Getting closer to getting our Kai Ken !!!
I spoke to Marian at Classy Kennels this afternoon.
She told me to call back in a month for a better estimate, but right now she is guessing we are about 5 months away from getting our puppy.
There are a few people who have with deposits ahead of us.
If all goes well, she will have 2 litters of puppies in July !!!
BTW, I have read a couple of threads here about choosing a breeder.
This is how I chose Marian.
First of all, there is no way I had the contacts to find a dog from Japan.
So I had to find a US breeder. I researched and found out about Marian who received some of original stock of Kai from Mary Malone. I believe Marian has done the best job in protecting and caring for this breed since she received them.
When I first spoke to Marian, we both have the same line of thinking on caring for a dog on topics of diet (BARF diet), positive reinforcement training methods and not allowing a vet to over-vaccinate. I like the fact that she has has earned the respect of japanese breeders so they send her new dogs from Japan. I found a discussion on this board on whether the Kai breed should be registered with the AKC. Marian argued against this and I agree with her position. Our dog will be registered with the UKC.
Everytime I talk to Marian, I learn so much and take a lot of notes so I can do more research on what we've talked about. In one of our conversations she said she is going to be my lifeline for our dog. If we have ever have a question or a problem with our dog, she will try to help us. She is a breeder I respect and enjoy talking to.
She told me to call back in a month for a better estimate, but right now she is guessing we are about 5 months away from getting our puppy.
There are a few people who have with deposits ahead of us.
If all goes well, she will have 2 litters of puppies in July !!!
BTW, I have read a couple of threads here about choosing a breeder.
This is how I chose Marian.
First of all, there is no way I had the contacts to find a dog from Japan.
So I had to find a US breeder. I researched and found out about Marian who received some of original stock of Kai from Mary Malone. I believe Marian has done the best job in protecting and caring for this breed since she received them.
When I first spoke to Marian, we both have the same line of thinking on caring for a dog on topics of diet (BARF diet), positive reinforcement training methods and not allowing a vet to over-vaccinate. I like the fact that she has has earned the respect of japanese breeders so they send her new dogs from Japan. I found a discussion on this board on whether the Kai breed should be registered with the AKC. Marian argued against this and I agree with her position. Our dog will be registered with the UKC.
Everytime I talk to Marian, I learn so much and take a lot of notes so I can do more research on what we've talked about. In one of our conversations she said she is going to be my lifeline for our dog. If we have ever have a question or a problem with our dog, she will try to help us. She is a breeder I respect and enjoy talking to.
Comments
I met her when I picked Saya up and she was really nice she had Saya on a Japanese style show dog leash it looked cute on her I've been meaning to ask her where she got it she said she would give me the the site.
I didn't go to her kennal when I picked Saya up she met me half way since it's about a four hour drive to her.
Next year when it's ok for her I plan to take a trip to Michigan to visit her and see all her dogs which I can't wait to meet Saya's mom and dad they looked so cute on their pictures. I also can't wait to meet her kai ken too when I visit her I love all Nihon ken so I'm still not sure which I'd like as my next dog, but kai ken are getting my interest. =)
I'm thinking of getting a kai ken as my next dog I really like their look and temperament, but we'll see I hope to meet a kai ken and a shikoku one of these days in person..
So WildSolo do you intend to feed your kai ken raw diet? I plan to feed my pup a raw diet when I get him/her. Saya has done so good on it she has been on it for 7 weeks I don't think I could ever go back to kibble.
I'm glad you find a good breeder Marian is a nice lady and if she takes as good care as she does her shiba inu I bet her Kai ken are great dogs. Saya is such a well rounded pup temperament wise.
If you need any advise with puppies or in kai ken in general let us know and I can't wait to see your puppy I remember the day she emailed me with pictures of Saya I was so excited and happy.
We do plan to do as much raw diet for our dog as possible. Marian said she has too many dogs to do raw diet and our puppy will be on puppy food. So when we do get our puppy, we will need to continue with puppy food and integrate raw diet into it's regimen. We will need to carry around puppy food as dog treats, so our dog will always partially be on dog food. And in rare case, where we are away from the dog for a few days and someone else is watching our Kai. Our dogsitter will probably not be able to maintain the raw diet and feed the Kai dog food.
Thank you for your offer for advice, I"m sure I will be asking questions later.
I saw pictures of your great looking shiba. The black sesame is my favorite shiba coloring.
Marian would probably let you send her a bag of whatever kibble you chose for your pup to get started on.
No puppies yet.
Still waiting.................
I absolutely know what you mean about the waiting, though. I'm going crazy. Settled on a breeder I like who has dogs I like and is in driving distance, and now we're waiting and waiting for bitch to come into season...she's late! The waiting is hard!
It's when my wife, my kids, my best friend, my sister, my co-worker,(am I forgetting anybody?)
keep asking me when the dog is getting here that I have to pick up the phone and ask for an update.
Good news.
Uko (dam) and Taka (sire) produced a litter.
Bad news (for us)
The litter was only 3 male pups, so there was not one for us.
Good news.
We are now at the top of her waiting list.
Bad news.
We are at least 4 months away from a pup. There are no pregnant females at this time.
Good news.
We may be looking at Christmas puppy !!
It's possible and a way for me to keep a positive attitude while waiting.
Thanks for the support.
They really thought Cookie was pregnant but it didn't happen.
I'm disappointed about that since her coat has alot of red.
If I remember correctly, they were also talking about Shuko being pregnant and that didn't happen either.
So I doubt Cookie and Shuko will be on the fall to winter cycle.
I am staying positive hoping one of the dogs gets pregnant this month or next month so we will have our puppy 4 or 5 months from now.