General

AKITA INU

Land of origin: Japan

Originally the Japanese dogs were small to middle sized. At the beginning of the seventeenth century they started to get interested for dogfights. In the area Tohoku there existed in that time a middle sized, bear hunting dog, Akita Matagi. This breed was mixed with Mastiff, St. Bernard en German Dog, to expand mass and size. They lost however the straight, forward bending ears that were characteristic for the Akita. At the beginning of the twentieth century the dogfights were prohibited by law but in spite of this they wanted to save the fightdog. This happened because a few enthusiastic people interfered and in 1926 nine specially selected gos wre chosen and declared national posession which made the breed popular in various crowds. After worldwar II in 1945 great efforts were made to exclude the Mastiff and influence from other breeds to become a pure and large Akita.

The Akita Inu is a fairly large, well proportioned dog, slightly right-angled with lots of substance, elegant and majestical. He is reliable, calm and a easy learner.

Head: with good proportion with the body, wide forhead with pronounced stop and forhead groove, flat bridge en black rhinarium. With white dogs a flesh-coloured rhinarium is allowed. Powerful snout of normal length.

Teeth: carnassial teeth.

Eyes: rather small, triangular, set well apart and darkbrown, the darker the better.

Ears: rather small, thick, triangular, slightly rounde tips, separated by a moderate wide space, straight and hanging forward.

Neck: thick, muscled and dry.

Body: straight and strong back, wide and muscled lumbars. Deep chest with well developed forchest, slightly bowed ribbs and well lifted stomachline.

Limbs: normal angulation of shoulder and upperarm, straight forlegs with powerful bones. Hind normal angulation, thighs well muscled.

Feet: thick, round and well curved.

Tail: set on high and sthick, carried strongly curled behind on the back. Hanging it reachtes almost to the tip of the hock.

Gait: powerful.

Coat: the coverhair is straight and robust, the underhair is soft tight. The shoulder and the rear end are covered with longer hair and so is the hair on the tail.

Colour:  red, sesamyellow, streamed and white.

Size: male 67 cm, female 61 cm.