The Accidental Breeder: A conversation with primitive breeds breeder Hasan Yiğit Aktaş

When Hasan Yiğit Aktaş’s Akita started gaining weight, his vet assured him it was a phantom pregnancy. Seven puppies later, he was a breeder—accidentally. That moment shaped a path Hasan never planned, but which now defines his life with dogs.Speaking from rural Lithuania, Hasan shares his journey with primitive breeds: Akitas, Shibas and the rare Shikoku.These are dogs with deep history, bred for specific purposes, and not always suited to the lives we ask of them today. Together we explore what it means to care for breeds that hold on to strong prey drives, same-sex aggression, and instincts that urban pet life often clashes with.This episode goes beneath the surface of romanticised ideas—whether from films like Hachiko or glossy kennel club pedigrees—to ask harder questions.What do pedigree papers really tell us? How much protection do health tests actually provide? And what happens when our expectations of “ancient” dogs collide with the realities of their behaviour?In Part 1, Hasan reflects on:

• The seven “phantom” puppies that began his full-time professional breeding journey
• The original working purposes of Akitas, Shibas and Shikokus
• Why some instincts have endured while others have faded
• The difference between pedigree registration and true health guarantees
• How moving from Brighton to rural Lithuania reshaped his dogs’ behaviour

This is not a how-to episode about breeding. It’s a conversation about the space between human desire and canine reality. About the choices we make when we preserve certain breeds, and what those choices reveal about our assumptions, our responsibilities, and our willingness—or reluctance—to truly see dogs for who they are.