Even though the long-haired Akita has a pedigree, it cannot take part in exhibitions or be used for breeding. This does not change the fact that some people like the defective (from the point of view of the standard) coat even more than the standard one and they specifically look for such an Akita, especially if they have already owned one and could see for themselves how charming it is. Long hair is only a cosmetic defect imposed by the standard and has no impact on the dog's health. The long-haired Akita has all the other characteristics of the breed and can be a great companion dog that will make the whole family happy. Some breeders even claim that long-haired Akitas are better suited to companionship because they are more gentle when playing with children and want to please people more. Long-haired Akitas are also more susceptible to training. The "long-haired" gene in Akitas is blamed on the addition of blood from the now extinct Karafuto, Chow Chow and Samoyed dog breeds. Long-haired Akitas can often be found among litters of Akitas with standard coat lengths. This atavism is found in many breeders, especially those that have good Japanese Akitas at 100%. Dogs winning exhibitions today are generally carriers of the "long-haired" gene, even though they themselves have standard hair. Naturally, puppies with long hair may appear more often in their litters. However, for this to happen, not only the father but also the mother of the litter must be carriers of the "long-haired" gene. Because only when both parents carry the "long-haired" gene, puppies with normal hair length and long-haired puppies are born in the litter. So if at least one long-haired puppy was born in the litter, it means that both its parents carry the long-haired gene. If only one parent is a carrier, none of the puppies will be long-haired. However, the puppies will be carriers of this gene and, if crossed with a gene carrier, may produce long-haired puppies. You can never be sure whether a given dog does not carry the "long-haired" gene. Practically the only possibility would be for the male to mate as many long-haired bitches as possible. If no long-haired puppy was born from these associations, it can be assumed that this dog does not carry the "long-haired" gene. In practice, this is of course unacceptable, so one should not draw hasty conclusions regarding the genetic capital of a particular Akita. Removing all Akitas recognized as carriers from breeding would greatly reduce genetic diversity and weaken the breed, and may even cause its degeneration due to too narrow a gene pool.
If you are the owner of a pedigree long-haired Akita and would like to show it off, send her a photo and I will post it on the website...
