Our Akita just turned 3 years old.
She came from a line bred "for mass and temperament", and she is calm and good natured. I've been told that she's "really nice for an Akita". She's a big baby with the family, and fairly tolerant of people in general. She's good with dogs she knows well, and although strange dogs need to be on their best behavior when meeting her, she's never seriously hurt another dog, though she obviously could.
She does seem to view cats, squirrels, rabbits etc as prey, and so she never leaves the property without being under my control. If she'd been raised with cats, she might view them differently, as others who raised Akitas in a household with cats have reported peaceful coexistence.
I can't stress strongly enough that a dog like her is not for everyone. She's incredibly strong, and cat quick, and I credit her for getting me back into somewhat reasonable shape, as she simply must have our walk/run daily, regardless of weather or temperature.
