Hi everyone! I added an Akita to our family just over 2 weeks ago. He is 21 weeks old now, and is small. His parents and his 5 other littermates we still all together, so I realized the size difference. His parents were both regular Akita sized. He was the second smallest of the 12 pups, the runt died at 2 weeks making our boy the smallest then. At the time we brought him home, he was 15lbs, he's 24lbs now. I would be happy with 70lbs+, Im wondering if he'll even get there? Any one with weight records with runts? I understand that runts can get even bigger than their littermates, but what Ive read is that they catch up weight wise around 4-6 months. Also, I read this online, "Akitas can perform some tasks that other dogs cannot, other dogs are permitted privileges that Akitas are forbidden." Anybody know of which tasks? ...My dog resume is a Lab/Chesapeake cross and a Shep/Akita cross Thanks in advance everyone!
www.puppyweights.com predicts his weight to be 32 lbs. This does seem very small to me as my male Beagle is around 40lbs! I will be interested to see what our Akita owners think, but I think he is unlikely to make 70 lbs.
Hi I used a similar website and was told 40... When at the breeders, the owner kept the biggest male and there was also 4 other pups (6 in total) so you could see the size difference like they were measuring cups!
I have found that the puppy weight growth charts have been very inaccurate for my Akitas, they are bigger then the charts predicted. So your Akita has gained 9 lbs since you brought him home 2 weeks ago? That is a lot of weight to put on in a short amount of time. I might cut back on the amount you feed him. You don’t want him growing too fast, despite your desire for him to get bigger. My male had parvo 12 hours after I picked him up at the airport. At 16 weeks and 2 days he was only about 25, which was about 5 weeks after he came home from vets. My vet thought he’d be 50ish lbs, 60 max. He is now 84 lbs at 2 years 7 weeks. He probably would be bigger if he hadn’t been so sick... Sounds like a huge litter for an Akita. There was probably a lot of competition for moms milk. That he’s gained so much in the short period you’ve had him makes me wonder if he wasn’t getting enough to eat before he came home with you, and now maybe he’s getting to much... You want a large breed dog to grow slowly, not to much at once, but he might be making up for lost time, growing a lot because he’s getting enough to eat now. I would talk to your vet about the rapid growth as I’d be a bit concerned about that.
Not sure what tasks Akitas can perform that other breeds can’t but I would say one of the privileges other dogs are permitted that Akitas should be forbidden is being off leash. They can be unpredictable and sometimes their body language can be hard to read. Not worth the risk with a breed like an Akita to be out with him off leash. Have you any pictures of your pup that you can post
Hi Who Owns Who was hoping to hear from you I never thought about the fast weight gain that way, thanks, makes sense to not gain rapid weight. But, I can still feel his hip bones on his rear. I was thinking of reducing his food intake now that hes on a steady diet. My awesome vet says hes doing great and hes healthy. Never mentioned about feeding more or less, but was happy about the food choice. Im glad your pup made it through the parvo! So, would your pup be similar in that he wasn't super socialized due to illness?? How did he turn out? Ours is timid, we got him soo late, we're working on that and just got back from our first dog training class tonight. So any tips would be appreciated!
Hi, my name is Marc. I guess I got lucky in that my pup was super social. As soon as he was 4 weeks back from the vets, when he should have stopped shedding the virus, I walked him regularly where there were lots of dogs. He was not timid at all and liked to meet and play with all breeds and both sexes. He loves people too and has always been really good with small children. He’s not so good with other dogs anymore unfortunately, maybe due to his breed and age but more likely he’s protecting his little sister. I made it my mission to have him be as well socialized as possible because my first Akita was not.. If you can still feel his hip bones he needs to get some more padding there but don’t rush it. Ask any questions you want and read some of the threads in this section, there’s lots of info in there
He’s adorable!!! He does look thin to me. What brand of food are you feeding him? Is the dog he’s playing with also yours? What breed and sex? Bandit was the class clown at training, was more interested in the other dogs then he was in paying attention.. I didn’t bother taking his little sister to classes, just taught her myself
Hi Lojo/Tucker As I was reading everyones replies to you I was thinking l what a large litter he came from “ Marc beat me to it by saying such. I think the same, there will have been times when your pup maybe didn’t get as much milk as needed. I’m not sure if you are worried or just curious, but, I wouldn’t worry, you say he is on a steady diet and your vet has told you he is healthy. Also, your original post did I understand correctly that your Akita is crossed with another breed, that could also be the reason he “ seems “ smaller than the results on the chart you are using Tell us a little more about him, how is your puppy training going and is he fun to have around ? Philippa
I’m not a fan of puppy/adult weight charts,and they make so many people worry needlessly. There is no such thing as an ‘average’ puppy because each puppy is different, and grows at different rates. There are all sorts of things that factor into the eventual size/weight/height, depending on genetics, build, bone structure, fat to muscle ratio, etc. A good breeder should be able to give you a better indication as they will know their lines growth spurts ect: It’s best to go by body condition and not focus on a numbers, personally I prefer my pups to be on the lean side rather than to heavy.
Hi Marc! Hes playing with my sisters 2.5 yo Red Fox lab female. Shes great with him, Im so happy about that Hes also had play dates with 2 larger unaltered males and it went good too! He was quiet in class, but did come around a bit and did some training. Hes catching on quick! I think hes already smarter than us.... MBY: Hi! Sorry for any confusion, hes not mixed, a previous dog I had was akita mix GSD: I totally agree with lean dogs. My lab as a pup, had a bad injury and had to get the head of his femur excised. Huge surgery, and labs are prone to 'chunky monkey-itis'. It was hard as he got older (15 great years) but you could see how extra weight slowed him down. I just weighed him, after 2 meals, and hes 26lbs. His bones are still pokey on his back end, but getting better. I think I'll cut his food down a bit, slow him up a touch. Don't know if this is a touchy subject, but my vet offered a new twist to neutering. 10 years ago, the last time I had to think of this, the 'common' practice was to do it at 6 months. My vet says that that waiting has many benefits. Should I wait to help with any of his quick growth problems? I was originally wanting to do it sooner to help with aggression.
lojo, I would weight. Where are you located? This is a UK based site. I live in California. I think most vets here will at first say spay/neuter at 6 months but if you say you want to weight to let the dog keep those hormones to help it develop better they will agree, at least that’s what happened with my vet. I think they are taught to say 6 months to try and reduce the amount of unwanted accidental litters. My first Akita I had spayed at 6 months for the reason you stated, to reduce the chances of aggression, and I had asked about doing sooner but they said 6 months. He didn’t like most other dogs and would go for them if he felt they invaded his space and especially our property. He was ok with other people. So I don’t know that it had the desired effect... He had one friend and grew up with 2 elderly dogs. Bandit, my male, was spayed way too young. He’s 2+ and staring to be not good when he sees other dogs while walking on a leash. Maybe just protective of his younger sister (they have same mom). If you use my initials I’m WOW!!! LOL
My boy was neutered early too. He was neutered before 15 WEEKS. He doesn't have any notable behavioral issues. No people aggression, no prey drive, no dog aggression, no food aggression, no aggression towards cats or other small pets. No anxiety or fear issues at all. No notable health issues aside from a few allergies. Easy to train, perfect housebreaking, excellent recall. Extremely well behaved boy. Was a blood donor and pet therapy volunteer, good overall health and great temperament. BUT he's a Labrador and the early neuter had an effect on his metabolism. I've never had a heavy dog except him. He just holds onto weight. Not much I can do about it. It isn't AWFUL but I would definitely rather he not be a chubby.
Hi WOW (lol) Im in BC, Canada. Think I'll wait a bit, and try to socialize as much as possible. Its a catch 22, mean dog that cant go anywhere or a happy dog that leaves us too young. Hi MJF, 15 weeks used to be the norm, hey. We adopted a dog from a rescue and had to sign a waiver saying we would before 6 months and sooner would be better.. I did my lab at 6 months-ish. As a lab, he liked holding the weight, but I don't think I had as much as a problem as you did. Kinda crazy how that all works So my pup, after 3 1/2 weeks is now 28lbs. Almost doubled. His hip bones are aren't boney anymore, and his height change is visible. His 5 month bday is tomo, so that means in 1 month cutting his food back by amount and 3X to 2X daily. He doesn't have a belly by any means, and Im happy about how hes filled out. Thanks everyone!!
@lojo, He sounds like he’s making up for not getting fed enough by the person you got him from.. As long as he’s not getting too chunky t might keep feeding him about same amount, maybe a little less.. Poor guy sounds like he just wasn’t fed enough to grow properly. I’d just see how is growth is in a month as far as cutting his food back because he’s making up for lost time, like my pup did from having parvo. He was a sack of bones after that and took a while to fill in I have two friends from BC that I play beer league ice hockey with.
Hey everyone! Update on my pup It was his 6 month bday 2 days ago. And he is full on his little Sh*t stage Its been 8 whole weeks since we got him. He was 15lbs at that time, tonight, he is 38.6lbs! The not reliable puppy calculator says he'll be 75lbs, which will be just fine He just went through a growth spurt. He was getting a bit of cushion on the bones, I went to work for my 4 days (hubby stays home) got back and he was taller! And skinny again. Im going to continue feeding him 3 times a day for a bit longer. 2-3 weeks, and then maybe the same daily amount, but twice. Until he starts getting chunky. Been also thinking of starting on raw dog food. Anyone feed raw food? While cost isn't much of a problem, it IS super expensive. Does anyone do 1 raw and 1 kibble a day?
Hi again We feed ours on kibbles and occasionally throw in tuna/salmon oil, raw sardines, chicken and sometimes beef, but, no it’s not a raw diet at all, more a treat I know there are raw diet feeders who will be along soon to give you some good advice
