Well my girlfriend has been taking an interest in getting a dog so the breed search has begun. She was the one who bought be Ruger so she loves Huskies as much as I do, but she wants kind of a smaller dog. So after doing some research we have come across the Alaskan Klee Kai, or aka "miniature husky". They only get a max of about 30 pounds unless you get a toy which is usually around 17ish. I had never heard of them before, but after looking at many pictures they look exactly like a Husky...just alot smaller. They have different temperments then a Husky but overall are nice dogs. If anyone has had any experience with this breed please feel free to throw your words of wisdom in.

Great thread

I have only seen a few Alaskan Klee Kais and it's very bizarre. It's like the dog should be bigger. Their tails are fluffier too. I don't have much personal experience with them though.

I also thought this breed would be perfect for myself. However, my Siberian Husky/German Shepard is a rather good size for me, not too big or too small. Those Alaskan Klee Kai's are probably smaller. I've never seen one in person... I've also heard that they can pretty darn expensive, too!

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Alaskan Klee Kai is a northern breed of dog of spitz type. The term "Klee Kai" was derived from Alaskan Athabaskan words meaning "small dog".[citation needed] The breed was developed to create a companion sized version of the Alaskan Husky (although it more closely resembles the Siberian Husky), resulting in an energetic, intelligent, apartment-sized dog with an appearance that reflects its northern heritage.


A Full-Coated AKK
The Alaskan Klee Kai should look like a miniature siberian husky. They come in three sizes based on their height:
Toy size Alaskan Klee Kai are under 13 inches in height.
Miniature Alaskan Klee Kai are over 13 inches high and up to 15 inches high.
Standard Alaskan Klee Kai are over 15 inches high and up to 17 inches in height.
Seriously Faulted - Any Alaskan Klee Kai over 17 inches and up to 17.5 inches.
Disqualified - Any Alaskan Klee Kai over 17.5 inches.
Alaskan Klee Kai come in four main color varieties. Black and White, which can appear with stark contrasts or with a more dilute diffusion of the colors. Grey and White, which comes in several variations. Red and White (rare) which appears either as a cinnamon or a dark auburn. Solid white which, lacking the contrasting colors required by the UKC standard, cannot be registered or bred. They also will very rarely come in tri-color but is not acceptable for the show ring.

Coat and Grooming

The Alaskan Klee Kai, like the Siberian Husky, is relatively easy to care for. They are extremely clean. Most don't like wet feet and will spend hours daily grooming themselves. They do not have a "doggy odor" nor do they have "dog breath." Most Klee Kai will seldom require a bath.
As in Siberians and unlike short haired dogs who shed all year long, the Klee Kai also blows their coat twice a year. Of course, the size of the dogs limit the amount of fur blown. It is best to groom the dog on a regular basis during this time. Some of the longer haired dogs can become matted if not groomed. Most Klee Kai will assist the loss of hair by rubbing against things such as fences.
Other than this period of blowing coat, the Klee Kai is very self sufficient. The normal preventative measures should be taken, such as trimming of nails, normal grooming in the form of brushing. This process is especially important in the bonding process.

Temperament

The Alaskan Klee Kai is a highly intelligent, very curious, active, quick and agile little dog that quickly become an integral part of any family that chooses to adopt one. Unlike the Siberian Husky whom they resemble, the Alaskan Klee Kai is standoffish and suspicious of strangers. Because of this they do make extremely good watch dogs. They are moderately active and have a high prey drive. This means unless they are properly introduced and raised with smaller furry or feathered animals such as rabbits, hamsters, cats, birds, etc, they will hunt and kill them. They can be a great family dog if raised with properly raised children. AKK are not likely to tolerate being mistreated (poked at, pinched, bullied) by children and may respond by nipping them, much like the Siberian Husky. Because of their intelligence they do well in obedience classes and have a high drive to please their owners which helps them to excel in this area as well as many other types of activities. Another such activity is Agility in which the AKK almost seems to have been bred to take part in. If you have an Alaskan Klee Kai that is highly active, this is a great way to help them use some of that up.

Health

Gray and White AKK
Alaskan Klee Kai have been remarkably free of genetic defects in comparison to other breeds.
Some issues that do affect them however are:
-Juvenile Cataracts
-Liver Disease
-Extreme Shyness
-Factor VII Deficiency
-Pyometra
-Luxating Patella
-Cryptorchids
-Cardiac Issues including PDA
-Thyroid disease-including autoimmune thyroiditis

Starting with Linda Spurlin, Alaskan Klee Kai breeders continue to follow her strict breeding practices, breeding only the healthiest dogs to each other. Most people will find it very difficult to buy an AKK puppy that does not come with a spay or neuter contract. This is done to prevent backyard breeding of dogs who, for one reason or another, were deemed not acceptable for breeding. This is not always the case however, many AKK breeders simply prefer that their puppies go into loving pet homes instead of show/breeder homes. To make sure that they remain a beloved pet and will never be used for breeding, the AKK breeder still requires them to be altered.

History

Alaskan Klee Kai in snow
The breed was developed in Wasilla, Alaska during the mid-1970s by Linda S. Spurlin after she observed the result of an accidental mating of an Alaskan Husky and an unknown small dog. The breed was developed with Siberian and Alaskan Huskies using Schipperke and American Eskimo Dog to bring down the size without dwarfism. She bred these dogs in private until she released them to the general public in 1988. Originally called the "Klee Kai", the breed split into "Alaskan Klee Kai" and "Klee Kai" for political reasons in 1995. The breed consolidated under the new name in 2002. The Alaskan Klee Kai was officially recognized by the American Rare Breed Association (ARBA) in 1995 and by the United Kennel Club (UKC) on January 1, 1997.


Sources

Dog Breed Info.com
Alaskan Klee Kai at Puppy Dog Web
Linda Spurlin's Website (the Originator of the breed)
Alaskan Klee Kai Breed Information

Thanks Chad for the info and sorry for puttin it in the wrong section...

Quote :

I've also heard that they can pretty darn expensive, too!

Yes, after looking at many of prices from good breeders I have come to find out they are VERY expensive. Most of them ranged in the $1,500 - $2,000 area just because they are pretty rare.

I have never seen a Klee Kai in the flesh as they are very rare in the UK but in my view its one of those 'designer' breeds and somehow just doesn't look right. Now whether it will catch on big time like the labradoodle and become accepted only time will tell. I just feel happy knowing that I have the 'real thing' in the right size

I saw a Klee Klai at a pet expo once and it was weird looking. Its eyes were bulging and it looked like a dwarf husky. It was about the size of a cocker spaniel. It just didn't look right!

Yea, after extensive research we have decided that the "miniature husky" is not the right dog for her. Plus they are extremely expensive and like some of yall have said, they just look kinda of ...weird to me. She is startin to lean towards a Beagle which is ok with me because they are really sweet dogs. Also they arent too small...Im not to much of a real small dog fan so a Beagle works for me.

This may not be appropriate here, but Beagles ARE very loud. They are barkers, so if you're in an apartment or a city, be careful of that. Otherwise I've always loved Beagles

Yeah we are in the Suburb so itll be perfect. Our neighbors have a few and they are so sweet. Ill keep everyone posted.

My neighbor has Beagle puppy - she's about 5 months now and I never hear a peep out of her. My friend, on the other hand, had one that bayed constantly - at other dogs, at dinner time, at her kids - you get the idea!

They're also runners, but you should know all about that from huskies!

Looks like a Chihuahua disguised as a sled dog.

I found this picture.
A cross between a pom and husky

Have you thought about a Lab? They aren't that big, but they have energy, you want to try to somewhat match the energy level of your husky. We got our lab first then got our husky, they get along so well. I love labs and huskys!

Decided to dig this thread up because I'm bored at work and while looking at Husky breeders (mainly for show purposes), I stumbled on Klee Kais and just had to figure out how this worked. I thought I'd share what I've found. The wikipedia post pretty much sums it up but I have found a few other things on them.

Basically they can come in a variety of sizes. There's some of the "toy" size as small as 7-10lbs. So about the size of my chihuahua. Their height is supposed to be 13 inches and below. Then there's the miniature. Not sure what I could compare that one two but it's slightly bigger, with a height between 13 and 15 inches. The standard is between 20-30 lbs and 15-17 inches tall and basically just looks like a husky pup that hasn't finished growing yet. I'm 5'2" and I'd say these ones would probably come up to my knee at most. Oversized AKK are anything over 17 1/2". A Siberian Husky is typically between 20" and 25". There are comparison pictures all over the web, but most of them don't state whether it's a toy, miniature, or standard next to the Sibe. The toys do look a little odd, almost like they're too small. They're very thin boned and just look wrong. My preference would lie with the standard size, which is built much more like a Sibe with a much fuller body. Being a short person, I can only compare it to being a short husky. Not quite able to fit a "midget" description, but smaller than the average size, if that makes sense.

They are NOT AKC recognized. The association is working on getting this recognition. They are UKC certified, which basically guarantees they're "purebred." I believe the history of how the breed formed was already post so I'm not going to get into the 'purebred' argument. I will say there are scams out there where the dog is NOT UKC certified and if you are considering an AKK, do not get one without official UKC papers. Typically, these non-papered ones are crossed with shiba inus or american eskimo dogs which severely affects the temperament. These breeds were not used in the creation of the breed because of their temperaments. With this breed being so new and rare, yes they will cost close to $2,000 at the cheapest. If you see one for less than $1,500, you want to walk away. They're without a doubt from backyard breeders and most likely crossed with another breed. I guess that's the benefit of a rare breed. It's pretty easy to tell what is official and what isn't as opposed to these well known breeds where reputable breeders are selling for $500 and BYBs are selling for $1000 so people assume more money = better quality when it's not. With AKK, still be cautious of that, but if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

The appeal in this breed seems to be the compact size. Everything I've read is that people like them because they are the "right size" for an apartment. As I and many others have been reassured on this site, Siberians can do just fine in an apartment if exercised sufficiently. Sure, they're a little bigger but that's about it. AKK can be just as destructive if they don't get their daily work out. I suppose it also helps that the smaller size and weight allows Sibe lovers to have their "mini husky" without having to worry about size/weight restrictions in their apartment. I just hope they realize the temperament is completely different from Siberians, with the exception of the high energy trait.

AKK can still do many of the things you all do with your Sibes. They can still be used as a running partner or hiking partner. They can still race and pull sleds and/or weights. I suppose a big difference is that they're slightly less stubborn and so can compete obedience and agility trials. I know there are Siberian exceptions to this assumption, I'm just saying in general.

Like I said, I was looking at breeders for showing information so here's where I'm going to get into that.

They have a pretty strict breed standard. Unlike huskies where all coat colors are accepted in breed standard, white AKK cannot receive UKC certification and cannot compete in trials. With Siberians, a tail that curves favoring one side is a disqualification. With AKK, this trait is allowed. Their tails need to curve to touch the back or curve to either side. Disqualifications would be too much space between the tail and body. Solid black nose, but snow nose is allowed and liver colored only allowed in red dogs, scissor bite yada yada yada. Eyes are supposed to be medium sized so those bug eyes mentioned earlier are a disqualification. They are not supposed to look like stuffed chihuahuas (though I always resent that comparison because my chi doesn't have 'bug eyes'). Interestingly enough, AKK without a mask are outside of breed standard and cannot have UKC registration. Also, all those different colors and patterns like piebald that are allowed for Sibes, especially in racing lines? Not allowed for AKK as far as I can tell. I think that's pretty odd since their ancestors are the working line. They can be smooth coat or "wooly" like Sibes but I want to look more into that. I know in Sibes wooly is recessive and it's probably the same here but I want to see how that whole deal works. Completely off topic, has anyone seen a wooly red? I want to see how that looks!

Of course, showing led to breeding so I had to read into that too.
Red coats in AKK are rare, mostly because of the small gene pool. Some of you probably know the red coloring is a recessive trait. Sibes have been around much longer and have a much larger gene pool so it's easier to run across carriers of the red gene. Red sibes only have genes for the red coloring. Remeber your bio and punnet squares. Big B little b. A black dog can carry a red gene and mate with another red gene carrier and produce two red gene carriers, a solid black, and a solid red. The red puppy will only be able to pass down red genes. So a red + a red will never result in anything but a red. But a red with a pure black will result in all red carriers. a red with a black that carries the red gene would go back to our two red gene carriers, a solid black and a solid red situation. Okay. Now that I've thoroughly confused you.

Grey is not a color gene in AKK, and I believe this also applies to Sibes. Gray and white coloring is a completely different gene that interferes with the coloring gene. Dogs that appear gray are really black, but this interfering gene causes the coat to appear lighter. Whites usually result in this interfering gene taking affect in a red pup. So in short, your greys are really black and your whites are really reds.

There's a number of health concerns to be aware of but I don't want to go into those, this is long enough as it is. Right now, a lot of research is going into a condition called FVII which affects blood clotting. Hips, eyes, all that fun stuff. Most vets do not know anything about this breed so for anyone considering one, it would be very wise to research all you can about them and provide your vet with as much information as possible. Also be sure to inform them of the different health concerns so they can take the proper cautions and perform any necessary tests before it's too late. For the most part, the breeders know best so find a good breeder and they'll be able to fill you in on just about everything and they probably will even tell you exactly what to tell your vet. It's important to remember that just because they look like Sibes doesn't mean they can be medically treated like them. They are completely different breeds with different needs.

I don't know why I'm sharing. I just found this extremely interesting and had to look more into it. I thought I hated science but researching this proved otherwise.

I did all of this off memory but for legality's sake, most of my reading was done at akkaoa.org, and I also learned quite a bit from WoWAKK and the akk scam website (not sure of the direct link at the moment but it's a pretty common search result). A simple google search brings up dozens of pages. Hope someone else enjoys this as much as I do! I guess I only like learning when it's completely by choice.

Just for the sheer amusement, here's a toy AKK compared to a cat. I feel like this is "Honey, I Shrunk the Huskies!"
https://youtu.be/bkW5iFRD3Rw

Though I agree with you but they are not less stubborn. I have a friend that has one and a sibe. She said her AKK is more stubborn then her sibe.

I was seriously considering getting one, I also saw some breeders will sell fo 1,500 that are not back yard breeders. Just any less then that is rare to find.

The problem however is they are a very shy breed. They can be very very timid with other humans. I think that is what turned me off.


The reason I own a malamute instead of a KK or a sibe is their personalities. I like my calm chill snow dog lol

norbreedslove wrote:

Though I agree with you but they are not less stubborn. I have a friend that has one and a sibe. She said her AKK is more stubborn then her sibe.

I was seriously considering getting one, I also saw some breeders will sell fo 1,500 that are not back yard breeders. Just any less then that is rare to find.

The problem however is they are a very shy breed. They can be very very timid with other humans. I think that is what turned me off.

I guess the stubbornness would be a depends on the dog thing, then!

If it came off like I was saying don't go for the $1,500, that's not how I meant it. I just meant that $1,500 is typically about the lowest price so if you find one a lot cheaper, like $800, to be cautious with that one.

I didn't touch on the shyness because I thought it was mentioned above, but yes. I saw that they're very wary of strangers so socializing is very important. This is a trait breeders are trying to work on eliminating, but it's going to take some time. For my personal preferences, I prefer dogs that aren't aggressive but cautious with strangers. That's what is appealing to me about the Klee Kai. I love Sibes and the over-friendliness is the only thing about them I know so far that I'm not fond of. I can tolerate it, but I like dogs that say "you don't belong here, prove to me it's okay to trust you."

Great information Shae, I meant someone here in Broken Arrow, Ok that has two AKK's one red that is on the smaller size and the other is black and white. This couple are now thinking about getting a Husky .

The got them from the Colorado breeder for about 2000.00.

I still really want a Klee Kai, and am seriously considering one for the future. My cat loves the huskies, but they just don't know they're own size and I think that he'd love having a dog around that played like the huskies but couldn't kill him ..
I always check the Klee Kai rescues cause I'd rather adopt one, I hate potty training little dogs

I was thinking about getting one and holding off on the husky until I've got a house with a yard for the poor baby. Then I'll just have my little collection of huskies and klee kais. If you really want a rescue, you should send the national rescue an app now because their waiting list goes out pretty far. The demand is much higher than the supply. The rescue has said there's been people on it for years and they're still waiting so even if you don't plan on rescuing until like this time next year, it'd be a good idea to get on the list now.

calliegirl08 wrote:

I was thinking about getting one and holding off on the husky until I've got a house with a yard for the poor baby. Then I'll just have my little collection of huskies and klee kais. If you really want a rescue, you should send the national rescue an app now because their waiting list goes out pretty far. The demand is much higher than the supply. The rescue has said there's been people on it for years and they're still waiting so even if you don't plan on rescuing until like this time next year, it'd be a good idea to get on the list now.

I think I am already on it, not sure though. I am also on a bunch of breeder lists for retiring breeding dogs, and new litters

Just my but I think the head never seems to be attached to the proper body. Looked like a chi head attached to a shrunken Sibe

Here4thePics wrote:

Just my but I think the head never seems to be attached to the proper body. Looked like a chi head attached to a shrunken Sibe

THANK YOU, I thought the same thing but couldnt quite figure out how to explain it right, they do look so weird to me.

Have you researched breeders?