MyDogBreeds
Hovawart is originated from Germany but Alaskan Klee Kai is originated from United States. Hovawart may grow 26 cm / 11 inches higher than Alaskan Klee Kai. Hovawart may weigh 36 kg / 80 pounds more than Alaskan Klee Kai. Both Hovawart and Alaskan Klee Kai has almost same life span. Both Hovawart and Alaskan Klee Kai has same litter size. Both Hovawart and Alaskan Klee Kai requires Low maintenance.
The Hovawart, is a German Black Forest breed developed as a guard dog for large estates in the medieval era. They first appeared in history in the early 13th century as heroes who saved the German son of a castle lord, despite being injured themselves. The boy they saved grew up to be a German legend. He wrote the oldest German code of law that remained from medieval times. In it he names the Hovawarts as a dog that if you are responsible for hurting, stealing or killing it, you must pay for it or replace it. No other dog had this protection.
In the late fifteenth century Hovawarts were featured in Heinrich Mynsinger’s “The Five Noble Breeds”. This guard dog breed was esteemed on a level with the hunting dogs – their health a question of life or death for their owner. In the 1500’s the popularity of the breed began to fade. The GSD or German Shepard Dog began to replace the Hovawarts as the preferred guard dog.
By the early 20th century the breed had almost disappeared but were saved by breed enthusiasts in the early 1900’s. Zoologist Kurt Konig was prominent in this effort and went looking in the Black Forest area for dogs working on farms. Using the dogs, he found on these farms, Konig began a breeding program crossing the them with Newfoundland’s, Kuvazoks, Leonbergers, GSD, an African hunting dogs and Bernese Mountain Dogs.
By 1922 the first litter of these pups was entered officially into the German Breeding Registry. In 1937 the Hovawart was recognized by the German Kennel Club. However, many members of the breed died in World War II as they were used widely by the military and not many were left by 1945. Once again breed enthusiasts came to the rescue forming a Coburg Hovawart club. This club still exists and in 1964, for the second time, the breed was recognized by the German Kennel Club. Other countries also began to take notice of this working breed.
The Hovawart has many skills in addition hunting and guarding. The Hovawart does not work for people, he works with them as he is a very independent thinker. He is also good at search and rescue and tracking. An owner of this breed must be stronger, smarter, more alert, intentional and consistent than his Hovawart. These are not dogs for the faint of heart or first-timers.
Alaskan Klee Kai breed is created in Alaska by Linda S Spurlin with help of her family. When she saw a smaller type of Siberian Husky, she immediately wanted to create a smaller type of Husky that will be a great companion dog. She did not create this breed with dogs that suffer from dwarfism as if it’s the case with most other breeders. She breeds Alaskan Husky with smaller dog breeds that looked a like a husky. Breeds like Alaskan Eskimo Dog or Schipperke. They are still not recognized by some Kennel clubs, but their popularity is constantly on the rise.
The Hovawart is a proud and majestic dog and his looks match his character. He looks a bit like the Golden Retriever with a powerful and broad forehead. His skull and muzzle are the same length and his nose is black. His oval eyes are a medium to dark brown and his ears are high set and triangular.
Their chests are strong, broad and deep. The breed has strong legs straight in front with round, strong and compact feet. They are heavy boned with dense, long coats that lie flat and have a slight wave to them. The coat can be black and gold, blond or black.
Weight of the Alaskan Klee Klei variates from dog to dog, but average male size is between 33-44cm. While females size is 28-40cm. The weight of the average male, an adult dog is 13 to 15kg. As you may see Klee Klei can be very small dogs, and that depends on every dog.
A lifespan of Klee Klei is 12-16 years.
Litter Size of the breed again depends on every dog but normal size for this breed is between 4-8 puppies.
Other Name for Alaskan Klee Klei is just a Klee Klei.
They have a great sense of smell and a well-balanced personality.
They are not indoor dogs and should have a yard to run in. They do not tolerate hot weather well. They do great out in the country.
They are intelligent independent thinkers. They lengths well with positive reinforcement.
Klee Klei is very intelligent breed with a lot of energy. They love spending time with the family, especially in the outdoor activities. Klee Klei is very friendly towards children and new people, but they will also be excellent watchdogs too. Due to their intelligence, they are very easy to train. You should practice a positive way of awarding for them. They love pleasing and they love food, so it is a match made in heaven for training the Klee Klei. They will enjoy playing with other animals because they love to run and spend time with them, but you must socialize them from the early age. It is very important to socialize them with other animals and you will not have anything to worry about. They have a high prey drive so you will have to keep them on the leash while walking because if they notice something they will run towards it immediately. So for your, and your pet's safety, it is the best to keep the leash on. They do not bark a lot, but they will express when they are not pleasured because they can be very sensitive
Though their isolation protected them from genetic health issues for centuries, once they were being rejuvenated and mixed with other breeds some common issues began to show up. These include:
As most of the small breed dogs that are mixed with various breeds, this is one of the healthiest breeds. They do not have a lot of health issues, and usually, they tend to live a lot. Of course, you must be careful where are you buying your dog, and it is very important to choose the right owners that are taking care of the dogs and puppies. Some of the issues that this breed might have are luxation patella, thyroid disease, heart conditions, liver shunts, factor VII deficiency, and cataracts.
Feed breed specific high quality dry food for puppies. Feed 1-2 cups in 3-4 meals per day
Again Feed breed specific high quality dry food for adults. Feed 2-3 cups per day in 1-2 meals per day.
Points for Good Health – Stamina
The Hovawart needs plenty of exercise. Remember this is a mountain farm dog used to working all the time. Walk or jog with them daily. They can excel at field trials, obedience, search and rescue, agility, flyball, therapy dog, and service dog.
Since they are highly energetic dogs they will need a lot of fuel for playing and spending time outside. Feeding of your dog depends on daily activity, but overall you should consult with dog nutritionist for a better understanding of your dog needs.
Puppies need more food divided into 3-5 meals per day. They would eat everything you have for them. 3-5 high-quality dry food would be enough with additional vitamins and minerals.
Normally, Klee Klei groom themselves, so you won’t have to do it too often. Again, you will have to take care of your dog with occasional baths and brushing. You will know when is the time to take care of your lovely Klee Klei, but they will do most of the work.