KENAI
Kai Ken

The breeds · northern

AKC Foundation Stock Service · UKC Northern Breed · FCI standard 317

Kai Ken.

FCI 317 utilization: hunting dog, companion; used mainly for hunting wild boar and deer. UKC: developed as a hunting dog in Kai province; with the introduction of firearms used by professional big-game hunters specializing in deer and wild boar. AKC page: traditionally used to hunt a wide range of game in the mountains of Japan. NIPPO: the people of Yamanashi placed great importance on the Kai Ken as a dog for hunting wild animals such as serow and wild boar; NIPPO hunting page lists bears, wild boars and deer for the medium-sized Nihon Ken as a group. Wikipedia: an agile and effortless climber used in the steep mountains of Yamanashi..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
25–55LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 25 to 55 lb; breed bitches 25 to 55 lb.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 18 to 22 in · bitches 15.5 to 20.5 in

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2016

No single ideal (FCI 45 cm, NIPPO 49 cm). FCI prints the tolerance as '+ 3 cm'; read as plus or minus 3 cm, which NIPPO's allowed ranges and Wikipedia's 'in either direction' confirm.

Weight

dogs 25 to 55 lb · bitches 25 to 55 lb

Breed clubAKC

No ideal printed. UKC and Wikipedia print one range for the breed, counted in both sex rows.

Coat

FCI: outer coat harsh and straight, undercoat soft and dense, tail hair fairly long and off-standing; black brindle, red brindle and brindle; solid puppies may turn brindle as they grow. UKC: double coat of medium length, harsh straight outer coat, thick soft dense undercoat; all brindles equally acceptable ('Tora', tiger); brindle may not be fully apparent until age five. NIPPO: brindle only (kuro-tora, chu-tora, aka-tora). AKC: Coat Grooming 1 of 5.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2016

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · Double coat of medium length, harsh straight outer coat over a thick soft undercoat (UKC, FCI).

DerivedFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2016

Derived from the coat description (medium double = 3). No measured data.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

AKC breed page: Energy Level 3 of 5, Mental Stimulation Needs 3. No minutes-per-day band was published by a source read.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands.

Energy

AKC breed page: Energy Level 3, Playfulness 3, Trainability 3, Barking Level 3, Affectionate With Family 5, Openness To Strangers 1, Good With Other Dogs 3, Watchdog/Protective Nature 5. FCI: keen and very alert. UKC: exceptional courage and agility; reserved with strangers, very friendly with people they know, not aggressive with other dogs. Wikipedia: reserved with strangers; natural hunters, not usually aggressive towards other dogs.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands, not measured.

Grooming load

1 of 5

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Grooming

AKC breed page: Coat Grooming Frequency 1 of 5, Shedding Level 3, Drooling Level 1.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI 317 utilization: hunting dog, companion; used mainly for hunting wild boar and deer. UKC: developed as a hunting dog in Kai province; with the introduction of firearms used by professional big-game hunters specializing in deer and wild boar. AKC page: traditionally used to hunt a wide range of game in the mountains of Japan. NIPPO: the people of Yamanashi placed great importance on the Kai Ken as a dog for hunting wild animals such as serow and wild boar; NIPPO hunting page lists bears, wild boars and deer for the medium-sized Nihon Ken as a group. Wikipedia: an agile and effortless climber used in the steep mountains of Yamanashi.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2016

Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Primary game

FCI: wild boar and deer. UKC: deer and wild boar. NIPPO: serow and wild boar. Wikipedia: Japanese serow (kamoshika), deer, wild boar, and occasionally bear. NIPPO hunting page (group): bears, wild boars and deer.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2016

Sources differ on serow and bear; both stand. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Also used on

Wikipedia: occasionally bear; the Kai is also a good watch dog and companion. UKC: an excellent watch dog or home protector. NIPPO: 'a good hunting dog is a good family dog'.

EditorialWikipedia

Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Search pattern

FCI: a strong inclination to form a pack, thought to help maintain the purity of the breed. UKC: known to climb trees and swim in pursuit of prey; a quick, agile trot lets it travel quickly in mountains and forests while hunting; when hunting the tail sometimes straightens out behind or stands straight up. Wikipedia: many love to swim, cross rivers and climb trees while chasing prey. NIPPO: a particularly wild aura, bred for rigour rather than domesticated charm.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2008

No source read describes voice or whether the work is single or in pack on the line. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Field trial standard

FCI 317: without working trial. NIPPO Hunting Ability Research Committee covers the Kai as one of the medium-sized dogs (2024 bear session, Hachimantai, Iwate). No hunting test standard was read.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2016

Water work

UKC: Kai have been known to swim in pursuit of their prey. Wikipedia: many love to swim and have crossed rivers chasing prey. No retrieving or water-work standard was read.

EditorialUnited Kennel Club, 2008

Descriptive only.

Cold water

3 of 5 · Double coat; hunts in the steep mountains of Yamanashi and the Japanese Southern Alps (NIPPO); known to swim and cross rivers (UKC, Wikipedia).

DerivedUnited Kennel Club, 2008

Derived from coat plus mountain work and river swimming. No measured data.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 3; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 1; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 1; Drooling Level 1; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 4 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Kai, Kai Inu, Kai Tora Ken, Tora Dog, Tiger Dog

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