Jimmy, a word of caution...

Pushy demands for attention, for grooming, for "loving", for petting, for cuddling & so forth, both physical (nudging, pawing, "hugging" etc.) and vocal (barking, gggrrr-howling, whining with an attitude of authority, etc.) or even just silent posturing are not displays of affection, but are actually dominance ploys, and should not be tolerated in any dog, especially not from typically "bossy" breeds or potentially aggressive individuals & particularly not as an animal begins to approach mature adulthood -- Males are usually more prone to this type of dominating misbehavior than bitches are...

I can't remember if you are one of the posters here who respects Ed Frawley & Cindy Easton Rhodes or not, but if you think I'm just being silly or crazy, please check out their literature on this topic, or email them about the subject of "Demanding Love"/"Insisting on Attention"/"Pushy Behaviors", etc. -- Nosing & pawing are definitely dominance displays & should never be allowed from an Akita, because they're a dog's way of telling you that he's your superior & you're his underling (all experienced trainers or behaviorists & experts on dominance & aggression in dogs will tell you this is true, so you don't have to take my word for it, that's for sure)...

IIRC, they also have at least one article about this on the ACA website too <:-)