Dog Breed Quiz

Akita

You stand firm right where you are and keep your promise to your chosen person for as long as it takes.

Settled in one spotClose to a chosen fewReady for a job

The Akita is a breed that comes from dogs kept in the mountain areas of Akita Prefecture in northern Japan. In 1931, it became the first Japanese breed designated as a Natural Monument — a national status for protected animals, plants and places. It's the only large breed among Japan's Natural Monument dogs, with a thick coat, upright ears and a tightly curled tail.

At Shibuya Station in Tokyo stands a statue of an Akita named Hachiko. Hachi is said to have kept waiting at the station for his owner, Professor Hidesaburo Ueno, to come home, even after the professor had died. You're the kind of person who stays calm, holds your ground, and keeps your promise to your chosen person as your own job.

Akitas are often said to be cautious with strangers and slow to warm up. Because you're focused on watching over the people you've chosen, distance can form with everyone else, and people meeting you for the first time may find you hard to approach. Say just the first word yourself, and they'll find it easier to come closer.

Strengths

You can keep a role you've taken on for a long time without changing
Even in a hectic place, you can stay calm and take in what's around you
You're quick to notice changes in the people you've chosen

Where you may stumble

People meeting you for the first time think you're hard to approach
When it's time to change the way you've settled on, you're slow to get moving
While you keep on waiting, you miss the chance to make a move yourself

Sounds familiar, Akita?

You always arrive well before the meeting time and wait
When someone close to you is out late, you stay up until you hear they've made it home
When you see someone after years apart, they say, “You haven't changed a bit”

Where you shine

Long-running roles, or guarding a place that matters. Being there steadily, the same as always, tends to give the people around you a sense of security.

Tips for “Akita”

With someone new, be the one to say just the first word
Instead of only waiting, sometimes go out and meet them yourself
Every so often, hand off the role you've been keeping up and take a rest

Matches

See every match in the Dog Breed Quiz compatibility chart →

Easy together

Border Collie — The Border Collie is another breed that values its chosen person's signals. A Border Collie can read even the quiet Akita's glances, so you can get on with a job together without needing many words.

Easy together

Chihuahua — The Chihuahua also likes to stay close to the people it has chosen. You share the wish to spend time quietly with a few people rather than in a lively crowd, so you can be close without either of you feeling on edge.

May clash

Beagle — The Beagle is a breed that dashes off nimbly wherever its nose points. To an Akita that wants to guard its post, the Beagle's detours look unsettling, and to the Beagle, the Akita's stance seems as if it will never budge.