Kai Ken Facts
Are Kai Ken closely related to wolves?
Although Kai Ken are a primitive and mostly unrefined breed, there is no literature that supports Kai Ken having any wolf heritage in over 3,000 years. The Kai Ken’s ancestors were taken from Southeast Asia to Japan 3,000 to 4,000 years ago during the Jomon period.
Are Kai Ken always born black / Do Kai Ken get more “stripes” with age?
Kai Ken are born brindle. Brindle is the (black) stripe pattern on Kai Ken. When Kai Ken are born very dark (heavily striped) they are likely a Kurotora. For the most part Akatora & Chutora are born mostly tawny or brown. Though Kai Ken do give the appearance that they get lighter with age, this is because they are born with the number of stripes they will always have. As the Kai Ken puppy grows larger the stripes will get farther apart, revealing the red/yellow/orange base coat underneath (their skin is also brindled and if your Kai Ken ever gets shaved you will see stripes on their skin). So Kai Ken appearing to get lighter as they grow is because the stripes are just getting farther apart. In some cases with intact dogs, hormones can influence color. It is important to remember that their brindle (stripes) is the black portion of their coat—any red/yellow/orange that you see is their coat color.
Although Kai Ken are a primitive and mostly unrefined breed, there is no literature that supports Kai Ken having any wolf heritage in over 3,000 years. The Kai Ken’s ancestors were taken from Southeast Asia to Japan 3,000 to 4,000 years ago during the Jomon period.
Are Kai Ken always born black / Do Kai Ken get more “stripes” with age?
Kai Ken are born brindle. Brindle is the (black) stripe pattern on Kai Ken. When Kai Ken are born very dark (heavily striped) they are likely a Kurotora. For the most part Akatora & Chutora are born mostly tawny or brown. Though Kai Ken do give the appearance that they get lighter with age, this is because they are born with the number of stripes they will always have. As the Kai Ken puppy grows larger the stripes will get farther apart, revealing the red/yellow/orange base coat underneath (their skin is also brindled and if your Kai Ken ever gets shaved you will see stripes on their skin). So Kai Ken appearing to get lighter as they grow is because the stripes are just getting farther apart. In some cases with intact dogs, hormones can influence color. It is important to remember that their brindle (stripes) is the black portion of their coat—any red/yellow/orange that you see is their coat color.
Do all Kai Ken have spotted tongues?
No, tongues with minimal spotting is preferred. According to their standard, spots shouldn’t be larger than the tip of your finger. It isn’t bad if a Kai Ken has heavy tongue spots, they will just lose a few points if they were to show NIPPO or KKA.
Why don't judges in Japan do physical exams on the dogs?
Within NIPPO and KKA the dogs are judged in a very specific fashion. Usually a circle is painted on the ground and the owner stands in the middle with their dog on leash. The owner is NOT permitted to touch the dog or influence them in any way. These shows, while they do evaluate type and other physical characteristics of the dogs, have a lot of emphasis and importance placed on the dog's presence. Kai Ken are to be strong and confident boar hunting dogs and this energy should be communicated within their natural proud and forward stance. The judge will walk around the circle of the handler and dog, sometimes waving their hat at the dog, tapping their clipboard on the ground, or even tossing grass at the dog to see their reaction and interest.
Is it true Japan doesn't do any health testing?
From what is known-- yes this is true. It doesn't appear that hip, patella, etc. screening is widely done within Japan. However, they have a completely different culture than us and may be lacking the specific organizations western countries (Europe, North America, etc, with OFA, Pennhip, SV) have that promote and make health testing easily accessible. Just because Japan does not do any health testing isn't an excuse to breed sick dogs in other countries. It is a risk taken when getting involved within the breed and hopefully we can learn more about the breed via health testing so we can continue to breed healthy dogs.