The Sammy, the Dog Who Smiles

The Samoyed Tribe of Siberia is the home base of this breed. Used as a herding dog for the reindeer herds of this Nomadic tribe, they lived in the tents with the families. In the summer they were used to pull boats along the streams carrying loads of hides and meat. The Samoyed dogs of that day were much the same as they are today. They were first brought out of the country of Siberia to the U.K. by a British traveler, Mr. Kilburn Scott, in 1889. From this original dog which he purchased, a great interest in this beautiful breed developed and he soon bought more of them and established a kennel. Samoyeds became popular quickly in the U.K. and in the United States.

The breed is originally of herding origin. They are prone to run and give chase so it is important that they be trained early to come when called. Furthermore they do have a streak of independence so this is doubly important. Once trained to this command, they are quite biddable in other respects and are easily trained. They love to work and learn new things and are eager to please. They have been used as draft dogs, assistance dogs, therapy dogs and are one of the most popular breeds in the Working Dog Group in the dog shows in the United States. They have also been used by explorers to both the Arctic and the Antarctic as sled dogs.

The “Sammy” is a strikingly beautiful dog. The coat of the Samoyed is always pure white. He has a profuse double coat two inches or more in length all over, except for the fronts of his legs and his short well furred standup ears and his face. The coat is “standout” (does not lie flat) , similar to that of most of the Spitz type breeds. The ends of the hairs are tipped with silver, this makes the white color glisten and sparkle. The eyes are dark and rimmed in black, as well as the nose and lips. He always appears to be smiling because there is an absence of flews at the jaw and the lips curl up slightly at the corners even when his mouth is closed. This “smile” is one of the hallmarks of the breed. He stands 20 to 22 inches at the shoulder. The tail is a always curled gently over the back . He is a well balanced dog, appearing as tall as he is long and movement should be straigh with strong drive from the rear quarters.

The Samoyed has a history of living with and working in partnership with people. He is thus well suited as a house pet. He does not make a good kennel dog, people are part of his existence and he will give to them faithfulness and affection and great companionship. He is not overly threatening towards strangers but will bark to announce their arrival. Once they are admitted into the household, he accepts strangers readily. The Sammy is gentle with children and except for the profuse shedding of his white hairs he makes a great family companion. People who own Sammies need to have good vacuums because these dogs shed out all undercoat on a seasonal basis.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Dogs.