Kai ken Personality

edited February 2013 in Kai Ken (甲斐犬)
Hmm, i've been wondering: What is it like to live with a Kai? I mean, what is their personality like? I've been reading online besides here, but there's not much info and it kinda says the same thing over and over, and it doesn't give me a very good idea of the breed. Here is by far the most helpful, but i still have to wonder. So is anyone up for sharing about their poochies? Likes, dislikes, what spooks them, favorite activities, ect.
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  • edited February 2013
    Most Kai owners on the forum have posts dedicated to their kais and their adventures. The post are updated periodically so you will get to see how our Kai's develop and most of the info you are looking for (personality, likes, dislikes, what spooks them, favorite activities) will be there. :)

    We love our kai! He's amazing. He's loving, dedicated, loyal, mischievous, a major foodie, a goof ball, and a monster!

    Here's the posting of our Kai, Goro: http://www.nihonken.org/forum/index.php?p=/discussion/7415/yamabushi-no-goro-new-pictures-happy-8-months#Item_185

    There's a lot of info about the Kai on the forum! Happy reading!
  • edited February 2013
    An excuse to be a crazy kai lady? Sure!

    I have a rehomed adult kai who was imported about halfway through her socalization period so she might not be quite like the "average" pup you would get from Brad or Stacy.

    Sachi's personality has really flourished the longer I've had her. She is by nature like most kai reserved with strangers, in this case it means if outside the home she will deign to sniff the calmly outstretched hand and will take treats from those people who she finds particularly awesome. In home she will stress whine for strangers and either cagily pace the perimeters of the room we're in or go to my room and chill. If they are people she has met a couple of times she will take treats from them and generally sit calmly with me the entire time theyre there. This is her " public persona" she's cool as ice and all business. (unless she gets locked out of my room for reasons then she growls at the door which i don't encourage but find funny, its the only time she ever growls).

    With just me n her she's a total goofball.
    A pup at heart, mischevious, playful, just wants to cuddle, get in trouble, chase, wrestle, follow me aound, all of it. When working at my desk she wants to be on my lap blocking the screen or on my desk, blocking the screen. She's smart and when training very focused (border collie intense) with a long attention span. She is by her personal nature very cautious to the unknown. Anything new being introduced she's very wary of (ie furminator, harness). I know she's been brushed but its new to her in this context, so we had to work to using it. She has worn a harness before but in our context its a whole new game.

    I don't want to play favorites but she is one of the most amazing dogs I've ever had, and I've had some pretty cool dogs if I do say so, but has put much of my dog knowledge to the test and I've sometimes had to get creative to bond with her, train her and so on. She's worth every moment.

    And now I'm a sappy crazy kai lady. For more reading her thread is the raito no hoshihime.
  • Oh, okay thank you. I must look into these threads :)
    @cdenney thank you for sharing! She sounds like an awesome buddypal.
  • 'KI-dae, something has occurred to me. What about when they get older? As much as i love reading about the loverly pups, to be able to completely say i want one, i have to know what they are like when they are older. Most(if not all) the kai i see on here are a few years at most, so i can't really can't any info on elderly kai. Anyone have one, or had in the past? Anything above 7 years of age would be great. Thank you!!!!
  • Well if you're looking at getting a KKA Kai, then I don't think you're going to find them older than 3, since they've only recently been imported to the US. Also not a lot of people with older kai are on the forum.
  • Ooohhhh, ok makes sense. Hmm, too bad. Though my guess is the main difference is, as they get up in years, activity's they are capable of doing and touchiness. I've never lived with a dog from puppyhood to seniorality though so i don't know. Dang pooturds, the more i read about them, the more amoured i become.
  • Yamabushi Kennel has a couple of older KKA Kai and by older i mean 4-5. You can ask them and see what they tell you. From their videos all their dogs are still pretty active and playful. The Anderson family is currently sick at the moment, so maybe wait a few days.
  • I personally know some older kai. The ones I have met are still very loving and active. The one I believe is close to 9 years old and he still climbs a 6 foot fence to go poop in the woods.
  • Go almost nine year old kai!!!! It makes sense to still be sctive then cause the glass of life is still halfish full, but i feel like lots of older dogs ive met get slow, inactive, lazy and at at like eight. Hmm, none of them are NK and these are mostly labs and goldens im talkin bout. Well good to know they are still active happy chappies, cause i would definitely wanna be ab;e to hike past the 8 year mark.
    Oh and you andersons, wherever youcurrently reside(hopefully in bed) i hope you guys get better soon!!
  • I think it depends on the dog. My 9 year old Shiba suddenly got quite lazy and inactive, and seems just suddenly old this year. He sleeps more, and more heavily and seems to have some hearing loss too. But he's also got a number of health issues, so that is probably part of the issue.

    And for the larger breeds, 9 is definitely senior, as many only live to 11 or 12. For my Shiba, it could be middle aged, but he still seems to have "senior" qualities now.
  • There's a 14 year old Kai on FB- Nero- and he seems quite happy, social and brisk. Just got a little grey muzzle is all. And he's a leash walk guy at this point, but he still looks to have spring in his step. :)
  • I think it depends on the dog. My 9 year old Shiba suddenly got quite lazy and inactive, and seems just suddenly old this year. He sleeps more, and more heavily and seems to have some hearing loss too. But he's also got a number of health issues, so that is probably part of the issue.

    And for the larger breeds, 9 is definitely senior, as many only live to 11 or 12. For my Shiba, it could be middle aged, but he still seems to have "senior" qualities now.
    My 8yo seems like he aged more the day he turned 8, or perhaps I just perceive him as older? He doesn't keep up as well as he used to on trails (or maybe Bella and I just move faster?), but he is still his wonderful self. He will chase Bella around like they're pups, and I even caught him playing with a Kong like a puppy. I would like to think my 8yo Shiba is barely middle-aged, his sire lived until 14.
    If he is off leash, or smells prey he is off like he is in his prime, and if an unknown dog rushes up to us he will pin it to the ground in the blink of an eye (my friends affectionately call this "teleport" after he pinned a dog 4x his weight before anyone aside from me had noticed that it had tried to attack).

    There is a 12yo Shiba down the road from me, he walks off leash to the shop with his "dad" every morning, will snarl at me if I scratch anywhere except for his favourite spot, and is your typical NK, just older and grumpier.
  • Aw! I didn't know Nero was such an older timer! He is such a stud on all his walks :)
  • My 7.5 year old has slowed down a lot - but that "maturity" aspect kicked in around 3-4 (when she stopped trying to always run away, wouldn't have time to cuddle, etc.). Now she's much more likely to curl up on the bed/couch and sit next to me and be pet.

    But - she's still strong as an ox, and when we go on walks, she's hard to steer for my kids, and can still take off like a shot after a squirrel or other animal in the yard.

    I'd say that, essentially as she's aged the better qualities have become stronger (affectionate, reasonable, listening) and the least desirable qualities (*to me*) have diminished (running away, climbing into places she shouldn't be, general adherence to rules and structure).

    The only downsides are she's gotten a big more "barky" and is even less a fan of strangers now than before (she was good as a pup, but as she aged, she's gotten increasingly more wary of strangers).
  • Sorry to bump an old thread, but I'm becoming quite the fan of kai ken after reading about them on these forums. They sound a LOT like my buhund, but without the herding and with less barkiness. The similarities include good with other dogs, somewhat wary of strangers, and loyal/loving with family. My next dog perhaps?
  • You want a Hokkaido!
  • I can't lie, I'm in love with my Kai ;) Glad you're liking them!
  • Kai are awesome!!!
  • You want a Hokkaido!
    @lindsayt - I think you missed this part:
    ... with less barkiness.
    lol
  • Haha yeah Hokkaido can be loud from videos I seen. :)
  • As far as old age I have seen plenty of other Nihon ken breeds that are thriving actively well at 12 or 13 years, so it just depends on the dog. We shall see over time as a breed how Kai fair over a life. Not too many in the U.S. to compare on longevity at this point.

    Snf
  • edited November 2013
    @lindsayt Well you ARE the one who recommended looking into buhunds (which I hadn't heard of!) and that worked out quite well, so I'd probably seriously consider hokkaido down the line if you thought a hokka would be a good fit for me :)

    Though after seeing @Losech's Katana scream like he's dying I'm not completely sure. @Whobitme's hokka, Meitou, was pretty awesome though, and got along really well with Lobo. And by that I mean, Lobo was able to look past the initial face bops and allow Meitou to hump him relentlessly.
  • edited November 2013
    LOL yeah, don't get a Hokkaido Ken if you don't want noisy noisy dog. I like my Hokkaido, he's a really cool dog, but, the screaming... It's not for everyone.
  • I know several kai that have lived well into their teens. I know a 14 year old kai that still climbs a 6ft chain link fence everyday so he can go poop in the woods.
  • I came to this forum originally thinking I wanted a Shiba, but also liking the looks of the Shikoku.

    I'm now pretty sure my next dog will be a Kai.

    This forum seems to have that effect on people!
  • @LoboSpam LOL, he did hump poor Lobo relentlessly. I know I pointed out somewhere, though I don't remember where, that Meitou doesn't seem to be as loud as everyone else says their Hokkaido is/are. He barks sometimes but hasn't seemed too bad to me. I haven't ever heard Meitou scream like Katana. ;) But apparently Meitou is more of an exception than the rule.
  • Nice post guys! As far as Akuma goes I would say that he is a major foodie and very affectionate but still has that Kai Ken caution about him. He is playful and sneaky and loves to chase small fuzzies. He is talkative and very smart and I think I mentioned SNEAKY. He is loyal and proud sometimes too proud and really cute which gets him out of trouble. He loves to explore things and climb them and sometimes gets stuck lol. Akuma is boss.
  • Their personalities are quite charming :)
  • Yes, they are. And emotional. Leo has been sulking ever since we got the new puppy. today, I was trying to carry her in from a potty trip and shut the door, and not let Leo go out. He tried to dart out, so I put my foot out to block the doorway and he ran into it (not even hard!). Let me stress--he ran into my foot. Then he dropped his tail, and cut his eyes at me, and went off sulking, looking at me like "YOU KICKED ME!" Except, I didn't. he ran into my foot. Sigh.
  • Juno is two and is very loyal and affectionate, she has more spookiness than Matsu, and takes some time to get acclimated to new people. She also has a lot of enthusiasm and pluckiness. She reads me fast and is right on scene to 'help' with whatever she thinks I need. It could be "Oh, you are taking apart the vacuum? I'll hold the screwdriver for you" or it could mean "Did you hear the lady? She said GET UP, SAGE! NOW!" which is a bit riskier a posture, but she's like my little assistant/enforcer. She loves to work and the light in her eyes really shines when we're doing things. She likes to do tricks and knows many, and she has a cute little high-step trot when we do heeling that just *kills* me. Her working attention is impressive. She is a hunter, and she is very agile and eager and fast. She sleeps on my bed curled up behind my knees. I love that she is brave, eager and affectionate. If something unexpected happens, she is likely to bolt to a safe short distance, then stand and bark till I help her out, then reapproach with me.

    Matsu is less demonstrative, but not spooky at all. He goes right up to strangers and leans in for a pat. He enjoys all people but is not much of a kisser. (Juno, once comfortable, will lick even newly-met people right up the nose if allowed) He doesnt bark much, even when the other dogs are barking. If I am getting fuel at the gas station, Juno barks at the attendant, Matsu says "Yo." and doesnt much care. He loves to play fetch, and play with Reilly and Juno.

    He likes most girl dogs a lot, but I can see a competitiveness in him around staring males, a kind of sizing up. He is a macho man, a quiet but strong man, who loves his family. He sticks closer to me than Juno when we're in the forest, and he checks on me. He is not a quick-decider, and thinks things over. He's really reassuring and I adore him for his steadyness. He has cute behaviors like nosing under my elbow, or pressing his chin on my leg while looking up at me with his deep black eyes, or walking through my legs so I can rub his whole body while he stretches. He is only 14 months old so he still gets puppy excited when we work together and needs to remember to slow down and listen, not guess what I am about to ask for. If something unexpected happens, he doesnt run- he stands and thinks and maybe barks till I help him out with a recall or directions. He is kindof like Pooh Bear in the original books (not the Disney cartoons)- straightforward, steady & strong. Always in the front of his mind.
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