NIPPO STANDARD - 1956

AKIKYO STANDARD - 1954

AKIHO STANDARD - 1955

ACA/AKC STANDARD- 1972

General Appearance:
The Akita is a well-balanced dog, extremely sturdy and muscular with plenty bone. The skin tight, not loose. The sex characteristics clearly marked.

General Appearance:
Distinct sexual features of male and female. Balance of structure with abundant bone, firm muscles, tendon and ligaments abounding in resilience, covered by skin, with distinctive features of the breed. Composure, dignity, agility, nimbleness, rapid adaptability to changes to stand firm on the ground to manifest power when necessary.

Over-All Body Structure:
The body is well balanced with a sturdy bone structure and well developed tendons and ligaments while the skin is free of wrinkles. Differences in sex should be readily apparent through general appearance. In the dog (male) the ratio of height to body length is 100 to 110. The bitch is slightly longer in length.

General Appearance:
Large, powerful, alert, with such 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 neck, is characteristic of the breed. The large, curled tail, balancing the broad head, is also characteristic of the breed.
See Body:
Skin pliant but not loose.

Height,
at shoulders, 25 to 27.5 inches, bitches 22.5 to 25 inches. The Akita males' body properly longer than height, with the most desirable proportion as 11 is to 10, bitches slightly longer than males.
The proportion of height to the chest depth about as 2 is to 1.

Height
for male:2 shaku 1 sun (63.6cm), approximately 25.05 inches) or greater; height: body length ratio = 100:110.
Height of female:
2 shaku (60.6cm, approximately 23.9 inches); body` length is slightly longer, allowable to 100:120, for pregnancy.
Ideal height: chest depth ratio = 2:1

The height
of the dog is 26 1/4 inches while the height of the bitch is 23 7/8 inches, plus or minus 1 1/8 inches.
The ratio of the height to the depth of chest is 2 to 1.
 
See Over-All Body Structure:
In the dog (male) the ratio of height to body length is 100 to 110. The bitch is slightly longer in length.

Size:
Males 26 to 28 inches at the withers; bitches 24-26 inches.
Body:
Longer than high, as 10 is to 9 in males; 11 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 loose.

Temperament:
The Akita combines serenity and dignity, with not gaudy in overall appearance, but possessing loyalty, nobility, and keenness. Although the heavily frame, his demeanor indicates active and agile.

Essential Qualities:
Strength, calmness, dignity, with much kan-i (much spirit, great will, strong character, courage and composure), with clear pristinely features. Keen, discriminatory, affectionate, friendly and yet domineering at times.

See Movement:
Abundance of composure, dignity, agility and adaptability to changes.

Characteristics:
An Akita is quiet, strong, dignified and courageous. He is also loyal and respectful, reserved and noble. He is sensitive and deliberate yet possesses quickness.

Temperament
Alert and responsive, dignified and courageous. Aggressive toward other dogs.

Head:
Massive in appearance, top of the skull slightly flat, and the forehead showing broad, free from wrinkles. The stop well amount, and definite furrow running alone the center of the forehead. The cheeks fairly developed and fullness.

Head and Cheeks:
Magnificent head with much bone and muscles areas covered by tight skin with a slight longitudinal crease and stop.
Well developed cheeks, skull and lower jaw bones with much muscle.
Full checks.

Head:
The skull is large and a little flat at the top. Its forehead is wide without wrinkles but has a definite longitudinal crease. There is a well proportioned stop (depression between the cranial and nasal bones) between the forehead and the muzzle. The checks are full.

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 a blunt triangle when viewed from above.
See General Appearance:
...broad head,...
See Muzzle:
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

Ears:
Erect rather small, triangular in shape, thick and firm with carried slightly forward, and well broad between the ears.

Ears:
Triangular from frontal view. Slightly blunt ear tips with no curled appearance. Slightly inclined forward when viewed from the side and erect. Properly short and thick appearance. Wide space between left and right ear bases at top of head.

Ears:
The ears are thick, rather small, triangular in shape, and tilts slightly forward. The lines are straight and the ears stand erect. The distance between the ears are not narrow but not too wide.

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.

Eyes:
Deeply set, rather triangular in shape, dark brown in color, and well apart between the eyes

Eyes:
Proper distance between eyes which are somewhat triangular with deeply set eyeballs in eye sockets. Upper and lower eyelids appear thick. Straight lower eyelid. Dark brown iris with black tinge.

Eyes:
The shape of the eyes is approximately triangular. They are deep-set and slightly slanted. The eye-rims are dark-brownish in color. The distance between the eyes is proportionate.

Eyes:
Dark brown, small, deep-set and triangular in shape. Eye rims black and tight.

Muzzle and Nose:
The muzzle fully developed, the bridge of the nose straight, and thickset at the base, with not snippiness toward the nose. The nose black in color, and the lips tightly closed.

Muzzle and Nose:
Muzzle and cheek taper toward the tip of nose, when viewed from above. From the side view, the bridge of the nose is straight and the muzzle gradually tapers off. The nose is firm, black, glossy and moist. The thick appearing lips are not loose and tightly drawn.

Muzzle: (Mouth and Nose)
The nose (black portion) is full and the ridge straight. The base of the mouth is wide, the frontal portion not pointed, and the lips drawn. The whiskered region is full.

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. (See Head: blunt triangle)

Teeth:
Strong and healthy, with correct scissors bite.

Oral Cavity and Teeth:
The oral cavity has the proper amount of area. In robust health, the teeth have proper occlusion, normal occlusion (level bite).

Teeth:
The teeth are strong and have a scissor bite.

Lips and Tongue:
Lips black and not pendulous; tongue pink.
Teeth:
Strong with scissors bite preferred, but level bite acceptable.

Neck:
Thick and muscular, well arched, without loose skin.

Neck:
Firm, strong and moderately thick with proper union of frame as the center, abounding in muscles covered by skin that is not loose, with increasing sturdiness and thickness from the head to the upper arm with proper joints and angle.

Neck:
Neck is thick and powerful. The skin around the neck is free of wrinkles and the coat appropriately bristled.

Neck and Body
Neck- Thick and muscular; comparatively short, widening gradually toward shoulders. A pronounced crest blends in with base of skull.

See Head:
...jaws square with minimal dewlap.

Chest and Abdomen:
The chest fairly deep, and the brisket well developed. The ribs well sprung, and the abdomen moderately tucked up.

Chest and Abdomen:
Deep and wide front chest with wedge and oval shaped properly expanded ribs. Lower chest extends to the rear. Properly tucked up abdomen. Boat bottom shaped from lower chest to abdomen.

Chest and Stomach:
The chest is broad. The rib cage is full. The forechest is well developed and defined. The stomach is drawn without flabbiness (tucked up).

See Body:
Chest is wide and deep,...
...moderate tuck-up.
Ribs well sprung, brisket well developed.

Back and Hips:
The withers has a slight protuberance. Proper union of the thoracic vertebrae, lumbar vertebrae and sacrum as the center of the back bones covered by muscles, tendons and ligaments keep the back straight and powerful. The lumbar vertebrae are joined properly to the pelvic bone covered by powerful muscles and tendons, giving rise to powerful hips. The anus is drawn in deeply and contracted with a large oval outer circumference with no fur.

Back and Hip:
The back is straight and the hip is powerful.

See Body:
Level back with firmly-muscled loin and moderate tuck-up. Skin pliant but not loose.

Forequarters:
The forelegs well developed, with the shoulder blades and the upper arms moderately angulated. The elbows close to body, not loose. The forearms straight, heavy-boned and strong. The pasterns slightly slanting. The feet large, round and thick, compact with arched toes.

Forelegs:
Proper angulation of shoulder blade and upper arms. Elbows attached to abundant muscles and sinews with resilience and tenacity. The upper arm width decreases as the pastern is approached and is vertical to the ground. The pastern protrudes slightly forward of the vertical line when standing. The paws are thick and tightly gripped.

Forelegs (Arms):
The shoulders are well developed with proper shoulder angulation. The elbows (joint) are strong. The upper forelegs are straight, strong and thick. The pasterns (portion directly above paws) are slightly slanted. The paws are round, large, and thick, and has a firm grip.

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.

See Faults:
Elbows in or out, loose shoulders.

Hind Legs:
The hip bone (innominate bone) is connected to the thigh bone (femur) with abundant resilient muscles and sinews. The femur is connected to the shinbone (tibia) at the proper angle. The tibia with adequate muscles is drawn slightly rearward and is springy. The hocks have a distinct angle. The area from the hocks to pasterns are also muscular and perpendicular to the ground in standing position. Proper spacing between the left and right powerful hocks is slightly wider than the space between the forelegs. The paw is thick with a tight grip.

Hind Legs:
The hind legs are well developed, springy, powerful and sturdy. The rear pasterns have proper angles and possess a strong kick or thrust. The paws are thick with a strong grip.

Hindquarters:
Width, muscular development and comparable to forequarters. Upper thighs well-developed. Stifle moderately bent and hocks well let down, turning neither in nor out.
Dewclaws:
On front legs generally not removed; dewclaws on hind legs generally removed.
Feet:
Cat feet, well knuckled up with thick pads. Feet straight ahead.

Tail:
Thick and powerfully curled. Tip of tail touches the hock. Type of curl include left, right, curl above back and loose curl.

Tail:
The tail is thick and tightly wound. The length of the tail when extended must reach the hock joint. The type of curls are called right curl, left curl, single straight, and double curl.

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.

See General Appearance:
The large curled tail, balancing the broad head, is also characteristic of the breed.

Coat:
Coarse and straight outer coat. Fluffy, soft, luxuriant and distinct undercoat. Neck coat slightly longer than body coat. Tail coat much longer than neck coat, luxuriant and in a round mold.

Coat:
The outer coat is coarse and straight, while the under-coat is fine and thick. The coat at the withers (shoulder region) and rump is slightly longer than the rest of the body. The tail has the longest coat.

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.

Color:
Black, fox red, sesame (goma), black brindle, fox (yellow red) and white.

Color of Coats:
White, black, red, silver-tipped, brindle and pinto.

Color:
Any color including white; brindle; or pinto. Colors are brilliant and clear and markings are well balanced, with or without 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 a different color from outer coat.

Movement:
Correct impressive gait with proper center of gravity and stability with minimum pitching of the body. Abundance of composure, dignity, agility and adaptability to changes.

Gait:
Brisk and powerful with strides of moderate length. Back remains strong, firm and level. Rear legs move in line with front legs.

Faults:
Posteriority injury, too malnutrition and negligent care.
Objectionable color.
Too light eyes.
Level bite, missing or irregular teeth.
Dark spot on tongue.
Shyness, instability, ferocity.
Poor characteristic substance of the Akita.

Minor Faults:
Acquired injuries, malnutrition, and poor care.
Weak back and hips with concave (swayed) or convex (roach) backs.
Colors unbecoming of an Akita dog and resembling other breeds, e.g. light red, pinto, yellow brindle are acceptable, but red brindle, dark brown, dark brown goma (wheat red, chestnut red). Black coat on back interpreted as a color of another dog breed.
Eye color not suitable to body color, such as very light and round eyes.
Irregular teeth with overshot or undershot jaws. Missing teeth.
Lack of balance between tail coat and body. Tail with more than double curl or with lack of curl.
Underdeveloped or one undescended testicle.
Frivolous, ferocious or frightened dogs.

Minor Faults:
Permanent injury and dietary deficiency.
Color of coat unbecoming to an Akita.
Undesirable color combination of coat and eye rim.
Loss of tooth or teeth. Undershot and overshot jaws.
Black spotting on tongue.
Lacking in courage, being timid, or displaying ferociousness or otherwise lacking the qualities suitable for Akitas.

Faults:
Narrow or snippy head.
Elbows in or out, loose shoulders.
Any indication of ruff or feathering.

Serious Faults:
Light bone, rangy body.

Disqualifications:
Congenital drop ear and ears.
Congenital uncurled tail.
Congenital excessive short or long coat.
Much overshot or undershot.
Any other color than black nose, liver nose acceptable only on white dog.
Lack of testicles and testicles.
Lack of characteristic substance of the Akita.

Disqualifications:
Lacking distinctive features of an Akita dog.
Pronounced overshot or undershot jaw with missing upper and lower front teeth.
Very short coat since birth. Absence of undercoat.
Ears unbecoming of Japanese dog breed.
Coat unbecoming of a Japanese dog breed. Long coat or moku coat.
Nose color not accompanying body color (tolerated only in white dogs).
Uncurled tail since birth. Sickle or short tail.
Underdeveloped and undescended testicle(s).

Major Faults:
Floppy ears by birth (ears failing to stand)
2.Straight tail by birth.
Excessively long or short coat.
Color of nose not matching the color of coat. (reddish or pink nose acceptable with white coat).
Bilateral or unilateral cryptorchidism.
Other defects detracting from the qualities of Akitas.

Disqualifications:
Butterfly nose or total lack of pigmentation on nose.
Drop or broken ears.
Noticeably undershot or overshot.
Sickle or uncurled tail.
Dogs under 25 inches; bitches under 23 inches.