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GENERAL
APPEARANCE
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Large, powerful, alert and
much substance and heavy bone. The broad head, forming a blunt triangle
with deep muzzle. Small eyes and small erect ears carried forward in
line with the neck are characteristic of the breed. The large curled
tail, balancing the broad head, is also characteristic of the breed.
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Temperament:
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Alert, responsive,
dignified, reserved with strangers. An Akita’s nature is to be
intensely loyal to its master. The Akita barks infrequently and then
only as a warning signal. Fearless when challenged, often dominant over
other dogs. The Akita’s demeanor suggests activity and agility.
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Size:
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Height at shoulders: 26
inches to 28 inches for dogs; 24 inches to 26 inches for bitches. The
male dogs length to height is approximately 10:9: females 11:9.
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Coat
and Colour:
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Double coated; undercoat is
soft and dense - shorter than outer coat. Outer coat is straight, harsh,
slightly standing off body. Hair on head, legs and ears is short. Length
of hair at withers and rump approximately two inches; except tail, where
coat is longest and most profuse.
Any colour, white, brindle or pinto. Colours well defined, markings well
balanced. Whites have no mask. Pintos have white background with large
evenly placed patches covering head and more than one-third of body.
Brindles with or without mask. If the face has stripes rather than a
black mask, they should be uniform. Undercoat may be different colour
from outer coat.
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Head:
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Skull - Massive but in
balance with body, tending to be flat on top with the rest of the head
forming a blunt triangle when viewed from top. Free from wrinkles when
at ease. Median fissure clearly visible and stop well defined. Cheeks
moderately developed.
Muzzle - Broad, full: distance from nose to stop is the distance from
stop to occiput as two is to three.
Nose
- Broad and black - liver nose permitted on white Akita only, but
black preferred.
Mouth
- Clean, powerful jaws. Tongue pink. Teeth strong with scissors
bite - but level bite acceptable. No black spots on tongue. Lips black
and heavy but not pendulous.
Eyes - Dark brown; small, deep set and triangular in shape. Eye rims
black and tight.
Ears - Ears of the Akita are characteristic of the breed. They are
strongly erect and small in relation to the size of the head. Ears are
triangular, slightly rounded at tip, wide at base, set wide on head, but
not too low and carried slightly forward over eyes in line with back of
neck.
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Neck:
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The neck is thick and
muscular. Comparatively short, widening gradually towards shoulders. A
pronounced crest blends in with base of skull.
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Forequarters:
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Shoulders - Strong and
powerful with moderate layback.
Upper Arm - Heavy-boned and straight as viewed from front. Elbows
turning neither in nor out.
Lower Arm - Heavy-boned and straight as viewed from front. Dew claws
optional.
Pasterns
- Angle of pastern 15 degrees from vertical.
Feet - Thick, round and very tight with arched toes (cat feet) straight
ahead, pads thick.
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Body:
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Topline
- level back.
Chest - is wide and deep; depth of chest is one-half height of dog at
shoulder. Ribs well-sprung, brisket well developed.
Loin
- Firmly muscled and moderate tuck up.
Abdomen - is drawn up and tucked up.
Croup - is slightly rounded.
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Hindquarters:
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Hip bone - width, muscular
development and bone comparable to front.
Upper thigh - well developed and powerful, stifle moderately angled.
Lower thigh - should be comparable to forequarters, dew claws optional.
Hocks - strong hocks, less angular than many breeds (146-160) turning
neither in nor out.
Feet - same as front.
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Tail:
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Large and full, set high and
carried over back or against flank in a three-quarter, full or double
curl, always dipping to or below level of back. On a three-quarter curl,
tip drop well down flank. Root thick and strong. Tail reaches hock when
let down. Hair coarse, straight and full, with no appearance of a plume.
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Gait:
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Brisk and powerful.
Vigorous. Back remains firm and level. Rear legs move in line with front
legs.
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Faults:
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- Over refinement in males;
- Coarseness in bitches;
- Lack of chest;
- Elbows in or out;
- Light bone, rangy body;
- Straight hocks;
- Excessive dewlap;
- Indication of ruff or feathering;
- Round or light eye.
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The foregoing description is
that of the ideal Akita. Any deviation from the above-described dog must
be penalized to the extent of the deviation, keeping in mind the
original purpose of the breed.
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Note:
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A male animal must have two
apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
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Disqualifications:
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- Monorchids or cryptorchids
- Viciousness, instability
- Excessively over/undershot
- Uncurled or sickle tail
- Albinos; Butterfly nose
- Drop or broken ears
- Entropion or ectropion
- Long coats
- Males under twenty-five (25) inches
- Bitches under twenty-three (23) inches
- Altering of coat or general appearance by scissoring or clipping |
