Dog Breeds 101: Alaskan Klee Kai

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The Alaskan Klee Kai looks exactly like the popular Siberian Husky but only smaller. The breed was developed in Alaska only fairly recently by a woman who wanted to create a small dog breed that looks like the Husky and she was very successful. Even if more and more breeders are becoming interested in the Klee Kai, it is still considered as a rare breed today. [1]

Klee Kai (pronounced as KLEE-ki) means “small dog” in an Eskimo dialect and was developed by Linda Spurlin in the early 1970s in Alaska. One day, she discovered an undersized Alaskan husky and fell in love with it. Right then, she decided that it would become an ideal companion. She bred Alaskan and Siberian Huskies to create the Klee Kai and perhaps she added smaller dog breeds into the mix to reduce its size. [2]

Klee Kais are known to be intelligent, curious and highly active. They are affectionate and loving to their humans but are wary of strangers. Because of this, it is recommended to socialize them not only as pups but throughout their life. These dogs crave attention and will always want things to go their way so owners should be firm in training them. Since Klee Kais are highly intelligent, they learn commands quickly and respond well to positive reinforcement training. Food holds incredible power in training Klee Kai dogs as most of them are highly food driven. So in other words, treats are the perfect solution for anyone who is having difficulties training them. [3]

Klee Kais make excellent watchdogs but since they are small, they are not effective guard dogs. This is the ideal pet for those who want a small, active dog who is content with playing fetch in a small yard. Just like the Siberian Husky, the Klee Kai also sheds a lot so they are not for people who can’t tolerate dog hair. [2]