Hawaiian Poi Dog is originated from Indonesia but White Schnauzer is originated from Germany. Both Hawaiian Poi Dog and White Schnauzer are having almost same height. Hawaiian Poi Dog may weigh 8 kg / 18 pounds more than White Schnauzer. Hawaiian Poi Dog may live 6 years less than White Schnauzer. Hawaiian Poi Dog may have less litter size than White Schnauzer. Hawaiian Poi Dog requires Low Maintenance. But White Schnauzer requires Moderate Maintenance
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.
The White Schnauzer was established in Germany in 2006 for people looking for this particular breed of dog but in white.
The traditional color is salt and pepper. It seems that breed societies don’t allow the white breed, saying they don’t conform to the ideal breed standard.
The White Schnauzer is officially recognized in Germany, If you have a White Schnauzer you may not be able to show him with some of the major kennel clubs.
White is one of the four color varieties of the Miniature Schnauzer and it is also recognized by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
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.
There are a number of different types of White Schnauzer. The white Schnauzer is actually one of 4 color varieties and these dogs are always miniature Schnauzers.
You won’t easily find a Standard- or Giant dog in white. They aren’t albinos, as the skin does have some pigment.
These dogs also have that square-shaped build and they stand between 28 to 36 cm in height and weigh between 4 and 7kg.
The coat is wiry with a soft undercoat. The ears are often cropped to stand erect, but if left they are half-erect, half-floppy and fold forward.
The White Schnauzer is an intelligent dog who will be able to be socialized and trained easily.
He is an energetic little dog and very playful and will get along well with children, loving the games they provide and loving to spend time with all members of his family.
He is loving and affectionate and is willing to share his home and people with other dogs too. He will make you a good watchdog, perhaps encouraged because of his reserve with strangers.
If you provide him with the right amount of mental and physical stimulation, he can become a balanced dog with an amicable personality.
The Hawaiian Poi dog was very friendly and good with children
The Poi was considered a good luck charm and a spiritual protector of children
Given what they faced in life, the Poi dog was very adaptable, living anywhere on the islands and eating anything it could find.
Due to their poor diet, the Hawaiian Poi dog was seriously lacking in intelligence and learning ability.
The White Schnauzer is such an adaptable little dog and he will happily adapt to life in the city or in the countryside, just so long as he is close to his human companions and gets sufficient exercise.
He is a sociable dog that just loves to be around his human family and won’t like to be separated from them for too long.
He makes a great family dog when you provide him with the right food, a warm dry place to sleep, exercise and lots of love and attention.
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.
While he is a spunky, robust type of dog, there are always going to be some health concerns to look out for.
Kidney stones may well not cause your pet the same pain that humans endure, but they are still a cause for concern. A kidney stone that gets too large and lodges in the ureter becomes a ureterolith. This can be very painful, resulting in pain and even vomiting.
The kidney can even swell and become damaged. Your dog could become critically ill, particularly because of the disrupted flow of urine.
Your pet will possibly have blood in the urine, fever, lethargy, poor appetite and weight loss. Veterinary-intervention will be imperative.
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.
The adult dog was fed once or twice a day the same as Poi puppies were fed.
The Hawaiian Poi dog basically has not good health points.
The Poi dog did not need and did not get much exercise, leading to its demise.
He is a low shedding breed so he will require a brushing just once a week. These dogs also have a certain professional grooming cut. Some schnauzer dog owners do stripping but this is mostly for show dogs.
Most people just have them sheared to make it easy to groom them. Whether stripped or clipped, they nearly always have a beard and bushy eyebrows.
Trim your pet's nails and give him a general once-over during the grooming sessions to ensure all is well.
You White Schnauzer relies on you to make wise food choices for him. He will eat most things you offer him. That doesn’t mean you should as you can cause him to have a whole lot of digestive problems.
If you choose to give him commercially manufactured dog food, make sure its a high-quality one – devoid of toxic ingredients such as colorants, fillers and preservatives.
If you don’t know how to choose, your vet can show you the foods they have in stock and which would suit your pet best.
A little bit of home-made food now and then can also be good, but the food needs to be plain and simple to avoid abdominal pain. Boiled chicken brown rice and vegetables chopped up and added to the dry kibble occasionally can be a very good choice.