Originally Posted by leashedForLife

i am utterly confused - the primary diff betw Am-Akitas + the breed in the COO / country of origin is the black-mask -
which was introduced in Japan in the 1910s / 20s + 30s, when dogfighting was big money + Akitas were crossed with Danes, GSDs, etc, to add size.

the traditional Akita in Japan has a white mask or no mask.
but Inu simply means DOG in Japanese - hence Akita Inu, Shiba Inu, Tosa Inu.
so how are we now supposedly splitting the breed into 3 types? i mean, it is not as tho we can afford to cut-up the gene-pool into a series of birdbaths + hope the breed survives the loss of diversity!

so whats an Inu? how do they supposedly differ?
hornswoggled,
--- terry