Samoyed

In my own words

 

Privet! (that’s Russian for “hi!”) because I am Russian you know. That makes me a very friendly, cuddly person. I just love to be in the middle of everything you do, and I particularly like parties, and playing with children. Sometimes my herding instincts get the better of me and I find myself rounding them up. Perhaps I can do this for you at tea time? If you have a farm or a ranch, I can help you bring in the animals. Though I say it myself, I think I’m the best family dog you can get because I love to go walking, I can pull a little cart full of children, I can do Dog Agility, I can watch out for your guests and tell you when they’ve arrived, then do the meet and greet. Best of all, I love to snuggle and cuddle with anybody who’s in the mood. And just look how adorably fluffy I am, look how expressive are my deep, dark eyes and black my beautiful nose and wide my grin. How can you resist?

Information essential about the Samoyed

 

Kennel Club Group:

Pastoral

 

Size: Medium: Male Height (UK Standard) 20 – 22” (51 – 56 kg), Female 18 – 20” (46 – 51 kg)

Male weight 51 – 66 lbs (23 – 30 kg) Female 37 – 55 lbs (17 – 25 kg).The American Kennel Club Standard is slightly bigger and heavier.

Popularity:

 

Increasing all the time.

Famous Samoyeds:

Etah was the first dog to reach the South Pole, being lead dog for Roald Admunsen’s expedition.

Kaifas and Suggen were lead dogs for Fridjof Nansen’s expedition to the North Pole.

Sammys feature in books (Stone Fox for one) and films including Maison Ikkoku, a Japanese animated series; Soichiro belonged to a character in the series, but soon became a major character in his own right, such is the powerful personality of the Sammy.

Karen Carpenter had a Sammy called Mush.

Breed History:

 

The Samoyed is a true pastoral dog, used for centuries by Russian reindeer herders in the Siberian tundra. He was used for sledding, herding, guarding and keeping his owner warm. The breed is known to be at least 3,000 years old, and is one of the fourteen most ancient breeds, including the Siberian Husky, the Alaskan Malamute and the Chow Chow. Having a somewhat wolf-like appearance, the Samoyed has been crossed with wolves to produce a wolf-dog.

Character:

 

Spend a few hours with a Samoyed, and you know you are in the presence of an ancient working dog. His whole instinct is to herd and pull, and keep close to you. His chief characteristic is his happy, alert expression and amazing smile, hence the nickname. His herding instinct is so strong that he will tend to herd anything in a group, and can often be seen gently rounding up children. Your Sammy will bond powerfully with you, but will be friendly towards everyone in the family and outsiders too. He will be a useful watchdog, as he has a tendency to bark, but won’t make a good guard dog, as he is far too nice to be aggressive.

Temperament:

 

Gentle, kind, loving, loyal and very cuddly, that’s your Sammy. He will follow you wherever you go, even into the shower if you let him. He hates to be by himself so bear in mind that leaving him alone, even for short periods, can be upsetting for him. Your Sammy can become bored if not given enough to do – after all he is at heart a working dog – and will dig or chew to relieve his frustration. Your Sammy will get on with everyone in the family, including small children and other dogs. Your cat will be safe too! Remember that with his heritage, he will pull on the leash unless trained to walk by your side. This tendency makes him an excellent playmate for the children, as he will happily pull them along on a sled or a cart.

Conformation:

 

Your Sammy should be a solid looking dog with a muscular frame, but graceful in action. His neck should be strong, and his chest deep. He should have a short back and a well plumed tail that usually curls over his back. His head should be broad and flat and wedge shaped to a tapering muzzle with dark, oval eyes, black lips and a black or brown nose.

Colour:

 

White!

Training:

 

Your Sammy can be trained to do almost anything you want – he will excel in obedience trials, Dog Agility contests, carting, flyball, tracking and mushing. His herding instincts mean he can be enormously useful on a farm, herding cattle, sheep or pigs, and of course can do well in either informal or formal herding trials. Given his centuries of sledding experience, you need to train him right from the beginning to walk with you, not tow you along!

Care:

 

Your Sammy will moult heavily in Spring and Autumn (Fall), and shed a fair bit in between, so a daily brush is essential and he will appreciate it, especially in warmer weather. Sammys feel the heat, being designed to live in a cold climate, so take care not to let him get too hot in Summer.

Health:

 

A healthy Samoyed should live to 15 years, or even longer. He has a hereditary tendency towards renal failure but this will normally show up before 15 months of age. Other inherited disorders include Diabetes Mellitus, similar to human Type 1 can occur in middle age, also progressive retinal atrophy which leads to blindness. Heart failure is more common than in some other breeds. Hip dysplasia is a concern, and rarely Sebacious adenitis, an autoimmune skin condition. Check with the breeder to see if any of these conditions are in the genetic history of your Sammy, because by no means all of them get all these diseases. They are a naturally long lived, healthy type of dog, and by paying attention to detail, your Sammy should remain healthy and playful right to the end.

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