as dignified, courageous and aloof, with a tendency to be dominant with other dogs. Akita Rescue & Welfare UK stresses early socialisation, close supervision around unfamiliar dogs, care with children from outside the family, and early training for an intelligent dog with a stubborn, independent streak. It also warns against keeping two adult males together. The breed suits owners who can commit time to training and management over a lifespan the RKC puts at more than 10 years.

Browse Akita breeders, current Akita puppies for sale and Akita stud dogs, or compare other breeds in the Utility group.

Akita health tests

Akita health and testing

On its Akita breed page the RKC sorts pre-breeding health screening into good practice, which it strongly recommends as a minimum, and best practice. For the Akita, good practice is prioritising genetic diversity: check a planned mating on the RKC inbreeding coefficient calculator and aim for puppies at or below the breed average, and ideally as low as possible. Best practice adds hip and eye screening under schemes the British Veterinary Association (BVA) runs with the RKC.

The hip scheme scores X-rays of dogs aged at least one year from 0 to 106 in total, with lower scores better. The RKC advises choosing breeding dogs with scores around and ideally below the breed median, and suggests using estimated breeding values (EBVs) where they exist. The eye scheme is a clinical examination by a BVA-appointed eye panellist, and the RKC advises examining adult breeding dogs within the 12 months before a mating. Results for registered dogs appear on the RKC Health Test Results Finder, so you can check them yourself.

The Akita is in Breed Watch Category 1, meaning no breed-specific points of concern have been flagged for show judges. That relates to conformation in the ring; it is not a statement that the breed is free of health problems.

  • Prioritising genetic diversity (RKC good practice): inbreeding coefficient checked against the breed average
  • Hip testing using the BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme (RKC best practice)
  • Eye testing using the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme (RKC best practice)
  • Breed Watch: Category 1

Choosing an Akita breeder

Choosing an Akita breeder

A careful Akita breeder will have hip-scored and eye-tested both parents before the mating and will give you their registered names so you can look the results up on the RKC Health Test Results Finder. They should know the inbreeding coefficient of the litter and how it compares with the breed average. Because temperament matters so much in this breed, expect them to ask about your home, other pets, children and experience, and to explain how the puppies are being socialised with people, household noise and handling before they leave.

In England, anyone who breeds three or more litters in any 12-month period and sells any of the puppies, or runs a business breeding and advertising dogs for sale, needs a council licence. Licensed breeders may only show puppies with their mother and must not sell them under eight weeks, and every puppy must be microchipped by eight weeks old. Ask what support the breeder offers after the sale and whether they will take the dog back if your circumstances change. Read our guide to buying a puppy safely before you visit.

  • Can I see the hip scores and eye certificates for both parents, with their registered names?
  • What is the inbreeding coefficient for this litter, and how does it compare with the breed average?
  • Can I meet the mother and see how she behaves with visitors?
  • How have the puppies been socialised so far, and what do you advise for the first year?
  • Will you take the dog back at any age if I cannot keep it?

Akita questions

What is the difference between an Akita and a Japanese Akita Inu?

The RKC recognises them as two separate breeds, each with its own standard. The Akita as seen today was shaped in America and is the heavier, more substantial dog, with any colour except merle allowed. The Japanese Akita Inu standard accepts only red fawn, sesame, brindle and white. Akita Rescue & Welfare UK dates the UK split to 2006.

How much exercise does an Akita need?

The RKC lists the Akita as needing more than two hours of exercise a day and a large garden. It can live in town or country, but it is a large, strong dog, so secure fencing and good lead control matter.

What health tests should an Akita's parents have?

The RKC lists hip testing under the BVA/KC Hip Dysplasia Scheme and eye testing under the BVA/KC/ISDS Eye Scheme as best practice, and prioritising genetic diversity as good practice. You can check results for registered dogs on the RKC Health Test Results Finder.

Do Akitas shed?

Yes. The RKC suggests grooming once a week, but the double coat sheds, and Akita Rescue & Welfare UK describes heavy moults twice a year when the undercoat comes out in clumps. The charity suggests a rake comb to help clear the loose undercoat during a moult.

More for Akita owners and breeders

Official sources