About the Breed

The Alaskan Klee Kai was developed in Alaska by Linda Spurlin and her family to be a companion-sized version of the Alaskan Husky. From the early 70's through 1988, the Spurlin's carefully selected dogs who met their high standards for appearance and soundness. In 1988, they made the Alaskan Klee Kai available to others.

The name "Klee Kai" is derived from the Eskimo words meaning "small dog". They were bred from the Siberian and Alaskan Huskies, along with the help of a Schipperke and American Eskimo to downsize without dwarfism.

Alaskan Husky

Siberian Husky

American Eskimo

Schipperke

Alaskan Klee Kai

Klee Kai's come in 3 different sizes: Toy, Miniature and Standard. Toy sizes are up to 13 inches tall, Miniature are between 13 inches and 15 inches and Standard is up to 17 inches.

Klee Kai's are curious, mischievous, tenacious, and extremely strong for their size. They are hunters, escape artists and very energetic agile dogs; however, they are not the typically "hyper" little dog, except when they are puppies of course!. They shed a lot and blow their coats twice a year.

An Alaskan Klee Kai has a mind of its own and is sometimes afraid of strangers. There are basically two personality types with this breed; they are either very sociable, or very standoffish. We found this out through research. As soon as we got Jada, we took her out to the street to get used to people and other dogs. From day one she was very boisterous and excitable, and it was not hard to socialise her. We met three other Klee Kai’s in the city and all were very standoffish and shied away when approached. They seemed very suspicious of strangers. After livng in a big city such as New York, it is impossible not to socialise Klee Kai's as there are so many chances for interaction with people and other dogs. Two of these Klee Kai's are now very social and playful, and they grew out of their shyness quickly. The other Klee Kai lives outside of Manhattan and only socialises with the dogs he knows. Socialising from the beginning is the only way.

Alaskan Klee Kai are generally self assured, but can be uncomfortable when their master is not around. An Alaskan Klee Kai would much rather travel with his or her master.

They must be in a crate or kennel when nobody is around though, as they can become mischievous at times and will get into things. Our friends looked after Jada recently and left her alone for 5 minutes; within that short amount of time we had a casualty - our bath mat! A Klee Kai's learning rate is moderate to high, their activity level is very high, and their living environment should be a fenced yard, but they can adapt to apartment life if they are provided enough exercise. They love to run and should only be trusted off a leash under complete 100% supervision and away from busy roads/highways.

If you enjoy cats as well as dogs, than I definitely recommend an Alaskan Klee Kai for your household. Jada can be very cat like, she loves climbing, and will perch on the lounge arm like a cat will, just to be above you or at the same height. In the morning she creeps up onto the bed and wakes you with a gentle lick or sniff of the ear. She is also very clean like a cat, if we take her out after it has rained and she comes back muddy, in a matter of minutes her feet are clean. It is recommended by Jada’s breeder to only give them a bath twice a year. Living in NYC we give her a bath at least once a month.