Things You'll Need
- Dog
- Your Eyes
Instructions
Identifying An Akita
Start by looking at the dog’s general shape and build. A male will grow up to 28 inches in height and a female will grow up to twenty six inches at the shoulder. Though not particularly tall, this breed can be up to 110 pounds thanks to a heavy and very muscular build. They have deep chests, wide shoulders, level backs, and tails that curve over to touch the dogs’ back. One particularly unique feature of an Akita is the presence of webbing between its toes, making them extremely good swimmers.
Examine the dog’s fur. Akitas have two coat lengths depending on the season. In the summer months an Akita will have a soft coat of fur less than an inch thick. In the winter a secondary coat will grow out that’s about twice that length, making the dog look much thicker and shaggier, it also changes the apparent dimensions of the skull. The only pure color an Akita can have is white; all the other colors are patterned.
Look at the dog’s head. Its skull is broad and shaped like a triangle, with a blunted end for its snout. The Akita has small triangular ears pointed forward and in line with its neck. In front of these are small triangular eyes which are typically brown or black. The muzzle shape is similar to that of a German shepherd, though shorter. If the dog matches this description then it’s definitely an Akita Inu.