GREAT JAPANESE DOG
(FORMERLY AMERICAN AKITA)
ORIGIN :
Japan.
DEVELOPMENT :
USA.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 25.10.2000.
UTILIZATION : Companion Dog.
CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 2 Pinscher
and Schnauzer- Molossians-Swiss
Moutain-and
Cattledogs and
related breeds.
Section 4 Related
breeds.
Without
working trial.
BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY : In the beginning, the history of the Great Japanese Dogs (formerly
American Akita) is similar to the history of Japanese Akitas. Since 1603, in
the Akita region, Akita Matagis (medium-sized bear-hunting dogs) were used as
fighting dogs. From 1868, Akita Matagis
were crossbred with Tosas and Mastiffs. Consequently, the size of Akitas increased,
but characteristics associated with Spitz type were lost. In 1908 dog fighting was prohibited, but
Akitas were nevertheless preserved and improved as a large Japanese breed. As a result, nine superior examples of Akitas
were designated as « Natural Monuments » in 1931.
During World War II (1939-1945), it was common to use dogs as a source
of fur for military garments. The police
ordered the capture and confiscation of all dogs other than German Shepherd
Dogs used for military purposes. Some fanciers
tried to circumvent the order by crossbreeding their dogs with German Shepherd
Dogs. When World War II ended, Akitas
had been drastically reduced in number and existed as
three distinct types : 1) Matagi Akitas 2) Fighting Akitas 3) Shepherd
Akitas. This created a very confusing
situation in the breed. During the
restoration process of the pure breed after the war, Kongo-go of the Dewa line
enjoyed a temporary, but tremendous popularity.
Many Akitas of the Dewa line, which exhibited characteristics of the
Mastiff and German Shepherd influence, were brought back to the United States
by members of the Military Forces. The Akitas from the Dewa line, intelligent
and capable of adapting to different environments, fascinated breeders in the
United States and the line was developed with increasing number of breeders and
a great rise in popularity.
The Akita Club of America was established in 1956 and the American
Kennel Club (AKC) accepted the breed (inscription into the stud book and
regular show status) in October 1972.
However, at this time, the AKC and the JKC (Japan Kennel Club) did not
have reciprocal agreements for recognizing each other’s pedigrees and therefore
the door was closed for the introduction of the new bloodlines from Japan. Consequently, Akitas in the United States
became considerably different from those in Japan, the country of origin. They developed as a type unique in the United
States, with characteristics and type unchanged since 1955. This is in sharp contrast with Akitas in
Japan which were crossbred with Matagi Akitas for the purpose of restoring the
original pure breed.
GENERAL APPEARANCE :
Large-sized dog, sturdily built, well balanced, with much substance and heavy
bone. The broad head, forming a blut
triangle, with deep muzzle, relatively small eyes and erect ears carried
forward almost in line with back of neck, is characteristic of the breed.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :
·
The ratio of height at
withers to length of body is 9 to 10 in males and 9 to 11 in bitches.
·
The depth of the chest
measures one-half of the height of the dog at withers.
·
The distance from tip of
nose to stop corresponds to the distance from stop to occiput as 2 does to 3.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Friendly, alert, responsive, dignified, docile and courageous.
HEAD : Massive, but in
balance with the body, free or wrinkles when at ease. Head forms a blunt triangle when viewed from
above.
CRANIAL
REGION :
Skull : Flat and broad between ears. A
shallow furrow extends well up on forehead.
Stop : Well defined, but not too abrupt.
FACIAL
REGION :
Nose : Broad and black. Slight and diffuse lack of pigment on nose
is acceptable in white dogs only but black is always preferred.
Muzzle : Broad, deep and full.
Lips : Black. Not pendulous; tongue pink.
Jaws/Teeth : Jaws not rounded, but blunt, strong and powerful. Teeth strong with regular and full dentition;
scissor bite preferred, but level bite acceptable.
Eyes : Dark brown, relatively small, not prominent, almost
triangular in shape. Eye rims black and
tight.
Ears : Strongly erect and small in
relation to the rest of the head. If the
ear is folded forward for measuring length, tip will touch upper eye rim. Ears are triangular, slightly rounded at tip,
wide at base, not set too low. Viewed
from the side, the ears are angled
forward over the eyes following the line of the neck.
NECK : Thick and muscular
with minimal dewlap, comparatively short, widening gradually toward
shoulders. A pronounced crest blends
harmoniously into the base of skull.
BODY : Longer than
high. Skin not too thin, neither too
tight nor too loose.
Back : Level.
Loin : Firmly muscled.
Chest
: Wide and deep.
Ribs well sprung with well developed brisket.
Underline
and Belly : Moderate tuck-up.
TAIL : Large and well
furnished with hair, 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 on flank. Root large and
strong.
The
terminal bone of tail reaches hock when let or puled down. Hair coarse, straight and dense, with no
appearance of a plume.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS : Forelegs heavy-boned and straight as viewed from front.
Shoulders : Strong and powerful with moderate layback.
Pasterns : Slightly sloping forward in an angle of approximately 15° to the
vertical.
HINDQUARTERS : Strongly muscled, width and bone comparable to forequarters. Dewclaws on hind legs customarily removed.
Upper
thigh : Strong, well developed, parallel when viewed
from behind.
Stifles : Moderately bent.
Hock
joints : Well let down, turning neither in nor out.
FEET : Straight, cat feet, well knuckled up with thick pads.
GAIT / MOVEMENT : Powerful, covering ground with moderate
reach and drive. Hindlegs move in line with forelegs. Back remaining strong, firm and level.
COAT
HAIR : Double-coat. Undercoat thick,
soft, dense and shorter than outer coat.
Outer coat straight, harsh/stiff and standing somewhat off body. Hair on head, lower legs and ears short. Length of hair at withers and croup
approximately 5 cm, which is slightly longer than on rest of body, except tail,
where coat is longest and most profuse.
COLOUR : Any colour like red, fawn, white, etc; or even pinto and
brindle. Colours are brilliant and
clear, and markings are well balanced, with or without mask or blaze. White dogs (solid in colour) have no
mask. Pinto have a white ground colour
with large, evenly placed patches covering head and more than one-third of
body. Undercoat may have a different
colour from the outer-coat.
SIZE :
Height at withers : For males : 66 to 71 cm (26-28 inches),
for
bitches : 61 to 66 cm (24-26 inches).
FAULTS : Any departure from the
foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which
the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.
·
Feminine dogs, masculine
bitches.
·
Narrow or snipey head.
·
Any missing tooth (except 2
of the PM1 and/or M3).
·
Blue or black spotted tongue.
·
Light eyes.
·
Short tail.
·
In or out at elbows.
·
Any indication of ruff or
feathering.
·
Shyness or viciousness.
SERIOUS FAULTS :
·
Light in substance.
·
Light bone.
ELIMINATING FAULTS :
·
Totally unpigmented nose. A
nose with unpigmented areas (Butterfly nose).
·
Drop, hanging or folded
ears.
·
Under- or overshot bite.
·
Sickle or uncurled tail.
·
Dogs under 63,5 cm (25
inches), bitches under 58,5 cm (23 inches).
N.B. : Male animals
should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.