doxie and akita

Personally, I would not recommend an Akita for your situation.  They can be very dominant, are often dog-aggressive, and have really high prey drives (they are/were hunting dogs).  They are powerful in size and can be headstrong, so it takes an experienced, strong-willed person to successfully train them.  I have also heard that when they do become aggressive or dominant, it's often without a lot of warning so it's crucial to have knowledge of how to handle them in these situations and how to avoid situations where an Akita might become aggressive towards another dog or animal.  Now, I am sure there are plenty that get along just fine with other dogs and animals, but this is just what I've heard from Akita owners.  The general consensus seems to be that they are not the type of breed one chooses just based on looks and size.  I have always loved Akitas as well and it's sort of a heartbreaker for me that I will probably never have one b/c they just don't fit with my lifestyle and the other types of animals I keep.

I also love akitas, but no, I would not recommend one for a multi-dog household, especially when the other dog is so small. Ditto everything Liesje said.

i would wait to get the Akita once you are moved out and on your own with no other pets. thats what i did anyway....  i always loved American Bulldogs but my mom wouldnt allow it... sure i could have a Doberman, German Shepherd and a Redbone Coonhound.... but no Bulldogs. not EVEN an option.

once i moved out, got married, i found my dream dog just waiting for me to come pick her up. my grand parents owned this breed when i was a toddler and i have nothing but fond memories. but while i was living with my mom i did tons of studying on the breed. perfected my dog training abilities.. so by the time i got my bully i was well prepared to meet any problems head on. in fact... the only problems i have had with her involved others not listening to me and following orders on how she should be trained and rules that must be followed to the letter.
it took me ten years to get the dog i wanted, but it was well worth the wait. and i believe anything worth having is worth waiting for....

Thanks for everyones replies
 
funny thing, American Bulldogs were a love of mine since Homeward Bound. hehe.
 
I had read up on akita's i guess i just needed to hear from someone else that i couldnt get that breed just yet. It's just troubling for me cause i want a companion for my companion and i, i just dont want another dachshund, between us this isnt my first choice breed, lol, for others it might be. If someone could suggest a breed that could work well with my dacshund, i would definantly listen! iv searched high and low and cant think of anything other then dogs that would be too rough like an airdale terrier or an old english shepard. Mabye im just looking in the wrong places, someone please help me out here.

breed standards are optional. it might say one thing is common but there are oddballs out there that dont fit the standard. if you are consistant with training and your own standard of what is tolerable then you can own just about any breed you want...
large breeds can and do live peacefully beside small breeds.
you could visit the local animal shelters and see who is on the list (if thats an option) and introduce them to your own dog and find out who gets along the best.
every dog in the pound has a story. they arent all there because they were bad. sometimes its because of hard times or their owner dying, or divorce, any number of issues puts perfectly good dogs behind bars.
if you decide to go with a puppy, breed of choice being the Akita, then its purely up to you. i dont believe in judging a situation before it can even happen but you do want to be careful. more care than you would be with any other breed given the high prey drive and dominance.  you want to curtail behaviours before they become problems while its still small and easy to teach instead of 150 lbs of butt headed adolescent []

When I was researching Akitas about a year ago, I met some really lovely dogs. One unfixed male was very gentle and the breeder said he'd only ever hurt another dog once and that was in exceptional circumstances and only after his attempts at a peaceful resolution failed miserably. He lived with small children whom he happily allowed to take toys out of his mouth and basically do whatever they liked to him. He lived with a mature female Akita, a young male and a young female with no worries at all. The breeder didn't seem to think any of her dogs had a particularly worrisome prey drive. Fairly average, she seemed to think. She said they were all fine interacting with small dogs and thought that I would be able to trust one with my rabbits provided I'd raised it from a puppy alongside the rabbits. I'm not sure about that one, but I'm just throwing it out there. She thought there shouldn't be any problems with my corgi, and none of the other breeders I spoke to thought the corgi might be in danger if I brought an Akita into the household. I've since decided that she would be, but only because she's small and has a bad back and any large puppy could hurt her.

I think it comes down to the breeder and the way you raise it. The breeder whose dogs I met had not really taught her dogs anything, but she sure had their undivided attention when the liver treats came out. She said you can't let them get away with trying to push you around, but it's not like every Akita tests its humans all the time. I got the impression they're not dominant so much as very self-confident and independent. It's just hard to motivate them to do what you want them to do. Which makes them a hard dog to train and not for everyone.

Why not go for something like an Akita, but not so big so the doxie has a chance to stand up for itself (which it will do anyway if I know doxies []). Shiba Inus are similar, but much smaller and not quite so willful. Samoyeds are similar in temperament, but toned down a bit and a lot more dog friendly.

I would be very careful about a big and small dog together.We once had a doxie and shepard/malamute mix.One day,our doxie just happen to walk by the shepards sleeping area and all of a sudden the shepard jumped up and grabbed our doxie by the neck and started to shake her.Fortunately, we were home and quickly rescued our doxie.He ended up with just a few little bite marks.and very shaken by the whole experience.If we were'nt home, I'm sure he would have been killed.You can never trust any dog.Even now, with our dal,she is great dog,but occasionally she will get a little funny with our fourth doxie.

Dachshunds are very prone to back problems.  The problem is genetic but one blow to their back from a large dog can easily cause injury to their fragile backs.  For this reason, I would not recommend any large dog that is either potentially dog aggressive, or even a friendly energetic, exhuberant large dog, for a household with a doxie inhabitant. 
 
I agree with Corvus that a Shiba Inu would be a good choice - similar in appearance to an akita but smaller and much less likely to be aggressive.  If you have your heart set on a larger dog, than an adult, calm individual of a breed that is not known to be dog aggressive can be a good choice.

Your situation is dependent upon many things.  I had a multi-dog household with a male Akita and 2 Pekes, one male and one female.  The akita could have killed either peke with a swipe of his paw.  He never did, in fact the eldest of the two pekes will be 17yrs and 9 months in September.

However Pekes have a very strong personality, and we are experienced dog owners and we had very strict boundaries with our dogs.  If everyone cannot be on the same page with the training then DO NOT ATTEMPT this. 

As a teenager, we owned a St. Bernard/Australian shepard mix, Missy; big girl, but very mellow. Samantha (red mini Doxie) came to us as a 6 week old pup a year later. Let me tell you, Sam ruled the roost! She would tug on Missy's tail, pull on her ears, and just be a general pain in the ***. Missy never bit, attacked, zilch. I don't know if Missy's temperament was the result of her breed(s), but I do know that if you're having doubts about this particular breed, then definitely reconsider.

I would go with something a little smaller...perhaps that won't get bigger than about 25lbs.  You may want to check with local rescues or shelters to see if there are any nice dogs to be rescued instead of buying a purebreed dog too.....just a thought!