Akita killed another dog...help Behaviour

i have a male akita 8 yrs old and a male hairless chinese crested 1 1/2 yrs old... my akita was at my parents house for the week. their neighbors have 2 polmeranians and 1 pug. my akita and the male polmeranian always run up and down the fence with each other. they've been doing this for 2 1/2 years now. this morning my akita somehow got under the fence and killed the male polmeranian. i feel absolutely horrible and am now worried for my other dog and my family's dogs. my akita doesn't like dogs he doesn't know, but eveytime he's at my parent's house he sees this dogs...actually looks for him. i told the family i would do anything to help them out at this time. if and when they would like to get another pet i would pay...even though it will never "replace' the pet they lost. i offered to pay to bury the pet, etc... i called my vet to get info on where to go from here and i'm still not sure. can my dog be trusted? i've never had an issue with him and any dogs in the family, actually he lets them do what ever they want to him..take his treats, jump on him, and he's never tried to bite a human. also, how do i help the family? the woman told me when the time was right they would let me do something for them and they are being absolutely wonderful considering the situation. i'm so sad and upset. i love my dog and don't want anything to happen to him and i'm so angry with him i don't know how to handle him now. if anyone has any info i would greatly appreciate it!!!! thanks so much.... also, legally what should i do now

That's dreadful, you and the Pom owners must feel gutted :-( Sorry, I can't offer any real advice but there are plenty of people on here who can and I am sure, will.

Oh gosh how horrific.
From now I would assume not to trust your dog with other dogs undupervised EVER - even yourown dog.
Could it have been an accident - I know of big dogs that have severely damaged little dogs in play

i am so sorry to hear this i feel for you both, maybe they just was just playing and it was an accident, did anyone see it happen so sorry for what you going through, i would just be carful and keep a close eye on your dog. hope it was an accident thinking of you xx

I really feel for you and wish I had something more insightful to say. It's a fear that many of us with dog aggressive dogs have and I sincerely doubt that one person here blames you for the sad event.

As to where you go from here, I fear that is something that only you can decide. I know what I would do but that really shouldn't have any bearing on what you should do, as only you know the overall training, temperament, and circumstance of your dog.

Again, sorry to hear it and wish you the best in whatever you decide.

You have a difficult decision to make, and I wouldn't be in your shoes for all the money in the world. Hugs to you hon, and best of luck whatever you decide xx

Could it have been a tragic accident because a while ago I'm sure someone had a chilhuahua that got killed with a big dog - they was only playing but the chilhuahua had its neck broken and died instantly :-(

I'm so sorry though however it happened its very sad :-(

I agree with Foxy, about 2 years ago a friend of mine left her Pomeranian puppy playing in the small garden for just a few moments but couldn't find him when she went back out. She was horrified to find him laying dead in the paddock where her English, Irish and Gordon Setters were. She also has a couple of other breeds that were also in the paddock at the same time. He had not been mauled although he was soaking wet, she can only assume he found a hole in the hedge and ventured into the paddock. The Setters are too daft to hurt anything intentionally but, had they thought it was a blackbird or even a rat, it is their nature to investigate. They may have even thought it was one of their fluffy toys and thrown him around between them like a ragdoll. I don't know enough about the temperament of her other breeds to comment on them but, suffice to say, she was absolutely beside herself and blamed herself for not even dreaming that something like this could happen. She will never make a mistake like that again. I'm not saying that the Akita didn't intentionally single the Pom out and needs to be assessed accordingly, I'm just agreeing that there may be more to the situation than meets the eye.

thank you all sooo much for your kind words and thoughts. i've been watching my dog very closely and his temperment doesn't seem to have changed. of course i'm watching his every move. i think i wil definitely take him to a behaviorist to assess him. i read so many articles last night ...some gave me hope and some scared me to death, so i'm no further ahead. obviously my dog will not be going to his grandparents house for our usual sunday visits. thanks again for all your thoughts...it's nice to be able to "talk" about it. i think part of me is still in shock and i can't stop crying!! thanks again

thanks katrina...i hope so

Hi smbear and welcome to dogsey. I'm afraid I can't offer anything other than my deepest sympathy for you and all concerned and just wanted to send you a hug; it's an awful thing to happen. Thinking of you.

I am so sorry this happened, how awful.

The thread title is 'akita killed another dog...help' - makes it sound like it has happened before?

What an awful situation :-(

I think you do need a reputable behaviourist - if you look here http://www.apbc.org.uk/members.php
at the bottom of the page there are some US members, who may be able to advise you as to who to go to near your home.

Please be careful you don't see just anyone, esp. those who may use electric collars etc. It's worth getting in a good person who has some knowledge of learning theory and also hands on experience, too.

How were the dogs behaving previously when they were running up and down the fence? It may be that it was an awful accident, (in which case I'd carry on pretty much as normal with your own dog but just be very "aware"; or, your dog may have been being territorial/male etc or, another possibility is "predatory drift" although this last I doubt as they have seen each other a lot it seems and so your dog would know the other dog was a dog and not a prey animal presumably.

Sending good wishes

Wys
x

Hi and welcome to dogsey so sorry what a terible thing to happen my thoughts are with you and comforting cuddles being sent.

no, this has never happened before...when i said another dog i meant my akita has killed a different dog...still sounds like that...but, no, never has happened before

thank u i think this is my best bet as well after researching on the web. there are so many conflicting stories about they will be more apt to kill again and then there are the ones that say they won't as long as they weren't killing for food. thanks again they always just ran up and down the fence line. that's what's so hard for me to try to understand. this was not a dog he had never seen.

Let me just put your mind at ease regarding the 'Kill again Theory' I myself was in a situation like yours a few years ago only they were my own dogs, two of my girls had a spat over something extremely silly which resulted in a terrible freak injury from one dog to the other.
I still own the dog responsible for causing the death of my other, never will forget my dog that passed away and it's something I live with on a daily basis..Thinking of the 'what if's'

She lives with other dogs still to this day, big powerful breeds but she has never done anything to any of the others since that awful day and probably never likely to again. The biggest mistake I made was thinking I knew my dogs well - I learned a valuble lesson that day never put 100% trust into thinking you know your dogs, ever. I'm not saying he will do it again, I am not saying he won't - I really just think you need it be aware that he could do it again and watch out for any kind of unwanted behaviours.
Good luck with him and I'm so sorry as I can kind of relate to whats happened :-(

You don't go into how the pom was killed and I imagine at this time you're too distressed to. You say your dog is 8 years old which is for an akita, the twilight of their years. So if this has never happened before and he has shown no signs of agression then this does sound like a freak accident. Obviously I agree, that a visit to the vets and perhaps a behaviourist would be in order to check a few things.
The trouble with a large breed like an akita is sometimes they don't know their own strenth. Therefore with such a small breed such as a pom, one snap even in play, as akitas generally play quite heavy and it would have killed them if hit in the wrong place.
You also say that your dog had never seen this dog upto until the tragic day, so he wan't sure what to make of it or what it was. Going on my experience of Akitas, if this dog has shown no problems up til now, then after a checkup. Just make sure you keep an eye on him.
Only this weekend I was looking after a 10 week old akita bitch. A little sweetheart. She still sent my cat spinning across the room with one swing from her paws. She was only playing with him but even at 10weeks, the strength in her body was enough to send my cat flying.
So once fully grown at 9-10 stone, they have a bit of a weight advantage over smaller dogs and can do some damage without intending it.