Please dear god in heaven do NOT get an Akita. They would not be a good fit for you. Please trust me.
I really like them, but yeah.... hello DA, guarding capabilities (they were orginally created for hunting and dog fighting in Japan ), same Spitz aloofness, and generally honey badger don't care what you want.
My old neighbors had a 4 dog team of huskies and Akitas. I dogsat their new puppy. Awesome dogs, but they would NOT be a good fit for what you describe wanting.
I really like them, but yeah.... hello DA, guarding capabilities (they were orginally created for hunting and dog fighting in Japan ), same Spitz aloofness, and generally honey badger don't care what you want.
My old neighbors had a 4 dog team of huskies and Akitas. I dogsat their new puppy. Awesome dogs, but they would NOT be a good fit for what you describe wanting.
To be honest, you can find over and undersized dogs in any breed. The standard for GSDs goes up to 75-ish lbs, but you can easily find bitches over 100 if you look in all the right (wrong) places. Even in well bred litters there are size variations outside the standard.
Personally, I'd find the breed that fits you well based on their temperament and natural ability for what you want to do and look for an individual dog whose size conforms more to what you're looking for.