OK, I do own an akita. He's a boy, he's nutered and he IS TOUGH. I have used this website for much needed advice. Here is what I have learned...
1)
NILIF. Period. No exceptions. No vacations. No breaks.
2)Specialized training. Find the money because you will regret each day that you don't train this dog. Mark my words.
3)On leash and backyard socialization (with dogs, people, kids, bikes, strangers, squirrels, etc)early and often. We have said "no" to dog parks. The breed is generally unreliable off-leash(and you will notice they have a bad rap at dog parks).
4)Educate yourself. I think I may have read every dog website that has any information on Akitas/large breeds that is out there. It's a lot of information to dig through, but educate yourself.
5)Find a good advisor. A specialized vet, a rescue, a good friend on this website...some
thing so that when things come up (welcome to adolescence, things are GOING to come up)you will need some support.
I am sorry if I seem harsh...but my sweet, sweet Kana-boy has put us through a lot (and we were previous owners of an Akita) and it has taken a lot of time and the above to get him to be a reliable and respectful dog. We work at it every day and we can tell the days that we slack b/c his behavior suffers.
Take good care, hope all works out for you and the dogs in the house- once again, I am thankful that I found this website and the angels on it...
Kristen