Do you prefer dogs who are cuddly? Or maybe you prefer breeds who are more independent? I have to admit, I’m kind of a sucker for a cuddly pup. There’s nothing I love more than snuggling up with my dogs and a good book at the end of a long day. I lucked out with my first dog, Kitsune, a papillon. He loves cuddles! But what about my second dog, Fenrir? Are Alaskan Klee Kai typically cuddly dogs?
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More Than Just “Mini” Huskies
Although they may look it, Alaskan Klee Kai are not, in fact, just miniaturized Siberian huskies. The breed was originally created by mixing both Siberian and Alaskan huskies with smaller American Eskimos and schipperkes. Because of this, the personalities of Alaskan Klee Kai (AKK) tend to be all their own. A mix, if you will, of all the breeds that went into creating them more so than miniatured versions of any one breed.
If you know anything about northern breeds such as Siberian and Alaskan huskies, you can probably start to surmise that Alaskan Klee Kai can be pretty high energy little dogs. Siberian and Alaskan huskies are working sled dog breeds. Schipperkes are a small breed of dog that were traditionally used as ratters and watchdogs. American Eskimos are known for being intelligent, versatile dogs that can expertly play many rolls. Everything from companions to farm dogs.
So what does that mean for Alaskan Klee Kai? Can a breed made up of such driven, hard working, high energy breeds ever enjoy a good snuggle?
First Thing First, What Do I Mean By “Cuddly”?
As I wrote in my past post about papillons…
Dogs can be affectionate without being snuggly. To me, a snuggly or cuddly dog is one that enjoys laying in my lap or next to me, receiving attention, for an extended period of time. Does “cuddly” mean the same thing to you? I’d be interested to hear if other people would define a cuddly dog differently.
One Person Dogs
I think one thing that’s important to keep in mind when it comes to AKK is that these dogs are very often “one person dogs”. My AKK, Fenrir, loves my partner but there is 100% no doubt that I am Fenrir’s person. While Fen enjoys spending time, especially playing, with my partner, he isn’t usually as affectionate with my partner as he is with me. Fen is basically my little shadow, following me around the house, always by my side. Fen snuggles with me quite often, but almost never cuddles with my partner.
That doesn’t mean, though, that he’s not affectionate in other ways with people besides me. Although he doesn’t often snuggle with my partner, Fen still often initiates play and asks for ear scratches and belly rubs from my partner.
Klee Cats?
AKK are sometimes affectionately referred to as “Klee cats” due to their tendency to be quite cat like. I see this most in my own AKK in his tendency to really only want attention on his own terms. Snuggling has to be Fen’s idea for him to want to do it for any length of time. He’ll snuggle with me all night sometimes, as long as he wants too. But there are other times when, no matter how hard I try to convince him, he’d just rather not cuddly up next to me.
Funny enough, even when Fen doesn’t feel like snuggling he’s still usually not far from my side. But I’d for sure say that he can be more independent, when he wants to be, than my papillon Kitsune.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
Of course dogs, even when they are the same breed, are not always the same. Each dog is an individual! I’m sure there are some AKK who are snuggle fiends, and others who don’t like to snuggle at all. Most probably fall somewhere in-between those two extremes. In general, other AKK owner’s who I’ve spoken with have said things similar to what I’ve written here. That their AKK like to snuggle sometimes, especially so with their chosen person, but that these dogs also tend to be somewhat high energy as well as independent. Traits that don’t always lend super well for long, drawn out snuggle sessions.
Conclusions
I love Alaskan Klee Kai. However, they are a high maintenance breed that is not for everyone. If getting a cuddly small dog is one of your number one requirements in a companion I’d suggest you think very carefully before getting an AKK. While my own experience has been that my own AKK is pretty snuggly, he only cuddles with me. I can see how that might be an issue in bigger families where everyone would appreciate some doggy snuggle time. My AKK also really only snuggles with me on his own terms. If it’s his idea, and he feels like cuddling, than great! Otherwise, lets just say that I’m happy my other dog, a papillon, is super cuddly because if he wasn’t I probably wouldn’t be getting in my required dose of dog snuggles.
Comment below! Is having a dog that likes to cuddle important to you? Does your dog like to cuddle, or is he/she oftentimes more independent?
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