A friend sent me a link to one of those LOL sites and asked me what kind of dog was in the pic. I don’t know - do any of you?
Akita, I think?
It’s actually answered in the comments. It’s an akita.
Yup, an Akita that looks like he’s been shaved.
What’s interesting to me is that the owner identifies it as an Akita-ken, which is apparently the same thing as an Akita Inu. The Japanese (and perhaps dog fanciers outside North America, according to the Wikipedia articles) distinguish that as a different breed from the American Akita.
What strikes me as odd is that the history of the American Akita contains the following passage:
If the monster dog pictured is an Akita Inu, the smaller and more finely-boned of the two breeds, yow!
Thanks guys!
I dunno, it looks like the American version to me. Perhaps the owner is mistaken. The Japanese Akitas I saw living over there were much smaller than the American version, maybe 50lbs vs 100+ lbs., and without that almost chow-like face I’m seeing on this dog. I do think that photo might be deceptive, though. Dogs look big when they’re sitting on people’s laps like that, and the woman might be small framed, too.
FYI, I did a spot of research* on “ken” vs “inu.” The symbol is the same: 犬 , but said different ways by different dialects, but they both mean “dog.” The symbol itself is Chinese and the “ken” pronunciation comes from a Chinese dialect that uses “k’iwen” for “dog.” “Inu” is a native Japanese term for “dog.” (one cite)
Somehow modern Japanese use “ken” more often than “inu,” while Americans use “inu.” I haven’t figured out why.
*: I own Shiba Inus, and the question came up in a different thread. There are noticeable differences in American-bred and Japanese-bred Shibas. Most visible is the tail: Japanese want a sickle-shape and Americans want a tighter spiral. Akita differences across the Pacific are similarly different. It’s like the difference between British and American English dialects.
I think he is an Akita mixed with an Akbash. Size is my only indicator, as Akita’s don’t grow that big…do they? And an Akbash can be 250lbs.
Thisone looks pretty big (but it is an American Akita.)
You’re on the right track, but it’s not a difference in dialect. That kanji has two pronunciations in Japanese. One pronunciation comes originally from Chinese and the other is native Japanese, but they are both part of the standard language. The pronunciation “ken” would never be used as a stand-alone word for “dog”, only in compounds such as “kenshu” (breed of dog) or “chuuken Hachikou” (Hachikou the loyal dog).
My impression is that “shiba-ken” and “shiba-inu”; “akita-ken” and “akita-inu” are used completely interchangeably in Japanese, but it’s possible that one or the other is preferred. If I had to hazard a guess I would say “akita-inu” is better because “akita” is a Japanese reading of the characters 秋田 (autumn field).
We just adopted an Akita/Lab (we think) mix. Mom’s an Akita, looks like Dad was a black Lab. He looks like photos I’ve seen of Labrakitas. Here he is at age 3 months (current photo)
He’s going to be a big boy, for sure, but not as gargantuan as some of those photos (knock on wood).
Oh that’s a pretty boy! Love the forehead blaze.