Kai Ken Dog Breed

The Kai Ken is a versatile hunting dog that can easily be a service dog for professional organizations such as police, military, and search-and-rescue. These dogs are not for first-time dog owners, and even people who have some experience with dogs may find this breed difficult. Kais tend to bond strongly to one master, and while they can be easy to train by those who know the breed, they can be challenging for subsequent masters. They do make good family companions, but only for the right families.

PROS

• Devoted
• Very strong
• Highly loyal
• Loves to swim
• Loves children
• Great endurance
• Remarkably clean
• Very healthy breed
• Extremely intelligent
• Relatively easy to train
• Works well with other dogs
• Loves to be a part of the family

CONS

• Must be socialized
• Not hypoallergenic
• Strong hunting drive
• Can be very stubborn
• Tends to easily escape
• Likes to chew on things
• Twice yearly coat-blowout
• Persistent when wanting something
• May not live well with smaller, non-canine pets

The Kai Ken is a medium-sized, Japanese Spitz-type dog. This breed has amazing agility, endurance, and strength. When in pursuit of their prey, they can swim rivers, climb trees, and traverse difficult terrain in harsh weather. You may think that such abilities would make a dog impossible to domesticate, but the Kai is a great companion dog for families. They will want a master, and for the right person, they are relatively easy to train as well as to manage once trained properly.

These remarkably intelligent dogs are able to outwit prey even as they endure the mountainous wilds of their native northern Japan. They are resourceful, agile, and able to work alone and then return home to be with their loved ones. They tend to be extremely loyal but are most devoted to a single person. They are known to be quick learners, but they can be a bit stubborn with others. If you are going to let them out into the yard, you will need a very high, secure barrier to retain them.

Kai Kens are highly energetic dogs, and they absolutely must be exercised daily and at great length. Inactivity will quickly lead to being bored, and for a Kai Ken, boredom will be offset by destructive behavior and chewing on everything to burn off that pent-up energy.

The ancestors of the Kai Ken originated in Japan a very long time ago, but detailed records about the dog's lineage have either been lost to time or perhaps kept under wraps in order to maintain the breed's superiority through secrecy. For hundreds or perhaps thousands of years, this breed was developed and kept in isolation due to the sea, mountains, and culture. The Kai Ken is believed to be the purest of the six native Japanese breeds.

With the encroachment of the world during and after WWI, the Kai nearly became an extinct tiger dog. In 1931, the Kai Ken Aigokai was founded. This club, which is best described as a preservation effort, helped start a breeding program to protect the dog from disappearing. During that decade, the first dog exhibition was held (1931), the dog was declared a monument by the nation (1933), and the breed was formally recognized by the Japanese Kennel Club (1934).

The preservation of the breed may not have occurred had it not been for the Kai Ken Aigokai's founder, Dasuke Adachi. After observing one of these rare hunting dogs in Kofu (a city in Japan), Adachi endeavored to find more of the dogs and to work to preserve the breed. The effort was an arduous one that required treks into the mountainous, somewhat hostile terrain where the dogs had lived for centuries. Adachi and his team persevered and returned with two dogs that he believed were the best to be found, and these two dogs were the foundation stock for the club. Adachi became the chairman, and the first dog show, called the Nihon Ken Hozonkai (NIPPO), was held that same year.

The club's efforts persuaded the Japanese government to help subsidize Kai Ken dog owners. To this day, the primary registry is the Kai Ken Aigokai that was started in 1931.

By the 1950s, some of the dogs had been taken to the United States, but it is believed those specimens didn't survive. Another attempt in the 1990s did succeed, prompting the AKC to take notice. While there are Kai Kens in the Western World, the breed remains extremely rare outside of Japan.

The Kai Ken was recognized by the FCI in 1982 and by the United Kennel Club (UKC) in 1997. The AKC placed the breed in its Foundation Stock Service in 1997.

There are two variations of the breed, both of which were established in the 1930s when the first Kai Ken dog club was formed:

The two "variations" of the Kai Ken were said to have been established by two early dogs: Kaikuro, who resembled a bear and whose type is now called the Shishi-Inu-Gata, and Dairo (aka the Shika-Inu-Gata) that looked like a fox. Both had their particular hunting and tracking skills.

The breed is also recognized informally by coat color, of which there are three: black brindle (Kuro-Tora), dark brindle (Chu-Tora), and red brindle (Aka-Tora). The Aka-Tora (red brindle) dogs are the rarest of the three colors. When Kai Ken are puppies, however, they are a solid color. The brindle pattern doesn't appear until the dogs mature.

It should also be noted that the Kai Ken breed is one of six types known as a Japanese Spitz-type dog, and is categorized as one of the medium-sized Spitz-type dogs. Toy "Tiger Dogs" (as they are sometimes called) are not recognized by any breed authorities.

There are no known hereditary problems with the Kai Ken, but there are reportedly too few specimens to get a clear picture of particular problems for the breed (with approximately 10 or so litters annually available in the U.S., charting the Ken Kai is very hard). There are the usual health issues such as hip dysplasia and eye problems, of course. You should not hesitate to demand health test results and vet certifications when adopting a Kai, especially if you are getting one from outside the U.S.

The average life span for Kai Kens is 12 to 14 years, and sometimes a little longer.