KAI TASUKERU
I decided to open up a new topic and will do my best to answer your questions and help anyone with any knowlege that I have when it comes to the Kai, dog training, dog problems, whatever I can help with.
A little about me:
I have been involved with dogs all her life, started seriously showing dogs 19 years ago. I have taught conformation and obedience classes for 15 years and I am an UKC all breed judge. I have been actively involved with the Shiba for 19 years and the Kai for 12 years. I think like a Shiba or Kai and can out think them before they can think of the next thing to try. I have shown over 100 dogs to their Champion titles in AKC/UKC/CKC/FORB/ARBA/RAREBREED in conformation as well as Obedience since starting to show dogs. Before that I raised and showed horses for over 20 years. Then totally went to the dogs (good choice!).
So, if I can help anyone or answer a question, I will do my best.
Marian
Classy Kennel
A little about me:
I have been involved with dogs all her life, started seriously showing dogs 19 years ago. I have taught conformation and obedience classes for 15 years and I am an UKC all breed judge. I have been actively involved with the Shiba for 19 years and the Kai for 12 years. I think like a Shiba or Kai and can out think them before they can think of the next thing to try. I have shown over 100 dogs to their Champion titles in AKC/UKC/CKC/FORB/ARBA/RAREBREED in conformation as well as Obedience since starting to show dogs. Before that I raised and showed horses for over 20 years. Then totally went to the dogs (good choice!).
So, if I can help anyone or answer a question, I will do my best.
Marian
Classy Kennel
Comments
What are your thoughts on the new "Grand Champion" title now offered by AKC?
We are going to hound you with questions. I have a 4 1/2 month old Kai boy, Koda. What are your thoughts about Kai's off leash? When I first decided to adopt a Kai, I was always told that they could not be off leash and to not even think about it. But now with Koda, I'm second guessing that. I think he may very well be a good off leash dog when he's old enough. It seems like everything I teach him to do, he learns quickly what right from wrong is and he is very in tune with what I want. Do you take your dogs off leash and out and about?
Thanks again for joining the forum!
I know that black brindle kai are born black and their red striping comes in as they grow up. Do red brindles also lose black and become overall redder due to loss of black?
Thank you Asia for the compliment about the Kai puppies. Most Kai are born black and slightly brindle a little by the time they are 6-8 weeks old. A few are born already brindled and become highly brindled by the 6-8 week time period. Many Kai stay a beautiful black shiny with just a hint of brindle coloring which is more noticable in the sun. A very dark Kai can produce high colored puppies as well as the very brindled Kai. No reason as to what you get when it comes to coloring and brindling.
Saya:
They are very playful but also they have to think about what is it that they are playing with, why do they want to play with it, is it worth their time to play with it and so on as they are thinkers. They like to compute everything and classify it. While a Shiba will play in wild abandonment with a piece of paper, a kai puppy may start to play with it and then stop and look at you as if to say, "it's just a piece of paper isn't it?". They are highly intelligent and will use that intelligence always. When the Kai is playing with other dogs, they love to swing their hind quarters around and bump their playmate. This is meant as a playful tactic but I also think it is their way of guarding the parts of them that could mean death if caught by the throat or legs broken. They are so much fun to watch playing because they still have their thinking caps on while playing.
Akirale Shiba:
As I stated the Shiba will play until there is nothing left to play with or they have worn themselves out. With the Shiba it is all about THEM. They come into the world thinking they own everything, know everthing and have no master. The Kai is born looking for their soul mate. As a puppy they will look you right in the eye to pierce your soul to read you and know if you are good or bad. They are thinkers, devoted to the max, noble and only ask that their trust in you is never violated. With the Shiba, everything is a game to see who wins or who rules supreme as of that moment. You have to out think, out manuveer them and still let them think it was kind of their idea to do what you tricked them into doing. The Shiba is so smart that they can learn something one time and never forget it, but it will be their choice as to when they will show you they know it. While a Shiba prefers to be in there own world and share a few mintues of it with you when they feel like it, a Kai will stay near you just in case you neeed them. They are ready to give you whatever time you need. Both breeds highly intelligent, very clean, beautiful "primitive" breeds that should never be totally domesticated. If you want domestication get a golden or get a tank of fish!
Tjbart17:
While I would never never trust a Shiba totally off lead, and I have trained obedience for years, I have found the Kai once they mature to be trustworthy off lead. While hiking and off lead, they may disappear from your sight but if you call them or look up they are usually there watching over you. I personally have never had one run off on chase for something, but then again I have never run into deer or game that may entice them to do that either. But because of their bonding to you, they usually like to stay fairly close to you, just in case you might need them. I agree, once he is older he will probably be trustworthy of that trust to be allowed to be off lead. I would never have a Kai off lead anywhere near a road though. To many scary things can happen in split second timing.
Wryly Brindle:
The Kai can be born with spots, born with a pink tongue or even born with a black tongue and mouth. All are correct to the standard. Usually you may see a pink tongue and within days or a couple weeks will start to see a few spots. The spots usually get bigger as the dog gets older. But a pink tongue is acceptable in the breed also.
The black brindle is black with any color brindles in them. The Chu-brindle is dark with grey type brindles and the red brindle is red or off color casted dark with red and gold brindles in them. In the U.S the UKC registry allows for the red Kai as long as they have brindle in them. I have found that this color of them so far have not brindled much as they age. Though born a cream and reddish cast as a puppy they darken as they age and turn into a deeper Shiba red color with darker and lighter brindles in them. Mine have always had the traditional dark strip on the tail, which I find unique. In Japan they do not like the red Kai for color as this color can not camo with the background while hunting. I have the temperament in the red Kai is much sweeter and loving then the other color Kai also. V Don't ask me why, but they are.
Next batch of questions????? I'll do my best to answwer.
Marian
Classy Kennel, MI
I just thought of a question how are their fur is it double coated, rough, or soft? Just curious.
Marian
Classy Kennel, MI
Thanks for answering my question. I do trust Koda off lead, not around cars I use the 300 yard rule. He's still a puppy, but I couldn't see him running off. He tends to stay within 10-15 feet AT THE MOST. Usually, he's just happy by my side looking up at me whenever he sees new and exciting things like he wants me to see them too.
I have one of Roberta's (JoJo and Kuma's) pups, Koda. He's five months old and went in for his neuter last Friday. It turns out that he is slightly anemic. To deal with the anemia, I've changed his diet but my vet is a little concerned as to why he became anemic. (My vet loves Koda and is slightly obsessed with learning more about Kai).
Koda is a healthy pup, no worms, no infections that we have seen other than a slight ear infection at 2 months old. But that was so long ago that it couldn't have caused the anemia showing up now. Have you ever heard of a Kai who was anemic? And do you think that it could have been a reaction to shots? We are wondering if it was his last round of immunizations that included his rabies that might have done this. He doesn't think that it's an auto-immune disease, that Koda is clearly going back up to the right levels on his own, but again it's always good to try and figure out why this symptom occurred to stop re-occurrence.
Thanks for being a part of our forum. It's really exciting to have you here.
I have 2...
1. As far as temperament goes, are there any major differences between male Kai & female Kai?
2. How are they as far as genetic health is concerned? How common is Luxating Patella, Hip Dysplasia, Thyroid prblems, etc. in the breed?
Thanks in advance
I loved reading your descriptions of Kai personality and temperament.
What are the difficulties, if any, of owning a Kai in a suburban environment?
Do you feel Kai are happiest in a one dog household, or with more than one, or does it matter?
thanks!
How well do Kai do on obedience? Are they difficult to train or moderate?
How well do Kai do when they're around children?
I find that it doesn't make a lot of difference between the male or the female with the exception that I think the females get a little jealous of attention paid to other dogs. They want you and all of you!
THe Kai is not prone to hip dysplasia, luxating patellas and so many of the health issues that seem to be in most dog breeds. I have never seen nor heard of a dysplastic Kai, have only seen one heart issue which was congenial and have witness two cases of juvenille cataracts since 1990. There are some variables that just crop up, no matter how strindgent we are. The old saying, "don't throw the baby out with the bath water" comes into play here. You pick your battles and your bloodlines as carefully as possible. We took 13 different lines of Kai and have bred successfully for 19 years with very few bobbles. A credit to the strength of the Kai gene pool. Primitive is good!!!
The Kai do very well in suburban setting. Daily excercise keeps them happy and content. I have a Kai that lives in a huge housing tract (houses next to each other with only small yards) and he is so well adjusted because of the kids. They keep him active and they are on the go constant with him. Sometimes I am driving down the highway and I see the kids running along the road with their Kai on lead and he is so happy.
The Kai are usually very adaptive to other dogs. They hunt them in huge packs in Japan nd they get along fairly well. I have never had a male to male fight here, though I have had a couple bitches that fought and hated each other from that day on. Once they get a grudge, they never forget and you would have to keep them seperate from their arch enemy. I usually recommend a male to a female in a household, just to elimanate some of the bossiness.
The Kai does excellent in Obedience. They never forget anything and they want to do well in order to please their master. They are also great in Agility too. They would make great tracking dogs also.
I have the Kai to be very well with kids though I have seen Kai react to small kids if they have a strong bond to one person in the family because the one person is the one that does everything for them, gives them things, takes care of them and dishes out the disapline. So it is very important that all parts of owning a Kai is shared by the whole family. Also don't disturb a sleeping Kai! They are in a deep dream of primitive hunting and challenges and if startled when sleeping they are apt to react before they realize who startled them. That is human error, not dog error in judgement. You must always treat the kai fairly. Don't set them up to fail or make the wrong choice so that you can punish or make an example from it. Take the time to teach and show them the correct way. If they make a mistake, that's alright. it's your responsibility as the human to show them the correct choice. High intelligence deserves high intelligent thinking!!!
Okay enough for tonight. I'll check in tomorrow.
Take care,
Marian
Classy Kennel, MI
Take care,
I noticed you said that 2 female kai together tend to be overly bitchy. What about two [ neutered or intact ] males? FOr example, 2 male kai, or a male kai & male shiba, or a male kai & male shikoku, etc. ?
I know a lot of it depends on the individual personality of the dog, I was just curious if 2 male kai [ or 1 male kai & 1 male other breed ] are less "hazardous" together than 2 female kai. Thanks again.
This is so true! Thanx Marian!
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There is a lot of females that will get along well but if there is that little bit of possesiveness or queenly attitude that is a spark to ignite and once it does, BOOM, "You're ugly, I hate you and your momma dresses you funny!"
As far as spayed and neutered together, a lot depends on how secure the dogs are, how alpha the master is and how smart the master is. If there ARE several of them together AND THEY SENSE SOME INSECRUITIES OR A TENSENESS ABOUT THE MASTER, THAT IS A FLICKER OF CONCERN FOR THE DOG AND CAN CAUSE THEM TO POSTURE OR TRY TO CIRCLE AND CONTROL. If you can not defuse and reline the dogs thinking fast enough, you could have a fight. It is kind of like handling a breeding stallion. The stallion once he smells the mare in season has only one thing on his mind. You as the handler have to be able to redirect his thought and get him to focus away from the mare until you give the command. Even if the stallion mounts and you feel he is being a bully and starting to bite or strike, you have to be able to command him to dismount and stop, take a breath and rethink. Same concept for dog packs. But once a situation excalates and there is blood drawn or a fight, the getting even and never being taken advantage of is always in the dogs mind and they will strike first given the chance, hoping to come out victoreous.
I am glad that I am here to give you "my opinions". Take everything that I say with a grain of salt and decide what is workable for you and your breed and the rest file away and sometime when you need help, some of this will come back to you and perhaps help. All dogs are different, all situations are different, the only thing that isn't is understanding and reacting in situations quickly and fairly.
Good Luck everyone!
Marian
Classy Kennel, MI
This was brought on by Brad's new pretty kai girl, Mochi.
Is there a difference in temperament between the fox-type kai & the bear-type kai?
Thanks in advance!