This powerful guardian has a coarse, stiff-haired double coat that stands away from its body that requires thorough grooming.

Regular brushing is one of the best things you can do to keep your pet healthy and happy. You should always brush in the direction of hair growth.

Brushing:

. Removes dirt and debris
. Invigorates the skin
. Spreads oils to moisturize skin and keep its coat shiny
. Prevents mats and tangles which are irritating and painful and can harbour bacteria, fungus and other infection
. Keeps your house clean, especially during shedding seasons
. Bonding, massaging, loving interaction
. Early detection of fleas, ticks, eczema, infection and smells

. Its seasonal growth cycle is disturbed. It will have problems regulating its temperature and it can get windburn or sunburn easily.

Shaving changes the coat color and texture and leaves your dog's skin itchy and irritated.

Tools: Slicker brush, comb, firm bristle brush, rake, shedding blade.

A firm bristle brush used once a week will lessen the amount of hair your dog looses.

Use the slicker brush on tangles. Make sure you can get a comb through its hair.

Use the rake to pull from the undercoat.

The shedding blade is an essential tool during shedding seasons.

A rake and shedding blade should be used 3-4 times a week.

Your Akita should be brushed and combed weekly and more often during shedding seasons; brushing too often dulls the coat.

A pin brush and wide-toothed comb work best on this dog off-season.

Line brushing is a technique in which you hold the hair up and out of the way and brush out a thin layer at a time from underneath. Always brace the skin of your dog as you work on knots.

Eyes: Check your Akita's eyes daily.

Debris is flushed to the corners and daily wiping can prevent the build up of bacteria.

Tools: Warm cloth or paper towel.

Ears: Check ears once a week.

They should be pink and healthy inside. If not, don't do anything to them until you see a vet. Keeping ears clean minimizes odour, removes dirt, bacteria and mites trapped in wax. Never go deep into the ear with a cotton swab.

Tools: cotton wool balls or soft cloth and ear solution.

There are solutions made specifically for dogs but substitutes include: hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, mineral oil, witch hazel, and tea tree oil.

Place a few drops of ear solution in the ear. Rub and massage to loosen wax. Swab out with a cotton wool balls or soft cloth.

Ear Hair Plucking: Every two weeks.

Hair growing into the ear canal can prevent the canal from drying properly and trap bacteria, causing infection.

Tools: Tweezers, powder, chalk, rubber gloves all optional.

Lift the dog's ear and lay it back. Grasp the hair along the inside of the ear between thumb and forefinger and then pull firmly. This hair should come out easily.

Use tools to help grip slippery hair.

Teeth: Regularly.

Should i brush my dog's teeth? Yes. 80% of 3 year old dogs have periodontal disease. Cavities and gum disease are painful for your dog; they diminish its pleasure and ability to eat. Bacteria that develops can infect the heart, kidney, liver and brain. Really bad breath is usually a sign of gum disease.

Tools: Toothbrush/finger cap/cloth, doggie toothpaste, tooth scraper.

Never use human toothpaste. It is not edible.

Starting your dog off with this practice takes patience. Reward it constantly, no matter what its behavior to get it used to grooming.

Start off by getting it used to its mouth being handled.

Progress to touching the teeth with your finger.

Get some meat-flavoured toothpaste and apply with your finger.

Then introduce the brush. Clean a few teeth at a time and soon you will have a routine that takes just minutes.

Brush in a circular motion and get under the gum line.

If you don't want to brush everyday, use a tooth scraper once or twice a month to get rid of the build up of plaque. It accumulates mostly on the outside of the teeth and on the back molars. This won't be much fun for your or your dog though. Lots of bones and hard, crunchy foods can minimize plaque but not to a truly effective degree.

Nails: Every two weeks.

Nail care is very important for your Akita; if it does not have enough exposure to rough ground, the nail will deform.

Nails that aren't trimmed can splinter and infect the quick or grow and curl into the flesh. This can be painful for your dog to walk on, affect it's gait, posture, and eventually it's skeletal and ligament health. Nails should never touch the ground. When your dog is standing its nails should rest above the ground. If you hear clicking on the kitchen floor, clipping is overdue.

Tools: Doggie Nail Clippers (Scissors, pliers, guillotine), Dremel or file, Styptic or Kwikstop.

Sit beside your dog and put your arm around its shoulders if you can so that you are clipping from underneath and at the right angle.

Lift the paw and press on it to expose the claw.

If it has a clear nail you should be able to see the quick: a dark bundle of nerves and blood vessels. Clip from underneath close to the quick but do not cut into it. If you do, your dog will soon let you know. Use Styptic pencil or Kwikstop to staunch the bleeding.

Buff the ragged edge with a file or Dremel.

Some dogs can handle their nails being buffed by the Dremel regularly, rather than clipping.

If it has a dark nail, clip just under the curve of the nail and then you will be able to look inside and see the quick if you look close enough. Clip using tiny snips at a time.

Don't forget to check for dewclaws: an extra claw dogs may have farther up on the leg that works like a thumb. It is better to clip your dog's nails frequently as this encourages the quick to recede farther away from the tip.

Paws: Check daily.

It is very important to check between dog pads for foreign objects that may have wedged there and to check the pads themselves for cuts, scrapes and infection.

Tools: Small, blunt scissors, slicker brush.

The hair that grows between pads on the Akita can mat and trap bacteria as well as becoming painful to walk on.

Trim hair around the paws to keep them clean. Do this while the dog is standing on the paw.

Then, push feathers growing on top of the foot down through the toes to the pad.

Lift the paw and from the back, brush out the hair and trim to pad level.

Push feathers back up through the toes and trim from the top.

Hygienic trimming: 2 to 4 weeks.

Tools: Thinning shears, electric clippers

Trimming, thinning and clipping at the opening of the ears, around the privates, anus and base of the tail makes your dog feel better as well as keeping it and your house clean.

Expressing Glands: Every 2 to 4 weeks

This is one of the services you pay for at the groomers. The anal glands excrete a scented fluid to mark a territory. These glands also excrete when the dog defecates. At times, these glands can get impacted. Signs of this are: increased doggie odour, excessive licking and chewing of the behind and, worst of all, scooting. That's when your dog drags his butt across your carpet.

There is no risk of overly expressing these glands so it's good to get accustomed to doing this regularly. It will lessen dog odour.

Tools: Warm cloth

Lift your dog's tail and place your cloth-draped hand on its backside. Place your thumb and forefinger at 5 o'clock and 7'o clock. Press inward and squeeze.

Bathing: Not recommended.

Akitas do not need regular bathing. Having an all-weather coat, they have natural oils that moisturize their skin and keep their coat glossy and resistant to dirt and water. Stripping these oils with frequent bathing dries out the skin and is a deterrent to a healthy coat.

Akitas are particularly susceptible to dry skin and irritation.

A rubdown with a damp towel can remove dirt.

With regular brushing/combing, ear cleaning and gland expression, dog odour will remain minimal.

Tools: Non-slip mat, sprayer hose, dog shampoo, leash, towels.

Choose a place where you can block escape routes and expect 1-3 water-spraying shakes.

A leash tied to a high point so that your dog's head is elevated will prevent it from escaping and keep it upright during bathing. I highly recommend this as it's really hard to hold a slippery dog.

Never bathe your dog in standing water and never use human shampoo.

Wet your Akita using your hand to massage it and lifting the hair to get to the undercoat.

Avoid getting water into the eyes, nose and ears: cotton wool balls can help.

Massage lather down to undercoat.

Rinse thoroughly. Leftover shampoo can severely dry out and irritate your pet's skin.

Squeeze out excess water by running your hands along its body and pressing.

Dry with a towel and comb out your dog.

A self-service salon dryer is recommended. Damp undercoats mat and create skin irritations. Human blow-dryers have little force and are too hot for canines.

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