Hi, I wonder if anyone has had any experience of this problem.  We have a 6 year old Akita, a 14 year old Greyhound and a 7 month old Akita male.  The pup is very aggressive towards us, if we walk past him he will snarl, when putting his lead of he does this also..  even when playing with him he will all of a sudden just sanrl and take a snap at us.  we had him castrated 6 weeks ago I've also tried the MasterPlus system, he goes to obeidence classes and I've had him to one behaviourist that gave us a programme to do and all to no avail.  I now have an appointment with another highly recommended behaviourist, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.  When I spoke to the behaviourist on the phone he said it sounds like the dog is ferrill and that I will have to keep him away from the other dogs, this is going to be a challenge. It would be great if anyone has any advice as I am not seeing the behaviouist for another week and we are totally at a loss as to what to do till then, this has been going on for the last 10 weeks.  Oh by the way he is ok with the other dogs, just trying his dominance abit which we expected.

Hmm, sounds frustrating. I hear that Akitas can be very dog agressive - particularly with the same sex as their own.  Have you perhaps done something (unconciously) to warrant this behaviour? Animals rarely do things without there being a 'seed' being sewn to make it happen.  Obviously there are occaisons where its a mental problem and they are born like it, but most of the time its us confusing them or sending out the wrong signals. does anything come to mind which might have caused him to do this?
I dont think that the dog is feral - he couldnt be as he is living with you.  Be careful with behaviourists as some of them can make the problem worse and confuse the dog more.
Good luck linlea!

This is the first time I've used the forum and can't believe how quick someone has replied, thank you!
Yes we've all racked our brains to think of anything we may have done, but nothing comes to mind.  When he was a small pup (he's 6 stone now) he did used to be very grumpy when he was sleepy and did'nt like anyone going near him, so we kept out of his way, but maybe we should not have done this as now he has become very aggessive.  We treat all our dogs as part of the family and love them to bits, but is becomming very had to do this with our pup.  I think he is very confused, but don't know why!!

First of all I hope that the behaviourists that you have seen/are seeing are reputable, experienced and preferably belong to a professional body such as the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors or the UK Register of Dog Behaviourists; unfortunately there are many so called "behaviourists" who have done correspondence courses but have had no real in depth hands on experience with a wide variety of dogs and/or problems.

http://www.apbc.org.uk/clinics.htm

Secondly behaviour modification takes time, it is not a magic wand approach and I wonder if you have given the "programme" enough time before making your decision?

A spray or electric shock collar may inhibit the outward behaviours you are concerned about but not address the causes and how make your dog more comfortable and may indeed increase your dog's anxiety in certain situations.

There also seems to be some contradiction in your post with regard to your dog's nature.  You say that the behaviourist on the phone intimated that your dog may be "feral" and will have to be kept away from other dogs but your problems appear to be between humans and the dog and indeed you say that is OK with other dogs?  I am extremely confused and in general reputable behaviourists do not give out advice over the net or by phone as they need a face to face consultation with you and the dog in order to fully understand the situation before devising a custom made programme; after that they will offer support via the phone.

Again I reiterate please ensure that you are engaging a "proper" behaviourist for you and your dog's benefit and safety.

Good Luck

I hear what you are saying about the behaviourist been reputable.  The one I am seeing next week has been recommende by John Rogerson, as he is going away I could'nt get to see him.  Apparently the pup is thinking that he is part of a pack of dogs, and does not want human contact, does that sound right?  So I was told that I need him to only have contact with us for about 5 weeks so that he bonds and comes to rely on us for company rather that the other dogs.  The spray thing I think is awaste of time and money on our pup as when it sprays it just goes into his coat (its so thick) and he does'nt take much notice of it. 
The only thing about keeping him away from the other dogs is that now he is growling at them through the doors (whcih are glass) unfortunately, so we are wondering if this will cause more aggression towards the other dgos when they are eventually put back together.  I seem to be rambling, but as you can imagine we are all so upset and confused about all this, with no obvious answers.

Thanks
linlea

If you have been recommended to a behaviourist by John Rogerson then you can rest assured that it will be a "proper" one :D  John knows his stuff!

Thanks Tohme

I am a little reassured now and can't wait for my appointment, were all keeping everything crossed, its not a pretty sight.

Linlea