Litter A Part 3 - Baby Beans

​October 20th 2022
Akiko’s due date was October 23rd. We did not make it that far.

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.