Alaskan Klee Kai - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
The Alaskan Klee Kai is a young dog breed, originated in 1970s in Wasilla, Alaska by Linda Spurlin and her family. She came across an undersized Alaskan Husky cross and she just loved the dog. It was a perfect companion, which was the reason she started developing the new breed, which is today known as the Alaskan Klee Kai. Finally, in 1988, Mrs Spurlin made the Alaskan Klee Kai available to other people as well.

2) Ancestry
The dogs used in the breeding process were Alaskan Huskies and Siberian Huskies. Schipperkes and American Eskimo dogs were most likely used in the breeding process as well, to obtain the smaller size of the Alaskan Klee Kai.

3) Name
Mrs. Spurlin originally named this new breed as Klee Kai. To denote breeds place of origin, she changed it to Alaskan Klee Kai in 1995. And it is a great fitting name, because Klee Kai means small dog in Eskimo dialect.

4) Pocket Husky
I already mentioned the dogs ancestry, so you know that this is not just a small variety of the Siberian Husky. But they do resemble them a lot with their appearance. The appearance of the Alaskan Klee Kai reflects the breeds Northern heritage. They have wedge shaped head, thick double coat and prick ears. The tail should curl over their back or to either side. The length of body is just slightly longer than the height

5) Color
This breed comes in variety of colors, most common are black and white, gray and white, wolf gray and white, red and white and all white. The Alaskan Klee Kai has a distinctive mask and symmetrical markings. The dog can have amber or blue eyes and sometimes they have each eye in different color.

6) Companion
The Alaskan Klee Kai was never bred for working purposes, so this is not a protector or sled dog or herder. None of that. They were, from the first moment bred to be the best doggy companions. And they have great temperament for this purpose, because this is very devoted and affectionate dog that creates strong bond with its family. They are better suited for active families, because this is quite active dog that needs daily longer walks or good playtime to stay healthy and happy.

7) Around strangers
The Alaskan Klee Kai does not like attention from strangers and very often they just try to avoid them. Some people describe them as shy or skittish. This is probably the biggest temperamental differences from Siberian Huskies. But thanks to that, the Alaskan Klee Kai can be a good watchdog, because this is also a pretty vocal breed, so they will most likely alert you, when something suspicious is going on around your home.

8) Size
Just like Poodles, Alaskan Klee Kais come in three size varieties – toy, miniature and standard. But honestly, there isnt that much difference between these sizes. The toy variety stands up to 13 inches and weighs less than 10 pounds. Miniature Alaskan Klee Kai size is between 13-15 inches and 10-15 pounds. The standard Alaskan Klee Kai height should be up to 17 inches and weight between 15-23 pounds.

9) Maintenance
Although, the Alaskan Klee Kai can shed quite a lot, they do not require much grooming and mostly take care of themselves. If you want to minimize the shedding, regular brushing is needed to remove the dead hair. Just like with all dogs you should regularly check their eyes, ears and nails and clip them or clean them if needed.

10) Health
The Alaskan Klee Kai is considered to be quite a healthy breed with few genetic problems, but just like all dogs, they still can suffer from some health issues, for example patellar luxation, bleeding disorder or thyroid disease.