futago kennels

Japanese Akitainu

About

We are Nao and Rio, two identical twin sisters who are passionate about Japanese Akitainu.We are located in Central Ohio.Futago Kennels was established officially in 2020, though we have been breed enthusiasts for longer. In 2016, we brought home our first Japanese Akitainu, Kubo, a brindle male. We realized that we wanted to do our part in order to protect the future of the breed. After showing and trialing at many UKC and AKC shows and attending AKIHO shows (in both the United States and Japan), we were inspired and committed to following our dream and began our preservation journey.We are fortunate to have amazingly patient and knowledgable mentors who have taught us about the breed, the Japanese culture surrounding the breed, and much more. Without them, we wouldn't be here today. And we continue to keep an open mind to learn and evolve.Nao is currently a producer in the Video Game industry, with experience as a character designer for studios like DreamWorks TV, Nickelodeon, Hasbro, and much more.Rio is a professional and traditional toy sculpture, with experience in producing sculptures for videos games and productions. Now, they focus on designing and sculpting their own designer toys.The Futago Kennels twins try their best to assist the Japanese Akitainu breed clubs in any way. From volunteering their time, helping in committees, and using their artwork to help raise money for dogs in need, they are always happy to give a helping hand when needed. They have a strong believe that it takes a village to ensure this important breed continues to prosper.

Story Behind the Kennel Name

Futago (双子) is Japanese for “twins”, which was the perfect name for our kennel and our joint effort in preserving this breed. In addition to being identical twin sisters, we are nerds at heart, and wanted to pay homage to the Japanese animated series that got us into the breed when we were younger. Futago Pass is a famous landmark in the “Ginga” series by Yoshihiro Takahashi. In 2020, we officially registered Futago as an AKIHO kennel.

Our Goals

Our kennel takes health and temperament very seriously, wanting to make sure that any puppy produced has the best possible chance at a happy and healthy life. We ensure all breeding pairs are OFA health tested and have stable temperaments.We understand that even with all the research in the world, you may have questions about the breed after you take home your puppy. We are always here to answer any question, big or small. We consider any puppy owner a member of our extended family.We primarily breed with the AKIHO standard in mind. AKIHO was established in 1927 in Odate, Japan, in order to restore and preserve this breed for years to come. All of our dogs are AKIHO registered and we spend a lot of our free time and resources studying the standard, the Japanese language, and flying to Japan in order to absorb as much as we can about the breed. Although we are a new kennel, we hope to produce dogs that we can show back in the country of origin, Japan.Futago Kennels are also proud members of JACA and JACUSA.

History

The Japanese Akitainu is the largest of the Nihonken (native Japanese dog breeds) in Japan. In 1927, the Akitainu Hozonkai (AKIHO) was established in Odate City, Akita Prefecture in order to restore, preserve, protect and propgate the breed. The Japanese Akitainu Club of America (JACA) has an excellent deep dive into the history of our beloved breed. Please click HERE in order to read!

Life with a jAPANESE AKITAINU

While there are Japanese Akitainu with different types of temperaments and energy levels, typically, the Japanese Akitainu is a proud dog who cares deeply about their people. Energy level is relatively low, perfectly fine hanging out at home, but always ready for an adventure or training session. We find the breed to be eager to learn, as long as the handler keeps training fun and not too repetitive. They are not afraid to tell you that they aren't feeling it today or they're bored with the session. They will not settle for kibble or low value treats for their "payment", so adding variety will ensure both of you have fun while keeping your dog interested.These dogs love their people and will often follow them at home, as well as give check ins. They are not clingy by nature but are still affectionate to the people they trust. They can be aloof to strangers but should not fearful or aggressive.The breed isn't noisy and will not bark without reason. While they can be excellent watch dogs, they are not suitable as guard dogs.This is not a breed for you if you want a dog that is social to other dogs for play dates and get togethers. Japanese Akitainu should exhibit neutrality around other dogs, but if a strange dog approaches too closely, same sex dog aggression/dog aggression is not an uncommon trait in the breed. If you are bringing a dog of this breed to a household where another dog already resides, in order to set up for success, it is recommended that the sex of the Japanese Akitainu is the opposite of your current house dog.Previously used as a hunting breed, these dogs can see small animals as prey. However, our Japanese Akitainu have been raised with a cat (currently 18 years old) and has never demonstrated any prey drive towards him.As a triple coated breed, expect to make good friends with your vacuum cleaner. Japanese Akitainu shed quite a lot and blow their coat once or twice a year, sometimes even more. That being said, these dogs are relatively clean and easy to house train.

Kubo (8 years old brindle Japanese Akitainu) and Lucas (18 years old cat supreme overlord)

If you want to learn more about the breed, there is a Dogumentary interview with Steven Takamatsu, president of AKIHO North America; you can watch the video HERE.

Two Breeds?

In 2020, the Japanese Akitainu and the (American) Akita was split in the American Kennel Club (AKC) when the Japanese Akitainu entered the Foundation Stock Service program. The breed moved up to Miscellaneous Class in 2023 and is expected to gain full recognition in the near future. This progress in the US has made it much easier to explain to the general public that these two breeds are different from one another.To briefly explain the physical differences in these two breeds, one should know that JA only come in three colors (red, brindle, and white) and have no black masks, while the AA can come in a larger variety of colors and black masks are acceptable. AA are larger in both size and weight compared to the JA.

Important Resources

AKIHO official website
Japanese Akitainu Club of America

Anzu no Hana go Shiranuisou
杏の花号不知火荘

Nezuko is our foundation female and was bred by Shiranui Kennels. She is a bundle of energy who enjoys being kept busy and doing everything with us. We love her stable temperament and willingness to try new things, meet new people, and show off. As our first true show dog, we are learning a lot together as we began our journey of showing in the UKC conformation ring, and it helps that Nezuko has such a lovely temperament and is appropriately focused on the handler or the task we ask of her.Nezuko is currently taking classes in dock diving, nosework, and weight pull but also enjoys bike joring and practicing for Trick Dog. She also loves Fast CAT and Frisbee challenges.Her favorite thing to do is offer air plane ears to everyone she meets and show off toys and bones to guests.Nezuko is named after a character from “Kimetsu no Yaiba”.

Pedigree

You can find Nezuko's full pedigree here.
https://www.akitapedigree.com/details.php?id=102475

Health Testing

You can find her full OFA report here:
https://ofa.org/advanced-search/?appnum=2139952

We are delighted to announce that Nezuko (Anzu no Hana Go Shiranuisou) has been bred bred Arashi (Hasshuu Arashi Go Tochiotomesou) and pregnancy was confirmed. Puppies are expected in early September.

At a glance

Before Inquiring about a puppy

Contact

If you would like more information about our program, goals, dogs, and more, feel free to send us a message with the form below. Please allow 2-3 days for us to respond back to your message.

Creating engagement in a new environment for a puppy