Samoyed Dog — A Complete Guide

First things first… What is a Samoyed Dog?

The Samoyed Dog is a sweet, intelligent, and faithful dog who adores spending time with his owners. They are gentle and affectionate toward children and enjoy participating in family activities..

Though their temperament is endearing, they were born to hunt, and the instinct remains deep in them. Every little fuzzy guest, such as the next-door neighbor’s cat, will be pursued. If you have a cat, they should be bonded when they are young, and even then, supervision is recommended. They should always be walked on a leash because their hunting instincts are very strong. In the house, they need space to romp and play and are not ideal for small apartments.

They can be chatty, expressing themselves by howls, barks, or grumbles. They adapt better to a range of training methods. Frustration with routine tasks can make them difficult to train. The Samoyed Dog needs to solve problems. So activities like agility and monitoring are ideal.

Their gorgeous coat does need a lot of grooming, particularly when they shed. You should expect to see hair anywhere at this moment, including the kitchen, your sheets, and your bed.

Although the breed is not quick to care for, their beautiful fur and good character more than compensate for the daily brushing.

History of the Samoyed Dog breed

The Samoyed is an old breed that is closely related to the primitive canine, although there are no wolves or foxes in the gene pool. They were a working dog who lived in Siberia with Samoyed hunters and fishermen, hence the dog’s name.

The dogs were used to pull sleds or guard their home, and they were excellent at herding reindeer. They have good herding instincts and can even softly herd the children where they want them to go. Because of their heavy fur and close bond with humans, the Samoyed Dog even slept with their owners to keep both humans and dogs warm.

The dogs were introduced to England by the explorer Robert Scott in 1889. It is likely that fur traders imported the breed to the west, although this is not confirmed. The breed was further established in England, and it spread across the world from there. Today, only twelve dogs are cited as the ancestors of the Samoyed breed.

Samoyed Dogs are well-known sled dogs today, and they are used frequently in America and Europe. Smaller than many other breeds, they have to compensate with good endurance and rigid temperament.

Physical characteristics

Despite the spectacular impression, the Samoyed is a working dog. The dense double coat will keep it active under the harshest of conditions and makes it impervious to cold. They have a slender, muscular body and a wedge-shaped, long, and slightly crowned head. The muzzle is proportionate to the dog’s height, with a tapering nose. The nose may be black, blue, or liver in color and the lips are black. They have deep, black, almond-shaped eyes with slanting brown eye rims. The Samoyed Dog has erect triangular ears and a medium-length, well-covered hair tail that is folded onto their back. Their legs are strong and muscular, with flat feet and dark, thick hair.

The Samoyed Dogs have a permanent grin, the so-called Sammy-smile, which has a practical purpose. The upturned corners of their mouth keep them from drooling and avoid icicles from growing on their face in cold weather.

The color should be white, less common cream. They sometimes have a light to dark brown tint (known as “biscuit”), usually around the tips of the ears. They have a ruff across the neck and shoulders to frame their heads.

Weight and Size

The Samoyed Dog is a medium-sized canine. The AKC standard is 45–65 lbs for dogs and 35–50 lbs for bitches. The height should be 21–23,5 inches for dogs and 19–21 inches for bitches. The European countries’ standards are generally somewhat smaller.

Grooming

There is no way around the fact that their exquisite thick coat necessitates thorough grooming. They shed extensively seasonally, but the thick coat requires constant brushing to avoid matting and debris from being stuck in the dense coat. In colder weather, their thick fur should be tested for ticks or fleas, since these dogs are not complainers and would not tell you whether they are sick. This concealment of their condition is most likely due to the fear that if they were discovered to be sick, they would be targeted by the rest of their pack.

The coat remains white even without bathing. In fact, they shouldn’t be bathed frequently, and they only wash with water if they have rubbed in dirt or anything that smells bad.

They are active dogs who like running around, but they may need regular exercise to stay emotionally and physically healthy. Ear and eye checks to maintain good hygiene, as well as nail cutting if the nails grow too long, are indicators of good grooming habits. This breed is not conducive to living in a hot climate.

Temperament and Character

The Samoyed is very devoted, polite, and gentle. They enjoy playing and are easy to get along with. Because of its cheerful demeanor, it isn’t much of a watchdog. At most, it will warn you when someone is nearby. The breed is highly intelligent and reacts well to a strict yet reasonable leader, so socialization and training can begin at a young age. If the dog is allowed to take over, he or she can develop behavioral problems such as obsessive barking.

They need a lot of mental and physical stimulus. The Sammie is good-natured, energetic, and sociable. It needs reasonably strong leadership and rules in place. Not wanting conflict, they can still deal with it if it arises. They do have a reputation for chewing on things, particularly when they are young. They can be very destructive when left alone for extended periods of time. They will get bored and will find ways to get rid of surplus energy in a way that isn’t desirable.

This dog has a very good hunting instinct, so be cautious of smaller animals. They are fine if raised around them from puppyhood.

The Samoyed as a family dog.

Samoyeds are excellent family dogs. They are sociable, friendly and enjoy company. They have a strong herding instinct. so much that some people still use them as herding dogs. They have few problems coexisting with other dogs. However, they may get too enthusiastic and nip or chase another canine friend. They are strong and sometimes overact in playing.

If you want your Samoyed to be familiar with a cat and vice versa, you should introduce them while the dog is still young. Cats and older Samoyeds can have problems with one another.

And if you have children, you don’t need to worry about the Samoyed Dog. He will comfortably keep up with any child due to his liveliness, patient temperament, and boundless capacity. A child could invite friends over, and the same rules would apply. The Samoyed would frequently enjoy meeting new people.

The Samoyed is a good family dog. Just consider his strong hunting instinct.