Akitsugu Konno (born 1984) is a Japanese animal psychologist and lecturer in the School of Veterinary Medicine at Azabu University. He earned his doctorate from the University of Tokyo and studies canine behavior and personality, communication between dogs and humans, and the genetic foundations of these traits. His research has examined the relationship between behavioral characteristics and genes in the Akita breed, as well as the ability of companion animals and captive marine mammals to understand and imitate human actions. In the coauthored book "Inu no Seikaku o Kagaku suru: Idenshi de Himotoku ‘Sairyō no Tomo’ no Shinka," he and Miho Murayama explore the evolution of dogs from wolves, behavioral differences among breeds, and genetic research into canine personality, testing common assumptions that breed alone determines a dog’s character.
