Ladies, your opinions would be greatly appreciated. I have a 3 year old male akita, I have had him since he was 8 weeks old. I love him, but since pregnancy, and now 5 months pp he causes me so much stress and anger.

He knows basic commands but sometimes you will have to repeat yourself 5x before he does it. He also has anxiety issues. He cannot be left alone without being crated, and even then he will literally stand in the crate the entire time panting excessively. It is clear he has anxiety and separation problems that seem to be getting progressively worse.

Aside from that, he is a pretty good pup. He doesn't chew on our things. Never digs into the trash or anything that isn't "his". He doesn't bark unless absolutely necessary.

I think he would really benefit if he attended obedience training to sharpen the rough edges but the thing is, it's not feasible financially at this time. We live in the city and private lessons are $100-$250 for a 1hr session. He does not do well with other dogs, so it would have to be private lessons.

I know I am to blame for how he is. Somewhere along, we messed up when raising/training him. He was socialized from an early age, and still does not do well with other dogs. He's not aggressive and has never shown aggression to any person.

I'm really torn between a rock and a hard place. I want to keep him and work on him, but with a 5 month old and living on one income it doesn't seem realistic. I also don't want to rehome him because he is like family. I've always been extremely close with my pets.

Any advice ladies?