THE
AKITA STANDARD ...
GENERAL
APPEARANCE: Large, powerful, alert, with much substance
and heavy bone. The broad head, forming a blunt triangle,
with deep muzzle, small eyes and erect ears carried forward
in line with the back of the neck, is characteristic of
the breed.
HEAD: Massive but in balance with body; free of wrinkle when
at ease. Skull flat between ears and broad;
jaws square
and powerful with minimal dewlap. Head forms blunt triangle
when viewed from above. Fault - Narrow or snipy head.
MUZZLE: Broad and full. Distance from nose to stop is to distance
from stop to occiput as 2 is to 3. Stop - Well defined,
but not too abrupt. A shallow furrow extends well up
forehead.
NOSE: Broad and black. Liver permitted on white Akitas,
but black always preferred. Disqualification - Butterfly
nose or total lack of pigmentation on nose.
EARS: The ears of the Akita are characteristic of the breed.
They are
strongly erect and small in relation to rest of
head. If ear is folded forward for measuring length,
tip will touch upper eye rim. 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. Disqualification - Drop or broken ears.
EYES: Dark brown, small, deep-set and triangular in shape. Eye
rims
black and tight.
LIPS
AND TONGUE: Lips black and not pendulous; tongue pink.
TEETH: Strong with scissors bite preferred, but level bite acceptable.
Disqualification - Noticeably
undershot or overshot.
NECK
AND BODY: Neck - Thick and muscular; comparatively short,
widening gradually toward
shoulders. A pronounced
crest blends in with base of skull. Body
- Longer than high, as 10 is to 9 in males; 11 is to 9
in bitches. Chest
wide
and deep; depth of chest is one-half height
of dog at shoulder. Ribs well sprung, brisket well developed.
Level back with
firmly muscled loin and moderate tuck-up.
Skin pliant but not too loose. Serious faults - Light bone;
rangy body.
TAIL: 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 drops well down flank. Root large
and strong. Tail
bone reaches hock when let down. Hair
coarse, straight and full
with no appearance of a plume. Disqualification
- Sickle or uncurled tail.
FOREQUARTERS
AND HINDQUARTERS: Forequarters - Shoulders strong and powerful
with moderate layback.
Forelegs heavy-boned
and straight as viewed from front.
Angle of pastern 15 degrees forward from vertical. Faults
- Elbows in or out;
loose shoulders.
Hindquarters - Width, muscular development
and comparable to forequarters. Upper thighs well developed.
Stifle moderately
bent and hocks well let down, turning
neither in or out.
DECLAWS: On front legs generally not removed;
dewclaws on hind legs generally removed.
FEET: Cat feet, well knuckled up with thick pads. Feed straight
ahead.
COAT: Double coated. Undercoat thick, soft, dense and shorter
than outer coat. Outer coat
straight, harsh and standing
somewhat off body. Hair on head,
legs and ears short. Length of hair at withers and rump
approximately two inches, which
is slightly longer than on rest
of body, except tail, where coat is longest and most profuse.
Fault - Any indication
of ruff or feathering.
COLOR: Any color including white, brindle, or pinto. Colors are
brilliant and clear and markings
are well balanced, with
or without a mask or blaze. White
Akitas have no mask. Pinto has a white background with
large, evenly placed
patches
covering head and more than one-third
of body. Undercoat may be different color from outer coat.
GAIT: Brisk and powerful with strides of moderate length. Back
remains
strong, firm and level. Rear
legs move in line with front legs.
SIZE: Males 26 to 28 inches at the withers; bitches 24 to 26
inches. Disqualification - Dogs under
25 inches; bitches
under 23 inches.
TEMPERAMENT: Alert and responsive, dignified and courageous. Aggressive
toward other dogs.
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Butterfly nose or total
lack of pigmentation, Drop or broken ears, Noticeably undershot
or overshot, Sickle
or uncurled tail, Dogs
under 25 inches; bitches under 23 inches
Approved effective April 4, 1973
