Both breeds rate 5/5 for shedding — the top of the scale — and both carry heavy double coats built for cold. Then the temperament rows separate them: the Newfoundland rates 5/5 with children and 4/5 with other dogs and strangers, where the Akita rates 3/5, 2/5 and 2/5.
This page is for someone who wants a very large, calm, thick-coated dog. It covers shedding and drool honestly, the heart screening every Newfoundland puppy needs, a breed-specific kidney stone disease, heat tolerance, and what each costs to keep.
The Newfoundland is the gentler dog with the shorter life and the bigger bill; the Akita costs less, lives longer, and does the guarding the Newfoundland will not.
Choose the Akita if lifespan and cost matter, or if you want a guardian. It lives 10 to 13 years against the Newfoundland's 9 to 10, costs $110–$240 a month against $150–$310, grooms at 3/5 against 4/5, and does not drool. You are accepting 1/5 for first-time owners and 2/5 with other dogs and strangers.
Choose the Newfoundland if you want an exceptionally gentle giant and have the space and budget. It rates 5/5 with children, 4/5 with other dogs and strangers, 4/5 for trainability, and barks at only 2/5. You are accepting up to 150 pounds, 5/5 shedding, constant drool, real heat intolerance and a 9 to 10 year life.
| Feature | akita | newfoundland | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight | 70–130 lbs | 100–150 lbs | Equal |
| Height | 24–28 in | 26–28 in | Equal |
| Lifespan | 10–13 years | 9–10 years | akita |
| Coat | Dense double coat | Heavy water-resistant coat | Equal |
| Grooming need | Moderate (3/5) | High (4/5) | akita |
| Shedding | Very high (5/5) | Very high (5/5) | Equal |
| Energy level | Moderate (3/5) | Low (2/5) | Equal |
| Exercise need | Moderate (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Equal |
| Trainability | Moderate (3/5) | High (4/5) | newfoundland |
| Barking | Low (2/5) | Low (2/5) | Equal |
| Good with kids | Moderate (3/5) | Very high (5/5) | newfoundland |
| Good with other dogs | Low (2/5) | High (4/5) | newfoundland |
| Friendly to strangers | Low (2/5) | High (4/5) | newfoundland |
| Apartment suitability | Low (2/5) | Very low (1/5) | akita |
| Good for first-time owners | Very low (1/5) | Moderate (3/5) | newfoundland |
| Tolerates being alone | Moderate (3/5) | Moderate (3/5) | Equal |
| Typical monthly cost | $110–$240 | $150–$310 | akita |
| Typical first-year cost | $1,700–$3,200 | $2,200–$4,200 | akita |
Both coats need work and the Newfoundland's needs more of it — 4/5 grooming against 3/5.
Its coat is long, oily and water-resistant, and it mats behind the ears, in the ruff, in the trousers and on the feathering. Brushing to the skin two or three times a week is the minimum, and after a swim it needs proper drying rather than being left to dry on the dog. Neither coat should ever be clipped, since both insulate against heat as well as cold.
The drool is the part nobody puts in the brochure. Loose flews mean saliva pools and is then distributed by a head shake — walls, furniture, trousers, guests. Newfoundland households keep towels in every room and do not consider that unusual.
The Akita's mouth is dry and tight. Its coat is denser and shorter, and the maintenance is seasonal rather than constant: a weekly brush for ten months, then two or three weeks of raking twice a year.
If drool would genuinely bother you, that alone is a reason to choose the Akita, regardless of anything else on this page.
Subaortic stenosis sits second on the Newfoundland's condition list and it is the single most important thing to ask a breeder about.
It is a congenital narrowing below the aortic valve. The heart has to work harder to push blood past the obstruction, and in significant cases it causes exercise intolerance, fainting or sudden death in a young dog. Mild cases may never cause a problem.
The reason it matters at purchase is that it is detectable. Breeding dogs in this breed should be examined by a veterinary cardiologist — not a general practitioner with a stethoscope — with an echocardiogram, and the certificate should be shown to you. Puppies can also be auscultated by a cardiologist before they leave.
Dilated cardiomyopathy appears alongside it, as it does in most giant breeds, making cardiac examination from middle age sensible.
Ask for cardiologist certificates on both parents by name. A Newfoundland breeder who does not know what you are asking for is telling you something important.
The Akita carries no comparable congenital cardiac risk; its burden is autoimmune and endocrine, with hip dysplasia and bloat.
Cystinuria is the other breed-specific item and it is unusual enough to be worth explaining. It is an inherited defect in the kidneys' ability to reabsorb the amino acid cystine, which then crystallises in the urine and forms bladder stones.
It affects males far more seriously, because a stone that passes harmlessly in a female can lodge in the narrower male urethra and cause a complete blockage — which is a life-threatening emergency within hours. Straining to urinate, producing only drops, or crying while trying, in a male Newfoundland, means an immediate vet visit.
There is a DNA test. Affected dogs are managed with diet, increased water intake and medication, and many do well.
Hip dysplasia and bloat complete the short list. Both breeds are deep-chested and both households should recognise gastric dilatation-volvulus — unproductive retching, a distending abdomen, restlessness — as an emergency, and a preventive gastropexy at neutering is worth discussing for either.
Both breeds also grow fast, and both benefit from a lean puppy, restricted forced exercise until the growth plates close, and no calcium supplementation.
The Newfoundland is built for cold water and it suffers in heat more than almost any breed. A heavy oily coat, a large body and a lot of mass make heat dissipation slow. Summer walks move to early morning and late evening, shade and water need to be available, and a hot car is out of the question even briefly.
It is, in exchange, one of the great swimming breeds — webbed feet, a water-resistant coat and genuine lifesaving instinct. Access to safe water is close to a gift for this dog.
The Akita is more heat-tolerant than it looks, because a double coat insulates in both directions, though it too should be walked at the cool ends of the day in summer.
On money the Newfoundland runs $150–$310 a month and $2,200–$4,200 in the first year against $110–$240 and $1,700–$3,200. Food, weight-dosed medication, anaesthesia and boarding all scale with size, and cardiac screening adds a line the Akita does not have.
Lifespan is 9 to 10 years against 10 to 13, which is the hardest number on this page.
Six rows tie here: shedding at 5/5, exercise at 3/5, barking at 2/5, time alone at 3/5, and both coats are heavy doubles built for cold water and cold air.
The practical result is that both households have the same weekly chore and the same seasonal disaster. Twice a year the undercoat comes out, and in both breeds that means bin bags rather than a dustpan.
What separates them is temperament. The Newfoundland was bred to be handled by strangers in the water and to work alongside other dogs, so 4/5 with dogs and 4/5 with people is not a happy accident — it is the job description. The Akita's 2/5 and 2/5 are equally deliberate.
The other separation is cost and time. $150–$310 a month against $110–$240, and 9 to 10 years against 10 to 13. The Newfoundland is more expensive to run and you get less of it.
They tie at 5/5 — both are at the top of the scale. The Newfoundland's grooming demand is higher at 4/5 against 3/5, because its long oily coat mats behind the ears, in the ruff and on the feathering and needs brushing to the skin two or three times a week. Neither coat should ever be clipped.
Constantly, and it is the part of ownership most often underestimated. Loose flews pool saliva which is then distributed by a head shake onto walls, furniture and clothing. Households keep towels in every room. If this would bother you, it is a sufficient reason to choose a different breed.
A congenital narrowing below the aortic valve that makes the heart work harder, and in significant cases causes exercise intolerance, fainting or sudden death in a young dog. Ask for veterinary cardiologist certificates with echocardiograms on both parents — a general stethoscope check is not the same test.
An inherited defect in the kidneys' handling of the amino acid cystine, which crystallises and forms bladder stones. It is far more dangerous in males, since a stone can block the narrower urethra completely — an emergency within hours. There is a DNA test, and management is diet, water intake and medication.
The Akita, though neither is good. The Newfoundland's heavy oily coat and large mass make it one of the least heat-tolerant breeds there is, and summer walks must move to the cool ends of the day. The Akita's double coat insulates in both directions and copes better than most people expect.
The Newfoundland at 5/5 against the Akita's 3/5, and it is among the most reliably gentle giants. The caveat is physical rather than temperamental — 150 pounds moving through a room, and a wagging tail at head height, need managing around toddlers regardless of intent.
The Newfoundland, at $150–$310 a month against the Akita's $110–$240, and $2,200–$4,200 against $1,700–$3,200 in the first year. Food, weight-dosed medication, anaesthesia and boarding all scale with size, and cardiac screening adds a cost the Akita does not carry.
The Newfoundland if you want an exceptionally gentle giant, have space and budget, and can live with drool. The Akita if lifespan and cost matter, or if you want a dog that actually guards — the Newfoundland does not.
The Newfoundland runs $150–$310 a month and the Akita $110–$240, with first-year totals of $2,200–$4,200 and $1,700–$3,200. Add cardiologist screening for the Newfoundland.
Yes — both rate 3/5, around forty-five to sixty minutes for an adult, with the Newfoundland's timed around temperature. Swimming is ideal for a Newfoundland and genuinely satisfying for the breed.
Cardiologist certificates with echocardiograms on both parents for subaortic stenosis, the cystinuria DNA result, and hip scores. Ask what ages the grandparents reached.
Health information here is general and is not veterinary advice. If your dog shows pain, sudden behaviour change, or worsening symptoms, consult a licensed veterinarian.
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