Ounoki Kensha 王の木犬舎

13/01/2024

I cannot get over this beautiful piece by Heartstriingz Studio of our little Kai team ❤️❤️❤️
I told Hannah a little bit about each dog and she perfectly represented each of them!

From left to right:
Nami, Akiko, Shoki and Flóki ❤️

11/01/2024

I’m delighted to share that Shoki’s Embark test came back and he is CLEAR for both types of Progressive Retinal Atrophy that Kai are known to be affected by! This means that down the line if Shoki is suitable for breeding, regardless of who he is paired with, he cannot pass the gene on to his potential offspring.

His genetic COI is 14% (Pedigree COI is 0%)
He carries cream (Ee)
He does not carry piebald (SS)

Interestingly, he has not come back with low ALT like most other Embark tested Kai and Nihon Ken!

Embark dog DNA test - Taihei Shokirou Go Yuugiri Sou wants to share his results with you!

11/01/2024

04/01/2024

Proud to share that Nami officially has achieved her CHIC number 🥳

Her brother Flóki goes for his same tests tomorrow, hopefully he will pass too! 🤞

31/12/2023

A happy new year from us at Ounoki Kensha, as we look back on our 2023.

The year started off badly as we said an unexpected and tragic goodbye to our Frenchie Maddie after a sudden untreatable illness. She is missed more than words can describe.

Despite not feeling like it, we attended Crufts which would be Nami’s first event as a breed ambassador and she did AMAZING, letting everyone learn about the breed and cuddle her.

We attended our only Association of Nihon Ken UK event in April which was All About Dogs in Newbury, where we mostly just hung around with our friends on the stall.

In May we kept ourselves very busy, first with Nami and I visiting Liverpool for Eurovision to make the most of such a rare event, and then taking the massive leap into the show world by attending the Japanspesialen 2023 in Norway with Toboetsuki Inuits & Hokkaido Ken. We didn’t do very well and we were very inexperienced but it was something I will never forget!

In June Nami followed in her mother’s footsteps and passed her Good Citizen Canine bronze award, and June 23rd brought Akiko’s 5th birthday!

We wound down our year a bit from there, we had planned to attend another show in France in October but we both girls coming into season that week, we chose to skip it- and use those funds elsewhere. Nami and Flóki celebrated their first birthday!

The first week of December I made the insane journey to Japan alone to bring back our first ever Japanese import Shoki! Now a three-Kai family, Shoki has settled into U.K. life very well!

Finally we drew the year to a close with performing some final health testing, Shoki had his embark test taken and Nami passed her patellar, cardiac and dentition exams which pending OFA approval will give her a CHIC number like Akiko.

2023 was also a good year for the Kai breed in general, with three imports to the U.K. and the club’s official launch.

We hope 2024 will be even better!

23/12/2023

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Ounoki Kensha team!

19/12/2023

The Ounoki team!
It’s hard to believe Nami is no longer the baby, and Akiko is the eldest.
I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished in our short time in the breed (5 and a half years now though!) and I’m really excited to see what 2024 brings for us.

Akahana Go 赤花号 Ounoki Kensha 王の木犬舎 - 14 months
Taihei Shokirou Go 泰平庶幾狼号 Yugiri Sou 夕霧荘 - 18 weeks
Ronin Akiko 浪人明子 - 5.5 years

14/12/2023

It is my absolute pleasure to officially announce and welcome to the U.K., our first Japanese import boy, Shoki.

Shoki was born in Kagoshima, Japan, and bred by our friend Kinosh*ta-san of Yugiri Sou. I have admired Kinosh*ta-san’s amazing dogs and work in the breed as well as his search and rescue work for many years and it is a complete honour to have been given one of his Kai.

Last week I flew to Tokyo to undertake the importation of two Kai to Europe, our Shoki and Mori, who went to Sweden with our friend and fellow breeder Nana of Koyutuk Kennel. I had the most wonderful time in Japan, visiting Kaikuro Go in the museum in Ueno, and running into Emilie of O’Chanur kennel who was also there for a Kai puppy!
It was wonderful spending time with Kinosh*ta-san and his dog Zozey as well as the puppies too.
So far Shoki has been the most wonderful addition. His sound temperament and eagerness is truly something special and I can’t wait to see how he grows up. Unfortunately he is very difficult to photograph 😂 so far the girls are unsure but slowly getting used to him.

Shoki brings some new lines to the U.K. genepool, with his sire being unrelated to all of our current dogs here. I have hopes that he will also give us improved structure and size, as well as keeping stable temperaments, but most importantly he will be a beloved family pet before all else. I hope he will also make a good breed ambassador!

This entire import process was a team effort and I cannot thank the friends and family who assisted me in this.
The greatest of thanks goes to Shoki’s breeder, Kinosh*ta-san, for blessing us with this amazing boy, for driving all the way to Tokyo with him and for assisting so much in the whole process.
I also cannot thank Michaella Dunhill-Hall of Vormund Kennel, Kisaki Naka of Taiga Kennel and Shigeru Kato of Awa Yamainu Sou and Japan Dog Export enough for all of their help, advice and mental preparation for this massive undertaking!
I thank Nana of Koyutuk Kennel for trusting me to bring her puppy safely to France and for the absolute pleasure of having her as a friend, I cannot wait to work with you more in the future.
I thank Nao and Rio of Futago Kennel for their advice on navigating Japan for the first time and their experiences with importing too.
And of course, I thank my family for their support and the massive drive to France and back to collect us from the airport.

Taihei Shokirou Go 泰平庶幾狼号 Yugiri Sou 夕霧荘

父 Migusā Go 美倶佐号 Aira Kensha 姶良犬舍
母 Hoshino Maihime Go 星野舞姫号 Yugiri Sou 夕霧荘

https://nihonken.pedigreedatabaseonline.com/en/Taihei-Shokirou-Go-泰平庶幾狼号-Yugiri-Sou-夕霧荘/pedigree/17317/i

02/12/2023

We will probably be pausing our break to at least share a few post from our upcoming trip to Japan! I fly out on Monday and will be back on Saturday with little Shoki 🥹
Of course we needed some decorations to the suitcases 😉

01/11/2023

Please, if you are able, send a little money and support to our friend CJ and their pup Kouunme. CJ has been a good friend, supporter and boundless source of information since I started my journey in the Nihon Ken.

Hello, my name is CJ and I have been involved in Shikoku Ken and Kishu Ken for over a decade. I recentl… CJ Hammond needs your support for Kouunme's MRI

29/10/2023

Happy Halloween!

We are taking a well needed break from the internet until 2024, though we might pop in to update about health testing when Nami goes for her first bits in December.

08/10/2023

🇫🇷 Ôjin dans son environnement naturel. 🥰
🇬🇧 Ôjin in its natural environment. 🥰
📸 Piktures Arts
#甲斐犬

06/10/2023

I find myself regularly having to justify myself, my dogs and my breeding program, because at the end of the day, there is always someone who disapproves of what you’re doing.
Contrary to what people think (though those on my personal facebook probably know more), I am critical of myself, my dogs and my program, however, I tend only to post the good things to this page and everything else to my personal Facebook.I want to discuss some of the things that have been said about me to put the rumours to rest.

🟠“My dogs are nervous/was nervous at the Norway Show.” Yep, Nami was! We had NO idea what we were doing. We had just travelled for 40 hours, across six countries, and did something that we had never done before beyond ringcraft and practise at home. NEITHER of us knew what to expect, we were both nervous, and Nami fed off my insecurity, as well as the fact she was a 7 month old puppy who had just travelled 2000 miles doing something she’s never done before. She was nervous, and I expected too much of her and myself. I fully acknowledge this. That doesn’t mean Nami has a bad temperament. Quite the opposite, in fact. Nami is a very social dog, especially for a Kai, and is a ‘go anywhere, do anything’ kind of dog. I can take her anywhere without her getting stressed. She attended Crufts, Eurovision, walking around cities with thousands of people with no issue at all. She was extremely unhappy at the Norway show and that was on me, for not knowing what we were doing, and for pushing her. I was extremely stressed and I didn’t handle her well, which is why by the third day I was kindly given advice from other people. I don’t regret going, but there's many things I would’ve and could have done differently to make it a better show for us both. Yes, Nami was nervous at the show, but that does not properly represent her temperament and I invite anyone to meet us and see for yourself. I am ALWAYS happy for people to meet my dogs directly and see their true temperaments, not just how they are under one stressful situation. Akiko has never been shown, so claims that she was nervous at the Norway show are not true since she was not there.

🟠“I do nothing with my dogs/I am not physically active with my dogs.” I work a full time job where some weeks I am working 77 hours a week. I also cannot drive. So you can imagine, going abroad to show in conformation is not exactly an easy situation for me. It takes months for me to plan a show, and often things end up cancelled due to my work anyway. I cannot drop everything to go to France or elsewhere to show every weekend, for me, it’s a once or twice a year thing. If the breed were recognised here, I would be showing at every opportunity! I spent four years and thousands of pounds travelling around the country to represent the breed at events, yes, it might not be conformation, but I was still doing things with my dogs. What time I have not at work is dedicated to Akiko and Nami. Even if we are just hiking or doing dumb trick training, they have my whole life. I regularly run with them, and we often do 3-5 mile walks around the hillfort when the weather is okay (Nami hates the rain lol). Nami and I do mantrailing, and we are aiming for our next levels of Good Citizen Canine too. I don’t post everything I do with my dogs publicly either. Just because I did not have someone else handle my dog at a show doesn’t mean I don’t do anything with them. I’m fairly sure this comment comes from a background of ableism, but I can assure you that my dogs are appropriately exercised and stimulated. Kai are not physically demanding dogs. If you have seen me ‘not doing a lot’ at a show, that is simply a tiny glimpse of my life with my dogs.

🟠“Akiko has a genetic condition and should not have been bred.” Yes, Akiko has LTV. It is a common condition in Kai Ken, and Akiko is NOT the only Kai Ken in Europe who has been bred with this condition, and many European breeders have produced dogs with this condition. I am not going to do the entire explanation I did on my kennel page about the technicalities of the condition, especially since the genetic component is NOT fully understood, and even the OFA suggests breeding is okay as long as to an unaffected dog. The only place we haven’t seen this condition pop up is the USA, which may be luck on the genetics, or perhaps the testing is not being done. All of Akiko’s puppies will be screened for the condition at my cost when they are old enough to look for it. For some reason, Akiko has been accused of having genetic ‘defectS’, meaning more than one, despite the fact she has her OFA CHIC number and is health tested with completely passing results other than her LTV, which is not a failing result anyway. This is not the case, and I have always been 100% transparent about her health.

🟠“Astor went for a Japanese import because he couldn’t get one from Europe.” I went for a Japanese import because I wanted new lines to the UK and have followed this breeder for many many years and love that he works his dogs. Simple. Yes, I did speak to breeders in Europe due to interest in specific pairings that didn’t turn out but that alone isn’t why I went to Japan.

🟠“Astor has an agenda and is a breeder just to be a breeder.” I have always said that breeding is secondary to me. My dogs are my pets before all else, and if they had not turned out for breeding, I would not have bred them. I don’t have the space to house 10+ dogs for breeding, and nor would I want to, because my dogs are my pets first. My ‘agenda’ is that I adore this breed

🟠“Astor was told his pairing wouldn’t yield anything good.” I mean, that’s actually the opposite of what I was told. The planned mating of Akiko and Ôjin was in discussion for years between myself and other breeders looking at what weaknesses Akiko had and which stud would improve on those. In fact, my original planned pairing did not go ahead because we concluded there would be no improvement on Akiko’s faults from it. Both puppies improved on weaknesses in their parents. They are not perfect, no pairing or dog is, but they were an important first step for my program and I am very proud of them.

I am not perfect, nor are my dogs. There are people I disagree with and people who disagree with me, but I am and will always be transparent about my decisions and my mistakes. I have had one litter, I am just getting started in the breed, so no, I haven’t made great leaps and bounds or done a lot for preserving the breed here YET, but I am at the beginning of my journey.
I’m sure simply by posting this, people will criticise me for ‘biting’, but as I said, I am transparent, and I’d rather it come from the horse’s mouth.

14/09/2023

Love your dog unconditionally, even if they aren’t perfect ❤️

📸 Henri Pääkkönen

27/08/2023

Kai Friends! What do YOU want to see from our club?

⭐️ Social media - what posts would you like to see on our social media? Infographics? History? Videos? Or something else? Is there a social media platform you’d like to see us on? Let us know!
⭐️ Website - what sort of things would you like to see added to the website? Specific articles? Some sort of activities? Is there anything you would change about the website?
⭐️ Merchandise - if we were to offer some sort of merch, what would you be interested in?
⭐️ Other - anything else you would like to see!

Please get in touch by commenting below with what would be of interest to you!

19/08/2023

Little puppy made me very proud today!
Nami and I attended Chester Pride with my work today. She walked in the parade with us, among thousands of people, and then hung around our work stall for a while meeting and greeting people- and she was amazing!
She was more than happy being cuddled and petted by all the people who asked, giving kisses and tail wags (as well as shedding her coat all over them!)
I am so proud of this little puppy and her outgoing, strong temperament. I can’t wait to see her continue to grow and develop.

Akahana Go Ounoki Kensha - 10 months

31/07/2023

It’s taken a long time but I’ve finally finished writing the 3 part blog about Litter A.

I hope you’ll all enjoy ❤️

Part 1
https://www.ounoki.co.uk/litter-a-part-1-split-heats-and-french-adventures/

Part 2
https://www.ounoki.co.uk/litter-a-part-2-the-pregnancy-diaries/

Part 3
https://www.ounoki.co.uk/litter-a-part-3-baby-beans/

14/07/2023

Updates

We’re over halfway through 2023 now, so it’s time to reflect and discuss our plans for the rest of the year.

I initially planned to breed Akiko again on her next heat to a stud via AI, however it is taking quite a lot longer than I thought to organise the various steps of this. I am not overly hopeful that she will take via AI with the low success rate, but it’s something I want to try before seeking out a finale, natural stud.
I’ve decided to skip this upcoming heat and breed Akiko when she comes into season after this. I don’t know when this will be due to her unusual cycles, but once she has her upcoming heat, we will know more about where we stand.
I anticipate this will push our plans to early 2024.
So we may not have puppies this year but hopefully it will end up worth it! I am very excited for the litter I have planned so hopefully all will turn out.

Instead we’re going to make another trip to Europe in October to compete in the Cfcnsj - Club Français des Chiens Nordiques et des Spitz du Japon show in France!

This will be Akiko’s first time competing in FCI, and Nami’s first time being able to compete properly as she will be just over a year!

Hopefully we’ll have a bit more practise by this show and do better than we did in Norway!

11/07/2023

30/06/2023

A REMINDER:

WE DO NOT BREED JAPANESE AKITA INU. An article published recently listed us under Japanese Akita Inu breeders in the UK. We do not and will not ever have Akita puppies.

24/06/2023

Akiko’s birthday treat was a trip to the Mere for a swim- Akiko LOVES swimming!
Nami… was less than impressed 😂

23/06/2023

June 23rd 2018, the day my heart grew whole.
I cannot believe this amazing dog is 5 years old already. She has taught me so much in the time we’ve been together and continues to teach me every day. She is more than a dog, she is a piece of me, and I am so honoured to have her in my life.

I think it’s only fair we take a moment to appreciate this amazing dog and what she’s done in her time alive. We might not have had to chance to show in Europe yet but she’s certainly done her bit to get recognition for the breed here.
Dam of the first U.K. litter of Kai Ken, third Kai Ken to be imported into the U.K., first Kai Ken to be registered with the U.K. Kennel Club’s Activity Register, first Kai Ken to be registered with the Irish Kennel Club, first Kai Ken to achieve her Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme Bronze award, first Kai Ken to attend Crufts, and eighth Kai Ken to achieve her CHIC number.

Happy birthday Akiko ❤️

Ronin Akiko GCDS-Bronze “Akiko”, 5 years old, Kai Ken Belgium - Takai kennel Litter A
父 Tone No Benifuji Go Funato Kamiyama Sou
母 Sankt Xandors Ohana

Thank you always Lindsay Vangrootenbruel for blessing me with this amazing dog.

18/06/2023

Happy Father’s Day to sire of our Litter A, Ôjin! 💕

🇫🇷 J’attends que Hylia s’approche pour lui sauter dessus… 😈
🇬🇧 I'm waiting for Hylia to approach to jump on her… 😈
📸 Cindy Obitz photographe
#甲斐犬

04/06/2023

I’m sure I’ll have more to post about Norway once I’ve fully recovered from the travel, but in between that…

Today we attended our favourite companion dog show again at Whixall!
Whixall show is always a delight, it’s the closest to a real conformation show we can do with the Kai in the U.K. and we always have a lot of fun.
Akiko took Hound Group 3rd at the show under judge Mr Tom Mather, the chairman of Crufts. He said her coat was lovely and stopped to ask about the breed and our work with them which was very lovely!

Not to be outdone by her mother, Nami achieved her Bronze Good Citizen dog award! Akiko achieved this at the show last June, so I am very proud to have Nami also get this award. For such a young pup, she is coming on nicely and is easy to work.

We also spoke to someone at the show to put some plans in place for our next litter… more info coming soon 🫣