PetzloverEnglish Springer Spaniel is originated from United Kingdom but Hawaiian Poi Dog is originated from Indonesia. English Springer Spaniel may grow 13 cm / 6 inches higher than Hawaiian Poi Dog. English Springer Spaniel may weigh 10 kg / 23 pounds more than Hawaiian Poi Dog. English Springer Spaniel may live 6 years more than Hawaiian Poi Dog. English Springer Spaniel may have more litter size than Hawaiian Poi Dog. Both English Springer Spaniel and Hawaiian Poi Dog requires Low Maintenance.
The English Springer Spaniel is one of many gun dog breeds that flush and retrieve. They descended from the Shropshire Spaniels and Norfolk Spaniels. The English Springer Spaniel is somewhat similar to the Welsh Springer Spaniel and believe it or not they are also closely related to the English Cocker Spaniel. In the last century the cockers and springers came from the same parents. The larger dogs flushed game and made game “spring” from the brush while the smaller dogs – the “cockers” would hunt woodcock. Eventually through specific breeding, the UKC of England recognized the “springers” as a separate breed.
Sydenham Edwards, in 1801, proposed that the spaniels be divided into the Springing or Hawking Spaniel and the Cocking or Cocker Spaniel. From this point on there was a flourish in the development of spaniel breeds in the 19th century. They were usually named for the county in which they were founded or after the individual who developed them. In 1902, the English Springer Spaniel was officially recognized as its own breed by the UKC. It was not until 1910 that the AKC recognized them as well.
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.
Among spaniels the English Springer is medium size and well compacted. Both the working dog and the show dog sport moderately long coats and a friendly tail. They both wear a gentle expression in their eyes. But there the commonality stops as the difference between the working English Springer Spaniel and the show line is greater in this breed than in any other. The gene pools have become almost separate over the last 70 years. If you put a field dog in the show ring they would not be able to compete. If you put a show line English Springer in the field, they would not have the stamina or speed for field trials.
The field line has a coarser coat and less pendulous ears. They may dock a few inches off the tail, and they are much scruffier than the show dogs. On the other hand, the show dogs have dewlaps, pendant ears and dangling flews. They are heavier and thicker than the field dog. They have long muzzles, not so prominent eyes and docked tails. The English Springer Spaniel stands tall and proud, coming from an ancient line of Spaniels
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 English Springer Spaniel is a friendly dog who loves to please his people. They are great family dogs, easy-going and affectionate. In addition, they are attentive and alert which makes them such great hunting dogs. With exceptional speed and stamina, he needs activity to stimulate his body and brain. He is very intelligent. That intelligence can lead to stubbornness as well. He’d great with kids and good with other pets with perhaps the exception of cats. The breed is in love with water and will get in at any time.
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.
Not an uncommon issue for most medium to smaller sized dogs. It can lead to lameness or arthritis.
Loss of vision due to a deterioration of the retina.
Clubs form in the retinal tissue and can lead to blindness.
The twisting or distention of the stomach that effects dogs with deep chests and can lead to death if not treated immediately.
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 English Springer Spaniel can gain weight easily and obesity is one of the biggest health issues for this breed. Feed them a high quality dry dog food. Working dogs need more energy and more calories than the inactive dog. An active member of the breed should have around 1353 calories every day in at least 2 meals if not 3. Do not feed a large meal before or after strenuous exercise as this can cause bloat.
In addition to the health issues listed above the English Springer Spaniel is also prone to:
This is a genetic condition where the body cannot use the carbohydrates it takes in and convert it to energy. This is identified as a blood disorder.
Causes seizures but can be treated with medications.
With longer , droopy ears, infection is always a possibility. Clean them regularly and keep them dry.
The working English Springer Spaniel is a very energetic dog requiring daily exercise and loving to play. They love walks and hikes. They can excel in competitions such as rally, agility, tracking, field and obedience.
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.