The Samoyed. Beautiful stunning white coat and big happy smile. Many folk are captivated by this beautiful dog but without appreciating its heritage, it can be a disaster waiting to happen. The Samoyed originates in Siberia with the nomadic Samoyede people. As with any nomadic group everything has to have a purpose and the Samoyed dog fulfilled a number of jobs for this people, herding, pulling, hunting, as a watch dog and also as a companion and hot water bottle in the chooms at night and of course the thick coats would be used to. Ever wondered how the expression a three dog night originated then this is it. The colder the night the more dogs required to keep folk warm. So the Samoyed developed into an independent intelligent medium sized dog with strong hunting and working ethic, a high pitched bark which would travel some distance and a strong vocal tradition, and affection for all mankind. The Samoyed in the UK still possesses that heritage and the traits which were valued then. If you are looking to take on a Samoyed then forget that past at your peril.
So, the plus side to the Samoyed as a pet.
- Quick to learn
- Intelligent
- Athletic
- Affectionate
- Beautiful
And the downside:
- Low boredom threshold – leading to destructive or vocal tendencies
- Without sufficient exercise it will be destructive or vocal or both
- A keen digger
- A keen sofa hog
- Regular thorough grooming to keep the coat looking good.
The samoyed’s intelligence means that any partnership with one is exactly that a partnership it is up to you to convince the dog that it really is a good idea to do something. Given the strong will of the Samoyed this can be a negotiation and so they do not learn in the same way as other dogs such as labs and collies. But whatever, a firm and consistent stance is needed otherwise the Samoyed will rule the roost. The girls are probably the more independent of the sexes but the dogs do go through an awkward teenage stage between 1 and 2 which can be very challenging. People who go in to this with their eyes shut tend at this point to put the boys into rescue rather than work through it, which is a shame as once the boys come out the other side they are probably more obedient and affectionate than the girls in our experience.
Having a hobby you can do with your Samoyed is a good way of bonding and ensuring that their brain is well exercised as well as their body. You will see that the sams are capable of doing well in a number of spheres such as sledding, agility, obedience as well as showing.
Within the sledding arena, this does not have to be with loads of dogs and a rig, you can exercise your sam and have fun and compete by either bikejoring (i.e. cycling with your dog attached to the bike in a harness) or join in canicross ( running with your dog in a harness). Also in the summer a number of folk also backpack with their dogs i.e. walking long distance with the dogs having their own backpack to carry water etc. Any of these provide a great outlet for the Samoyed and you will be sure to be stopped at a lot of places on route for folk to admire your lovely dog.