Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill [2023-24]
ANIMAL WELFARE (IMPORT OF DOGS, CATS AND FERRETS) BILL EXPLANATORY NOTES

In particular, I draw attention to Clause 1, which this post will mostly refer to.
“Clause 1 Regulations about bringing dogs, cats and ferrets into the United Kingdom
Subsections (3) and (4) ensure that the first regulations made in each of England, Scotland and Wales under subsection (1) in relation to dogs or cats must prohibit the bringing into that part of the United Kingdom dogs or cats where they are below the age of 6 months, more than 42 days pregnant, or have been subject to non-exempted mutilations (cropped ears, docked tails or declawed).”
If this bill goes through, it will mean the end of the Kai Ken, and similar rare breeds, in the UK.

We have 10 Kai in the UK, 5 of those being breeding dogs/prospects. The rest are in pet homes/neutered. We have 2 possible stud dogs. We don’t have enough, and likely will not have enough in the next 50 years, to establish a genepool that could survive on its own without new imports- but even if that was possible, we NEED imports, all breeds do.

We cannot expect breeders to hold puppies until 6 months for us. I am sure there are many who would, but to expect it is unfair on the breeders and the puppies. It is not feasible to expect a breeder to train, house and feed a puppy until 6 months when they have their own dogs and their own program to worry about. There is also already a clear difference in dogs imported vs domestically born puppies due to the gap in age of going home. To increase that is not fair on anyone, puppies, breeders or puppy owners.
Those of us who breed here, we are hobby breeders, we do not have the money or the space to import a ton of dogs right now and establish a genepool here, nor would we want to do so. I always promised that my dogs are pets before all else, and I would not want to sacrifice that even if it means the end of me breeding.

We don’t have the luxury of falling back on the hope of the Kennel Club either as our breed is not recognised by them. If there is perhaps some sort of clause added to the bill to allow KC assured breeders to import, it would not help us. I do plan to reach out to them and ask, however, if they have any advice or plan.

This bill, which is supposed to combat ‘puppy smuggling’, is appealing to the UK public’s love of animals to promote something that will simply not change or stop those importing illicitly. Puppy mills and ‘smugglers’ are not following the CURRENT guidelines to bring dogs into the UK, they will be going around this. There is no talk of what this will do to reputable breeders and importers, only taking advantage of an outrageous headline to draw huge support. Of course we want to ban puppy smuggling, but this new law will change absolutely nothing to those people.

The bill ITSELF states that in 2023, 116 puppies and kittens were quarantined for being below the legally required minimum age for import. Why would those already bringing these animals in illegally be prevented by increasing the age of import, when they are ALREADY bringing them in below the minimum age? Even to those out there who do not support reputable breeding at all, surely you must see that there is no way this will change anything for the better.

IT WILL NOT WORK.

The only thing it will prevent is responsible breeders and owners from bringing new bloodlines of already endangered breeds into the UK.
I can’t let everything we’ve worked for come to an end like this.

I am not just asking, I am begging and pleading for all those who love the Kai Ken and other rare breeds in the UK, please, contact your MPs, contact the media, journalists, anyone you can and get the word out that this bill will do nothing but harm the already dwindling populations of rare breeds. If you want, copy and share these words, or those of our friends, and keep this bill from passing.

Even if your breed is not rare, THIS WILL AFFECT YOU. Even breeds with established populations need imports, need new lineage added to the genepool. This will be catastrophic for purebred dogs in general, but our rare breeds will be the first to feel it.
The Association of Nihon Ken put out a letter during the last attempt on this bill, please, if you are able, send it to your MP and help us.
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Assocation of Nihon Ken - We are reaching out to our UK based members today, to ask a huge favour.
If you wish to download an editable version of this letter, you may do so here.
To find your local MP and how to contact them, click here.

Please, don’t let them destroy our rare breeds. We are just getting our first steps in the UK, please don’t let this start die out before it can flourish.

In October we were supposed to head to France to compete in the Nationale d’Elevage & Régionale du Club Français des Chiens Nordiques et des Spitz du Japon with both Akiko and Nami. Unfortunately, life got in the way: I got Covid, and both Akiko and Nami decided it was the perfect time to come into season. So we scrapped that plan and decided to focus ourselves on enjoying ourselves and having adventures at home.
October also brought us Nami and Flóki's first birthday. I can't believe how fast it has gone and these little dogs have really matured into lovely companions. Nami is taking strongly after her father, while Flóki is very similar to Akiko.

Akiko went into active labour at about 4am, after she woke us up and told us she was ready.
Things moved slowly, she was panting and restless but didn’t start actually pushing until around half 6, which is when everything sort of jumped into motion.
It’s been a long time since I was hands on with newborns, so I was a little out of practice and when the first puppy began to emerge, the world suddenly seemed to fall dark. There was a strong, vile smell, the bag had burst, and he was stuck- we were convinced that the puppy was dead, and we had to force ourselves to push through and get it out so we had a chance at saving the remaining puppy.
Akiko pushed again and his first half came out- and he was alive! Puppy very quickly began wriggling and squirming, and we had to get very hands on to help him out (much to Akiko’s discomfort).
The first Kai ever born in the UK was a 379.5g black brindle boy with a small white chest and white toes on his right paw, born at 6:43am.
We swiftly nicknamed him ‘Begbie’, as he came out screaming and fighting, and as a big fan of Irvine Welsh, I thought it was an apt name for him.
Everything settled for a while, and while I was worried with no movement, Akiko was taking everything in her stride.
She suddenly began pushing again, and within seconds, our second puppy was delivered with not too much hassle other than a torn umbilical cord. The second Kai born in the UK was a 380.1g black brindle girl, born at 8:43am, exactly two hours after her brother!
With that, we were done, though I wasn’t entirely convinced for a while as Akiko looked unsettled- on top of that she hadn’t delivered the second puppy’s placenta, but after speaking to the vet we decided we’d take her in the next morning if it hadn’t come out by then, though he wasn’t too concerned.
I was infatuated with these precious little balls of Kai Ken. Despite having worked at a breeding kennel for many years and getting hands-on experience with breeding, I had never actually delivered a puppy myself, so having my first litter be this experience was very special, though terrifying.

​0 - 7 Days Old
The first week of motherhood for Akiko was very easy but very stressful. I spent 90% of my time panicking that something was going to go wrong. These little tiny babies were so small in such a big world, and it terrified me that so easily they could be torn away from any little mistake.
The day after the birth, I took Akiko to be checked over by the vet. He reassured me that everything seemed fine with her, and that there were no major signs of infection from not passing the second placenta. To be on the safe side, we put her on antibiotics and probiotics to make sure there was no risk to the puppies.
The puppies began coming into their own personalities very quickly after birth. At two days old, our little girl was a laid back cuddle bug, while the little boy was loud and opinionated about everything. They both ate well and navigated the whelping box with ease despite having no sight or hearing.
On day 3, we began Early Neurological Stimulation, following Puppy Culture’s program to get our babies ready for the wide world. At this age, we used tactile stimulation, positioning and thermal stimulation. Tactile stimulation meant tickling each little paw with a q-tip for a couple of seconds. Positioning meant holding the puppy in a variety of positions. Thermal stimulation meant exposing the puppy to a wet towel that had been cooled in the fridge and allowing them to walk over it. The puppies took well to the tactile stimulation and positioning, but had big, loud opinions about the thermal stimulation!
The puppies also got their litter names on day 3. After our first impressions of the little boy, and the fact I had been reading ‘The Blade Artist’ by Irvine Welsh leading up to their birth, we chose the theme of ‘The Begbie Siblings’, and named the puppies Franco and Elspeth. These names were of course temporary until they got their real call names, but you can’t have a litter without having fun puppy names!
Day 6, we had decided where they would be going. Our little first born, Franco, would be named Flóki, and would be going to South Wales to live with aspiring Kai breeders Ashlii and Sam, who we are honoured to have been able to work with. On top of that, we’d be co-owning him, which meant he’d still have an important place in our kennel. We decided on ‘Akaryuu Go Ounoki Kensha’ for his registered name. Akaryuu means ‘red dragon’, and is the name Ashlii and Sam want to use for their kennel. It only felt right that one of the foundations for breeding in Wales should be named after the Welsh dragon! Flóki would be going to live with another Kai Ken, Hayami, and a Shiba named Yusuke.
Our little girl, who lacked a name for a little while longer, would be staying with us. There was no way we could let her go, so she would be our keeper puppy. We ended up choosing the name Nami for her, which means ‘wave’ in Japanese. It felt right, since we had to travel across the ocean to breed Akiko. Her registered name is ‘Akahana Go Ounoki Kensha’. As soon as this litter was happening I had planned to name a keeper this name. Akahana means ‘red flower’, and I named her after my grandmother Rose, who had just passed away a couple of months before. With roses typically being red flowers, it felt like a good tribute.
Week one was over, and our puppies were a whole seven days old. It went so fast, and they were growing so quickly. Their little personalities were shining, with Nami showing a wonderful affectionate nature, wanting to cuddle all the time, and Flóki still being an adventurer and exploring the whelping box as much as he could. Flóki also surprised us with his development, as he was able to pee and poop without help from Akiko. Puppies at this age usually have to be stimulated by their mother to go to the toilet, but Flóki was way ahead of us and was quite happy to go on his own! Both puppies had almost doubled in weight.
Akiko had been such an absolute star though it all. For a first time mother, she took to it like a duck to water and picked up all the natural behaviours she needed to care for her babies. At first it was difficult to get her to rest- she wouldn’t leave them for a moment and would stress constantly when away from them. But by a week, she was starting to sleep more while they nursed and taking time out of the whelping box to herself.

8 - 14 Days Old
After the first week was out of the way, time seemed to fly and the puppies seemed to be little dogs before I knew it. At day 9, they had more than doubled their birth weights and their eyes were beginning to twitch as they started preparing to open. At 10 days old I could see lots of differences between them, in their development and their personalities. Flóki continued to be loud and adventurous, but his eyes did not open until day 13. Nami’s eyes were open on day 10, and she certainly made her opinions of the world known by becoming even more active. I actually got to see her open her eyes for the first time, which was so special.
When I got home from work on day 11, the puppies were actually running around the whelping box! Day 13 felt like a big day, with the puppies responding to my voice for the first time. They would also actively seek physical touch from me. Finally, they had begun to initiate play with each other, but also with Akiko.
By 2 weeks old, they were hardly little beans anymore and more like little seal pups with lots of personality and attitude! They were loud and argumentative when I tried to do ENS, screaming at me at the traumatic prospect of having their feet tickled! Both had their eyes open, and had been introduced to Maddie, our frenchie, through the cage. Maddie adored puppies, so she wanted to mother them immediately much to Akiko’s displeasure. She would watch them through the bars until Akiko was ready to share them! At 2 weeks both puppies would poop and pee unaided by Akiko, and had even started moving away from their bedding to go to the toilet.
Nami at two weeks old was very playful, and liked to explore the world using her mouth. She would bite me, her mum and her brother! Flóki continued to be a climber, and his new favourite thing was rubbing his back against the pig rails to scratch himself. They had their first dose of wormer (which they hated) and Akiko started spending more time out of the box and relaxing away from her very needy, hungry babies. She took everything in her stride and at this point was quite happy for Maddie to begin getting involved with the puppies. I joked that they co-parented together.

15 - 21 Days Old
This was a big week for the babies, and it taught me a lot about the way Kai Ken develop- which is quickly. This week marked the movement into the transitional period of puppyhood, but the babies didn’t get the memo. They were already behaving in the way expected of the next stage, which was the socialisation stage. My NK owning friends had always told me that these breeds would be ahead of Puppy Culture, but I didn’t expect it to all happen so fast. They seemed to swap personalities, with Nami becoming a spicy, adventurous little biter, and Flóki turning into the cuddly sleepy baby.
They started to learn that their feet were attached to their bodies and that they could wag their tails, and would seek out affection by cuddling up to me when I’d sit in the box with them. Speaking of the box, they were now VERY aware that there was a world outside of it, and they wanted to be a part of it. We ended up removing the wooden box completely and turning the pen into what was essentially a bigger whelping box, giving them a lot more room to enjoy. They had their first visits from strangers, with an old friend coming to meet them. Flóki was very social and loved the attention, while Nami was a little more unsettled.
With the puppies getting bigger, Akiko started to produce a lot more milk than was needed for only two puppies, which caused her to get a little swollen and uncomfortable. We took her to the vet for another check up and decided it was time to begin supplementing the babies with goat’s milk, which they were very confused about. Nami learned to lap it very quickly, while Flóki took a little longer, mostly plummeting his entire face into it at first.
At 3 weeks, my beans had turned from seal pups into baby bears who thought they were very capable of existing in the big scary world. They would use lots of different vocalisations from barks to growls to communicate with each other, with Akiko and with me, and were starting to show different body language. They could run and walk with ease! Akiko was definitely growing tired of biting puppies by this point, though she still took very good care of them.

22 - 28 Days Old
Week four of puppyhood, and half way until the beans would be old enough to go their own ways (not that we were letting Nami go anyway!) I could not believe how fast this time had gone, almost a whole month.
The puppies started spending time out of the whelping box and in the living room with us. Our home was very puppy safe, so we had no concerns about letting them wander accompanied. It gave them a chance to experience new things (like walking on cold tiles) and explore new smells. We also started offering solid food for them- well, mushed up kibble/raw in goat’s milk, so hardly ‘solid’, but they loved it. Again, Nami learned to eat very quickly while Flóki took a little longer to figure it out, but somehow they managed to keep themselves very clean while eating the messy food. I had to hand feed Flóki for a little while until he got the hang of it too.
Flóki continued being the quieter puppy, which sent me into a panic that something was wrong- turns out he was just lazy compared to his hyperactive sister who wanted to be inside everything. Watching them learning how to play was amazing. In less than four weeks I could see so much maturity in how they interacted, by play-bowing and sneezing at each other during play like Akiko does.
On day 24, the puppies had their first ever trip outside into the garden, and they loved it. Flóki was very brave, and was the first to explore the grass, which must have felt quite tall for such a small puppy. He adored being around Maddie, and followed her around the garden for support. He even pooped outside for the first time. Nami was much more independent on her adventure, and enjoyed walking along the paving stones and chasing Akiko to play. She peed in the garden too, for the first time. We also swabbed their DNA for their Embark tests!
At four weeks, they’d both matured so much. Both puppies would now come running and crying when they’d see me, tails wagging excitedly. They both had started eating well, though I would have to pour Flóki’s onto the floor because he was confused by a ceramic bowl. Maddie was well and truly welcome to co-parent by this point as Akiko was very tired, and she took to her role as step-mother very quickly. They were both over 2kg, and they were big and boisterous, making it hard to photograph them! I was also quite unwell with a bad kidney infection, which didn’t help either! Flóki at this age was a star when it came to going to the bathroom, I knew he would end up very easy to toilet train. He was starting to come out of his shell more, playing rough and cuddling. Nami was outgoing and a ‘busy’ puppy, always wanting to be doing something. Escaping the whelping box had been only the first step, and now she was able to climb out of the pen entirely. She was fairly sure she was already a big dog, trying to drink from their bowl and was starting to respond to her name. On the other hand, she liked biting toes and trying to pull your trousers!

29 - 35 Days Old
The month mark had come and gone, and my babies had once again evolved from little bears to little dogs. They were both eating mostly solid food, almost entirely on raw mince with a drop of goat’s milk.
They’d also started becoming very difficult at night. Knowing a bigger world than their pen existed, even with Akiko in with them, they would scream their heads off when we’d go to bed. It was difficult to decide what to do. All of my learning had told me that keeping puppies in a small, enclosed space was what was best for them, but they would get so genuinely stressed out by being on their own that decisions had to be made for their health.
At this point I began giving them much more freedom. They were given a section of the living room with some pillows where they were allowed to sleep.It went against everything I’d been told but I still believe this was the right decision for my babies to give them more freedom at such a young age. In the end, I think it was the right decision, but I certainly lost sleep over it at first!
I noticed a lot of mental growth within this week. Both puppies were eating proper solid food, a mixture of raw and kibble. They’d also mostly cracked toilet training and were consistently going outside. Flóki had seemed to have catched up to Nami, who was always a little ahead of him. He was still more sensitive of the pair, taking longer to recover from ‘scary’ situations and loud noises, but he was showing a real naughty streak and had begun using his clever little brain to break barriers and solve problems to get whatever he wanted. Nami was quick as a whip, high energy and confident. She knew her name and would recall to it. She wouldn’t startle easily, and if she did she would recover quickly. Eager to please, she was showing a lot of behaviours I really liked.
Week 5 was also an important week for evaluating their structure. As little dogs, it was easier now to see how they were maturing physically and I liked what I could see so far. Nice angulation for their age, I was especially pleased with Flóki’s structure from his legs, back and tail.

​36 - 42 Days Old
Week six was a slower one for development, the puppies seemed very similar in this week to how they had been in week 5. They continued to thrive, eating and drinking on their own and only relying on Akiko’s milk for a top up (and to annoy their mum!) They were pretty much fully weaned at this point.
Agile and fast, they were very capable of running circles around us now! The puppies had become very social and excitedly greeted anyone who would come to the house for affection.
The puppies had a visit from our friend Elle, which they loved. Since their last stranger visit, they’d matured a lot and were very comfortable being loved on by Elle! They spent a lot of time playing tug with her before falling asleep on the floor while we cuddled them.
Structurally I continued to see things I loved in the pups. I loved the little changes in Flóki’s build as he grew, and he was confident standing on the table to stack which made it much easier to evaluate him. Nami, at this stage, did not like stacking on the table, and would be startled by the wobbly ground.
Both puppies had become good at solving problems and causing trouble. Flóki loved destroying things and carrying things around in his mouth, especially slippers! Like his mother, he loved rolling around in the flower beds. He was starting to show more pattern in his coat as he started to ‘brindle out’. Temperamentally, at this point he was a bit of a cry baby and wasn’t good at making decisions. He would often cry to go on the sofa, and then cry to go back down again!
Nami had become very affectionate, lots of cuddles and cute behaviours like putting her paws up at us when we’d enter the room. She was very thoughtful at this stage, taking time to make decisions unlike her impulsive brother, and had bonded strongly to my 11 year old niece. She was going through something of a sensitive period, not liking having her nails cut (and screaming like her mother when I did!) and disliking new experiences like being high up off the ground. Both puppies were weighing over 3kg at this point!

43 - 49 Days Old
Week 7 had come around so fast, it felt absolutely insane to me that in just 2 more weeks Flóki would be going to his new home.
I’d begun taking the puppies into my bedroom at night. They would sleep inside a soft crate on the floor next to my bed. It allowed them to develop more of a relationship with Maddie who slept on the floor next to the crate, and it settled them and stopped them crying at night. It also meant Akiko could sleep out of the whelping room and have more time to continue to recover from everything. It also got them used to being in a crate.
At this age, Akiko was starting to see them more as fellow dogs and not her puppies. She was a little harsher correcting them, but was very happy to curl up and let them cuddle into her. Maddie also continued her role as step-mum, teaching the puppies all of her bad habits! It was hilarious watching them play, Nami and Flóki would chase Maddie and jump on her back together.
Week 7 was the big one, as the puppies had their first vet visit. We actually were crazy enough to take every single four legged animal in our house to the vet for their vaccinations at once. We hauled Akiko, Maddie, Holly the cat, and both puppies into the car, and into the vet’s office to get them up to date on their shots. Nami and Flóki also got their microchips, which meant we could finally register them with the Irish Kennel Club.
Nami loved everyone at the vet, not making a sound when she was given her shots. Flóki on the other hand, ever dramatic, screamed about it. They both loved cuddling up to the receptionists after their treatment, though they were a little quieter after it, they continued being their bouncy playful selves. The good part about the vet visit was confirming that neither puppy had a heart murmur, and that Flóki had both of his testicles!
At week 7, Flóki was back to being the more sensitive of the pair. He had lots of opinions and liked to voice them, barking and crying a lot during play to get what he wanted, though he often didn’t know what it was he wanted. He was a very homely puppy and would come in from the garden much sooner than Nami.
Nami, continuing on as the adventurer, wants to be involved in everything everyone does. Confident and keen to learn, she was responding fully to her name at this age and thrived on attention. Both babies were over 4kg!

50 - 56 Days Old
Week eight was hard.
I began really feeling the fact that soon Flóki would be going to a new home. There was absolutely no way I could keep both puppies but god, did I want to. The idea of taking him away broke me and I spent many nights crying myself to sleep about it. It felt to me that if we’d had more than 2 puppies, it would’ve been easier because it wouldn’t have been about picking between two. Looking back, I know he’s in the best home and he’s doing so well, but it destroyed me knowing how short our time together would be.
I sent off the puppy’s pedigree form to get them registered with the Irish Kennel Club, and it felt like everything was beginning to come together. I spent a lot of time evaluating the puppies this week.
Flóki had become such a loving dog and I knew it was killing me that he was going home soon. A truly affectionate puppy with a naughty streak, Flóki was such a thoughtful dog who seemed to evaluate the world very carefully rather than take things at face value. Structurally he was everything I had wanted from the pairing and I felt he would compliment Ashlii’s other Kai Ken, Hayami, very well.
Nami was showing her intelligence already and gave me a glimpse that I would be able to do a lot of things with her when she was grown. She had a lot of drive and energy which I felt would make her good for things like scentwork or mantailing, and I knew she would be more than capable of taking on her Good Canine Citizen award (which she passed at just 8 months old).
The week continued to be difficult and I would burst into tears whenever I saw Flóki. He was my first born and I thought he was dead, so he was always going to be special. If perhaps the world had lined up differently, he would’ve stayed with us too, but looking back, I am so glad he went to the home he has and I am so glad his owners love him as much as I do.
At eight weeks, Flóki had gained a lot more confidence and an eagerness to do new things. He loved being around other dogs, so I knew he was going to thrive in his new home with Hayami and Yusuke. He was just under 5kg at this age.
Nami had continued to grow her independence, she liked her own space and was quite content being outside on her own (if she’d been allowed) rather than constantly seeking attention and approval from me, Flóki or Akiko. She’d surpassed 5kg too, always the overachiever.

57 - 63 Days Old
I was lucky, really, that I had a week more with Flóki than most breeders have with their puppies, as we kept him for 9 weeks.
A few maintenance things happened this week- first, my Kennel name was accepted by the IKC. I held it with the Kennel Club already, but to register my pups I needed to get it accepted by the IKC too, which they did. Next, Flóki’s Embark results came back! As expected he was not a carrier for any genetic diseases, and genetically is ‘piebald’, which explains his little white spots.
It turned out Nami’s Embark had gotten lost, so they sent us a new swab and we sent it back out.
Taking Flóki home was heart wrenching. It was a long journey from our home to South Wales where he would be living, and both puppies spent almost the entire journey throwing up because it was quite a bumpy, mountainous journey.
When we arrived, Flóki immediately peed down his new owner’s shirt! My dad, who had made the journey with us, struggled the most with the goodbye. Despite how much it had killed me leading up to it, Flóki seemed to settle very quickly into his new home. He explored the garden and met Hayami and Yusuke, and seemed genuinely happy to be there. The idea of leaving him was hard, but knowing he was with two amazing people who care about the breed as much as I do makes it easier. I said my goodbyes, and we headed home, one puppy less, heartbroken but also happy for Flóki and his future.
Nine weeks together had not been enough, and I would never ever forget the way this litter had changed my life. I will always be proud to have reared the first ever UK Kai litter, and that that litter was two amazing dogs.

And Onward
Our time as a big Kai family had come to an end, but Nami was still with us and we had lots to learn together. We enjoyed her first Christmas with us, first New Year, and watched as her temperament blossomed. I’m sure when it has been a year, I will do another big update about the way these two have grown!
We had a few kinks in our plans- one of the biggest snags being the difficulty we had with our registration with the IKC. Unlike a lot of other Kennel Clubs, the Société Centrale Canine does not mark on their pedigrees if a dog is endorsed for breeding or not, and they don’t have a separate registration certificate for this. Getting this through to the IKC was difficult as they were firm in their belief there should be a registration certificate. After a lot of back and to, and trying to contact SCC, the IKC were kind enough to take our word for it (as well as a letter signed by Ôjin’s breeder to say he was not endorsed) on the grounds that if the SCC came back to us and said he was endorsed, our registrations would be pulled. Thankfully, that was not the case and both Nami and Flóki got their official names, as the first IKC registered litter of Kai Ken.
We also found out Nami has an umbilical hernia, a small and mostly benign condition which was caused by the trauma of her umbilical cord splitting when she was born. It’s mostly harmless, though it gives her an outie looking belly button. If it hasn’t fully closed up when we do her hip scoring in a couple years, I will likely get them to close it up then. While they can be genetic, my vets and I have no doubt this was caused by her cord at birth and I’m happy to keep her in my program with it.
A lot has happened since this litter happened, as I’m typing this conclusion, it's been exactly a year since Akiko came back into season with the help of Sepia 30c. The pups have grown into their own dogs. Nami had her first try of mantrailing, she passed her Good Citizen Canine and she even showed in conformation in Norway after a long journey with our friends at Toboetsuki kennel (though that's a story for another day!) Flóki has continued to thrive in his home. Much like his mother he is still a sensitive and slow maturing puppy, but I cannot wait to see how he continues to grow and change. Nami is certainly a dog unlike any I’ve ever raised before, and the things these puppies have taught me will forever mark a huge part of my life. I look forward to looking back on their first year when October rolls around.

The day after mating, Akiko’s behaviour immediately began to change. She began extremely cuddly, craving company a lot more than she normally did. She also started to eat A LOT. Akiko has always been a very poor eater, she’s picky and self regulates, meaning sometimes she will go a couple of days without touching food. After mating, she completely abandoned this mindset and started eating extremely well and consistently.
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ONE WEEK AFTER MATING
We didn’t see too many changes after just a week, Akiko continued eating well and began gaining weight. We continued to treat her as if everything was normal so as not to stress her out. We took a trip to the beach which she loved, and towards the end of the week she started to show signs of some early morning sickness, becoming a bit less foody and bringing up bile occasionally.

In mid June, Akiko gave me something of a fright when she seemed to have some off coloured discharge. I rushed her to the vet where she was ultrasounded, swabbed, and diagnosed with vaginitis, so we treated with antibiotics and an action plan to continue cytology to see if it would be safe to breed her.
Akiko came into heat on June 25th, while I was away visiting my partner up in Newcastle. We had been expecting her to come in any time then, but of course she had to wait until I was away! Still, we swiftly began progesterone testing her from day 5.

Cytology proved at this point that any sign of infection was gone, so we moved forward with our plans to breed, and progressively progesterone tested her almost twice per week.

Unfortunately we soon discovered her progesterone dropping, and while her cytology showed normal progression towards ovulation, she soon came out of heat again, leaving us with what is called a split heat. A split heat happens when a dog starts her heat but does not ovulate, causing them to come back out of heat and then finish the heat cycle properly a few weeks later. This is the second time Akiko has had this, the first being on her first ever heat back in December 2018. Since then she has had normal cycles.

I was suggested by some veteran breeders to try Akiko on something called Sepia 30c, a homeopathic remedy made from cuttlefish ink which balances hormones. I was skeptical, but since it was harmless enough, I started her on three pills a day, along with one pill of Wheatgerm oil, and one of folic acid as I was taught by my mentor.
Within four days of her being on these tablets, much to my surprise, Akiko came back into heat, on July 30th.
Unfortunately, I was due to start my new job on August 15th, potentially throwing a spanner into the breeding works, but we decided to see how things would go and if we could potentially line things up to continue with our plan.
We started progesterone testing once again, and to our delight, Akiko’s progesterone increased normally as it should’ve done. I completed my first week of work, where I had Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, so we double checked her progesterone, and to our pleasure, she was ready, giving us the weekend to travel to France and back for a quick love affair with our stud of choice, Ôjin. I came off a night shift Friday morning at 7am, and we left 12pm for France. 

My childhood dogs were a Labrador Retriever and a Border Terrier, and I own and worked with French Bulldogs too. There’s a stark contrast between Akiko and these other dogs that I don’t always acknowledge, and something I’ve certainly failed to appreciate.

‘Independent’ is a word regularly used to describe Nihon Ken, and after a few years owning my Kai, I don’t like it. I don’t think they are truly an independent breed, especially given their history as hunting dogs where they work closely with their hunters. However, I think they are, and regularly refer to them as, independent thinkers. They are rustic breeds which have retained their natural instinct and ability to solve problems and make decisions, which I think is where the common feeling of ‘stubbornness’ appears (another word I dislike to describe them).

When I’ve owned and trained other breeds, I’ve found that once you tell or show them something, they tend to take it at face value. (Note, this is entirely based on my experience with my own dogs and those I’ve worked with, so it does not speak for all dogs, just my experience in contrast to my Kai.) My French Bulldog in particular, seems to be incapable of making smart decisions and relies on me to make those decisions for her. My Labrador was very much the same. They also seem to take their experiences at face value. My Frenchie loves ALL people, she has never met a stranger, but she absolutely despises all dogs. She doesn’t seem to make individual opinions of each person she meets, and just loves them all equally. In contrast to Akiko, who carefully forms opinions on each person she meets, and remembers them. She doesn’t dislike people by any means, but she wants to form an opinion of them before she decides how she wants to act with them, be it engaging or ignoring.

I think that this decision making and independent thought is what makes recall difficult with these breeds. They are a hunting breed, so people may be inclined to assume they should have good recall! The truth is that Nihon Ken hunt mostly through instinct, rather than being trained specifically for it like some western breeds are. Their job is to seek out and flush the game, so it’s certainly natural for a Kai Ken to want to wander off alone after prey when off leash, that’s what they were bred to do. The thing is, I don’t think recall is impossible with these dogs, but I don’t think people realise quite why it can be difficult, and why it’s justified to accept that your dog may not be good off-lead and it shouldn’t be forced. When I let Akiko off leash and call her back, before she returns I can see her making those decisions on whether or not it’s worth it to come back, you can almost see the cogs turning. She knows if she returns, she will get a reward. But she also knows that if she doesn’t return, she gets to continue exploring, continue hunting for whatever it is she’s on the trail of (usually squirrels, which she is far too slow to catch).

It’s difficult to completely reinforce that decision to recall when Akiko is choosing every time, rather than basing her decision on what she’s been taught at face value like my other dogs have. She analyses the situation at every recall, and makes an independent decision on whether or not she wants to follow the command. The majority of the time, she will wait a moment, looking at me, and then come back. It’s rarely instant, and sometimes she will choose to take a few steps, sniff, and then return to me, but usually she will choose me over what interests her, unless it is prey, which she then tries to flush towards me anyway.

The most important thing is not to set them up for failure, which can be very easy with a dog who thinks for herself. Like with all dogs, you need to make yourself more appealing, but it isn’t as simple as reinforcing it, because she will make a decision each time, and not base it entirely on her past knowledge that recall means reward.
I think that this is something our dogs definitely develop as they age. A year ago, if I had let Akiko off-leash, she would absolutely choose to run up to a strange dog to instigate play over coming back, even if that decision could get her hurt if the dog is not friendly. This is why I stopped walking her off-leash all together for a while, it wasn’t something worth the risk. As she’s aged, she doesn’t make that impulse decision to run when she sees another dog. Instead, she stops, evaluates, and then chooses to return to me. This isn’t something I’ve made a conscious effort to teach, but something I do reinforce when it happens, and that seems to have worked for her.
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Allowing them to make their own decisions without setting them up for failure or enforcing bad habits goes a long way with these dogs, and it’s something I hadn’t considered until I saw Akiko grow and develop into the dog she is now.

Known 2021 Imports
Kai Ken - 1 (Total dogs: 2)
Hokkaido Ken - 2 (Total dogs: 8)
Kishu Ken - 1 (Total dogs: 3)
Shikoku Ken - 3 (Total dogs: 17)

While this may be a tiny increase in the medium breeds, the fact that there has been at least one new import for all four medium breeds is a great improvement on previous years. This also does not account for possible individuals that have been imported this year or previously that have not been found and counted in the Association of Nihon Ken’s population count.
Kennel Club Registrations:
Japanese Akita Inu - 90
Japanese Shiba Inu  - 497

With fresh imports on their way next year, as well as litters planned, with any luck we’ll have an even greater increase in numbers for 2022, which will be a huge step in the right direction for these breeds.
The current data held by the club was obtained through research and communication with owners and breeders, as well as information from the pedigree databases for the breeds. We would like to fill in the gaps on any missing dogs and data, with the consent of the owner. If you would like to help the Association of Nihon Ken by sharing your dog's data with us, please fill in the form here.

Something I have received constant criticism and antagonism for with being a foundation Kai Ken breeder in the United Kingdom is the fact that my dog is not titled.
In Europe and the United States, the Kai Ken is recognised by FCI, UKC and AKC-FSS, meaning the breed can be shown and titled in conformation.
So why, in the UK, can I not title my dog?The Kennel Club is the oldest kennel club in the world, and it certainly is set in its ways because of this. Instead of working on a system like the FCI where all countries under the club have the same list of accepted breeds, The Kennel Club runs things on its own terms, and has its own list of breeds.

So how do you get on that breed list?
With great difficulty.
The first step is to get onto the import register, which is a fight in itself.
When I spoke to the Kennel Club about getting the Kai onto the import register, this is what I was told.

As of 2017, to petition The Kennel Club for breed recognition to the import register, they require:

• Names of UK owners/importers
• Total number of dogs of the breed in the UK [ideally at least 20, preferably unrelated]Copies of pedigrees of UK dogs – at least 3 generations
• Proposed breeding plan and indication of available gene pool
• Indication of temperament and characteristics
• Recognition status in the country of origin
• Details of registration body in country of origin
• Indication of group classification
• If the breed has been crossbred, when the registry closed
• Brief history of the breed in its country of origin & photographs
• Functionality of breed and how widely it is used
• Breed Standard from country of origin
• Draft Breed Standard [based on template]
• Breed Registration statistics in country of origin [ideally a consistent minimum of 50 per year]; and other countries
• Show entry statistics in country of origin and at international level [ideally a minimum of 35 individually exhibited at a single competitive event]Details of any inherited conditions prevalent in the breed
• For Working Breeds – details of activities. Video footage [if available]

Even once this has been done and the breed has been accepted onto the Import Register, the breeds will not be eligible for exhibition until an interim breed standard has been submitted, published and approved.
On top of this, The Kennel Club also will remove recognition for breeds if there are not enough registered, which means that without a steady increase in numbers here, gaining recognition may not be worth doing currently.
I was also told directly, out of this list of requirements, that I would need 15 unrelated dogs.

We currently have two known Kai Ken in the UK, with a third coming over soon. We are very lucky that these three individuals are decently unrelated for a breed with such a small gene pool.
The issue here is that we don’t have interest. I have less than 10 individuals on my wait list for a puppy, which means even if every single one of those people decided to import an unrelated dog instead, we STILL would not have enough individuals to petition for recognition.
But let's pretend for a moment that we DO have enough dogs to proceed onto the import register, and we do the above requirements and the Kai Ken is granted recognition. End of story, right?

Wrong!

Import register breeds can show in conformation but they cannot gain championship titles. For a breed to be titled as a Champion in conformation, they must have full Kennel Club recognition, and achieve three Challenge Certificates (CC) under three different judges.
But that’s okay, once they’re on the import register, it’ll be easy to gain recognition, right?
Wrong! Some breeds will NEVER gain full recognition with the Kennel Club, especially if they are not popular and don’t have a steady increase of numbers. It could take 100 years before the breed gains full recognition, and if Kai numbers begin to decrease again, then hypothetically the breed COULD go extinct before there is ever a UK Champion Kai Ken.

Of course, we have the chance to travel abroad to show, but due to COVID-19 that has not been possible so I am not addressing that directly here.

So if Kai can’t be titled in conformation, surely there are other titles they can gain? Well…
Dog sports are not as common here as they are in the US, so there are very few options in that, so I will briefly cover the reasons why these titles are not accessible to the breed and to my kennel directly.
Breed Specific Working Trials - These are open to certain breeds only, such as Bloodhound Working Trials or Border Collie Herding Tests.Lure Coursing - You cannot title in coursing unless your dog is a sighthound. Most clubs will not allow non-sighthounds to run the lure even for fun.Working Trials - This is the civilian version of police dog trials, it is very physically demanding for both dog and owner, and not accessible for people with health issues such as myself.Field and Gundog Trials - These are titles specifically for working gundogs.Barnhunt - Barnhunt is not a Kennel Club associated activity. A Barnhunt association was set up in 2020 and swiftly closed due to COVID-19, and their pages have not been active since.
So this leaves Rally, Obedience, Agility or Heelwork to music. Agility is too physically demanding for me as a person with Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome, and I personally have little interest in the remaining options, and I personally do not think Akiko would be interested either. That said, she is registered with the UK Activity Register, so if I did decide to pursue these, I can. I have also considered asking someone to run her in Agility for me, but again, COVID-19 has gotten in the way of that.

There are a few other sports that I haven’t mentioned, dock diving and weight pull come to mind, which are both quite common in the US sport scene. However they don’t really exist in the U.K. You can try dock diving at events but there isn’t a competitive scene. I’m also not including online titles in this list since they are not related to the Kennel Club here, though they are completely valid and should be pursued if you can.

So if we can’t show, and we can’t title, how else can we prove the Kai Ken? Well… we kind of can’t!
The Kai Ken is a hunting breed used on medium and big game. The job of the breed, as with all Nihon Ken, is to find game, flush it and hold it at bay for the hunter to dispatch the animal. In Japan, many places in Europe and the United States, Nihon Ken breeders can prove their dogs in this way instead.
So can we hunt with our Kai in the UK? No, of course not, that would be too easy of an answer to this difficulty!
Under the Hunting Act 2004, it is against the law to use dogs to hunt. This includes deer and boar, two animals the Kai have historically been used to hunt. The UK has very strict regulations on what they view as animal cruelty, so even instinct trials are considered cruel and wrong here.
So we can’t show. We can’t title. We can’t hunt. What the heck can we do?Well, we can focus on producing the healthiest dogs possible, and we can focus on importing fresh bloodlines until the day comes that we can do such things. We can continue working closely with breeders in the country of origin to preserve the type and spirit of these dogs, while making sure we breed for the future of the breed.

We can promote the breed at events, and hope that someone might just take a liking to our funny little brindle companions. We can do everything we can to keep this breed from falling into the hands of unscrupulous breeders and we can continue to fight for the KC to finally accept our breed.
When COVID-19 isn’t an issue, we can travel and title abroad. But right now, we have to do what little we can do, otherwise there is no future for the breed.

This is a condition that has been seen in Kai Ken, Hokkaido Ken, Akita Inu and Shiba Inu before, it is a spinal deformity which causes an asymmetrical vertebrae in the spine at the fusion to the pelvis. In some breeds it is very common and seems not to cause issues (corgis, French bulldogs), and in others it does (German shepherds). In some breeds such as Rhodesian Ridgebacks, 35% of the breed has it. It is not a condition that is well known, well understood, or well screened in any breed. There are very few studies on the condition.

The current information from the Finnish Kennel Club and the Orthopaedic Foundation for Animals suggests that affected/symptomatic dogs should not be bred, but dogs who are not symptomatic may be bred to unaffected/clear dogs.

From what I can tell, Akiko is not currently symptomatic for any issues relating to this condition, nor does she have any orthopaedic changes caused by the condition. She does not have hip dysplasia, which is a common affect of the condition, she does not have any clear spinal degeneration, she does not have spondylosis, and she does not have any pain. Due to this, along with her other excellent health results, I’ve made what is a difficult decision to go ahead with my planned breeding. I have had the blessing of other breeders in the community and I believe that due to the already small gene pool and the unknown inheritability of the condition, I believe that it is within responsible ethics to still breed Akiko.

I have researched the pedigrees of the known affected dogs, and there are two common ancestors: Kai Kokushin Go Jounan Kensha and Sai No Takahime Go Funato Kamiyama Sou. Unfortunately, these dogs are also very prevalent in the majority of our current breeding population of Kai Ken. With so many offspring, yet only a handful of affected dogs, we do not know clearly enough how this gene is passed on. I also approached Akiko's breeder, who I am honoured to have the support of, and neither of Akiko's parents are affected. The planned sire of my litter, as well as his parents have also all been double checked and are not affected by the condition either.

Sometimes in preservation breeding, risks have to be taken and I have done everything I can to reduce those risks to a little as possible. I believe in this case that it is a risk that is worth taking for the potential future of the breed. I believe that in this case, breeding Akiko may helps us learn more about the inheritability of this condition, and allow us to prepare future generations.
I have spoken to those who are in line for a puppy from me, those who are also going to be involved with preservation and I am humbled to have their support.
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Every puppy I produce will be screened for this condition before I send them home at my cost. I will do everything in my power to work with my puppy owners and to offer as much support both emotionally and financially in the circumstance that a puppy I produce is affected by this condition. If anyone has any questions or advice, I would be more than happy to speak about this further. I hope I am making the correct decision.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae in dogs: classification, prevalence, and association with sacroiliac morphology
• Asymmetrical lumbosacral transitional vertebrae in dogs may promote asymmetrical hip joint development 
• Prevalence of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae in dogs in Berlin
• Lumbosacral Transitional Vertebra In The Dog: Prevalence in Different Breeds and in Dogs Suffering From Cauda Equine Compression Syndrome
• Genetic background of lumbosacral transitional vertebrae in German Shepherd Dogs

My name is Astor, and I live in the UK with a Kai Ken named Akiko, who has more than made herself known in the Ginga community over the years.
Due to Kai Ken taking a prominent role in the series, I’m often asked about what the breed is like, and what has been my experiences so far, so I thought I would answer some of the frequently asked questions from my life with the breed.