My 12 year old Akita just passed and I have to say I have had 3 of them and this was never an issue for me. However, a good friend had an akita and had this problem, the cure, took months but they are now well behaved. First always leave a TV and or radio on for them.
Then call all your friends over and tell them before they come that you are having a party for the dogs, in actualality you need their help. THe more people at one time, often the less intimidated they will be to others, hopefully eventually finding their voice only when appropriate. We did this for about 3 months with varying groups of people, the more in a group the better. They have been great since.
