Comments on: Suni – Japanese Akita

By: FinSilik

FinSilik — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:38:43 +0000

Is that American Akita? I know the title says Japanese Akita, but the coloring looks a lot like what you can see in American Akita's. I myself have an Akita. Anyways, beautiful girl you got there.

By: lovethatbenny

lovethatbenny — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:21:45 +0000

Wrong. There were 30 pure Japanese Akita Inu registered in Japan after the war. Those 30 pure dogs are what gave us the Japanese Akita Inu we have today, they did not both start out as the same dogs.

By: lovethatbenny

lovethatbenny — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:48:16 +0000

I agree, American Akita. Japanese do not come in pinto. You just need to look at the Japanese breed standard to see this is an American.

Stunning dog all the same, both breeds are beautiful.

By: turuk

turuk — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:23:41 +0000

lovethatbenny: In old Japanese photographs from the early 20th century you can see plenty of dogs with black masks and pinto coats. The stock that the American Akita originally came from was brought from Japan by Helen Keller. The American type was bred separately and developed in a different direction (even more stocky, with shorter legs). But in America akitas weren't further mixed with other breeds – they just favoured a different type.

By: turuk

turuk — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 13:24:21 +0000

lovethatbenny (continued): In Europe, Akitas looked like today's Japanese type, because they continued to bring dogs from Japan into their breeding. But they didn't eliminate black masks, pinto coats, etc. The European akitas fall between the chairs today, because their body type is different from the American Akita, but their colours are often not allowed in the Japanese standard. I had an akita like that in the 1990's when the breed split in two – "Japanese" body, "American" colours. )

By: turuk

turuk — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:33:18 +0000

By the way, I'm sorry, QSilva, that the comments section of your video has become such a political battleground. ) Suni is really sweet and beautiful, regardless of any silly human breed politics.

By: lovethatbenny

lovethatbenny — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:21:00 +0000

Yes, that is true. Around that time most Akita did have those coat colours, because they had to mix them with German Shepherds to avoid having their dogs taken for fur, so most already looked like that before the Americans started importing. But there were just 30 pure original Japanese Akita that had been registered before the war left that had been hidden. These gave us the Japanese Akita we have today, not selective breeding from the one type.

By: lovethatbenny

lovethatbenny — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:36:40 +0000

Also, most Europian countries consider the two seperate breeds, and the Japanese Akita is judged by the same standard they use in Japan. Pinto and black masks are not allowed.

By: turuk

turuk — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 15:19:35 +0000

It wasn't until the 1970's that the majority of Akitas in Japan started to look like the breed standard today. Japanese breeders after WWII were for a long time in disagreement about how the Akita should look. Please read the history section of the Akita Inu page in Wikipedia – en(dot)wikipedia(dot)org/wiki/Akita_Inu – and this article, which also features some photographs of Akitas from the post-war period: home(dot)online(dot)no/~kintos/britt/eng_tre(dot)htm

By: turuk

turuk — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:57:23 +0000

It was some time since the breed split, so people have adjusted to it now. Some breeders who like "American" colours have brought American Akitas into their breeding lines to adjust more to the American standard. But people didn't agree about it at all in the 1990's. For example, my dog's breeder left the Akita Club of Germany in protest because of it. I personally like the old "European" type the most, but sadly it's now not very suitable to either standard, so maybe it will slowly disappear.