Showing the Kai Ken

The Kai Ken Club of Great Britain supports showing your Kai Ken as closely to the Kai Ken Aigokai way as possible, but we understand that in the western show rings, there are different expectations and methods of showing.

Kai Ken Aigokai Shows

The Kai Ken Aigokai holds two shows per year. These ‘tenrankai’ or exhibitions are held one in spring (on the first Sunday in April) and one in fall (on the last Sunday of October).
Showing Kai Ken, and by extension, the other Nihon Ken, is quite different to how western breeds are shown. The aim is to present the breed as naturally as possible.
First, it's uncommon for professional handlers to show the Japanese breeds, and most Kai will be handled by their owner.

Unlike most breeds which are typically washed and groomed before a show, it’s recommended not to wash a Kai Ken before showing. Washing strips the natural oils from the coat of the dog and can affect the coat texture and presentation of the dog.
If needed, wiping your Kai down with a wet cloth and a bit of light brushing before the show is an option but presenting the breed as naturally and unmodified as possible is the best way to show your Kai.
The dog is presented stacked naturally, so hand stacking the dog is not recommended. Unlike western showing, the dog is not presented side-on, and should be facing boldly towards the judge. Baiting and luring the dog with food is not allowed.
The Kai Ken is judged against the breed standard, where they are evaluated to have the proper look and temperament for the breed. In Japanese Dogs, temperament is very important, and the breed should portray kan’i, ryousei and soboku. These essential qualities are often more important than the look of the dog.
It is not uncommon for dogs to ‘spar’ in the ring, snarling and baring teeth at each other. This posturing, known as ikaku, is where the dog shows confidence by intimidating through using aggressive posture. Alternatively, Kai may posture using igen, which is where a dog shows confidence by intimidating with their sheer aura of strength. It is not good if a dog drops its tail in the ring, as this shows a lack of confidence.

The Kai Ken is presented with the leash pulled up at a 45 degree angle, with the leash sitting lower on the neck (as opposed to in western rings, where the leash sits tight around the very top of the neck/throat). This gives the best presentation of the dog, giving a natural and balanced head. This natural presentation of the dog is known as ‘tachikomi’. Pulling too tightly on the lead will affect the shape of the head, can cause the forehead to wrinkle, and can cause the ears to drop.

Judging for the Kai Ken is similar to NIPPO showing, where they are judged in the morning and placed in the afternoon.
In the morning, individual judging of the dog takes place. This is called kotai shinsa. The dogs will enter the ring based on their entry numbers and will line up. The dogs will be separated based on sex and age group. In KKA shows, the groups are:

Seiken (Adult Dog) In KKA, these are dogs aged over 2 years on the day of the exhibition.
Souken (Mature Dog) In KKA, these are dogs aged over 1 year and under 2 years.
Miseiken (Minor Dog) In KKA, these are dogs aged over 6 months and under 1 year.

Each dog and handler will be individually called to the centre of the ring to be evaluated by the judge. Dogs are judged on the ground, though young dogs can be picked up to count the teeth if need be.
Counting teeth is very important in the evaluation. Kai Ken should have 42 teeth, and only full dentition is allowed. There are no allowances for missing teeth. Poor quality teeth are considered similarly to missing teeth. It is not held against the dog if it misbehaves during the teeth count.
The dogs are then wicketed to check their height.
Once the dog has been wicketed, the judge will evaluate the dog’s movement by getting the dog to gait between set points in a triangle. The dog will then stop before the judge for a final look, and the judge will move on to the next dog.

After lunch, the group judging, or hikaku shinsa, begins. Entrants are brought back into the ring and are judged in comparison to each other. The judge will walk around the ring and compare each animal, before they select a group of dogs to enter the middle of the ring. These are the dogs the judge has chosen as the best dogs in the group. The judge may rearrange the placement of the dogs while taking a final look.
After each class, the first place winner of each class, or isseki, will be judged against each other to compete to be the overall winner (sougou) of the exhibition.

I want to show my Kai!

Unfortunately, the Kai Ken is not recognised by the Royal Kennel Club, which means currently the breed cannot be shown in conformation in the UK.
It is unlikely that the Kai will be able to be shown here for many years, and when this does happen the Kai will enter the Import Register. Import Register classes are much smaller and often do not have separate breed classes, so you will be showing against other breeds in one Any Variety Import group. This means that until the Kai gets full recognition by the Royal Kennel Club, showing is going to be a little different.

Besmira's First Wolf Boy 'Kai' showing at the Japanspesialen 2023 in Norway.

There are some other options for showing that you can do with your Kai.

Ringcraft - Ringcraft is the perfect way to get a first step into showing. Suitable for beginners or veterans, it is the training that prepares both handler and dog for the show ring. Ringcraft is a great way to make friends, build confidence and learn techniques to help you and your dog present yourselves as best as possible. Most clubs hold ringcraft sessions once a week.
Companion Shows - Companion dog shows are often held at family events, and allow anyone to take part in showing their dog. Usually they have fun classes, such as ‘dog who looks most like their owner’ or ‘waggiest tail’, but some shows will also hold pedigree classes which follow the Royal Kennel Club’s rules. Sometimes they will even have prestigious judges to run these classes! While you aren’t competing officially, these shows are a fantastic opportunity to get your dog examined by a real judge, while still taking it easy and without the heavy competition of a conformation show. Most shows will allow the Kai Ken to be entered into their pedigree classes, despite the breed not being recognised.

Travelling to FCI Shows - If you really want to step into the conformation ring with your Kai, you have the option of travelling to Europe to show under the Fédération Cynologique Internationale. The Kai Ken has been recognised by the FCI since 1982, which means they can be shown in any FCI member countries. Our closest FCI countries are Ireland and France. Unfortunately this does mean travelling abroad, which comes with its own difficulties with gaining expensive animal health certificates and travelling long journeys, but if you really want to show your Kai in conformation, this is the way to go!

Club member Astor and Akahana Go Ounoki Kensha 'Nami' travelled to Norway to show at the Japanspesialen 2023! Photo by Henri Pääkkönen.

Show Leads

When showing your Kai, there are a few different options for show leads.

Traditional Lead - In Japan, the Nihon Ken are often shown on traditional show leads. These are very different to the types of leads we use for showing in the west. These are mostly used when showing Akita Inu, but they may be used in all of the breeds. The set is made up of a handmade rolled leather collar and a hand-weaved rope lead adorned with a tassel at the end. The leather collar, unlike usual collars, has the buckled on the opposite side of the lead attachment. This unique feature allows the dog to be presented in a more natural and balanced way. These leads are often expensive due to being handmade in Japan.

Exercise Lead - Sometimes seen in use with the medium breeds in NIPPO, these leads are used for regular exercise in Japan and are made up of hand weaved rope, tied in a knot to create a slip lead.
Snake Chain - Snake chains are a type of show collar commonly used in western shows. They are often used in addition to the traditional show collars as a backup collar. These are usually used with thin leather or woven decorative lead, though it is possible to use the traditional rope lead with these collars.

Leather and Fabric Leads - These leashes, either in slip or martingale style, are commonly used in western shows. They are usually one piece with a stopper (slip), or two pieces attached with a chain (martingale).
Flat Leather Collar - It’s also not entirely uncommon for Kai to be shown on a standard flat leather collar with a standard clip rope lead or the traditional rope lead in Kai Ken Aigokai shows! If your Kai doesn’t like a show lead, there’s no harm in trying this instead!

Remember, have fun!

It’s important to note that the way the Kai Ken is shown can sometimes seem unusual to western judges. Having to explain that our leashes are not decorated with a curtain tassel, or explaining that we don’t show side-on, or that we don’t hand stack our dogs, sometimes it can be tiring having to educate in the middle of the ring. It can feel like the odds are stacked against you for going against the ‘norm’ in western shows. The most important part of showing should be to have fun and enjoy your time with your dog.

Rangerin Simsalabim 'Mimi' showing at the Japanspesialen 2023 in Norway.

For full translations of the words used in this article, please check our Kai Ken Glossary.