Akita Breed Split
For those of you interested in such topics, there will be no breed split of Akitas in the US. Akitas of "Japanese type" and "American type" will all remain "Akitas."
The AKC Board of Directors voted on the following (Jan 7-8, 2008):
Japanese Akitas
Based on a Board request, Staff
presented a report on
the division of the Akita breed into two breeds
based
on type; the American type and the Japanese type. The
Akita is
registered as two different breeds (American
type and Japanese type) in all
major countries except
the United States and Canada. Based upon input
from
the Akita Club of America, no action is to be taken at
this time
concerning the status of the breed in the
United States.
This should lay to rest the issue of two Akita breeds in the US ... at least for a long time. That's good for Akitas.
Michael
Comments
I know very little about this split in the breed, except for some details on a Japanese dog website out of Holland. It seems that that site was in favor of the split (which it does seem that the ROW has adopted, unlike the US and Canada).
Can you give us a bit of background and why you feel that the breed shouldn't be split.
Can you give us examples of a Japanese bred Akita vs a US-type Akita (looking for type, conformation etc). Pictures would be great!
So how will US judges judge a mixed class with American and Japanese Akitas in it? Using 2 different standards of evaluations
I believe that Michael's site has some literature on the "split" or lack there of. His site is inu.com (so easy to tell people when I am telling them about my new puppy). I LOVE both types of Akita's and would love an AA or AI but my husband has a preference towards the AI and I will take one any way I can. They do have some differences but the core of the dog IMO is the same. Good family dog, great protector, strong personality....
I believe Brad knows some about this topic but Michael is very well versed on this issue and has cleared a lot up for me.
In France (and FCI countries) the 2 breeds are separated since 1999.
Standarts are really differents... Dogs are really differents ! The problem to keep the 2 breeds together is to mix them...
American Akita is heavier than Japanese (about 10 kg !). Less colors possible in japanese Akita. And other things...
How to compare (in shows....) an AI and a AA ??? It's not possible...
I can answer the fundamental question of why this is good for Akitas very easily. Easily .. not briefly.
The American gene pool is extremely inbred .. mostly on one very popular stud dog of the 1970's and 1980's. Genetic health disorders are increasing in frequency. New disorders are emerging.
Popular studs today and of the past 30 years are functionally inbred on one very popular stud dog of the 1970's and 1980's and his offspring. When any breed becomes genetically homogenous to an extreme, the incidence of genetically-linked health disorders increases significantly. The gene pool becomes gridlocked with no where to go to attain the new genes needed to invigorate genetic health (what's called an out-cross breeding). The positive effects that result from increasing the diversity of the pedigree (called "hybrid vigor") becomes no longer achievable Since increasing new, unrelated genes reduces the frequency of harmful genetic disorders occurring in offspring, this is critical to bettering breed health. More on that below.
There is no possible way to make such genetically health-promoting matings unless there are import parents available .. the only source of "new genes." Thus, this is the fundamental value of imports to the Akita breed. It is this situation, IMO, that ultimately led to the AKC definitively rejecting a breed split.
Although Akitas in Japan and Akitas in the US were separated for over
two decades, a recent study in Japan of Akita DNA (from both American dogs and Japanese dogs) revealed that there is absolutely zero genetic difference between the two types. There
couldn't be since all Akitas anywhere trace their ancestry to just a
handful of turn-of-the-20th-century individual dogs in Japan.
It is my personal opinion that Akitas of "Japanese type" represent the words of the AKC Standard for judging more closely than the American dogs do. I am hardly alone in this opinion. I also believe that of the two types, the Japanese dogs are more artistic, more beautiful, and adhere to the original goals of the Japanese natural monument legislation in 1919, which began the process of "reconstruction" of the breeds discussed on this forum. They also conform more to Japanese cultural ideals which I respect and do not feel compelled to "Americanize."
I have no particular bias against black-masked Akitas in principle. When I've judged them, I don't discriminate based on origin, black masks or other biases. People should have the right to choose and breed whichever type they like best. The issue has very little to do with cosmetics.
So, import genetics improve the future health and durability of the Akita breed by allowing blended breedings of the two gene pools. Unlike most people with access to imports, we also choose to maintain and continue to produce 100% recent import bloodlines rather than simply blending them away. This also must be done carefully with an eye toward increasing genetic diversity in the import lines by careful selection of mates, lest we simply produce more inbred Japanese type dogs. It is for diversity reasons in the Japanese dogs that we have brought over 9 Akitas from Japan over the past three years. I am stating this not to boast but to underscore our commitment to genetic diversity.
Edgewood asked "how will US judges judge a mixed class with American and Japanese Akitas in it? Using 2 different standards of evaluations?" Akitas of both types have been shown together for well well over a decade. Nothing has changed. I will point out that it isn't a mixed class of two different breeds .. they are all Akitas. There is and now will remain only one breed judging Standard. Good judges will award whichever dog, regardless of heritage or color, fits most closely the Standard, and is otherwise sound and moves efficiently.
Go to a dog show in your area sometime and look at a ring full of typical American Akitas. You will see a great deal of inconsistency and variability of appearance that could leave an inexperienced person saying "what different breeds were all of those big dogs?" I've heard this very comment many times when standing ringside.
It would be easy if we were simply interested in how many awards our dogs could win or in how many puppies we could sell. I'd definitely want a split. We (and other informed breeders of both "types) are more motivated by breed improvement that in ego or puppy-selling. It was puppy marketing that caused this entire dilemma.
We'd have a much easier task showing our Akitas in the AKC show ring as a different breed. That is why it was a breakthrough when our dog Ryo recently became the sixth import since 1992 to complete his AKC title. We have had to overcome early misconceptions that Japanese imports are small, insubstantial and structurally unsound by showing imports that have none of these faults. We show internationally where the breed has already been split. We show our dogs as "Akitas" and the other type is shown as "American Akitas."
It may be of interest to some that in most of the rest of the world which operates under the FCI, the Japanese are considered the "country of origin" and therefore control the Standards for both FCI breeds. When the breed was first split in the FCI, the Japanese refused to allow the American type to even be called Akitas. For several years, they were shown as the "Great Japanese Dog." Only relatively recently, did the Japanese approve a name change internationally to "American Akita."
I try to avoid seeming to promote my site, but anyone with interest in the true, documented history of the Akita breed can go to my "History page" on our site, www.inu.com (select "Akita History" from the menu) for a detailed, factual explanation of the creation and development of the Akita breed. There is also a non-public section of my site that explains in more detail the things I've discussed above. This can be found here: Population Genetics . At least take time to read the article "The Price of Popularity." It's a very entertaining, easy to follow explanation of the serious problems of "Popular sires" on any breeds.
With due respect to the observation that the Standards in the FCI are significantly different, they simply are not. They differ primarily in color and markings. Size descriptions in both Standards is nearly identical.
We show the same dogs successfully in the AKC ring with North American dogs and in the FCI "Akita" ring with "pure" Japanese dogs. They are well-rewarded by judges under all Standards. We just finished our second import AKC Ch who was already an FCI International Ch and had National titles in five FCI countries. We are currently showing successfully in the AKC an import female who is an FCI PR Ch (who holds three FCI "Excellent" CACIB) who was the reserve winner to a large entry at an AKC show just today. Obviously, they can and do compete successfully in both arenas if they are otherwise exceptional "Akitas."
This forum is not the place to argue about two breeds, and I won't subject members to that tired exercise. There is only one breed in the US or Canada. With the recent AKC decision they will continue to be a single breed here. The discussion has now been officially closed. To continue to argue in favor of a split is just beating a dead horse.
Michael
I'm not sure mixing can change something on genetics...
We have the same problems of genetics (and less dogs in France than in US !)... Lots of breeds come from just few dogs...
And in Japanese, we have the sames health problems... (SA, VKH...) For this case, that will change nothing...