I have a 14 month old male Akita named Tacoma. When he was a puppy, he was socialized a lot. He went everywhere with us, and was great with all people and dogs. When he was about 6 months old, he started snapping at people, especially females. And these were people that he knew! Now he acts very "shy" around most people, and if they approach him, he growls and will even snap. There is no rhyme or reason to this behavior. Some people he is ok with, others he is not. He is in advanced obedience, and he does well there, so the trainer is having a hard time diagnosing his issues since Tacoma does not show any signs there. We do the "no look, no touch, no talk" with him, and it works most times, and when he is ok with someone, he will approach them on his own, but he is still unpredictable. He is such a handsome boy, and everyone wants to pet him, and most people do not listen to me when I tell them not to! Any suggestions on what I can do to show him that there is no need to be scared with people, and that people are ok? I do not like that he feels this way, and I want him to be a happy dog! Thank you for any help!!!
Has he had thorough vet checks to rule out a health issue? Pain could cause aggressive behaviour and there are other medical conditions that can cause a sudden change in personality. I think Akitas are a breed that can be prone to thyroid issues, for example - you may want to look at Dr Jean Dodd's information on thyroid issues in dogs.
He has not had a thorough exam yet, but he is about due. Thank you! I will look into that. His hips have started clicking about 2 months ago, and the vet said for now to have him on glucosamine and chondrotin. Otherwise, she has just said that he needs to be treated like other large dogs, and just be ignored until he chooses to get attention
I hope you get some good news from your vet. For whatever reason, he must want people to keep their distance. While you're at the vet it might be a good idea to have them check him out for fatty lumps or cysts: reasonable harmless but if they pop up in the wrong place can be uncomfortable. Also check the eyes. Akitas are prone to a number of eye problems, some of which can be painful, so it is well worth a thorough look at them. I well know what you're going through with 'everyone wants to pet him'. I had-- no longer have, alas-- an incredibly shy, unbelievably beautiful German Shepherd/Malamute cross. Everyone wanted to pet him. He did not want to be petted. And there are always people that no matter how many times you tell them not to, will insist that all animals love them and it's okay (it totally is not). I eventually started telling people 'He's not friendly'. It was true; he was friendly when he wanted to be, and it was most certainly not when strangers were forcing themselves on him, through my protests-- frankly, to me, this is tantamount to assault. So: He's Not Friendly. I could leave that up to their interpretation. He was not about to bite anyone's face off, ever; he was the most gentle dog you'd ever be likely to encounter ever, even if he did look like a wolf, but they didn't have to know that, did they? Another useful tool is a Halti head collar: many people see it and think it's a muzzle. You don't even have to hook it up to a lead. It's quite a comfortable thing for a dog to wear. You might opt for a Gentle Leader: pretty much the same thing, but more adjustable in the snoot region. There's nothing worse than a tight snoot loop. Not that I advocate advertising your dog as a mean dog-- but if it makes bozos keep their distance, it's maybe worth it.
