The Samoyed is charming, intelligent, active and playful through to old age; he is amazingly comical, yet thoughtfully sensitive. What sets this breed apart, aside from their magnificent beauty, is their love for all people.

 The Samoyed was named after a nomadic inuit tribe from northern Siberia in Russia, called the Samoyede people. The Samoyede people were a gentle, nomadic tribe of family groups, that were accompanied everywhere by their dogs. They used the dogs to herd reindeer, pull sleds loaded with goods, and keep them warm in the frigid Siberian winters. The dogs were also used to baby-sit the inuit children and were brought into their chooms (or tents) at night to keep the families warm. It was this close bond over thousands of years that made the Samoyed such a people loving, family orientated dog. The temperament of the well-bred Samoyed is a reflection of the breed's beginning: brought up within the family, eating at the campfire, snuggling in the beds, this dog is the ultimate companion, gentle with family members and happy to work.

In spite of his regal beauty and affectionate manner, the Samoyed can be a difficult dog to own. He requires weekly brushing to prevent matting and keep his coat clean. He sheds profusely each year, leaving white hair everywhere. Grooming is important to help keep him comfortable if your area has hot, humid summers.

A Samoyed is a natural born digger. If you are a gardening enthusiast I don’t recommend a Samoyed unless you keep him in a separate area. I have known people to describe their backyard as a moon crater. It is a Samoyeds natural instinct to make “beds” for it self. In the arctic conditions they would dig hollows to protect themselves from the climate. In Australia they tend to dig shallow ditches to find that cooler wetter ground and make themselves as comfortable as possible.

Although highly intelligent, this breed can be difficult to train, for the dogs have a mind of their own. They learn tasks easily but tire quickly of repetitive training, and thus do better with motivation than with correction (I.e. Positive reinforcement food / clicker training). Some Sam's resent obedience training so much that they perform their exercises with a hang-dog look, convincing spectators that the owner must frequently beat the dog into submission. If you make training fun for them with positive reinforcement Samoyeds can make excellent agility dogs. However, strong correction is sometimes needed, for the Samoyed will run the show if not notified that the handler is in charge. Samoyeds like malamutes and huskies are a dominant breed and highly intelligent; if you give them an inch, they will take a mile. All northern breeds are highly motivated pack members of their chosen family but the owners need to firmly establish their alpha leadership in the “pack”. Northern breeds will always look for a way to out smart you. But people need to understand that Samoyeds do this with a sense of humour and smile on their face not with a malicious intent.

 However, for those with a sense of humor to cope with this recalcitrance nature and who have the time to groom, the Samoyed is a wonderful family pet. The breed is excellent with children, always loves to play, and has a great witty sense of humor. Sam's can make good watchdogs by alerting you to visitors (but may tend towards licking them than scaring them away), but Sam's also make wonderful therapy dogs or can be competitive in agility (with positive fun training).

 The Samoyed has changed little in temperament, appearance, and ability from the time and place of his origin. He is still the consummate family dog, affectionate to almost everyone, at home on sofa or in harness, travelling hither and yon with his master. No one could possibly be lonesome with a Samoyed for a companion as they bond so closely with people. They are sympathetic and very responsive to owner’s emotions and people often say he knows exactly when I’m sad and lonely and when to give extra cuddles. Samoyeds have also shown to be receptive to owner’s health and have been known to become extremely attentive and depressed days before owners have fallen seriously ill due to the close link they form with their family.

 For this reason the worst thing you could possibly do to a Samoyed in their eyes is leave them in the backyard alone. If you don’t want a long haired dog inside, then the Samoyed is NOT for you. If you are worried about having white fur on your clothes, don’t get a Samoyed. Because a Samoyeds wants nothing more than to be with you ALWAYS and EVERYWHERE. This means inside, outside, in the bathroom, away on holidays, in the car down to the local shops, and walking the human kids to school. As far as a Samoyed is concerned they are one of the kids (or sometimes the master if you don’t enforce strong leadership) and therefore should have all the rights of one. They are often characterized as showing human emotion and characteristics. Their faces show deep emotions and they are the master of the big sad brown eyed look (don’t let them fool you).

 The Samoyed personality is quite unique in the dog world. “Fun” is the Samoyed motto. If the activity is considered fun by the dog, he’ll throw his all into it, but if the fun stops, he’s likely to switch off and go looking for something else to amuse himself. If you find your Samoyed is showing bad behaviors (e.g., excessive barking, digging, chewing) always ask yourself “what should he be doing instead, and would he consider that fun?” If the answer is “no, sitting around all day doing nothing while I’m at work is not considered fun”, then this will help you to understand why he prefers to pull clothes off the line. The best answer to this problem is of course to make your dog’s environment more fun by giving him things that he can do during the day.

General Appearance

The breed standard describes it as a medium-sized dog of moderate build. Males are noticeably larger than females.
Samoyeds can be from 45-60cm at shoulder and weigh from 16-32kg.

The Samoyed’s coat is a thick double layered hair coat. It is not a fur coat like common breed dogs and thus tends to have lower allergic reactions. The coat should be thick and requires little washing. Even when coated in mud, after drying the dirt tends to fall off easily or with gentle brushing leaving a white coat underneath. This occurs as the coat is naturally resilient and repellent. Thus you should not wash a Samoyed more than once a month as you remove this protection barrier. The Samoyeds also do not have a strong smell (common in breeds like cattle dogs and golden retrievers). A Samoyed will only smell if ill (normally from hormonal imbalance or gastric upsets) or if the under coat is left wet for long periods of time. For this reason when washing a Samoyed it is important to dry the thick under coat as quickly as possible, investment into a strong hair dryer or dog blower with a good supply of talcum powder is a great investment when owning a Samoyed.

Why NOT to clip/shave Samoyeds:

The arctic dog's coat is so constructed that it is a very efficient insulator. Therefore, little of the heat produced by the body is lost by means of contact with the outside air through the skin. This, of course, is very good in the winter; but remember Arctic areas in summer can reach very high temperatures, somewhere in the 70's and 80's or even higher for short periods of time. So, therefore, the Samoyed must also be able to adapt to this increase in temperature. It so happens that the insulation principle is still of use to the animal. If one lives in warmer climates, it is much easier to air-condition a well insulated home than it is to air-condition one that is not insulated. In the case of the animal, the only requirement is that there be some relatively efficient mechanism that the animal can turn on to dissipate his own heat. With a well-insulated body, he will be very little affected by the outside temperature and the Samoyed can maintain his body temperature even with changes in outside temperature. Therefore, the Northern dog in warmer climates will do as well or better in excessive heat than the short-haired dog who is very susceptible to heat stroke. Anyone who has dealt with dogs knows that the dog pants when he is hot. It is his panting mechanism that allows the dog to lose heat he does not need when the weather is hot. If the Samoyed loses his insulation during very hot weather, by having his coat clipped for instance, he runs the risk of not being able to maintain his body temperature. His skin temperature loss probably is not only inefficient but, since he does not perspire; it will increase the temperature of his skin and his body temperature as well. Samoyeds were able to survive in the Arctic not only because they could tolerate cold but because more precisely, they could tolerate extremely wide swings of temperature in relation to their body temperature**.

**Taken from article "Temperature Adaptation in Northern dogs" by Ted Greenlee, 1971.

Pack Hierarchy

Dogs do not live in an equal society. A strong hierarchical system exists in their packs. It's important for your Samoyed to learn that its place is at the bottom of your pack. A Samoyed needs a leader, if your family doesn't provide this leadership the Samoyed will assume it needs to be the leader.  Your dog does not understand why one minute jumping up is OK but when you’re dressed to go out the next minute it's not.  Other attention seeking behaviours to discourage include:

• Samoyeds should not be allowed to put their paw on you. This is a dominant behaviour.
• Samoyeds should not be allowed to demand pats i.e. pushing their head under your hand. Always ask your dog to do something to get a pat as a reward.  Eg. Sit
• If your Samoyed looks at you and barks or growls in a demanding fashion it is being cheeky. Samoyeds will often do this to tell you they want food or toys etc. the last thing you should do is give in to it's demands no matter how cute it is. Ignore this behaviour. You train your Samoyed, don't let your Samoyed train you.
• Rushing through doors or gates in front of you. Remember your house is your territory, you go first. Teach your Samoyed to sit and wait until you go through.

Alpha Leadership Training

A trained Samoyed is a loved dog. Loved by family, friends, your veterinarian and the general public. There is no "magic" in training a dog. There are NO shortcuts. It takes time and patience but most of all it takes consistency by everyone who handles the dog.

Some simple rules to remember:

• You are fun to be with. Always be nice to your Samoyed if it comes to you. This can be extremely hard when you "discover" something naughty the Samoyed has done. Don't call the Samoyed to see its bad action and then reprimand it. It will think it is in trouble for coming to you. He will think twice before coming to you again. Unless you catch the Samoyed in the act you will have to ignore it. If your Samoyed doesn't come when called never go mad on it when it eventually does come-run in the opposite direction calling as you go and give it a big praise when it catches up to you.
• You eat first. 
• You walk through doors first. 
• You control when your Samoyed gets in or out of the car.   
• You own toys not your Samoyed. 
• Your Samoyed must earn your praise. This can be as simple as getting your Samoyed to sit before a cuddle. 
• You are dependable. For your Samoyed to trust you, you must never put it in a situation where the Samoyed will get hurt. 
• You can examine your Samoyed all over. Especially being able to hold your hand over the Samoyed's muzzle. 
• Mean what you say. Only give a command once. This sounds easy but wait until you hear yourself say "sit"", "sit", "sit". Don't do it!!!!  Your Samoyed will learn to only do as it is told after three or four commands. This is a very bad habit to break. After your first command if you don't get the desired response then physically make the Samoyed do it. 
• You can take food or toys away from your Samoyed at any time. Tell them to “give” and then remove the item from their mouth. Praise for releasing the item and then give it back. If the item is not allowed replace it with one that is.
• As part of your daily grooming routine you should examine your Samoyed all over. Look in his ears. Open his mouth. Put your finger on his tongue. Examine all of his paws and nails. Run your hand down his tail. Hold his muzzle in your hand for a few seconds. As well as checking your Samoyed's health you are teaching your Samoyed that you are in charge. If you do this daily you should never have any trouble examining your dog for the rest of its life. You should be able to give tablets easily, clip nails easily and your vet will love you.

Health

Samoyeds are generally healthy, alert and active. Some problems to keep a watch for include:

Bloat is another condition which is considered common in all deep chested breeds, this include the Samoyed. Bloat is the result of excessive air mixed with food and liquid in the stomach which prevents the contents passing through to the bowel. Bloat can cause the stomach to twist which can trap other organs and cut off blood supply. Symptoms can include attempts to vomit, anxiety, tight stomach, whining, pacing, wanting to drink excessively or the dog may turn and look at his side repeatedly. Bloat is usually caused by rapidly eating large meals combined with drinking large amounts of water before or after. To avoid this it is best to feed two small meals per day, do not let the dog drink excessively before or after a meal for 1 hr and do not exercise the dog before or after a meal for at least 1 hour. This also means to not leave bags of food of dry dog food lying around. A Samoyed and most northern breeds will eat till they drop. If they accidentally over eat dry food DO NOT under any circumstances give them water to help wash it down. Remove ALL water they can get to (include closing the toilet door and emptying the bath) as the water will only expand the food in their stomach and can make it life risking. Because this condition is potentially fatal and some symptoms may not be as obvious as stated above, always take your dog to the vet immediately if you suspect bloat.

Hot spots are caused by an allergy – most commonly flea bites or reaction to strong shampoos. A hot spot happens when an area of the dogs skin becomes inflamed due to irritation, The best treatment is to clip the area and treat with a topical cortisone or an injection – both of which your vet will prescribe.

Diet

Diet is a very broad and complex topic for such limited reading. There are however a few conditions that might indicate a poor diet where you should consider a change to your dog’s diet, after discussion with your vet. If your dog exhibits the following:

• tear stains – may indicate too many coloured additives in food

• diabetes – is usually the result of poor diet over a long period, although this is hereditary too

• excessive pooping – suggests a high level of wheat product in the diet

• dry, flaky skin – could be that the diet is too low in fat

Most adult dog’s diets should consist of mostly meat or meat products, around 30% fat, some vegetable product and a low amount of carbohydrates. Remember Samoyeds are close to natural dogs, they are not meant to eat processed food. The more raw and natural foods you can give them the better.