BREED HIGHLIGHT: THE SAMOYED

from DOGUE: Issue 5 "New Year, New Pawdventures"

Dog Fashion Brands featured in the January issue of DOGUE by @coverdogs

The Spitz Family

According to the American Kennel Club, the Spitz breed comes from arctic climates, with origins in Scandinavia, Russia, North America, and Asia. The word “spitz” is a German word which means “pointed” .

Physically, most spitz breeds have a wolf-like appearance that includes pointy, pricked ears, almond-shaped eyes, a heavy, double coat, and a feathery tail carried over the back. All of these features help keep them warm when the temperatures drop.

According to AKC, there are between 50 and 70 distinct Spitz dog breeds, with 16 AKC recognized Spitz breeds, including (1) Akita (2) Alaskan Malamute (3) American Eskimo Dog (4) Chow Chow (5) Finnish Lapphund (6) Finnish Spitz (7) Icelandic Sheepdog (8) Keeshond (9) Norwegian Buhund (10) Norwegian Buhund (11) Norwegian Lundehund (12) Pomeranian (13) Shiba Inu (14) Siberian Husky, (15) Swedish Vallhund & (16) Samoyed.

The Samoyed is one of the largest of the powerful Spitz breed. Samoyeds take their name from the Samoyedic people, a semi-nomadic people from Asia who migrated to Siberia a thousand years ago.

BREED OVERVIEW

GROUP: Working HEIGHT: 19 to 24 inches WEIGHT: 35 to 66 pounds COAT: Long, double coat HYPOALLERGENIC COLOR: white LIFE EXPECTANCY: 12 to 14 years

The History of the Polar Bear Breed

The Samoyed is a medium-large sized herding dog with a thick, white, and double-layer, hypoallergenic coat. These beautiful and graceful dogs stand anywhere from 19 to 23 inches, at the shoulder.

For generations, these dogs were used as companions and reindeer guards. They are smart, social, and mischievous pups who demand love, and attention.

The Samoyed breed has also been identified as a basal breed that predates the emergence of the modern dog breeds of the 19th century, suggesting that they’re connected to the ancient arctic lineage.

In the late 18th century, Arctic explorers introduced the Samoyed to England. Queen Alexandra was a huge admirer who promoted the breed as a companion and a show dog. Descendants of her dogs appear in many English and American kennels today.

In America, a sparkling white dog named Moustan of Argenteau made history in 1906 as the first of the breed registered by the AKC.

American and European mushers of the early 20th century were big fans of the breed, for Samoyeds were capable of sledging one and a half times their own weight. Scott, Shackleton, and Amundsen were a few of the era’s famous explorers who rode behind Sammies through frozen expanses. In fact, Samoyeds have also accompanied Roald Amundsen in his successful landmark reach of the South Pole in 1911.