Alaskan Klee Kai

[LauraLeigh]

Yeah if I remember right she was an independent little bugger.. Part of her training was focused on that...

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by ~Dixie's_Mom~

Aren't they??

Shibas are GORGEOUS and for a long time when I was younger I was hell bent on owning one someday, but as far as I can tell (never met any) they're far too independent for my tastes. The Klee Kais seem to really bond with their owner which is something I really appreciate. Violet is independent but she does love her people very much and is clingy indoors and in unfamiliar settings. I love that.

That's funny! Every Shiba I've known (I do agility with one, one of the couples in my Bible study has one, and a friend from high school had 2) is incredibly owner bonded. Very aloof (leaning towards fearful) towards other people, but definitely owner bonded. Maybe they're the exception to the rule.

[Dekka]

Shy and skittish are not good things. Aloof is fine. Shy and skittish dogs tend to bite when they feel trapped. I have met a shy dog that felt trapped in the middle of a room!

[Dekka]

The one Shiba around here kicked ass in agility. I think they went to worlds. Not normal for the breed, but still..

[LauraLeigh]

Originally Posted by Dekka

The one Shiba around here kicked ass in agility. I think they went to worlds. Not normal for the breed, but still..

That's likely the one I met, for the life of me I can't remember the name but I would if I heard it... LOL

[Southpaw]

Originally Posted by Toller_08

Honestly, I think the problem with any breed that has "reserved" in their standard is that breeders tend to shrug off shyness as being reserved. I don't mind a dog that is reserved and cautious, but shy is a whole other level. And living with a shy dog, I can't imagine that anyone would knowingly seek that out. Reserved does not equal shy and should not ever. Dance is a shy dog, and she's my world, but if I had known how shy she was I never would have taken her. It hinders a lot of what I enjoy doing with my dogs and it's taken years to get her to the point where I can now take her most places without an issue.

My Dobermans are what I would call reserved. They're friendly and don't mind strangers petting them and will walk into new situations with no issue, but they're indifferent. They either don't care about things or they're cautiously but confidently curious. Unlike Dance whose first reaction is to flee and bark, and if not that, she just looks scared.

Absolutely this 10000%. I like aloof dogs. I've met plenty of aloof dogs - they're just like "yeah, there's a person there. Whatever." They don't get excited but they don't actively avoid the person, either. They just don't care either way. Juno is shy and I DON'T like that. She becomes super aware of her surroundings and doesn't want people near her. They're vastly different - I don't think anyone would want a shy dog.

We had a supposed Klee Kai at school once. A rescue dog which is why I'm unsure if that's what she actually was. There was nothing about her that put me off, being in a kennel environment you never know how a dog's going to behave, but she was fine to handle and whatnot and didn't seem frightened.

[ihartgonzo]

We had several Klee Kai's stay at the pet hotel I worked at (there's a few breeders in the area)... all of them were painfully shy! Like, so paralyzed with fear that they would not come out of their kennels. One would jump and snap at you if you tried to put a lead on her.

I always wondered why they didn't have a similar temperament to a Husky, which is anything but shy. I've met a few out and about. Two looked very much like Chihuahua x Husky mixes. Tiny, with very domed heads. They were super skittish as well. I met one awesome, outoging Klee Kai in Agility, and he had a real Husky face and nice conformation.

Like with most any breed, I really think a lot depends on the breeder you go to. I'm sure with enough research, you could find a reputable breeder with stable, correct dogs. It seems like the combination of the breed being new & the craze for "Mini Huskies" has resulted in overly shy dogs with poor temperaments being bred.

[Aleron]

Originally Posted by ihartgonzo

I always wondered why they didn't have a similar temperament to a Husky, which is anything but shy. I've met a few out and about. Two looked very much like Chihuahua x Husky mixes. Tiny, with very domed heads. They were super skittish as well. I met one awesome, outoging Klee Kai in Agility, and he had a real Husky face and nice conformation.

Some Huskies are shy and quite a few I've known are weird about people touching them. Also it could have been introduced when they added breeds to reduce the size. I suspect it was accidentally "cemented" in early on and it has become a normal part of the breed.

As for the domed head, big eyes, short muzzled, etc seen on many of them, those are features associated with extremely small size in dogs. Those features come with breeding for small size and are hard to breed away from and keep from creeping back in.

[stafinois]

Originally Posted by Aleron

Some Huskies are shy and quite a few I've known are weird about people touching them. Also it could have been introduced when they added breeds to reduce the size. I suspect it was accidentally "cemented" in early on and it has become a normal part of the breed.

I think American Eskimos were used to bring size down, and many of them aren't known for their outgoing temperaments.

[PlottMom]

Met a few at UKC premier over the years - most people that had them, had multiples, so they seem to be addictive

Most seemed alright, maybe a bit shy of strangers... one jumped from the ground into my arms, she's lucky I caught her I fell in LOVE after that.