Difference Between Akita and Shiba

Akita vs Shiba

Akita and Shiba are names of dog breeds of Japanese origin. They are also referred to as Akita Inu and Shiba Inu; Inu is dog in Japanese, so it doesn’t make a difference if it is Akita or Akita Inu. Coming back to the topic, both Akita as well as Shiba belongs to Spitz breed of dogs originating in Japan. There are differences in color, size, furs, nature, and much more. Let us take a closer look.

One interesting fact about Akita and Shiba is that both are very old, almost ancient dog breeds of the world. Differences between the two breeds begin with their size, where Akita looks much more large and powerful than Shiba. In fact, Shiba dogs look almost half the size of Akita dogs weighing just 17- 23 pounds, whereas Akita’s weigh 70-120 pounds. Akita is also much taller of the two, measuring around 28 inches, whereas Shiba looks diminutive standing just 13 to 16 inches.

Coming to personality traits, Akita is a domineering breed that likes to dominate other breeds, while also being protective. On the other hand, Shiba is a breed that is shy and reserve and does not interact much with strange dogs. One common characteristic of these dogs is that both are high on prey drive. This is one trait common in hunting dog breeds. These breeds have an inborn desire to chase their prey. Knowing they are quite large and can overpower other dogs, Akita is a bit quiet, while Shiba is almost hyper active. But, Akita is more playful, whereas Shiba is on the alert and careful even while playing. As far as expenditure incurred on raising these breeds, Akita proves to be more expensive than Shiba. This is because Shiba has much less genetic problems than Akita, also consume much less food than Akita. One unique characteristic of Akita is that it will single out one of the family members and show more love and care towards that person, whereas Shiba shows equal love and care towards all family members. Though shedding takes place in both dog breeds at the same rate, Akita’s tend to lose much more hair, or so their owners do perceive, because they have much more fur to lose than Shiba dogs. There are also some differences in colors of the two breeds. Whereas Akita is found in red and brown colors, Shiba is found more to have black, white, and red colors.