Fostering new male, aggression problems! Rescue

A friend of mine has a 1 year old male Akita and she can no longer take care of him for personal reasons. i agreed to help find him a new home and foster him until i can. i have 3 other akitas and they all get along fine, even my 2 females. our dogs have never shown any aggression towards us whatsoever so Im not sure how to deal with it! Attila(new dog) has attacked my 10 month old female who is a lamb and did absolutely nothing to provoke him. he grabbed my husband's wrist, not hard but with intent, and my husband had to whack him over the head to get him to let go and retreat. now of course he wont let him get close and just growls. he lets me pet him and acts mostly normal around me, even friendly at times, but still growls occasionally if i move too fast or make eye contact for too long. i really believe if he was an only pet in a household that had the patience to give him time to settle in he would make a good pet. My question is: it may be weeks before we find a new home, if someone is willing to be patient with him, should i be putting my husband and other animals thru this or should i simply have him euthanized? Hes a gorgeous dog and his previous owner didnt have any problems. is this something that can be corrected with time or is the scary new environment/separation from owner combo going to change him for good?

I`m sorry but I think you have taken on a problem that you may not be able to fix, not to mention upsetting your own pack of dogs, he has already had a go at one of your dogs and your hubby, both don`t deserve this, and you may find your other wise happy pack may end up an unhappy pack with the influence of this dog.

Firstly I would not have taken him on, and secondly my advice is to give him back to the owner, and let her deal with the situation, at`s all very well having good intentions, but sometimes you need to think with your head and not your heart, and in my opinion this is one of them.

The owner needs to deal with this in whatever outcome is necessary, but she may find finding a home for a large strong aggressive dog is not going to happen and she may need to make that decision to have him euthanized, she may be lucky and find him an experienced dog free home that can deal with his issues, but putting him into an already large dog household is a mistake, one you have already found the consequences , do you really want to risk your own dogs and their temperaments

I do feel bad at this point for taking him on, but the owner made it sound like he was well socialized and not aggressive at all and she absolutely cannot take care of him right now. I forgot to mention he is one of the puppies from a previous litter of ours, so i did some research and discovered that any reputable breeder needs to take a dog back if it is urgent. No one we've sold puppies to has ever had any behavioral issues so i really didnt think it wud be a problem. now im in this situation and absolutely do NOT want my husband and fur babies at risk! i am keeping him separate obviously and my husband is gone during the week so Attila isnt an immediate threat to the others, of course there is the possibility he will turn on me as well. i am being extremely cautious, i know what situations to avoid to keep from triggering him but i am still nervous. i really dont want to put him down but i will if i have to.

I agree with Jackie, and was typing a very similar reply when her post landed.
You had a stable pack, and the arrival of this dog has disturbed the balance. This is creating tensions which could get dangerously out of control.
I would return the dog to his owner as soon as possible, but if this is no longer an option, I would contact Akita breed rescue and see if they can find a kennel space for him, straight away. He may be anxious at his change of surroundings and routine, and could be OK once settled as an only dog again. It is not worth the risk of your family or one of your dogs becoming seriously injured.

I have to agree. Get rid of him ASAP. The previous owner probably knows of these issues and the "personal reasons" she can't care for him are probably quite related to why you have him back.

Many places here don't even allow Akitas to be boarded or to join therapy programs, so I definitely wouldn't risk an aggressive one. Biting people and only a year old? Pretty bad. Might be able to be trained out, but definitely needs someone different to attempt it.

I have seen him in his owners care and he was a perfectly stable akita, a bit territorial but only when his owner was around and really no more than most akitas are. thats why i believe in a single animal household he would be ok. i know i need to get rid of him asap but if the owner wont take him what do i do? i have contacted a few rescues and put ads out explaining the situation but until then i dont know what my options are other than keep him isolated from my other animals and husband! thats why i mentioned euthanizia, only as a last resort, but when would you feel thats appropriate? he is warming up very quickly to me so i dont want to make that decision lightly. i cant just get rid of him, unless i just dump him at a local shelter and thats just stupid and irresponsible.

Yes as his breeder the responsible thing to do was take him back but not to the detriment of your own dogs.
Bringing a strange adult Akita into a house with other adult Akita’s was always going to be risky.
At 12 months he is just getting to the stroppy stage and needs a firm hand, did your friend live on her own, it could be he is not used to men, though that is no excuse for him being aggressive and sorry to say but bashing him on the head will have made him more wary of men.

Akitas are known for taking you by the wrist to lead you around; one of mine was forever doing it and it was quite a firm hold, though not in an aggressive manner.

I am NOT making excuses for him, but if he was an only dog living with a single person, the move into your home with other dogs ect: could have been overwhelming for him.

Sounds like you have enough on your plate without trying to cope and socialise this boy.

I would try and find a good ‘breed’ rescue explain the situation and see if they are willing to take him on, he needs someone who knows the breed and is willing to work with him.
Are you in the UK ?

Thank you, i appreciate your help. i do feel like he was very overwhelmed in a strange place and my husband happened to be too close when there was some of his food on the floor and thats what provoked him i guess. the owner had a boyfriend and they split up so he was used to just her for several months, obviously he isnt as comfortable around men because even before the head banging he was a little more wary of my husband than me. fingers crossed i can maintain control until a rescue or someone can take him! hopefully that will be soon because i cant put up with this situation for very long. another question: until new accomodations are available, can my husband repair the relationship by earning Attila's trust or is that over? we had one small incident with our own male when he was young and just testing his dominance over us, he tried to bite me and i smacked his nose, not hard but firmly. he didnt trust me for a while but within a few days he was fine and we never had a single problem since then. but since this dog is new to the place and people, i dont kno if he will react the same or not.

As you will know Akita’s don’t take well to ‘harsh’ handling and often results in a dog that either won't work with you’ or will actively object (physically) to being ordered around.

It’s impossible to tell if he will accept your OH, but it would take a lot of work and commitment from your OH to gain his trust and respect. Many Akita’s end up in rescue because they've rebelled against being 'shown whose boss',

I still think you need to send him back to his owner, it's for her to find him a home or do whatever needs to be done, even keeping him separate from the rest of your dogs, there will still be tension in the house as they will pick up on the vibes, you are risking a situation erupting between your otherwise settled pack,

Your husbands situation I can understand it could be down to resource guarding and may be able to work on, but that's going to take a while to deal with and do you really want this dog living with you for that length of time.

Smacking his nose is not going to help, although I understand it would be a natural reaction to the bite.

I think you are going to struggle finding a rescue , breed included to take this boy, it might take weeks or longer, you really need to use your head on this one....by keeping him you are at risk of a massive upset in your existing dogs...

And is it fair to put this on you, your friend has offloaded an unpleasant situation on your shoulders, it's her dog and her problem she needs to step up and deal with it, whatever the outcome.

This boy may settle in an only dog home with experienced owners , you your margins for that are greatly reduced, sad sad situation for this dog , but you have to put your own first .

My friend has moved out of the country for a job opportunity and she had to make the decision quickly so thats why i stepped in to help. i didnt want her to miss out on a once in a lifetime job and even knowing what i do now i would do it again because her happiness is important to me. update on the dogs, we have been working with Attila all morning and he has stopped growling at my husband and is accepting treats from him. My other dogs are being such good troopers, they seem to have accepted that there is a new addition and are ok with it. no tension so far! fingers crossed it remains calm. we are giving all of the dogs lots of equal attention and there doesnt seem to be any jealousy. im thankful my akitas are so adaptable, ive introduced cats and puppies to them so much that i think theyre used to the disruptions and think its normal. after the initial shock died down, even my other male has accepted Attila's presence, although i definitely will not be trying to reintroduce them close up. all is calm for now! if any tension arrises we will have to deal with it because returning him to his owner is not an option. if there are no more bite incidences and we are being extremely cautious to not put ourselves at risk or our animals, then we may just get thru this. definitely one of the more stressful situations for me but as long as my dogs are acting normal i can deal with a little stress. dont worry, i love my akitas too much to risk stressing them out and like i said earlier, if nothings works we will make the tough call and euthanize him. but im praying that somebody wants him because now that hes calmed down i can see his original lovely personality. its just that he has a dominance gene thats stronger in him than it is even in his daddy, obviously my friend didnt teach him to respect other people as well as she could have but being only a year old, maybe thay can still be trained into him! thanks all ya'll for your help and support... i will update if anything happens.

Kudos to you for stepping in and taking care of what is ultimately your responsibility if you bred this dog.

I haven't read all the replies, so apologies if it's been asked and answered, but in regards to him grabbing your husband by the wrist, did he actually leave puncture marks/bite down with malice? Or was it a misguided attempt at play? I only mention this because my own large breed dog does exactly this, attempting to drag you into a room and can bite down with some force. To someone who doesn't know him well it would absolutely look like he's biting but it's completely innocent with no malice intended. He's just over exuberant and when excited likes to have something in his mouth. My dog is very rough in his play style and mannerisms, and I'd suspect the same is true for an Akita.

At a year old this boy you have is very much a baby still and I would not be writing him off at this point.

Ideally he needs a new home with committed owners with experience of large breed males & a training programme in place. Have you contacted anyone to help? A qualified behaviourist? Has he been vet checked? What measures are you putting in regarding management and training thus far? Did he live with other dogs before?

Smacking, shouting, using physical force etc are never a good idea and only exacerbate defensive behaviours. You're safer & fairer using distraction techniques, time-outs, and channeling energy/unwanted behaviour into other outlets such as training sessions, mental stimulation etc.

Good luck with him.

At a year old and with someone who is willing, it maybe can be trained out. I definitely didn't say to euthanize him.

I completely agree with u on that. there was some of his food on the floor and my husband reached to pick it up and put it in the bowl and Attila ran over and growled and grabbed his wrist. he didnt puncture the skin and it didnt hurt but he wouldnt let go and thats why my husband bonked him on the head, for fear that he would bite down harder. he released and ran away, cowering slightly. my husband immediately made amends by cajoling him over and petting him and Attila calmed down immediately. we havent contacted any specialists or vets since things calmed down soon after the initial shock. if the behavior persists we will look into more options.

Ah ok I get you. So it sounds like he showed some good bite inhibition and it was more a back off sign. That's a positive. At least he didn't go straight in for a blood frenzied attack. Obviously, your natural response is to shout, and/or physically push/grab at the dog in those kind of situations, but I'd be careful if any future episodes occur as punishing him may make him feel he has to resort to biting next time if he feels his warning signs are being ignored.

Regarding contacting someone, it still can't hurt, especially as you plan on finding a new home for him. It would be nice to send him on his way to new owners with a professional alongside to help those initial teething problems and set them all on the right path.

In the mean time I'd manage his interactions with your other dogs carefully and try to avoid situations that are likely to trigger any resource guarding or defensive behaviours.

Good luck with him, and I do hope you manage to find a really great home for him. Personally, I'd avoid rehoming through a rescue, unless it was a very reputable breed rescue with knowledge of the breed. If it's at all possible it would be probably more beneficial for you to rehome him yourselves to very carefully vetted potential new owners.

Hi Jaclyn,

It was very kind of you to take this boy back and offer to rehome him for your friend. A lot of breeders would have refused.

However, a fully grown Akita male (no longer a baby at 1 tear old), can do a lot of damage, if he chooses to do so. Your hubby, is very lucky that he just ended up with a warning squeeze, as it could have been a lot worse.

I know you mentioned that things are going better, but I would be extremely cautious.

If your dogs and Attila get into a fight, are you capable and or able to step in and break it up ? If he turns suddenly ugly, and corners you or your hubby, what then?

Now I love LOVE large dogs, and have lived with them all my life. I am not afraid of big dogs, but I do have a healthy respect for their strength and their capability to cause grevious bodily harm. Personally, I would put a muzzle on him, and possibly a shock collar, and carry pepper spray in my pocket.

You probably won't be able to rehome him, untill he undergoes some intensive training with someone who has extensive experience with large breeds (preferably Akitas, Filas, Tosas, Pressas, and the like) who are potentially aggressive. Most rescues, will not take on a potentially dangerous dog.

I feel bad for you, finding yourself in this position. I wish there was something I could do to help.

Good luck, and please keep us updated.

P.S. What part of the world are you in, by the way?

We live in Kentucky. we actually managed to find the perfect home for him and was a gentleman the rest of his stay with us. i felt confident it was simply an over reaction to the introduction to the new situation and he was just scared. I didnt have any more problems with him and the people that adopted him say he has settled in wonderfully and shown no agression at all. I made sure they had plenty of experience with the breed and understood that he was an alpha dog and wud need lots of training. He now lives on a big farm with no other pets and no children so i think everything worked out perfectly. what a relief! he was such a sweetheart, just needed a firm hand and lots of patience. The puppies we breed have good temperments, but of course that can be ruined with improper training or lack of.

That is terriffic news!

I'm so glad that things worked out for the best, and I'm sure you and your crew are more than happy to have your home back, and everything back to normal .