Quiet in the home, but up for anything when out on a walk
Clean and easily housetrained
Have a very high prey drive
Low maintenance grooming
Kai Ken are not:
Not low shedding or hypoallergenic. Expect hair everywhere!
Not 'Velcro' dogs
Not usually particularly food or toy motivated. This varies from dog to dog, but don't expect a labrador!
Not 'in-your-face' type dogs
Not over-friendly with strangers. Kai Ken can be aloof with unfamiliar people. You usually have to earn their affection.
Temperament
Anyone who has a Kai Ken will tell you how loyal they are to their family. They are not 'velcro' dogs that are glued to your every move, but they like to know that you're there and are affectionate with their own family (when they choose to be). They will often choose one person as 'theirs', which is a very special bond. They can be quite reserved with strangers, but not aggressive or shy. A new person has to earn the right to some Kai Ken affection, but once they know you they never forget.
Kai Ken make fantastic house or apartment dogs. They have a great 'off-switch', where they are usually content to potter and sleep in the house. They do require daily exercise, but are happy with a 20 minute wander down the road, or a 6 hour hike in the mountains. Most would suit a medium energy household quite well, but could also enter a high-energy household. Some are more driven and need to be provided with a job to do, like a working dog. Your breeder would help you select the most suitable puppy for your lifestyle. A Kai makes an excellent companion for an outdoorsy person. They are not generally hyperactive dogs, but do have stamina and tenacity.
Kai Ken have a very high prey drive, and were bred as alert and active hunting dogs. Most do have to be walked on a lead if in an area where they might encounter wildlife. Deer, rabbits, small birds, mice, livestock, or anything that moves is considered fair game. If you are not up for walking your dog on a long line, flexi lead or waist belt when in an open area, a Kai Ken is probably not the dog for you.
Kai Ken are very clean. They keep themselves looking well kempt, and mud doesn't seem to stick to them. Kai Ken housetrain easily and need very little encouragement. The downside is that they have a thick, double coat and therefore shed heavily twice a year. A little brushing while they are shedding helps loosen some of the hair, but otherwise they don't need any coat care or grooming. Their coat doesn't matt or get tangled. A Kai Ken should not have its coat shaved or cut. They do, like all dogs, require regular nail trimming and oral care.
Good socialisation is critically important. Kai Ken need to have a wide variety of positive experiences with different people, dogs, sounds, smells, places and activities. A responsible breeder will begin the socialisation of your puppy, and you will then continue this whilst they are young and throughout their life. Primitive breeds often take more work when they are young to develop into a well-rounded dog. Kai Ken can be prone to resource guarding, which should be tackled at an early age.
Training should all be done through positive reinforcement. Kai Ken can be quite sensitive. Some compete in agility, obedience, showing (outside of the UK), barn hunt, and other sports. Whilst highly intelligent, most Kai Ken don't have a burning desire to please their human, but some may be more easily persuaded than other Nihon Ken breeds with food or toy motivation.
Kai Ken can have very different personalities. Some LOVE swimming, some would rather scream their head off than get their feet wet. However many differences there may be between different dogs, most of them will thoroughly enjoy wiggling around on their back and throwing their legs in the air when they are at home relaxing.
A common thing that people say when they see us with our Kai Ken, is that they are a good size, most comparable to a springer spaniel or a small border collie. In our experience, they generally make good pack dogs in multi-dog households. Same-sex aggression is possible, but not a given. Most will just ignore household 'dog politics' amongst other breeds and get on with their life.
Our Kai Ken - what are they like to live with?
Whilst you can sum up the breed quite well, of course all Kai Ken have different personalities. When choosing a breed of dog, it's always great to speak to the owners and understand their real-life experiences; good and bad. What made us choose Kai Ken as a breed? What are they like to live with?
Personal Experience of Kate who owns Mika (Finnish Import)
When looking for another breed of dog, I needed to consider my very bossy female Shiba Inu and my slightly neurotic neutered male Romanian street dog. As much as I love my Shiba, she would be devastated (and furious) if anyone challenged her 'throne'. She's top of the pack, and I know she'd be quick to fight a perceived challenger if I got it wrong. For me, I needed a dog breed that was not going to upset the balance. I originally was keen on a Shikoku Ken, but knew that with their button-pushing nature, this was out of the question in my household. Kai Ken are usually very good pack dogs, and have a much stronger 'flight' instinct than fight instinct. I imported Mika at 16 weeks old, and she seamlessly fitted into the pack. I assumed the best I could hope for from my Shiba was tolerance, but incredibly they are now very close and have a strong bond. If anything, my shiba has mellowed as a result of her new friendship.
Mika loves being outside, and will spend hours just chilling on her own under a tree even in the pouring rain. She's got the sweetest nature of any dog I know, and until I get her all riled up she is very calm and composed. Unlike many Kai Ken, she's extremely affectionate with strangers and wants to be friends with everyone. Her favourite thing to do when we go out somewhere is to find a flight of stairs to go up and down a few times. When we've done that, we can then carry on with our day.
Mika has been a very easy puppy in many respects. I write this as she is 9 months old. She came to me completely housetrained, and she's very rarely destructive. I work from home during the week so I am always with her, but she is extremely happy to snooze the day away in my office as long as she gets a really good leg stretch. She's up for a cuddle, but just as happy to be left alone. Having seen my mother raise an English Bull Terrier puppy the previous year, Mika truly has been a breeze.
The more challenging side of Mika's puppyhood is that she wasn't very food motivated and lacked in confidence, especially when she was younger. Every new thing had to be approached slowly and carefully, but once she'd seen it a few times she accepted it. This made socialising and puppy training much more difficult than with a greedy dog. She was fussy with new textures as a pup, so whatever treats she was presented with had to be spat out and thoroughly investigated before they were deemed safe. She's now much more food motivated which makes socialising, training, and counterconditioning anything she is a bit nervous of so much easier. She's now doing training classes and mantrailing. I think the wariness is specific to Mika's overcautious nature, and not broadly typical of Kai Ken. She's an overthinker!
Kai Ken in my experience are very sweet, very chill, affectionate, and definitely have their charming quirks. Mika makes me laugh every day with her funny expressions.
