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GENERAL APPEARANCE:

The Kai is a medium-sized, sturdily built, Spitz-type
dog, with a wedge-shaped head, prick ears, and a harsh,
straight brindle coat of medium length. The appearance
of the Kai is similar to the other working Japanese Spitz
breeds, smaller than the Akita and larger than the
Shiba.

CHARACTERISTICS:

The Kai is a sturdy, muscular dog of exceptional courage
and agility. Kai have been known to climb trees and swim
in pursuit of their prey. Tradional Japanese writings
describes the Kai as a natural hunter, a trustworthy
gueardian and extrmely devoted to his master. The
brindle pattern of coat color is the Kai's most
distinquishing breed characteristic. The tail of the Kai
differ from the other Japanese breeds in that it does not
form a double curl but is shaped like a sickle and carried
over the back. While Kais may be somewhat reserved
with strangers, they are very friendly with people and
not aggressive with other dogs. The Kai makes an
excellent watch dog or home protector.

HISTORY:

The Kai is an ancient breed that was developed as a
hunting dog in the province of Kai on the island of Honshu.
The Kai's homeland is surrounded by mountains, so the
breed remained geographically isolated. With the
introduction of firearms, the Kai was used by professional
big game hunters who specialized in hunting deer and wild
boar. The breed was not recognized until 1934 and it is still
quite rare. In part because of its lengendary courage, the
Kai was once thought to be too primitive to serve as a
family pet, but that myth has been dispelled. In the United
States, the Kai has proven to be a gentle and loyal family
companion.

HEAD:

From the front, the head forms a medium-length wedge,
broad between the ears tapering to a long but not not
snipy muzzle. The head is free of wrinkles and
proportionate to the length of body. The length of the
muzzle, measured from the stop to the end of the nose, is
equal to the length of the skull, measured from the
occiput to stop. The skull and muzzle are parallel to one
another when veiwed from the side, and joined by an
abrupt stop.

The skull is broad and nearly flat, with a slight median
furrow. The skull tapers slightly from the widest point to
the base of the muzzle. The cheeks are well developed.

MUZZLE:

When veiwed from the side, the muzzle is moderately
thick. It should be well fitted in under the eyes. The
nasal bridge is straight. The lower jaw is strong and
blunt but not protruding. Lips are black and tightly
fitted.

FAULT: Snipy muzzle.

TEETH:

The Kai has a complete set of good size evenly spaced
teeth. A scissors bite is preferred but a level bite is
acceptable. The tongue is generally spotted but may be
pink or blue black.

Faults: Overshot or undershot bite

Disqualification: More than four missing teeth.

NOSE:

The nose is always solid black. In profile, the nose is on
the same line as the top of the muzzle and does not
extend beyond the forepart of the muzzle.

EYES:

The eyes are relatively small and dark brown with black
eye rims. The eyes while slightly triangular in shape, are
rounder than the eyes of the Akita or Shiba.

Serious fault: Yellow or bird-of-prey eyes.

EARS:

The ears are strongly erect, somewhat large in
relationship to the size of the head, triangular in shape,
and set at the outer edge of the skull, but not to low. The
ears are wide at the base and slightly rounded at the
tips. Viewed from the side, the back line of the ear
inclines slightly forward from the base to the tip.

FOREQUARTERS:

The shoulders are moderately laid back, with
moderate angulation and well developed muscles. The
forelegs are straight and muscular, with heavy bone
and strong, moderately short, slightly sloping
pasterns. The shoulder blade and the upper arm are
roughly equal in length. The upper arm lies close to
the ribs but is still very mobile, with the elbow moving
close to the body.

FEET:

The feet are of medium size, round in shape, well
knuckled up, with thick strong pads. Nails should be
hard and black in color. Dewclaws may be removed.

Faults: Splay feet; poorly cushioned pads.

BODY:

The ratio of height (measured from withers to the
ground) to length of body (measured from point of
shoulders to point of buttocks) is 10:11. The line of the
back inclines very slightly downward from well-
developed withers and then becomes level. The back is
well muscled with a short muscular loin. The ribs are
moderately sprung out from the spine, forming a
strong back, then curving down and inward to form a
body that would be nearly oval if viewed in cross-
section. The chest is deep and moderately broad.
When viewed from the side, the lowest point of the
chest is immediately behind the elbows. The forechest
should extend in a shallow oval shape in front of the
forelegs but the sternum should not be exxcessively
pointed. The belly is well tucked up.

HINDQUARTERS:

The thighs are muscular and powerful. The rear legs
have heavy bone and are moderately well angulated
at stifle and hock joints. The upper thigh is long and
the lower thigh is short. The hocks are tough, elastic
and well let down. Viewed from the rear, the rear
pasterns should be parallel to each other, from the
side, they should be perendicular to the ground.

TAIL:

The tail is thick and set high. The preferred carriage
is a sickle tail, but a tail that curls over the back is
acceptable. When the Kai is hunting, the tail
sometimes straightens out behind or stands straight
up. The tail should be at least long enough to reach
halfway to the hock joint.

COAT:

The Kai has a double coat of medium length, longer
than the coast of a Shiba, but shorter than the Akita
coat. The outer coat is harsh, straight, and may lie
flat or stand somewhat away from the body. The
undercoat is thick, soft and dense. The hair on the
head, legs, and ears is shorter than the coat of the
body while the coat on the tail is somewhat longer.

Faults: Absence of double coat: long flowing coat.

COLOR:

The brindle coat of the Kai has given rise to his
nickname as the Tora (meaning tiger) dog. All
brindle colors are equally acceptable. Puppies are
usually born with black fuzzy coats. The brindle bars
emerge as the straight adult coat comes in, but may
not be fully apparent until the dog is as old as five
years of age. A well-defined brindle is strongly
preferred. Some white is allowed on the legs, but
never above the knees on the forelegs or the hock
joint on the rear legs. Some white is allowed on the
forechest, between the front legs and on the belly.
White should never blend up into the body coat.

HEIGHT & WEIGHT:

Desirable height, measured at the withers, ranges
from 18 to 22 inches for the males and 17 to 20
inches for females. Weight ranges from 25 to 55
pounds.

Faults: Dogs more than 2 inches over or under these
limits: obese dogs.

GAIT:

The Kai moves with strides of moderate length. It is
a quick, agile trot which enables the Kai to travel
quickly in the mountains and forests while hunting.
Correct movement is essential in this breed.