The Showdog Magazine - Catch the Fever
The Showdog Fever
Breed in the Spotlight
Written by Cristalina Pyrshep
Samoyed
KC: Pastoral Group
UKC: Northern Breeds
AKC: Working Group
FCI: Group 5. Section 1. Nordic
sledge dogs. Without working trial.
Showdog.com: Working Group
A Real World Introduction
Brief History
The Samoyed originated as a multipurpose dog for the Samoyed people. These nomadic people were dependent on reindeer for everything from food to clothing. The dogs were used to herd the reindeer and guard them by warning their people to the presence of wolves and bears. The dogs were also used for pulling sledges. Because of the Samoyed's close association with people, they are said to have gained the ability to “display affection to all mankind”.
Samoyed were first imported to Britain in the early 1890s, when Queen Victoria’s family spread across Europe and into Russia. In 1888, a picture drawn for the "Pen and Pencil" to celebrate their Silver Wedding, shows a Samoyed sitting at the feet of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Paintings of Samoyeds are still in the present Queen's art collection.
In the twenty five years before the First World War, a number of explorers attempted to reach the north and south poles. The majority of expeditions used dogs to pull sledges, obtaining them wherever they could. Some of these dogs were brought back to Norway, Britain, New Zealand and Australia. The Kilburn-Scotts started to gather these dogs together, and in the early twentieth century, they visited the Sydney Zoo, where a Samoyed typed dog was exhibited between two tigers! The dog was eventually bought and taken to England, where he was named Antarctic Buck.
The Kilburn-Scotts drew up the first Breed Standard for the Samoyed, basing it on the best traits of the dogs they had. They then set about breeding the dogs they had gathered, and which regularly conformed to it. This standard stated "all colours permissible; white preferred," but the black and brown dogs quickly disappeared. Most owners today may notice that Samoyeds carry one or two black hairs somewhere. Eventually the dogs in Britain were producing a fairly unified breed, and were exported to other countries.
Temperament
The Samoyed is a wonderful breed of dog. They are striking in appearance; with their sparkling white coats, and have the temperament to match greeting the whole world with a smile. The Samoyed always shows affection, and to meet a bad tempered specimen is an extreme rarity.
Today
Taking on the privilege of owning a Samoyed should not be taken on lightly. Their beautiful coats demands a lot of attention to remain at its best, and due to their history of working in Siberia, they require plenty of exercise to be kept fit and active.
The Samoyed is an active, mischievous and incredibly inquisitive breed. They always want to be with you and be a part of the family. This is a breed that thrives on human attention, and is always willing to please. They are generally excellent with children and make a great member of the family. However if they become bored, they may turn into a destructive nightmare. They will destroy your house, dig up your garden and bark incessantly.
Providing you can offer the exercise and stimulation they need, the Samoyed is a delightful breed to own and truly deserve the reputation of being the “happy breed”.
Height: Males: 51–66 lb; Females: 37–55 lb
Weight: Males: 20 – 23.5 inches; Females: 18 – 21 inches
Life Expectancy: 12 – 15 years
The Samoyed on Showdog
Samoyeds are currently ranked #117 on the breed list with 6 ranked kennels and twenty-six listed kennels overall.
Austri is at present the number one Samoyed Kennel and has bred fifty-one Champions so far. Golden Corral is currently ranked second.
Here is what they have to say:
1. SOP
Austri: To my knowledge, the top SOP in the breed is 90.40%. However dogs above the 90% mark are still very uncommon and I would consider that anything 88.75% and above would be finishable.
Golden Corral: The current range is in the 89's. Finishable is anywhere from the high 88's to 89's. I am not for sure what the highest SOP is right now, but I believe it is 90.15, one of the first pups in the 90's bred by me.
2. Availability
Austri: At the moment, Samoyeds are a rare breed with only a handful of breeders showing. However, there are usually a number of dogs for sale that would be perfect for a new kennel to get started in. Brood and show prospects both are almost always available and at reasonable prices. If on the rare chance there is nothing on the for sale page, just send an email and one of us will be more than happy to set you up!
Golden Corral: Since there are not very many breeders, it is a little harder to obtain a Samoyed, although we all put pups up for sale. We don't keep them for sale forever, though. Eventually we must FH. All of us are very friendly and willing to help get new breeders started. Austri has sold me nice broods and nice show pups to get me started and was very welcoming!
3. Friendly Breeders
Austri: Our breed forum is extremely quiet, but the breeders are friendly and are happy help anyone who would like to join. We're willing to provide good quality dogs to get a new kennel going and to answer any questions that someone new to the breed might have. Prices on puppies and stud fees are always reasonable, rarely going over $100, and if help is needed to finish a dog, we'll come together to build majors as needed.
Golden Corral: Yes, of course we are friendly! Our breed forum is not the most active. We mostly use it to show off new pups!
4. Competition and Finishing
Austri: I've found that if I begin sessioning my show prospects the day they are born, they are fully sessioned around twenty days old. The amount of dogs showing at any given time is usually a small number. However the number of dogs required for majors is low so building them for a specific dog to finish is not especially difficult.
Show and group placements are limited, but not unheard of either. This is a good breed for anyone who wants a higher sop breed that still has room for improvement. I've found that it will take me around a week to finish one of my dogs, provided there's enough sessioned dogs to provide competition.
Golden Corral: Sessioning is fairly quick and easy. Finishing is a tad more difficult, because there aren't many entries in shows, but it's not impossible.
5. Colours
Austri: Samoyeds come in four colors: White, White and biscuit, Cream, and Biscuit. The predominant color in the show ring right now is White and biscuit. However I believe that there are a couple of breeders that are working at bringing the other colors back to a competitive sop.
Golden Corral: White is not as prevalent but is possible to get, WishMaker has been sourcebreeding Samoyed's for a long time and has created a cream line, which will be the first.
6. Traits
Austri: The most important traits according to our standard are Top Neck and Back, followed by gait, and then head, forequarter, and hindquarter. The current trait project in my kennel is to raise the numbers in feet while improving the darker blues in the top row. I'm sure that the other kennels in the breed have their own trait projects and are working to improve specific things in their own bloodlines.
Golden Corral: Top neck and back & Gait are our most important traits. Some breeders are trying to improve head and feet numbers.
Final Thoughts
Austri: Overall, Samoyeds are an ideal breed for someone who prefers a more laid back breed to work with. They are a perfect breed if your goal is to improve the sop for show placements, or if you're looking for a color project. There is no rush to grab for handlers, there are no outrageous stud fees or puppy prices. Even though the breeders are very quiet as a whole, I have found that they are always helpful and ready to answer any questions. For anyone who is considering joining our breed, please feel free to email me or any one of the other breeders. We would love for you to join us!
A big thank you to Austri and Golden Corral for taking the time to be interviewed and also to Golden Corral for nominating the breed to be featured. If you would like to know more about the Samoyed then the advice is to contact one of the breeders and they will be happy to get you started.
We are looking for breeds to appear in the upcoming issues of the SD Fever, if you would like to nominate a breed to be featured as a future ‘Breed in the Spotlight’ please post in the thread in the SD Fever Forum or PM Cristalina Pyrshep.