Alaskan Klee Kai Pros And Cons: 9 Years of Real-World Experience

Last Updated on August 6, 2026 by Kieran Beckles

Alaskan Klee Kai are beautiful, intelligent and highly loyal companions that can make excellent pets, but they aren’t right for every home. Having shared our lives with our two Klee Kai, Copper and Skye, for the past nine years in the US and the UK, we’ve experienced the best of the breed and some of the challenges firsthand.

Every Alaskan Klee Kai will be slightly different, so our pros and cons won’t necessarily be reflective of every Klee Kai.

It’s also worth noting that a pro for one Alaskan Klee Kai owner could be a con for another Klee Kai parent.

In this article, we’re going to discuss some of our pros and cons based upon our experience with Skye and Copper over the past nine years.

Yasmin and I collected our first Alaskan Klee Kai, Skye, in September 2017 before we added Copper to our pack in March 2018.

We’ve lived in the Bay Area, London, and the Cotswolds with our Klee Kai. We’ve also visited different countries, such as the Republic of Ireland and Scotland.

So our pros and cons are based on nine years with Copper and Skye, and we hope our insights as Klee Kai owners can help other owners and dog lovers considering the breed.

Alaskan Klee Kai At-A-Glance

Klee Kai Pros

Exceptional loyalty and deep family bonding

Alaskan Klee Kai will quickly become attached to their family members, usually to one member in particular.

As we often mention on our live videos on social media, Copper and Skye do have favorites. Skye has a lot of love for Dad, but Mom has always been her clear favorite. She loves nothing more than curling up in between Mom’s legs on the sofa (usually under a blanket or a throw).

Copper is like Dad’s shadow. He follows him everywhere, whether that’s to the bathroom, to the gym, or into the bedroom. He does suffer from anxiety when Dad isn’t around, and can usually be found by the window waiting for his return.

Klee Kai can be skittish around new people, but this can differ from dog to dog. For example, Skye loves to receive attention from anyone, whether it’s family members, friends or strangers. Copper is more reserved and shy around people he doesn’t know. He has improved since first writing this article in 2021. He’s more social now.

Bonus: How They Are With Children

When I wrote this article in 2021, we weren’t parent. We’ve been able to witness Copper and Skye develop a bond with our daughter over the past five years. Skye is particularly attached to her, and she’s happy to cuddle and play with her. She’s more patient than Copper, although he’s also warmed to our daughter as she’s got older (and calmer).

Exceptional Adaptability & Versatility

We’re constantly surprised by the versatility of the Alaskan Klee Kai breed. This probably shouldn’t come as a surprise, seeing as the original Klee Kai were created using Alaskan Husky, Siberian Husky, American Eskimo Dog and Schipperke.

Adaptable to Any Climate

Over the past nine years, Copper and Skye have lived in sun-soaked California, wet and dreary London and the lush green of the Cotswolds. Our Alaskan Klee Kai have thrived in all three locations. We’re now back in California, and they’re content being back where it all began!

Although they’ve got a double coat, Copper and Skye chase the sun around our home. I’ve posted videos on our social media channels of the pair sunbathing inside and outside. It doesn’t matter whether it’s on the hardwood floors inside or deck outside, they like the sun.

Great for Apartment Living

We’ve lived in a one-bed apartment, a two-bed apartment, a cottage and a three-bed house. Copper and Skye have enjoyed all four homes, even in our London apartment when we didn’t have a garden.

The Alaskan Klee Kai can be an excellent choice for an apartment dog because it’s a small breed. Provided you give Alaskan Klee Kai sufficient daily exercise, keep them mentally stimulated and ensure they’re not left alone for too long, most Klee Kai will be fine in an apartment.

We should add that Copper and Skye have done two transatlantic flights and taken these adventures in their stride.

Workout Buddies

Continuing from the versatility theme, Alaskan Klee Kai can make great workout buddies just like their cousins, the Siberian Husky.

Impressive Stamina

Of course, your Klee Kai will need around 60 minutes of exercise a day, which could take the shape of a walk around your local neighborhood.

When we lived in the UK, Copper and Skye loved going to a private dog park near our house, where they could roam off-lead for almost an hour.

We loved going running with Copper and Skye, whether it was a 5k, 10k or 15k. Yes, 15k! They’ve really surprised us with their endurance in the Cotswolds.

Hiking Enthusiasts

We used to do a lot of hiking in the Bay Area between 2017 and 2019, sometimes for up to 3 hours. We went on long walks in the countryside when we lived in the Cotswolds.

While we used to do a lot of hiking and long walks, these days at the age of nine and eight, they’re happy with two half-hour walks daily.

Copper, in particular, loves to go running. Sometimes, if it’s raining, we’ll play scent-work games in the house or in the garden.

Conversation Starters

Talkative by nature

If you’ve been following our social media content, you’ll know that Copper is a talker. He loves nothing more than a good chat with us.

Copper has been a big talker since he was a puppy, and he hasn’t been quiet since! Joking aside, Copper doesn’t spend all day barking and howling. But if you engage with Copper, he’ll talk back.

Skye isn’t as talkative as Copper and she doesn’t really engage vocally with Yasmin and I. However, she does talk with Copper if they’re playing, or she may grumble at us if she wants something. Or, if she sees some of our family, she’ll be incredibly vocal.

Great for social dog owners

The Alaskan Klee Kai breed is a conversation starter on walks. If you go into the city, you’ll be stopped and asked about your dog’s breed.

Our dogs are often mistaken for Siberian Huskies or Chihuahua x Alaskan Husky mixes. We still get asked about their breed or mix.

So, if you’re thinking about getting an Alaskan Klee Kai, you’ll need to be somewhat extroverted or at least willing to talk and answer questions from strangers.

Unfortunately, Copper and Skye are reactive around other dogs, but there are Klee Kai meetups around the world if you’d like to get to know your fellow Klee Kai owners.

Striking Looks & High Trainability

Distinctive Breed Features

Alaskan Klee Kai have a striking appearance with regards to their coat color, eye color and small size.

Klee Kai can come in three different colors – black and white, gray and white and red and white. They can have blue eyes or brown eyes, bi-eyes (each eye is a different color) or parti-eye (two different colors in the same eye).

Copper and Skye have blue eyes, which was something we requested when making our reservation with our Alaskan Klee Kai breeder.

Three Manageable Sizes

They’re toy-sized, but you can also get Alaskan Klee Kai in standard and miniature, too. We’ve always described Copper and Skye as toy Klee Kai, but some viewers have told us they’re more like miniature Klee Kai.

Either way, all three sizes are manageable and make them easy to bring with you, whether you’re going on a roadtrip, vacation, or running errands.

Rapid Intelligence & Fast Learning

Alaskan Klee Kai are highly intelligent, so they’ll be quick to pick up basic training. Skye was potty-trained within a couple of weeks, while Copper required around a month to fully master where to go potty.

Copper is eager to please, so he’s easier to train than Skye, especially since he’s food-motivated, too! Nine years later, I still get surprised by how quickly they learn bad habits or how to manipulate to get their way!

Klee Kai Cons

High Tendency for Separation Anxiety

We didn’t really know anything about separation anxiety before we got Skye. However, we soon became familiar with this chronic canine condition.

Getting a second dog won’t fix it!

Skye would cry, howl and whine when she was left at home alone. We made the cliched assumption that adding a second dog to our pack would give Skye some much-needed company when we weren’t home.

But Copper’s separation anxiety was worse than Skye’s! It made for an even worse situation, and one that stressed us out a lot as we’ve always rented. Thankfully, we’ve always had landlords and neighbors who love our dogs.

We discuss their separation anxiety in more detail in this article.

Departure signals

Whenever Copper and Skye noticed telltale signs that we were about to leave the house, they’d become anxious and stressed. This was especially the case up until we moved back to the Bay Area in 2023.

I will say their separation anxiety has improved massively in the past three-and-a-half years. We no longer crate them when we go out because we’re renting from family. I do feel that’s helped calm them.

If you’re in love with the Alaskan Klee Kai, breed, but you’re planning to leave your dog at home alone while you’re at work, you should probably think about signing up for doggie daycare or even a different dog breed that doesn’t typically struggle with separation anxiety.

High Anxiety crate

A dog crate won’t fix your Klee Kai’s separation anxiety. Not even Impact’s High Anxiety crate, designed to withstand anxious and destructive dogs.

You can read my Impact High Anxiety review here.

However, we had to use crates when we rented in the Bay Area, London and the Cotswolds because we couldn’t risk our dogs doing any damage to the properties.

They still love their dog crate, especially the High Anxiety. We often find them inside, presumably because of the den-like feel. We leave the door open. But we don’t crate them when we leave anymore. If they’re in there, they’ve made that choice!

Notoriously Picky Eaters

Skye’s Selective Appetite

Skye has been a fussy eater since she turned 1. As a puppy, she would happily eat the kibble recommended by our breeder. But after her first birthday, we noticed Skye stopped eating her food.

We tried several dog food brands, but our fussy Alaskan Klee Kai wouldn’t eat either kibble or wet food. While she might initially show interest in her dry food, her attitude would change after a couple of weeks.

We got stuck in a vicious cylce. We’d introduce a new food, Skye would eat it for a few months, then she’d stop. We’d take her to the vet (or emergency vet), they’d prescribe anti-nausea medicine, and tell us to cook chicken and rice. We’d repeat that every few months.

Picky Eating Resolved

We decided to go with fresh dog food meals in the UK, and it worked reasonably well. Whenever we’ve temporarily switched to back to kibble, Skye would soon turn her nose up at her dry dog food.

Since returning to the US, we’ve tried air-dried and fresh dog food, but we finally resolved Skye’s pickiness towards the end of 2024 after discovering We Feed Raw.

Her transformation since switching to raw dog food has been amazing. She shows consistent mealtime excitement, watches me as I prepare her food, and makes sure to finish it before Copper can get a whiff. She’s been consistent with it for over two years now and this is the longest she’s stuck with a food in her nine years of life!

I Switched My Picky Eater to We Feed Raw: Read My 5 Reasons I’m Never Going Back

Other Klee Kai fussiness

We’ve received many messages on social media from other Alaskan Klee Kai owners with similar experiences. So, it seems to be a common theme within the breed.

I’ve personally recommended We Feed Raw to a few Klee Kai owners, and they’ve experienced similar remarkable results since making the switch.

Every Klee Kai is different, and Copper is food-motivated. We haven’t really experienced the same degree of fussiness with Copper, though there have been some food brands he won’t even touch.

Heavy Year-Round Shedding & “Coat Blows”

Year-Round Moderate-to-High Shedding

If you’re looking for a dog breed that doesn’t shed, then Alaskan Klee Kai isn’t the right breed for you.

They’re moderate-to-high shedders. Copper and Skye shed throughout the year, and they’ll blow out their undercoat at least twice.

It’s crazy how much fur there is on our floors and furniture. Nine years later, it’s no less frustrating or maddening. But they’re worth all the hair!

If you'd like to learn more about how much Alaskan Klee Kai shed, you can read our in-depth article on Alaskan Klee Kai shedding here.

Regular Grooming Routine

You’ll need to brush your Klee Kai at least 2 to 3 times a week to remove dead or loose hair caught in your coat.

Copper and Skye are both skittish, which doesn’t make brushing them any easier. In fact, they’re skittish with bath time, nail trimming, teeth brushing and paw cleaning.

This is something to keep in mind because sometimes it can become a two-person job!

Our grooming routine

We previously recommended buying the Tangle Teezer because it’s our favorite brush and, perhaps more importantly, Copper and Skye’s favorite brush to use during our grooming sessions.

You can buy it here if you’ve got a high-shedding dog and you want to change the brush. However, after extensive research, Yasmin developed her own four-step approach to grooming Klee Kai.

We’ve spent years living with dog hair everywhere, whether it’s hair accumulating in a corner of our home or avoiding wearing black clothes because of hair on the sofa.

She did a deep dive into the best dog grooming tools on Reddit earlier this year, and we unearthed some products that have transformed how we groom Copper and Skye.

We now use these exclusively, and they’re so good at dislodging loose hair from the undercoat and the outcoat. We’d highly recommend them to any Klee Kai owners.

Ultimate Dog Grooming Tools: What We Use On Heavy Shedders

Unreliable Recall & Off-Leash Reliability

In our experience, Alaskan Klee Kai are smart dogs that learn new commands quickly and excel at general training.

Distractions overule commands

If you’ve got a food-motivated Klee Kai like Copper, it makes things easier. But that doesn’t mean his recall is perfect.

The one area of training that has proven a struggle is recall training. It’s an area that requires consistent work. Copper and Skye have decent recall, but it could be a lot better.

We had a scary incident in 2023 when Copper slipped his leash and chased a coyote. Suffice to say, his recall didn’t work that day. Fortunately he came back unscathed.

Safety First on Walks

We try to work on it every time we go to the dog park or in our yard, but we always keep our Alaskan Klee Kai on leash for safety.

Even though Skye has much better recall than Copper, even nine years later, I still wouldn’t trust her to obey my command if she saw something worth chasing.

There have been occasions where Copper and Skye have spotted an animal or found an interesting smell, and his recall training goes out the window.

Strong Prey Drive Around Small Animals

Some Alaskan Klee Kai have quite a high prey drive, and when combined with their patchy recall, it can be stressful to allow your Alaskan Klee Kai off leash if you live in an urban area. They share this trait with the Alaskan Husky and the Siberian Husky.

Triggered by Small Creatures

We’ve seen many examples of Copper and Skye’s high prey drive over the past nine years, in many different circumstances: London parks, Cotswolds farmland, and even our yard.

Copper and Skye are both alert to small animals that could appear on our daily walks. Copper has an especially high prey drive. Whether it’s a cat, squirrel, rabbit, bird, field mouse or duck, Copper would love to chase animals if given the opportunity.

Bite as bad as his bark

At our local dog park, in a field in the British countryside, Copper has caught and killed a few field mice. This further lends itself to the theory Klee Kai really are like cats.

But he also has chased gophers in our yard and got his collar caught on a hook in the ground and almost choked himself. We’ve also discussed the coyote incident.

As we mentioned at the start of this paragraph, we have decided to keep our Alaskan Klee Kai on a lead unless we’re in an enclosed dog park because we don’t trust their recall.

Managing Common Challenges

Our final verdict

Alaskan Klee Kai can make great pets, but they’ve got their advantages and disadvantages, just like any breed or mix.

We love what great companion dogs our Klee Kai have been over the past nine years, keeping us company through life’s ups and downs.

I’m always amazed by just how versatile Copper and Skye have proven to be: different homes, transatlantic flights, and adapting to a child in the home.

While we’ve overcome some of the cons, such as Skye’s picky eating and separation anxiety, their shedding and poor recall remain areas to work on.

If you've never had a dog before, read whether we think Klee Kai good for first-time owners.

But overall, we wouldn’t swap a single moment in the past nine years, and the pros significantly outweigh the cons.