Alaskan Klee Kai Move to Miscellaneous

Host Laura Reeves is joined by Chelsea Watson for a discussion of the Alaskan Klee Kai moving to Miscellaneous this summer.

[caption id="attachment_14178" align="alignleft" width="370"] Versatile, energetic and aloof, Alaskan Klee Kai join Miscellaneous.[/caption]

According to Watson, the Klee Kai was developed in Alaska in the 1970s by one woman who wanted to create a “miniature Husky.” The breed was developed using Alaskan Huskies, with additions of Siberian Husky, American Eskimo Dog and Schipperke.

The Klee Kai is 12-17 inches tall, with a variety of colors and coats available. Bred as a companion dog, it should still move with the smooth, effortless carriage of its working forbears, Watson noted.

The Klee Kai was accepted into AKC's FSS (Foundation Stock Service) program in 2020. An active, even busy, breed, Klee Kai are aloof and reserved with strangers, but excel in agility and other performance events, Watson said.

“They are very high energy breed,” Watson said. “They are not couch potatoes. They also are a very versatile breed. You want to go hiking for three hours every day? They can do it. Bike for five hours or five miles a day, probably 5 hours too, they can do it. Kayaking and paddle boarding with them. They could do weight pull. The tricky part is you got to have patience because they're still gonna do a quid pro quo. What’s in it for me? The Husky piece is strong in them, (but) I would say they are more trainable than Huskies. Patience, it just requires a lot of patience. It's like training your cat.”

The following links offer additional information about the breed.

Alaskan Klee Kai Association of America (UKC)

https://www.akkaoa.org/

Breeders List

https://www.akkaoa.org/find-a-breeder

Dog Breed Information

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/alaskan-klee-kai/