ABOUT THE BREED

An Alaskan What?

While living in Alaska, Linda Spurlin and her family developed the Alaskan Klee Kai to be a companion-sized version of the Alaskan Husky. The Alaskan husky, unlike the Siberian husky, has a lighter, leaner build meaning that these dogs are truly built for speed when pulling sleds across Alaska.

The Spurlin’s selected dogs that would help bring down the size of the Alaskan Husky without the need to breed pups with dwarfism, nor the need to breed the smallest, weakest pup of a litter and that would help retain the “Husky” look.

Klee Kai have however always been intended to pull heartstrings and not sleds. Their small size and loyal, yet somewhat reserved personality when it comes to strangers, makes them a wonderful companion.

The first thing you will notice when you look at a Klee Kai is the distinctive mask which may be either red and white, black and white or grey and white matching the rest of the dog. The mask must be clearly visible and in contrast with the white on the face. If a Klee Kai is any other colour or combination of colours they will not be eligible for UKC registration.

Klee Kai have pricked ears (pointy) and well-furred tails which curl over the back and may drape to the left or right of the body when the dog is alert or moving.

The eyes of the Klee Kai can be blue, brown, amber, green (on red dogs), parti (where one eye will be multiple colours) or bi (meaning one eye will be one colour or combination of colours and the other will be a different colour or combination of colours).

Klee Kai have two different coat lengths; Long/Full and Short. It is important with the long-coated variety that the coat does not obscure the outline of the dog.

To learn more about the breed standard click on the image below:

Are they just little huskies personality wise?

Klee Kai are very different to Siberian huskies in temperament, remember even though it is the Siberian Husky we in the UK are more familiar with it is the Alaskan Husky that the Klee Kai are bred down from so while they may look similar they are two totally different breeds, then the Klee Kai is its own breed. Siberian Huskies are known for being a very outgoing breed who do not know a stranger whereas Klee Kai are generally reserved with strangers and when in unfamiliar situations. Klee Kai do however make up for this with how much they adore their family and close friends.

Can Klee Kai partake in dog sports?

Yes, Klee Kai excel at a number of sports due to many factors but one factor is that they will try almost anything their owner asks of them. You can learn about those sports by clicking on the image below:

What about health?

Klee Kai are generally a healthy breed and that is due to how stringent ethical the breeders are with regards to health testing. To learn more please click on the image below: