Our goals as a Kai Ken breeder and enthusiast
Hayaikaze's Mission
My goal for breeding Kai Ken is to help with preservation efforts of this amazing breed. I strive towards breeding structurally and temperamentally sound dogs.
I have had project dogs before, and while I loved them very much it could make enjoying the full extent of having a dog hard sometimes. My ideal for the Kai Ken puppies I place into families is to enrich lives, both the family and the pup's. My ultimate aim is for a great companion dog-- one that is versatile in sports and activities, not too large and not too small. Great drive to work with their owner, but not obsessive or overbearing.
Kai Ken are wonderful family dogs if you prefer more of a cat-like personality. They are definitely not for everyone, however many Kai Ken should also be viewed as individuals. There are Kai Ken that love water, and some who won't step foot in the rain. Many love meeting strangers but some are a bit more reserved and would rather not be touched by them. Kai Ken aren't dogs that are interested in what you're doing 100% of the time. Even well trained ones have a bit of sass to them and will blow you off if they don't think what you're doing is a good use of their time. They are more like shadows that are attached to you and follow you from room to room, occasionally demanding to be pet and given a treat because they're doing such a great job supervising you. Both Tavi & Kurisu happen to be cuddly-- Kurisu more so than Tavi. She would very much prefer to be sitting in your lap or touching you in some way, but settles easily.
I have had project dogs before, and while I loved them very much it could make enjoying the full extent of having a dog hard sometimes. My ideal for the Kai Ken puppies I place into families is to enrich lives, both the family and the pup's. My ultimate aim is for a great companion dog-- one that is versatile in sports and activities, not too large and not too small. Great drive to work with their owner, but not obsessive or overbearing.
Kai Ken are wonderful family dogs if you prefer more of a cat-like personality. They are definitely not for everyone, however many Kai Ken should also be viewed as individuals. There are Kai Ken that love water, and some who won't step foot in the rain. Many love meeting strangers but some are a bit more reserved and would rather not be touched by them. Kai Ken aren't dogs that are interested in what you're doing 100% of the time. Even well trained ones have a bit of sass to them and will blow you off if they don't think what you're doing is a good use of their time. They are more like shadows that are attached to you and follow you from room to room, occasionally demanding to be pet and given a treat because they're doing such a great job supervising you. Both Tavi & Kurisu happen to be cuddly-- Kurisu more so than Tavi. She would very much prefer to be sitting in your lap or touching you in some way, but settles easily.
I personally aim to breed Kai Ken that are sociable, love working with their owners, and are adaptive. Our puppies are exposed to many situations while they're growing up with us: we take them to farmers markets to socialize with kids and adults, we herd ducks with them (builds confidence and allows me to gauge prey drive in pups), they have multiple baths and nail trims, they're exposed to a variety of smells (Avidog) and obstacles to build confidence of heights and textures. We aim for our puppies to be versatile and to be able to perform in any sport they'd enjoy. They are very capable of anything when paired with enthusiastic and motivated owners!
Health is our number one priority. Our dogs are health tested with OFA prior to breeding. Contrary to popular belief of rare dogs being healthy, the Kai Ken does have quite a few health issues. There have been instances of PRA (blindness) in some Kai Ken-- this is easily diagnosed genetically with a cheek swab DNA kit from Embark. Some are afflicted with seizures that we do not directly know the cause of. Others have luxating patella or hip dysplasia that require surgery. Whether you decide to pursue a puppy from us or another breeder, please ensure that the breeder performs appropriate health testing and request proof. We do our hip, elbow, and patella screening through OFA and there is a link to the OFA's website on our dog's profiles. We have also uploaded OFA certificates with the ratings to be viewed on their page. Our DNA testing is through Embark which can also be viewed on our dog's pages.
Health is our number one priority. Our dogs are health tested with OFA prior to breeding. Contrary to popular belief of rare dogs being healthy, the Kai Ken does have quite a few health issues. There have been instances of PRA (blindness) in some Kai Ken-- this is easily diagnosed genetically with a cheek swab DNA kit from Embark. Some are afflicted with seizures that we do not directly know the cause of. Others have luxating patella or hip dysplasia that require surgery. Whether you decide to pursue a puppy from us or another breeder, please ensure that the breeder performs appropriate health testing and request proof. We do our hip, elbow, and patella screening through OFA and there is a link to the OFA's website on our dog's profiles. We have also uploaded OFA certificates with the ratings to be viewed on their page. Our DNA testing is through Embark which can also be viewed on our dog's pages.
About Us!
The Hayaikaze Kai Ken family and how we started!
My name is Tain and we live in Western Washington.
I first became involved with dogs when I got my first dog, a German Shepherd and Husky mix named Nare, in 2010. I quickly became immersed in training, we began learning marker and shaping training as a team. I have experience training Puppy and Beginner obedience classes. He has a Rally Novice title and we train in protection sports with him.
The real journey started when I got Tavi. She was unlike any other dog I had encountered before. She inspired me to learn more about behavior in dogs and we learn new things everyday. Tavi has always been very outgoing-- she loves to work and train with me. We have participated in many sports together: herding (ducks and sheep), agility, lure coursing, barn hunt, and nose work. She may not be a border collie when it comes to herding, or a grey hound when it comes to coursing, but her enthusiasm in the field makes for great memories.
In September 2018, Tavi had her second litter of 5 puppies. We made the decision to keep a female whom we've named Kurisu! Kurisu is an up and coming super star, she possesses all of her mother's ambition and drive. She loves the water and so we are pursuing Dock Diving with her.
We also have a hiking cat named Rhaegar, he was born in February of 2018 and is a domestic longhair.
All of the dogs (and cat) share a joint Instagram account that can be followed at www.instagram.com/omgtain