How to differentiate between Shiba Inu and Akita Inu?

How to distinguish between Shiba Inu and Akita Inu?

1. Appearance characteristics. Let’s first compare the appearance of the Shiba Inu and the Akita Inu. The overall body shape of the Shiba Inu is smaller than that of the Akita Inu. Simply put, the Shiba Inu is like a smaller version of the Akita Inu. The Shiba Inu is medium in size, with thick muscles, well-developed limbs, and a small and flexible body. The standard weight of a male Shiba Inu is 39.5 kilograms. The puppies look very beautiful and large. The triangular ears on the top of the head are slightly tilted forward, and the eyes are slightly smaller and oval. The Akita dog looks huge and powerful. The standard weight of a male Akita dog is 66.7 kilograms. Its head is triangular, with small and round eyes. The ears are upright and in a straight line with the back of the neck. This is the characteristic of the Akita dog. One of the other characteristics is the large curled tail, which is symmetrical to the broad head.

2. Limbs. In fact, if we look carefully, we will find that the limbs of Akita and Shiba Inu are also different. The forelimbs of Shiba Inu are straight and the muscles of hind limbs are strong and tight. The Akita Inu's forelimbs are straight when viewed from the front, with strong and strong bones. The hind limbs have more muscles, and the more developed ones are the hind limbs. But if you look at the Akita dog's forelimbs from the side, they are not so straight.

3. Feet. After looking at the limbs, let’s look at the differences in their feet. First, let’s talk about the Shiba Inu. Its front feet are similar to our common cat’s feet. The toes are round and the pads are thick and compact. There will also be a pair of dewclaws on the front feet, which can be removed, but there are no such dewclaws on the hind feet. The Akita Inu's front and rear feet are very similar to cat's feet, without dewclaws.

4. Fur. The Shiba Inu has a double layer of fur. The outer layer of fur is stiff and straight, and the inner layer of fur is soft and thick. The fur on the face, ears and legs is short, and the fur on the tail is slightly longer and stands upright, like a brush. The Akita dog has two layers of fur. The lower hair is thicker, softer and denser than the upper hair. The upper hair is straight and harder. The hair on the head, limbs and ears is shorter. The hair on the shoulders and buttocks is shorter than that on other parts of the body. The hair is long, and the hair on the tail is longer and denser.

5. The state of walking. The Shiba Inu is agile and walks lightly. The pads on its front feet determine its elasticity when walking. When trotting, the legs are brought together like the center of the body and the back remains stable. Akita dogs are strong and powerful when walking, with moderate steps, hind feet kept level, and forelimbs and hind limbs kept on a horizontal line.

6. Coat color. In fact, there are differences in the color of fur between Akita Inu and Shiba Inu. The fur color of Akita Inu is mainly divided into three types, namely red, white and tabby. The Shiba Inu has only two colors of hair, red and black.