How much exercise does an Akita need?

The Akita is a very old dog breed from Japan, where it stands for loyalty and faithfulness.  However, before getting a dog like the Akita, you should always study its special needs and character traits to find out if it is the right dog for you. 

A crucial factor is time. How much exercise and activity does an Akita need and can I give him this time every day? Appearance is an important factor when deciding for or against a breed. But if you can’t fully satisfy the needs, no one is helped.

The Akita needs about 1.5 to 2 hours of exercise daily in the form of long walks in nature. In addition to physical activity, it is important that an Akita is also mentally challenged and stimulated.

How to exercise an Akita need?

The Akita needs at least 1 hour of exercise per day. However, 1.5 to 2 hours is better. You need to observe individually whether your Akita is busy and content or restless and needs more activity.

With 1.5 hours a day you have a good basis in any case. If your Akita always has enough exercise and activity over a longer period of time, it is not so tragic if you have less or no time at all on one day.

How often should you walk your Akita?

Ideally, you should offer your Akita 2 to 3 walks per day. With a total duration of 1.5 hours, a walk of 30 minutes, perhaps in the morning before work, and a longer one of about 60 minutes in the late afternoon is ideal.

Make sure that you do not take your Akita for a walk directly after feeding. The Akita is a large dog at 60 – 65 cm and 25 – 40 kg and is also more prone to gastric torsion.

When walking, make sure you give your dog time to sniff. It is important for dogs to explore their surroundings, pick up scents and process new situations.

For this reason, it is also important that you do not walk the same route twice every day. In the long run, this will be boring for your Akita and the walk will not provide enough exercise because your dog will not see, smell and get to know anything new.

In addition to 2 to 3 walks, a longer excursion on the weekend is a welcome change and also contributes to optimal utilization and occupation.

However, the Akita is unfortunately not a family dog.

Walks with your Akita in summer

In the summer, you should schedule walks in the early morning and late evening. The Akita tends to overheat quickly due to its thick coat.

Therefore, walks in the midday sun should be avoided.

In general, the Akita needs less exercise in the warm summer months than in the cooler months.

How long can an Akita puppy be walked?

You can not overwork puppies. They can’t concentrate for that long. When you are out with your Akita puppy, everything is new to him. Everything represents a stimulus that must be processed.

As a rule of thumb, you can walk an Akita puppy in a controlled manner for about 5 minutes per month of life.

That means a 3 month old puppy can walk with you for about 15 minutes. Of course, you can do this 2 times a day.

The 5 minute rule is also only a rough guideline and may vary slightly up or down.

So, if you are out and about with your Akita puppy and he suddenly doesn’t want to go any further, it may be a sign that he is simply exhausted and tired.

The sniffing, the new environment, different noises, all of this your puppy has to process and it makes him tired.

In addition to keeping a puppy busy, it is equally important that he learns to rest and relax. Don’t make the mistake of trying to keep your puppy entertained all day.

Over time, your Akita will become accustomed to the level of activity and will demand it all the more later.

Keep Akita mentally stimulated

Physical activity is only one part of keeping an Akita busy. It is just as important to challenge him mentally.

Obedience Training

To keep an Akita mentally stimulated you can work on basic obedience in the first place. Learning and executing commands is a perfect way to keep your Akita busy.

The big advantage is that you work on the education at the same time and get a great dog.

Besides the daily training you can do the following activities with your Akita to keep him busy:

Nose work / search games

Nose work in the form of search games, for example, is ideal to keep your Akita busy. Sniffing out treats, for example, is just as exhausting for a dog as an intense walk.

Agility

Agility is also a good way to exercise your Akita mentally and physically at the same time. It is not only about pure running and jumping, but also in the correct overcoming of obstacles.

Consequences of too little activity

An Akita is not a high-performance athlete who needs a lot of activity, but too little activity over a longer period of time can lead to behavioral problems.

The most common abnormalities in an Akita that has too little exercise and activity are:

Increased aggression behavior.

If your Akita cannot satisfy his urge to move, he will eventually become frustrated. Frustration makes aggressive in the long run.

What you don’t want is a big dog that is aggressive towards other dogs or even worse towards humans.

Guard and protection instinct

The Akita has a guarding and protective instinct. If the dog is not regularly exercised mentally and physically, this instinct can become stronger. The Akita will then look for employment.

Excessive barking

With too little activity, your Akita may bark more.

Conclusion: How much exercise does an Akita need?

The Akita needs at least 1 hour better 1.5 – 2 hours per day of exercise in the form of physical and mental activity. The basis is extensive walks, but on which your Akita has time to sniff and explore.

The sniffing and exploring is important and is an important contribution to the workload.

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