Hawaiian Poi Dog vs Chinese Shar Pei - Breed Comparison

Chinese Shar Pei is originated from China but Hawaiian Poi Dog is originated from Indonesia. Chinese Shar Pei may grow 18 cm / 8 inches higher than Hawaiian Poi Dog. Chinese Shar Pei may weigh 10 kg / 23 pounds more than Hawaiian Poi Dog. Chinese Shar Pei may live 3 years more than Hawaiian Poi Dog. Both Chinese Shar Pei and Hawaiian Poi Dog has almost same litter size. Chinese Shar Pei requires Moderate Maintenance. But Hawaiian Poi Dog requires Low Maintenance

Basic Information

Group:
Non sporting dog
Companion dog
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China
Indonesia
Height Male:
46 - 56 cm
18 - 23 inches
36 - 38 cm
14 - 15 inches
Height Female:
43 - 53 cm
16 - 21 inches
34 - 36 cm
13 - 15 inches
Weight Male:
18 - 25 kg
39 - 56 pounds
7 - 15 kg
15 - 34 pounds
Weight Female:
16 - 24 kg
35 - 53 pounds
6 - 13 kg
13 - 29 pounds
Life Span:
10 - 11 Years
5 - 8 Years
Litter Size:
4 - 6
3 - 5
Size:
Medium
Small
Other Names:
Shar-Pei, char pei
Native Hawaiian Dog, and Hawaiian Islanders’ Dog., Poi Dog, Ilio, Hawaiian Dog
Colors Available:
cream, red, blue, black silver sables, black bronze sables, isabelle (silver shading on a dilute-colored dog), cream dilute, flower (white with either blue or black patche , apricot dilute, lilac, chocolate, five-point red, sables, chocolate dilute, black, red fawn, brown
any color with white markings, brown mostly
Coat:
Horse-coat, Brush-coat and Bear-coat
short and fine
Shedding:
Minimal
Minimal
Temperament:
Affectionate, Alert, Courageous, Independent, Intelligent, Loyal, Responsive, Stubborn
Affectionate, Playful, Stubborn
Grooming:
Moderate Maintenance
Low Maintenance
Trainability:
Moderate
Hard
Hypoallergenic:
No
No
Kids Friendly:
Yes
Yes
New Owners Friendly:
Yes
Yes

History

chinese shar peiThe Chinese Shar-Pei is originally from Canton, China. The Shar-Pei has a blue-black tongue and many deep wrinkles. They have more wrinkles as a puppy than the adult dogs do. They are one of the rarest breeds in the world and are considered a basal breed – meaning their existence predates modern canines. Most canines are related to the gray wolf through genetic admixture. However, there are breeds like the Siberian Husky, the Greenland Dog, Finnish Spitz and the Shar Pei are all related to the Taymyr Wolk of North Asia through admixture. The Shar Pei is found throughout the centuries in Chinese artwork, especially found during the Han Dynasty, and are considered one of the most ancient of breeds on earth today. In this period, they were fighting dogs then became beloved pets. Today the Tibetans still use them as fighting dogs.

Following the Communist Revolution, the Char Pei was almost extinct until Margo Law saved the breed. During this time, they smuggled around 200 dogs into the United States. All the dogs in the United States today come from those 200 dogs. They were accepted in 1992 into the AKC. The dogs served as trackers, hunters, ratters, guard dogs and herders.

The Hawaiian Poi Dog was a descendent of the dogs brought to the Islands by the Polynesian. These Polynesian dogs were themselves descendants of the kuri dog of New Zealand. These kuri dogs were originally from Indonesia. The Hawaiian Poi dog is now extinct but at one time was considered the spiritual protector of Hawaiian children and also used as food by hungry Native Hawaiians.

The dog was called poi which was the word for a food staple mad from the root of Taro and used to put weight on the dogs before they were eaten. Meat was not fed to the dogs because it was too scarce. There was no large mammals to hunt and so the breed was never given a standard. The Poi dog seen by European explorers were short legged, pot bellied canines that lived with the hogs in the towns. Because of what they ate, the dogs were not highly intelligent but were stubborn and hard to train. Because the dogs were not suited for much beyond food and a spiritual charm, they became extinct when the traditional religion was no longer practiced and eating dogs was no longer acceptable. The breed pretty much disappeared by the early 20th century. Very few images of the dogs remain except for ancient petroglyphs.

There was an attempt by the Honolulu Zoo in the late 1960’s to redevelop the breed using local dogs to determine a standard. Then the local dogs were bred as close to the standard as possible. In the third generation one dog was born with the traits of a Poi dog. There was not much more success with this and then the Polynesian ship travel between Tahiti and Hawaii was recreated and a dog taken along.

Today’s mixed breed dogs in Hawaii are called Poi dogs but also have the stubbornness, unique appearance and ability to eat anything it is given like the original Poi. The dogs are small, and should not be confused with the original Poi dogs.

Description

chinese shar pei puppy - descriptionThe Chines Sar Pei has what if known as a Horse-coat which is prickly, harsh, and rough to the touch on one direction and rough to touch on the other. Western Shar Peis can be Horse, Bearcoat and Brush. The Brush is longer and smoother while the Bear coat is rare and in-between the two. The Bearcoat is not accepted by the AKC while the other two types of coats are.

The Shar Pei should have a hippo shaped head, a black-purple tongue, black mouth, deep set almond shaped dark eyes, small ears and red coats. His profile is square, and his muzzle is full and wide. Most Shar Peis only have facial and neck wrinkles left as adults.

As previously mentioned the Poi dog is somewhat unusual in size and shape due to what they ate. They looked somewhat like the native dogs of Polynesia and New Zealand. They have short legs, long bodies, somewhat obese and a very flat head. He had a short smooth coat, in any color or any pattern. They were however mostly brown and they might or might not have white markings.

Characteristics

chinese shar pei dog - characteristicsThe Shar Pei must be socialized early to other people, children and animals if he is to be friendly with them. He is loyal to his people and instinctively wary of strangers. He will be completed devoted to his people, but he is reserved and independent. They can be aggressive and territorial if not socialized. They are stubborn, loving and loyal. They are dominant, brave and playful. They are great watch dogs. Keep them busy because they tend to think a lot independently and if they don’t have a job they may create one.

Children friendliness

The Hawaiian Poi dog was very friendly and good with children

Special talents

The Poi was considered a good luck charm and a spiritual protector of children

Adaptability

Given what they faced in life, the Poi dog was very adaptable, living anywhere on the islands and eating anything it could find.

Learning ability

Due to their poor diet, the Hawaiian Poi dog was seriously lacking in intelligence and learning ability.

Health Problems

chinese shar pei puppies - health problemsBecause of the rushed and inexperienced breeding programs in the United States due to the popularity of the breed, there are many health issues in the North American version of the Shar Pei. Their life expectancy is generally under ten years. They are prone to:

  • Familial Shar Pei Fever - congenital
  • Atopic Dermatitis – due to skin and coat conditions
  • Skin Infections – due to skin and coat conditions
  • Amyloidosis – Long term related to FSF
  • Entropion eye issues
  • Ear infections
  • Vitamin D deficiency hereditary

Probably due to its diet, the Poi dog had several problems to their health. Their poor diet led to a sluggishness both in movement and intelligence. Its development was hampered by a lack of protein. Malnutrition and serious over inbreeding caused a weakness and poor oral hygiene. Due to this lack of teeth and chewing the bones in the dogs heads became flat. The Poi had breathing issues and overall lethargy.

Caring The Pet

Feeding

chinese shar pei dogs - caringFeed a good quality dry dog food but do not overfeed. You should feed twice a day about one cup per six pounds for puppies. Adults should have two cups a day.

Health issues

• Familial Shar Pei Fever – congenital and serious. This produces fevers that can last from 24 hours to three days. Swelling around the ankles is due to fluid retention.

  • Atopic Dermatitis – due to skin and coat conditions hereditary
  • Skin Infections – due to skin and coat conditions hereditary
  • Amyloidosis – Long term related to FSF and leads to renal failure.

• Entropion eye issues – eyelashes curl in and inflame the eye. Can cause blindness if not treated. Requires surgery.

  • Ear infections – yeast infections – clean them often.
  • Vitamin D deficiency hereditary – causes swollen hocks syndrome and fever.

Exercise and games

Both as a puppy and an adult this is a pretty active dog. He needs at the very least to be walked every day or have a back yard to play in. They are sensitive to heat so bring them in when its really hot and don’t walk them in the heat. They love to play, are athletic and competitive. Try agility, tracking, rally and obedience trials.

Feeding the puppy

With meat being rare in Hawaii, none was available for the dogs. They were fed Poi – from the Taro plant roots. Puppies were fed 2-3 times a day.

Feeding the adult

The adult dog was fed once or twice a day the same as Poi puppies were fed.

Points for Good Health

The Hawaiian Poi dog basically has not good health points.

Games and Exercises

The Poi dog did not need and did not get much exercise, leading to its demise.

Comparison with other breeds

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  29. Chinese Shar Pei vs Labrador Retriever - Breed Comparison
  30. Chinese Shar Pei vs West Highland White Terrier - Breed Comparison
  31. Chinese Shar Pei vs French Bulldog - Breed Comparison
  32. Chinese Shar Pei vs Beagle - Breed Comparison
  33. Chinese Shar Pei vs Yorkshire Terrier - Breed Comparison
  34. Chinese Shar Pei vs Poodle - Breed Comparison
  35. Chinese Shar Pei vs Rottweiler - Breed Comparison
  36. Chinese Shar Pei vs Boxer - Breed Comparison
  37. Chinese Shar Pei vs English Pointer - Breed Comparison
  38. Chinese Shar Pei vs Siberian Husky - Breed Comparison
  39. Chinese Shar Pei vs Doberman Pinscher - Breed Comparison
  40. Chinese Shar Pei vs American Bully - Breed Comparison
  41. Chinese Shar Pei vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  42. Chinese Shar Pei vs Affenpinscher - Breed Comparison
  43. Chinese Shar Pei vs Afghan Hound - Breed Comparison
  44. Chinese Shar Pei vs Aidi - Breed Comparison
  45. Chinese Shar Pei vs Airedale Terrier - Breed Comparison
  46. Chinese Shar Pei vs Akbash Dog - Breed Comparison
  47. Chinese Shar Pei vs Akita - Breed Comparison
  48. Chinese Shar Pei vs Africanis - Breed Comparison
  49. Chinese Shar Pei vs Askal - Breed Comparison
  50. Chinese Shar Pei vs Atlas Terrier - Breed Comparison