Dog Breed Guide

Samoyed

Profile

Size

Medium - Large

Country of origin

Russia (Siberia)

Origin

Ancient

Bred for

Reindeer herding, Sled pulling, Watchdog

Height

male 54 - 60cm (21 - 24in), female 50 - 56cm (20 - 22in)

Weight

male 20 - 30kg (44 - 66lb), female 16 - 23kg (35 - 51lb)

Life span

12 - 14 years

Its greatest charms are a thick, fluffy, snow-white coat and an expression like a smile, with the corners of the mouth turned up. This is called the "Sammy smile." The upturned corners are said to keep drool from dripping and freezing around the mouth.

Bright and friendly, the Samoyed is a social butterfly that makes friends with everyone at once. It is gentle with children and loves nothing more than being with its family. It is often too friendly to make a good watchdog. It is smart but has a slightly stubborn streak.

Like any sled dog it has lots of stamina and very high exercise needs. It is extremely tolerant of cold but hates heat. It is one of the heaviest-shedding breeds of all, and during shedding season it loses an astonishing amount of hair.

Good to know

The breed takes its name from "Samoyede," the old name for the Nenets, a nomadic people of Siberia. For thousands of years the Nenets lived alongside these dogs, using them to herd reindeer, pull sleds and hunt. At night the dogs slept in the tents with them and kept them warm like hot-water bottles.

In the age of polar exploration from the late 19th century, their strength and resistance to cold made them star sled dogs for expeditions. The Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen chose Samoyeds for his 1893 Arctic expedition, and Samoyeds are said to have been among the dogs on Roald Amundsen's team, which in 1911 became the first to reach the South Pole.