Klee Kai
Was wondering if anyone has any experience with a Klee Kai? I'd like to know more than what wikipedia has to offer...lol.
From what I gathered, they're a bit like Shibas.
From what I gathered, they're a bit like Shibas.
Comments
I've heard though that they've made strides in improving the temperament of the Klee Kai.
I'm with you on not liking toy breeds. I haven't had many good experiences with them. My boyfriend's Dad has a toy something or another. I took my Shiba over there and the little dog wouldn't stop lunging and snapping at him. My Shiba just looked at it like it was insane and walked the other direction. Lol.
There's a few dogsters who have them so maybe ask them Lilith is one and Esmeralda.
I'd like to have a kishu, kai ken, or shikoku as my next dog..
There seems to be some nicer ones at the UKC shows in my area.
http://www.akkaoa.org/healthissues.htm
Of course, I am sure if you really dig into it, you'll find those good breeders that'll be the exception and you'll find what you're looking for, just depends if you're willing to put in the effort.
Better off getting a Shiba if you want a small dog or an actual Husky that's on the small end.
The breeder and owner decided, at the last minute, that I was not a proper fit because I owned a Malamute (London - who was a pup at the time). I've never really looked at the breed since; it was a bad experience for me. :1
When I asked the breeder about finances, I was surprised to see the price was as much as a Shikoku. That was a turn off ... plus there is something odd about their appearance that I'm not crazy about compared to the beautiful Siberian Husky.
Before I got my Lapphund (when I was like... 8 or 9, lol), I thought they were really cool--but then I actually went to some UKC shows and they were there and, at least at the time, they really were very annoying. Barky, sometimes snappish, and once my aunt pointed out their bug eyes it couldn't be unseen. Health problems seem rampant, and just... generally not a good thing.
They sort of come with a built-in popularity, though, because so many people think Sibes are cool-looking but want a small dog and are okay with the weird factor. Unfortunately. I don't really object to developing breeds as a companion animal... but an unhealthy dog with horrible structure and suspect temperament doesn't make for a good companion for the average person whatever the dog's breed.
It also always rubbed me the wrong way when they're described as "miniaturized Alaskan huskies," because... I'm pretty sure that almost any small mix could look like a "miniaturized Alaskan husky" if it was built to run...
http://www.alaskankleekai.com/spurlin/
We had an interesting discussion about Klee Kai on the Shiba side a while back, because apparently the breed founder had considered using Shibas to create her mix, then decided against them for their supposed "aggression."
Temperament-wise, I agree with @cezieg that the two that I've met have been extremely "twitchy." That's a pretty good adjective. Bowdu, who already dislikes Huskies, apparently hates Klee Kai even more! He has learned to keep himself in check around Huskies, but the spazzy Klee Kai apparently don't know how to stay out of his space, bringing out the reactiveness in him. He "had words" (lunged and snarled) with two separate KK, who ran off screaming like crazy though they weren't hurt. Sigh.
Yeah, not a breed I'd consider anytime soon. Or ever.
So yeah. Ugh. Not a breed I'd ever get either. and I have to admit I had a moment of horror when I saw this thread resurrected, and thought, oh, no! Someone's getting one! Glad to hear that wasn't the case!
Anywho, I've met just one of these, she was nice, cute, but really not my type. Very yappy. I'm fine with barking (I encourage it in some situations) but I cannot stand small dog yapping.
I never really liked this breed since I have always felt that downsizing breeds was somewhat stupid.
I do agree that there's not much point in making a new companion dog, though. There are plenty of companion dogs dying in shelters. I don't tend to use pet over-population as an argument against breeding, because breeding preserves dogs that wouldn't exist otherwise, but I do think there should be some justification as to why the dogs you're breeding should exist. If they're no better than any random dog off the street at what they do, then it becomes harder to justify creating them. True, not all companion dogs are the same and people do have specific wants and needs, and it's good that breeds exist and so on, but what does a klee kai really offer? There are dogs that are cuter, nicer, smarter, and healthier sitting homeless waiting to be adopted. There's no preservation component because there's no history to the breed, and no work function that they're specialized to perform.
But, like I said, I wouldn't even be opposed to creating a new breed for no other purpose than for looks in theory if it were done properly. If it's done properly, then no harm done.
But I just don't get the point of a Klee Kai. They're really nothing like miniature Huskies. Their structure is way different and more importantly, so is their temperament. They're not super friendly dogs. They're high strung and aloof. Given that, there's really no reason for them to exist when Shibas exist. Shibas have better structure but are also small dogs. They're double-coated and a black and tan is going to appeal a lot to people who like Huskies because they do look similar. Yes, Shibas are more aloof generally than Huskies but then so are Klee Kais and Shibas aren't neurotic, barky messes---which makes them a lot more like a Husky in temperament than the Klee Kai.