Hmmm..yes. I understand. It is true. I am not fearful of her when she is not acting up, though, in fact, I forgot fear for quite a while. This new stuff started to happen when I was not fearful:-)

No, never before she had e-collar on.

Probably a good thing.

A touch sensitive, fearful dog would probably be set back tremendously by an e-collar, if it didn't develop entirely new and terrifying behaviors.

Uhh. She is not touch-sensitive or fearful. She was getting pissed when she was touched, yes, we almost completely corrected this problem. For a touch-sensitive dog she is awfully keen on rubbin' herself all over me when she need pets, and on geting physical with all her activities (rolling on the floor, pushing thru me to get a toy/food/meet a person, etc. Nope, normal dog. we will check her thyroid, etc. I don't know how much Xrays cost, even for people. Is it in a range of hundreds or thousands?. Actually, like RIGHT NOW-she was rubbing over my knees when I pet her head for doing a command right. I let her meet a very huge, fat, mellow Alaskan Malamute for the first and probably only time (I don't let her play with dogs 'cuz that means rebellion, makes her unruly) and she was much better and respectful. She is good with males.

Yes, she was spayed at 6 months -is it early?

She is very nervous at night (outside, not indoors). She always was, better now, but she acted like she never been outside at night before in her life. even now, very wary of people, strange shapes, etc.

...anybody knows, on the unrelated note, why all the dogs are so mad at her, especially little dust mop ones? Yume is not dog-aggressive anymore, but seems like almost every dog besides very confident, mellow ones, go berserk when they see her. I don't let her touch the dogs or play with them, but still, why does every dog hates her so much? Some owners apologize that their dog never gone bonkers like this before. Yume just looks at them with sympathy, like at the mental patients...

She's an Akita.
Her natural tail carriage will fool dogs into thinking she's being aggressive even when she's being submissive as a goldfish.

Six months is early. I would argue for NEVER, but no younger than 18 months, if it must be done. Most 6 month old bitches have never even gone into heat, and thus, never finished maturing.

...Oh, damn. She is so much smaller than most Akitas, that might be it! I don't like spaying too...but my husband is the only other person in the entire Bay Area who agrees with me. There are too many violent hippies...:-) that will throw fried tofu bombs at you if you god forbid do not spay your dog. I didn't spay her, the other owners did. My previous dogs lived all their lives unaltered, it really is not that hard to prevent unwanted litters with a a magic device called a leash.

Her gait is very interesting and unusual, but might be totally normal for her. She prances like a magic pony from the never-neverland :-). It's funny to watch how a fairly heavy and furry dog moves so lightly, like a deer almost.

Hi Maria,

I’ve been avoiding this thread like the plague since it was pointed out to me last week but just thought I'd add a few thoughts at this point.

Akita’s are one of my favorite breeds. Much like the Chow, very misunderstood. An ancient, regal, very noble breed, usually with very stable temperaments.

And contrary to popular belief, unlike huskies and malamutes, this is actually a pretty sedate breed. They don’t require the miles and miles of running many other northern breeds do. Personally, I think a great breed for a service animal - more for the psychological disabilities as opposed to the physical ones. Raised properly, a good Akita doesn’t come much friendlier or solid.

They do need daily exercise but more interaction and mental stimulation than anything. I fostered a surrendered one for almost 3 years. Had full intentions of keeping him until an older couple came along and was the perfect match. They’re incredibly intelligent, like inclusive leadership and love to hang out with their pack.

Corrections, if necessary, must be for a clear and present reason. They’re not as forgiving of our mistakes as many of our other breeds are, and this where a lot of the aloof, alpha behavior perception comes from. Harsh corrections on a young pup can lead its way to all kinds of behavioral issues, as you’re seeing. Raised with an inclusive, gentle and fair hand, you will raise an Akita that never bites one.

Your girl needs a break and so do you. You have the power to do that. Show her what the world is like without anger, frustration and corrections. How a good leader can include her and interact with her calmly.

Enjoy your days calmly, putter around and do what you want to do. Let her follow and watch you. Sit on the stairs with a ball and if she comes towards or starts getting pushy, gently toss the ball down the stairs. Better yet, get a fishing rod with a heavy pound test, tie a heavily scrunched up ball of paper on it and drag it on the ground. If she’s interested, lunge her around a bit.

Play with her, have fun. If walks aren’t fun right now, don’t do them. Engage her; get her focus on you, by your side, as you walk up and down the hallway, yard, driveway, wherever she is free from reactive stimulation. Be the most fun human in her life right now. When you want her lay down, give her a stuffed kong and be proud of her for enjoying her time independently.

If it works out with Aaron or a rescue, let her leave your home knowing these humans had her best interest at heart, particularly in her last week or two. Today is the first day of the rest of her life; make it a really good one. Write down a list of what has been successful and what it is that you do like about her. Present that to the evaluator first, before your long list of unmanageable behaviors. Give her a fair chance at an objective evaluation.

My heart goes out to this dog; she’s had a really tough start. I can only hope it gets better from here.

:-) Very sweet post.
I know they are great dogs, and never said I don't like them! i love the breed, and read s much about it, met a bunch of Akitas, too. She is lovely, beautiful, smart and can be very sweet. Can be not so, either. We don't harshly correct her especially ! for no reason. If she was raised by us as a pup, it would be exactly what you describe. I think now a lot of work has to be done because a lot of time was lost when she was growing up.

You can't say "if only" you just say, "this is what I have to work with" and work with it. Puppies take a lot of work. You're going to put about 2 years worth of work into them before they are pretty reliable.

I have three dogs that I got as adults. You just start at the beginning with them just like you would a pup. I think a mistake a lot of people make when getting an adolescent or adult dog is placing expectations upon them because of their age.