Breeds / Medium
Kai Ken puppies
Watchful, agile and devoted to its own family, reserved with strangers. A Japanese mountain hunting spitz that needs a job and a secure fence.
The facts
- Size class Medium
- Country of origin Japan
- Adult weight 11.3 to 18.1 kg
- Adult weight in pounds 25 to 40 lb
- Adult height 39 to 50 cm
- Energy level Moderate
- Grooming Low
- Coat type Medium double
- Typical lifespan 12 to 15 years
- Good with children Fine with supervision
- Good with other dogs Fine with supervision
Where these come from:
About the Kai Ken
The Kai Ken comes from the mountainous former Kai province in Japan, where it was used on boar and deer in country steep enough that the dogs learned to climb and swim after game. It is a medium spitz of 11.3 to 18.1 kg and 39 to 50 cm with a harsh medium double coat, always brindle, which usually darkens with age. Kai are watchful and deeply attached to their own family, reserved with strangers, and generally more willing to work alongside other dogs than most Japanese breeds.
It needs a walk or two every day plus something to work out: hide and seek, trick training and scent games all count. Left under-exercised, a Kai finds its own job indoors and the furniture pays for it. Grooming is light except for the twice yearly undercoat drop, when bathing and brushing speed things along. Prey drive means solid fencing and a lead in public. Ratings with children and other pets are middling, so supervise and socialise from the start. The usual error is treating an athletic hunting dog as a quiet house dog.
What to expect at eight weeks
At eight weeks a Kai Ken puppy is sleeping around 18 to 20 hours a day, is not house trained, and cannot hold on for more than an hour or two at a stretch. A medium breed puppy at eight weeks is a manageable armful that will not stay that way. Most of the growth happens between now and six months, so buy for the adult dog where you can. Expect moderate energy, in short bursts separated by long naps. Grooming is straightforward, but start handling the coat, feet and ears in week one anyway so it is never a fight later. The socialisation window is open and closing: everything it meets calmly now, from vacuum cleaners to men in hats, is easier for the rest of its life.
Health worth knowing about
Conditions this breed is reported to be predisposed to. Predisposed does not mean inevitable, it means ask about it.
- Patellar luxation, detected on orthopaedic examination
- Seizures and epilepsy, diagnosed by a vet once other causes are ruled out
- Food and environmental allergies, worked up by a vet with elimination diets and skin testing
- Hip dysplasia, screened by x-ray evaluation of breeding stock
From Kai Ken breed information at https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/kai-ken/. Discuss any of these with your own vet.
Your Kai Ken puppy's first six months
- Vaccination schedule, dated for your country.
- Worming and parasite schedule.
- Feeding calculator. Set expected adult size to Medium for a Kai Ken.
- Adult size predictor, to check growth against the 11.3 to 18.1 kg adult range.
- Puppy names and the first week checklist.
Other medium breeds
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Not veterinary advice. Breed information is general. Your own dog, and your own vet, always win.