PetzloverHawaiian Poi Dog is originated from Indonesia but Malti-Pom is originated from United States. Hawaiian Poi Dog may grow 10 cm / 4 inches higher than Malti-Pom. Hawaiian Poi Dog may weigh 10 kg / 23 pounds more than Malti-Pom. Hawaiian Poi Dog may live 7 years less than Malti-Pom. Both Hawaiian Poi Dog and Malti-Pom has same litter size. Hawaiian Poi Dog requires Low Maintenance. But Malti-Pom 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 sweet little Malti Pom is a dog which comes from crossing two purebreds – the Maltese Poodle and the Pomeranian.
The appearance of this dog will vary according to how much of each breed is in the dog. The exact origins of the Maltipom breed are unknown but many new dog breeds have originated in the United States.
The Maltipom is also not recognized by the AKC because it’s a hybrid of two pure breeds and not looked upon as a new breed. It is however recognized by the American Canine Hybrid Club.
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 Malti-Pom is a crossbreed, so pinpointing his exact size can be somewhat difficult, but you can expect him to be in the region of 20 to 28cm and weigh in at about 2 to 5kg.
Both the Maltese and the Pomeranian are both toy dogs, so the Malti-Pom is almost sure to be a small dog. His appearance will also vary depending on which side he inherits most of his looks from. Generally though, he has a long coat of straight, soft hair.
He is a low shedder and with the poodle side of him he is looked upon as being hypoallergenic. The coat can be cream, apricot, white or black as well as a combination of these colors.
This is such a friendly, amicable little dog. He is good with children and can get on well with other pets in the home.Children should be taught to be gentle with any dog, but particularly a small one like this.
The Malti-pom is extremely loyal and affectionate with its family members, but ends to form a special bond with one member of its family.
These little dogs are generally reserved with strangers. They are well-behaved, sociable and can mix well with children and pets in the home. These toy dogs are clever so you won't battle with him with training and socialization.
Although the Maltipom looks cute and is an amicable dog, he can bark quite aggressively when he encounters strangers who he believes might harm his family. He makes a good watchdog.
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.
Because your Malti-Pom comes from two different dog breeds, you can’t really say what kind of personality traits he will inherit.
Both the Maltese and the Pom are small lap-type dogs who are essentially companion dogs. You can be sure your Malti-pom is going to be cute, social, energetic, vibrant and loving. They are able to adapt well to life in the city or the countryside and a nice walk every day will go down well in terms of exercise. It give your pet a chance to get outdoors and to sniff new scents.
With the Maltese and the Pom being the two parents of this dog breed, you can be sure that you’re going to have a splendid little pet who is guaranteed to bring lots of smiles into your home from his jovial, entertaining ways
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.
Fortunately, the Maltipom is considered to be a healthy dog, and he can live with you for a good number of years with good care. The Maltipom could develop heart issues.
Heart disease is fairly common in dogs and some symptoms will include a cough, loss of appetite and he might tire easily. One of the common types of heart disease is degenerative valvular disease, where the heart valves fail.
It is believed that degenerative valve disease is a heart disease which accounts for about 75% of all heart disease in dogs. Diagnosing heart disease requires a number of different testing methods.
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.
The Maltipom is a tiny dog, and that’s an advantage actually as he isn’t going to cost you too much to feed. Half a cup of food in he morning and another in the evening will keep him satisfied.
If you give him commercially manufactured food, choose a high quality one specially made for small dogs. You can chop up cooked chicken, brown rice or pasta and some cooked vegetables finely and add this to his dry kibble from time to time as a tasty treat.
A tiny little bit of raw meat once in a while will also keep him healthy. Keep things simple – don’t try all sorts of weird foods with him as he can battle with digestive problems.
Groom your pet. Brush him at least twice a week. Check his eyes and ears for infection and remember to brush his teeth at least 2 or 3 times a week with special canine toothbrush and toothpaste.
Make sure he is exercised. He'll love a walk each day.