Although we pride ourselves on creating quality pets, we include this form from a close friend, Jeff Melnick of Kiowa Akitas, to show you how he evaluates Akitas to show.  This way, if you are considering showing your Akita, whether you get it from us or not, you will be better equipped to evaluate the pups when you see them as it is easy to get suckered in by fluffballs.  (However, please note that, in our opinion, you can take the CH Akitas of America and very little are "show quality" dogs but almost any Akita without an AKC fault is a Champion-able Akita with the "right" handler.  You can refer to the ARSA article for more under the Thoughts of the Breeder page!)  Jeff is one of the best Owner/handlers in the country with multiple champions and continually has some of the top dogs in the country.  A big thanks to Jeff for sharing this info with us!

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Jeff's Puppy Evaluation form
Each individual when evaluating a puppy or a whole litter must also factor in the importance of each category in their idea of the perfect Akita, or what they look most for in the Akita as a breed.  This is different from person to person.  Movement, head type, confirmation, color may all be of  more importance to each individual and, when looking at my chart, you may want to multiply the significance of the items that most concern you.

This chart has been adapted from a chart I originally noticed in Sheltie Talk further refined by long time handler Bard Ross and finally revisited and added to, to fit the Akitas by myself.

Akita Puppy Evaluation
Points from 1 to 4, 1 being the best.

Puppy

 1 2 3 4
1. Eyes (small, dark & triangular)        
2. Coat factor (double coated, length & coarseness being factored in)        
3. Planes of muzzle to head (close to parallel)        
4. Length & thickness of neck (base to occiput, thick with good crest)        
5. shoulder lay back (moderate)        
6. Sternum (pronounced)        
7. Loin (taken from last rib to furthest point of hips)        
8. Croup (not squared off or too angled)        
9. Tail set (high but not straight off back)        
10. Tail  A. Fullness (thick base & full)        
            B. Curl (3/4, full curl or double
                dipping below level of back)		        
            C. Length (tip of tail bone reaching
                hock)		        
11. Thickness of thigh        
12. Length of upper back leg (taken from point of back hip to point on stifle)        
13. Length of Lower back leg (taken from point of stifle to point of hock)        
14. Length of Hock (when relaxed take foot and push under thigh, if foot extends past stifle long in hock)        
15. Shape of foot (cat feet, well knuckled)        
16. Tuck up (moderate)        
17. Depth of chest (measure over from elbow)        
18. Posture slope (angle - 15 degrees)        
19. Length of upper arm (tip of scapula to tip of humerus)        
20. Lenght of lower arm (tip of humerus to point of elbow)        
21. Length of body (10-9 males, 11-9 females usually directly related to length of loin) (point of humerus to point of haunch compared to point of scapula to ground)        
22. Skull between ears (flat and broad)        
23. Stop (well defined but not abrupt)        
24. Head shape (thick pie)        
25. Length of head to muzzle (3-2)        
26. Fullness of muzzle        
27. Underjaw        
28. Bone thickness        
29. Color        
30. Markings        
31. Angulation        
32. Size         
33. Movement (3X)        
34. Temperament (3X)        
35. Bite (scissor preferred, level accepted)        
36. Ear size & set (thick, smallinrelation to head, carried slightly forward over eyes in line with back of neck) (checklength bending tip towards side of eye)        
37. Topline        
38. Shape of front (feel down from shoulders all the way to feet.  special attention to where elbows point)        
39. Rear conformation from behind (shape of rear and where hocks point)        
40. Feel for pro sternum (should extend past shoulders)        
41. Hocks length (slight pressure on hocks, from behind)        

Evaluating puppies is not an exact science, but this chart is a handy tool so as not to overlook qualities or faults that may become apparent over time.

- Jeff Melnick