A Discussion of White Spotting
In the Coat Color of Dogs

By Sherry E. Wallis

Probably more dog breeds have white markings than don't, but the allowable amount of white and its placement have a great variety among them even though the mode of inheritance seems to be the same from breed to breed and has been well researched.

This article discusses white spotting, with particular attention to the Akita. Because it has so many illustrative graphics and is long, it is available for download in .pdf format. If you have Adobe's Acrobat Reader on your computer, you need only click on the the button here to begin the download. 

Note:  The photos look best if the magnification on Acrobat is set to 100%.  You can check this on the Acrobat toolbar.  Many open to a higher setting which improves readability but renders the graphics poorly

Most browsers now come with Acrobat, but if you don't have it, you can obtain it from the Adobe site free of charge. Just click on the Adobe icon to go to the site.  After you've installed it, come back to this site and download the article.  It is very graphics intensive.

For more information about genetics, see the Health and Genetics Section of the Akita Club of America Website and check that section's links.