The
Akita is a dog of substance, power and dignity. He has a
triangular head that is massive but always in balance,
characteristically small triangular eyes, erect ears and a Nordic
tail curled and large enough to balance the dog's head. A
beautiful, balanced picture is true to the breed. The muzzle
must be broad and full and the skull flat; dewlap is undesirable.
The neck is thick and muscular, short and widening towards
shoulders. The body is slightly longer than high and the chest
is wide and deep. The back is level with a well muscled loin
and moderate tuck up. The Akita is not light boned or rangy in
body type. The skin is pliant but not loose. Dewclaws on
front not removed. The coat is double with a thick, dense,
soft undercoat and outer hairs that are straight and off standing.
The standard describes the Akita's color as any color including
white, brindle, or pinto. The pinto pattern features white
with patches of other colors evenly paced. Males stand 26 to
28 inches with females about 2 inches less.
The Akita is truly the
perfect house dog, although his great size may make you wish he were
only a house guest. Females are better with children than
males, who tend to be testy. Choose the Akita carefully as he
is a one-family dog. Training from an early age is a must,
because once the Akita puppy gets ahead of you, you'll spend both
your lifetimes catching up. If any dog can reason, it's the
Akita. A devoted guardian, he requires a family that is self
assured and strong willed, like himself. He will not get along
with other dominant dogs, but is quite amenable to cats. As
with all large guarding breeds, the Akita should be closely
supervised with unknown children. Akitas are challenging and fascinating,
this is a powerful but gentle animal, who is both elegant and utilitarian,
non destructive, and above all the cleanest of all breeds.
