The American Akita is best characterised by its excellent inner temperament and perfect exterior poise. Temperament in this context refers to inner temperament, courage, intelligence, agility, protectiveness, loyalty, tolerance, strength, aggressiveness, homing, etc. There are very few breeds that possess all of these characteristics at the same time, some dogs have excellent temperament but lack the visual impact or traditional aesthetic appearance of a dog, or have a beautiful appearance but lack inner temperament.
