MyDogBreedsMiniature Pinscher is originated from Germany but Hawaiian Poi Dog is originated from Indonesia. Miniature Pinscher may grow 8 cm / 3 inches shorter than Hawaiian Poi Dog. Miniature Pinscher may weigh 10 kg / 22 pounds lesser than Hawaiian Poi Dog. Miniature Pinscher may live 7 years more than Hawaiian Poi Dog. Both Miniature Pinscher and Hawaiian Poi Dog has almost same litter size. Both Miniature Pinscher and Hawaiian Poi Dog requires Low maintenance.
The Miniature Pinscher hails from Germany. It appears to be an ancient dog breed, going back hundreds of years and being used to kill vermin.
He is a distinct breed and much older than the Dobermann Pinscher. Development of this small dog started way back in 1895 when the Pinscher Klub was formed. It was renamed the Pinscher-Schnauzer Klub and the first breed standard was also written.
By 1929, the Miniature Pinscher Club of America was formed.
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.
This bright, alert little dog stands at 25 to 30cm and weighs in the region of 3 to 5 kg.
The body is lean and muscular with strong, straight legs. He has a short, sleek coat with no undercoat. The coat is black and tan, chocolate or a rusty shade. The ears are erect but sometimes they are half erect and half floppy, the little nose is black and the tail is usually docked. If you allow your Min Pin to breed, you can expect 2 - 6 puppies.
The Min Pin is a bright, feisty, alert toy breed, full of personality and full of spunk, making him an excellent watchdog too.
He isn’t aggressive towards his human family but he is full of attitude and can be aggressive with other dogs. He may be small but he isn’t a lap dog, being way too active for that, loving to be involved in a game or going for a walk.
He is loving with his human family, but training and socialization can make him a better pet, obedient and amicable. He is intelligent too so he learns easily. He gets along well with children but only when those children have been taught to be kind ad gentle with all animals, but particularly with teeny weenies like himself.
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.
The Miniature Pinscher is such a sporty, fun-loving, confident little dog that is also fearless for his small size.
He thinks he is a ferocious, big Dobermann Pinscher at heart and is ready to guard and protect his family with everything he’s got.
He is full of energy too and always ready for his daily walk and other forms of exercise and games.
He may be small, but he doesn’t want to be a lap dog, as he is too active for that. He can be highly entertaining and he promises to make you the most devoted and loving little family 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.
Min Pins are robust little dogs and can enjoy good health when looked after properly. They can reach 15 years of age and even more.
Just like with any other dogs though, they’re prone to certain health conditions. Your Miniature Pinscher is highly unlikely to get any of these diseases, but it's good to be aware of some of them.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy, known as PRA for short is an eye disease where there is gradual deterioration of the retina. You will no doubt see your dog being affected with night blindness – not being able to find their way around as they usually do.
Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease is a hip joint problem that often affects toy breeds. The blood supply to the head of the femur is decreased and you’ll notice your pet limping. It’s not an ailment reserved for old dogs either but can be found in puppies that are just 4 months of age.
Hypothyroidism is a disorder of the thyroid gland and can lead to skin conditions with your dog as well as lethargy, hair loss and obesity.
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.
Grooming is easy and you will simply need to brush him twice a week as his coat is short and smooth. There is really no need to bath the Min Pin and you could even take a damp cloth and wipe him down to avoid using a shampoo which could dry the skin.
Always check his eyes and ears for infection and check for fleas and ticks too. His nails will need to be trimmed, more so if he doesn’t wear them down naturally.
Check your dogs teeth. Small dogs are more prone to dental disease and you want to brush his teeth 2 or 3 times a week with special canine toothbrush and toothpaste to avoid dental problems.
The amount your Miniature Pinscher eats will be determined by his age and his activity levels.
When you buy commercially manufactured food, you will need to buy food that is recommended for small, energetic dogs. You don’t want to feed your pet dry kibble day after day, so a tasty, nutritious treat is to add finely chopped up boiled chicken, brown rice of pasta and some cooked vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and spinach into his kibble.
All dogs, but particularly little dogs, love simple food that is consistent like what has been mentioned. They don’t do well on strange, exotic kinds of foods as it upsets the stomach. Make sure he has cool, fresh water available to him at all times, night and day.
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.