MyDogBreedsJapanese Terrier is originated from Japan but Hawaiian Poi Dog is originated from Indonesia. Both Japanese Terrier and Hawaiian Poi Dog are having almost same height. Japanese Terrier may weigh 10 kg / 22 pounds lesser than Hawaiian Poi Dog. Japanese Terrier may live 7 years more than Hawaiian Poi Dog. Both Japanese Terrier and Hawaiian Poi Dog has almost same litter size. Both Japanese Terrier and Hawaiian Poi Dog requires Low maintenance.
The Japanese Terrier is native to Japan and is a rare pure bred dog. It is believed that the dog comes from Smooth Fox Terriers who arrived way back in the 17th century.
Certainly he looks very much like a regular Fox Terrier. It is thought that these smooth Fox Terriers were then interbred with local, Japanese dogs and used to hunt rats. Gradually he became a lap dog and companion.
Planned breeding of the dog began in 1920, and it was in 1930 that the dog was admitted to the Japanese Kennel Club with a breeding program being started.
Today you will find the Japanese Terrier in his home country and small numbers elsewhere. He was admitted to the United Kennel Club in 2006.
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 Japanese Terrier is a small sized dog who stands at 20 – 33cm at the shoulders and weighs in at about 2 to 5kg.
He is a short, smooth haired dog with a tight skin and in colors of white and black. Sometimes you may find a little bit of tan color on the face too as well as 'freckles' around the neck area and legs. The black shading of the coat is essentially found around the head of the dog and also his ears.
His ears are set high on the head and are semi-erect, semi-floppy. The tail has always been traditionally docked, giving the dog a nice compact look but these days it is unfortunately often left long and then its a medium length tail which is thinly covered in short hair. The nose is black and the eye are brown, bright and alert.
Gentle, cheerful, intelligent, loving and loyal are some of the characteristics of the Japanese Terrier. People who have kept him as a pet will vouch for him being a wonderful companion.
He is an active dog, but he still loves to be petted and won’t do well if left alone and not part of his human family. Being a clever dog, he is easy to train, learning easily and quickly. He is quite amusing at times and you can even teach him some tricks.
He gets on well with other pets in the home as well as with children. He is alert and will make a good watchdog, alerting you to an intruder.
Because of the Japanese Terrier’s small size and sensitive nature, this breed needs a calm owner and a quiet household. It is not recommended for boisterous households.
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.
As a pet of yours, the Japanese Terrier is an animated, contented little dog. He loves playing games and gets on well with children who aren't rough and disrespectful of him.
He is smart and gentle and loves nothing more than to sit on your lap in the evenings and be your reading- or watching-TV companion. Give him the right amount of attention as any other family member receives and he is guaranteed to make you an excellent, low maintenance pet.
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 Japanese Terrier has no particular health issues and has a lifespan of 12 – 15 years if looked after well.
There are always one or two illnesses to watch out for such as eye- and ear infections. Some dogs also develop conditions such as Patella Luxation. This happens when your dog's kneecap is dislocated. It can only be returned to its normal position when certain muscles in the back legs are relaxed and lengthened.
With this condition, your dog holds up one of his hind legs. This condition is more prevalent in small dog breeds.
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.
The Japanese Terrier is an active dog and will require exercise every day. He’ll love to join you on your walks or have ball games in your garden. He can adapt to life in the city or in the country but will always need to have good exercise.
The Japanese Terrier is a medium shedder and you want to be sure then to brush him twice a week to get rid of all those loose hairs.
The Japanese Terriers will require the best commercially manufactured dog food, and instead of one large meal a day, rather feed him 2 smaller meals. You can mix some tasty home-made food into his dry kibble from time to time. Excellent home-made food would be something like cooked chicken, brown rice or pasta and some vegetables.
If you can, try to also include some raw meat occasionally. If you’re in any doubt as to how to feed your Japanese Terrier so that he remains healthy, speak to your veterinarian.
Your dog should never ever be without a continuous supply of fresh, cool drinking water.
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.