The first hunting dog I ever owned after getting my gun license was Haru, a Kai Ken. Since then I’ve hunted with many Japanese breeds—Kai, Kishu, Shikoku—but now, after many seasons, I am once again raising a Kai Ken for the field. I've got some interesting ideas for what to use her for, but I'm watching her for a bit to see exactly how I want to train her.
To me, the greatest strength of the Kai Ken is its trainability. In my opinion they are the most intelligent of the Nihon Ken, and really watch their owners and match their energy and needs. Compared with the other Nihon Ken, they're also the most dog social, especially toward strange dogs. Maybe it’s the breed’s nature, maybe we just match well—but either way, I've always really enjoyed the Kai. If I'm allowed to say it, they are my favorite Nihon Ken.
Still, the Kai is not a forward-driving dog by temperament. They're often too cautious, and lacking confidence. And I’ve learned the hard way: choose the wrong puppy, and you might get one too shy. If you're picking a Kai pup out of a litter, never take a pup that shows any shyness.
I visited Tsuki three times before bringing her home—at about two weeks old, then one month, then around seventy days. I also spent time with her mother, and visited her sire. I know their lines; I've seen the dogs in them for nearly twenty years. One would think all that data would make choosing easy—but of course, it’s never quite that simple.
After nearly two decades of judging dogs by the Nihon Ken standard, it's so difficult to pick one purely on temperament and working potential. But this time, I held steadfast: character comes first. I mean that's what should truly matter when picking a pup. It's a partner for life. Best pick one that is compatible with your lifestyle, personality, and needs, and don't make an emotional choice. I chuckled at one point while evaluating this litter of Kai pups, when I realized that in almost 20 years of evaluating Nihon Ken litters, I have never once had a conversation with a breeder where we prioritized pups based on their temperament. The 'pick of the litter' or the general order we place pups in is always based on type. Temperament has for too long been an after thought.
But I'm at a different place in life. I'm trying to own dogs that I will really enjoy, that will be fun. And, I want to be selecting for the best possible temperaments, and really compound that in my hunting dogs. So I chose the most balanced female—not extreme in any trait, but steady, even-tempered. Not too eager for attention, not extremely aware of environment, but not dull. And now we start the work: basic commands—sit, down, stay, come—and we'll move on to more advanced training. It looks like she is the kind of dog that will honor the effort.
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