The Alaskan Klee Kais are a mixed dog breed originated from an Alaskan Husky, a Siberian Husky, an American Eskimo dog, and a Belgian schipperke. They were a product of mixed breeding done by a woman named Linda Spurlin.
They are a new breed as they were bred in the 1970s. The Alaskan Klee Kais are also known as miniature huskies or little dogs. The average Alaskan Klee Kai size is very small.
An Alaskan Klee is a companion dog. They have high energy, jolly, and typical go-to dogs! They are mildly furry dogs and are at times called cuddle buddies.
As they have come from Alaska, they are well-adjusted to cold weather, because of their double-coated fur. Alaskan Klee Kais are available in red, brown, and black in combination with white. These are their coat colors.
They have a curious and aloof temperament. They have a minimal level of grooming. Alaskan Klee Kai dogs are carnivores in nature but can eat boiled eggs and fruits.
If you find this article interesting, you may want to check out Alaskan husky and Siberian husky.
Alaskan Klee Kai Interesting Facts
What type of animal is an Alaskan Klee Kai?
Alaskan Klee Kais are a rare breed of dogs that originated from mixed breeding of an Alaskan husky, a Siberian husky, an American Eskimo dog, and a Belgian breed named Schipperke. This was done by, a woman named Linda Spurlin, in Alaska.
It is a fairly new breed of dog. It is quite miniature in nature as compared to huskies and hence is called a small dog at times.
What class of animal does an Alaskan Klee Kai belong to?
It belongs to the class Mammalia.
How many Alaskan Klee Kais are there in the world?
According to the United Kennel Club, the Alaskan Klee Kai is a rare dog breed with around only 700 dogs in the world.
Where does an Alaskan Klee Kai live?
It lives comfortably as a house pet.
What is an Alaskan Klee Kai's habitat?
Originally found in the Wasilla region in North America, they tend to be comfortable with places of cold climate and grassland areas. They were also first bred in Alaska so that environment is not foreign to them.
Klee Kais cannot survive well in tropical regions due to their ‘double coated’ fur. They tend to thrive their best in minimum temperatures.
Who do Alaskan Klee Kais live with?
As they are hunters by nature, they have a high prey drive. Alaskan Klee Kais are prone to eating small animals like birds and hamsters. So they cannot live together with them. They can be around other dogs of similar breeds.
How long does an Alaskan Klee Kai live?
An Alaskan Klee Kai is expected to live for a span of 15-20 years.
How do they reproduce?
They reproduce through the process of mating with female dogs to produce offspring.
What is their conservation status?
A Klee Kais is a rare category of dog breeds in nature, there is not much to worry about their conservation. They are reported to be about 700 in total, according to the United Kennel Club.
Alaskan Klee Kai Fun Facts
What do Alaskan Klee Kais look like?
An Alaskan Klee Kai dog looks like a mini husky. They are a combination of Alaskan and Siberian huskies. It has visibly upright ears and a lean body. It comes in black and white, gray and white, or red and white coat colors.
An all-white Alaskan Klee Kai is very rare. A white-gray Klee Kai is common. A red Alaskan Klee Kai is also seldom seen.
How cute are they?
Alaskan Klee Kais are mini huskies and are small, appearing to be very cute. They are miniature Alaskan Klee Kai which look extremely sweet. They have fluffy and curved tails, adding to their cuteness.
How do they communicate?
An Alaskan Klee Kai dog is intrinsically smart. Alaskan Klee Kais are intelligent dogs, which is why training and communicating with them comes with little effort.
Alaskan Klee Kai puppies, learn to communicate easily through the means of whines and sometimes outright bark to communicate their displeasure. They sometimes get playful and like to communicate through the means of games or activities.
How big is an Alaskan Klee Kai?
The average Alaskan Klee Kai size is that of a small husky. The 'toy Alaskan Klee Kai' which are about three times the size of a puppy Chihuahua. The 'mini Alaskan Klee Kai' is about five times the size of a puppy Chihuahua. The standard-sized Alaskan Klee Kai is about eight times the size of a Chihuahua puppy.
How fast can an Alaskan Klee Kai run?
As they are a dog breed that was originally huskies, the Alaskan Klee Kai possesses high energy and has significant exercise requirements. They can run about 9-10 mph (14.4-16 kph).
How much does an Alaskan Klee Kai weigh?
The toy-sized dogs have a weight of around 5 lb (2.2 kg). The mini-sized Alaskan Klee Kai weighs around 13-14 lb (5.8-6.3 kg). The standard-sized Klee Kai weighs up to 22 lb (10 kg).
What are the male and female names of the species?
There are no specific names for the male or female species.
What would you call a baby Alaskan Klee Kai?
A baby Alaskan Klee Kai is called a puppy.
What do they eat?
As they are hunters by nature they have a high prey drive. They tend to prey on smaller animals. Thus, an Alaskan Klee Kai adult needs a comprehensive diet consisting of boiled eggs, cottage cheese, vegetables, and fruits.
Good quality dry food is also recommended. An Alaskan Klee Kai puppy is to be given puppy food. This helps to keep their exercise requirements at par.
Are they rare?
Yes, Alaskan Klee Kais are relatively rare in nature.
Would they make a good pet?
Alaskan Klee Kais have high energy levels and are active and intelligent dogs. Training them is a stress-free task for their owners.
They are also protective by nature. They would make good pets for pet owners who like to be dynamic with their pets. They are very fun and ideal to play fetch with due to their speed.
They are very social in nature and learn to mix up quite easily. They are witty to catch up on new things being taught to them, so if you like to experiment, this is the pet for you! They are coined to be escape artists so in their earlier years, they need to be looked after frequently.
They might jump over the fence and wander off. They are extremely agile.
Alaskan Klee Kais are cuddly in nature so they make a perfect companion to lie down on your couch on a long night and cuddle with. They tend to shed at least twice a year so if you are up to dealing with dog hair in the house, you should definitely go ahead with this dog.
They also have only basic grooming needs, nothing which requires a lot of effort. They are usually vocal about the things they want, so communication is no barrier.
But you might not want to buy the dog if you plan on keeping it for a short amount of time. They suffer from a lot of separation anxiety when separated from their owners.
The usual Alaskan Klee Kai temperament is a jolly and receptive one. Being a mixed breed of Alaskan and Siberian Husky, they are said to bring the best of both worlds!
Did you know...
The term ‘Klee Kai’ is an Inuit term meaning ‘small dog’. Alaskan Klee Kai are shy around strangers.
They are the rare species of dogs that are formed after four different breeds. Some of the Klee Kai have bi-eyes, that is two different colors of eyes.
Alaskan Klee has a very evident and distinct feature called ‘facial masks’ which is a dark-colored mask around the face and muzzle. Alaskan Klee Kai has a ‘double coat’ of fur.
The double coat consists of a soft and small; almost brief undercoat and a longer, crude, and thick outer coat. Alaskan Klee Kais are often coined as ‘little celebrities’ and ‘little dogs’, because they are quick to catch attention wherever they go, they come into focus a lot.
Characteristics and health issues
As Alaskan Klee Kai are energetic dogs and need their exercise. They may become a little aggressive and anxious in case of lack of any exercise, despite having a cheerful temperament.
They need a lot of outdoor exposure. But in an indoor mood, you will find them nicely tucked around you in the morning, after a session of cuddle in the night. They need regular grooming like nail clipping, ear cleaning, brushing of teeth.
An Alaskan Klee Kai puppy prefers to be picked up by its chest with your other hand supporting its back legs. They are also guard dogs by their ancestry which makes it a plus point in providing all the necessary care.
Alaskan Klee Kai is a fairly healthy breed. It has scarce genetic or health problems.
It does have certain vulnerability and predispositions towards conditions like luxating patella, which is a health condition in which the knee caps of the dog bones dislocates. It is likely to develop thyroid disease and heart conditions thus its diet needs to be carefully watched in the early years of growth.
It can also have liver shunt, a condition where veins merge together enabling blood to bypass the liver or ‘shunt’ around the liver.
They may also have genetic problems like factor VII deficiency, which is a condition where there are discrepancies in the blood clotting process. Thus factor VII deficiency is a serious condition that could lead to major damage.
Although they have excellent vision, in the absence of necessary care, Alaskan Klee Kai can suffer from juvenile cataracts. Thus, certain health conditions need to be paid close attention to.
Getting your own Alaskan Klee Kai
If you wish to get your own Alaskan Klee Kai, the average Alaskan Klee Kai cost is 1500$- 2000$. The grooming needs, the veterinary care, the toys, the license would add about 420$-780$. This is the approximate Alaskan Klee Kai price which is excluding the expenditure on a collar, a leash, a doghouse, a crate, and all such expenses.
Alaskan Klee Kais have elevated exercise requirements, so owners, be ready for a quick run, whether it is to find the dog or to play fetch with him. They are intelligent in nature and have a receptive temperament.
Accordingly, training them becomes a fun and undemanding process. The training can be done through a simple reward anticipation process.
They can be conditioned to do and not do certain tasks through a reward-punishment cycle and they are quick to pick it up! They will soon learn to react positively or negatively to a stimulus.
For example, when given a certain reaction like petting or a hug after calling its name, the Klee Kai will soon learn to respond to its name.
They might begin to answer to their owners. Klee Kais are thus very fun-loving dogs which would help contribute pretty well to your everyday share of enjoyment!
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out bush dog facts and Cane Corso facts!
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our Alaskan Klee Kai coloring pages.