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Bjelkier Breed Description

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Breed Organization

Samoyed Club of America

Native Country
Scandinavian Countries

Other Names
Samoyed, Samoiedskaia Sabaka, Samoyedskaya, Nenetskaya Laika, Smiling Sammy, Sammy

Life Expectancy
Approximately 12-14 Years

Litter Size
Average 5-9 Puppies

Breed Group
AKC Working

General Description

These nomadic reindeer herders bred the fluffy white dogs to help with the herding, and to pull sleds when they moved.

Samoyed eyes are usually black or brown and are almond in shape. Samoyeds with eyes of other colors like blue exist but are not allowed in the show ring. The Samoyed is in the "brown and black section" in its family, the Spitz family.

Samoyed ears are thick and covered with fur, triangular in shape, and erect. They are almost always white but have a light to dark brown tint (known as "biscuit") to a greater or lesser extent. The tint is usually on the ears but can be visible on the whole body.

The Samoyed tail is one of the breed's distinguishing features. Like the Alaskan Malamute, the tail is carried curled over the back; however, unlike the Alaskan Malamute, the Samoyed tail is held actually touching the back. It is not usually held in a tight curl, or held flag-like; it is usually carried lying over the back and to one side. In cold weather, Samoyeds may sleep with their tails over their noses to provide additional warmth. Almost all Samoyeds will allow their tails to fall when they are relaxed and at ease, as when being stroked or while eating, but will return their tails to a curl when more alert.

Samoyeds have a dense, double layer coat. The topcoat contains long, coarse, and straight guard hairs, which appear white but have a hint of silver coloring. This top layer keeps the undercoat relatively clean and free of debris. The under layer, or undercoat, consists of a dense, soft, and short fur that keeps the dog warm. The undercoat typically sheds heavily once or twice a year, and this seasonal process is sometimes referred to as "blowing coat". This does not mean the Samoyed will shed only during that time however; fine hairs (versus the dense clumps shed during seasonal shedding) will be shed all year round, and have a tendency to stick to cloth and float in the air. The standard Samoyed may come in a mixture of biscuit and white coloring, although pure white and all biscuit dogs are common. Males typically have larger ruffs than females. While this breed is touted as "hypoallergenic", it does shed a fair amount and needs frequent grooming. While the breed may produce fewer allergens, care should be taken for severe allergies.

Shed Samoyed fur is sometimes used as an alternative to wool in knitting, with a texture similar to angora. The fur is sometimes also used for the creation of artificial flies for fly fishing.

Breed Standard

Head: Strong. Wedge-shaped skull. Straight nose bridge. Strong, deep muzzle tapering toward the nose. Tight, black lips. Lips curve up at the corners producing the "Samoyed smile".
Ears: Set on high, relatively small, triangular, mobile and carried erect.
Eyes: Almond shape, set obliquely in the skull, wide set. Dark brown color. Black rims.
Body: Robust, compact, muscular. Strong neck carried erect. Broad chest is well let down. Belly moderately tucked up. Strong, muscular, slightly sloped croup. Straight, muscular back.
Tail: Carried curved over the back along the midline or to the side. Can be carried down. Richly clad.
Hair: Profuse, heavy, dense, flexible. Forms ruff around the neck and shoulders (particularly prominent in the dog). Shorter on the head and front of the legs. Dense, soft, short, compact undercoat.
Coat: White, cream, or white and biscuit (white background with light biscuit markings).
Size: Dog: approx. 57 cm (22.5 in).Bitch: approx. 53 cm (21 in).
Weight: Dog: 20 to 30 kg (44-66 lb). Bitch: 17 to 25 kg37.5-55 lb).


History

This Arctic spitz is directly descended from the breed that accompanied Samoyed tribes on their migrations. The Samoyed belongs to one of the oldest Siberian breeds. The Samoyeds used these dogs to guard herds and to hunt bear and walrus. The first Samoyeds arrived in Great Britain around 1890. Robert Scott, an early polar explorer, brought the breed to the attention of the world, demonstrating its ability to pull heavy loads over long distances. At that time, the breed began to spread around the globe.


Behavior

Samoyeds' friendly and affable disposition makes them poor guard dogs; an aggressive Samoyed is rare. The breed is characterized by an alert and happy expression which has earned the nicknames "Sammie smile" and "smiley dog". With their tendency to bark, however, they can be diligent watch dogs, barking whenever something approaches their territory. Samoyeds are excellent companions, especially for small children or even other dogs, and they remain playful into old age. According to the Samoyed Club of America, when Samoyeds become bored, they may become destructive or start to dig. With their sled dog heritage, a Samoyed is not averse to pulling things, and an untrained Samoyed has no problem pulling its owner on a leash rather than walking alongside.

The Samoyed must not be closed up indoors. He needs space and room to run. Daily brushing is required. A curry comb is necessary during seasonal shedding.

Function

Samoyeds can compete in dog agility trials, carting, obedience, showmanship, flyball, tracking, mushing and herding events. Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at non-competitive herding tests. Samoyeds exhibiting basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in herding trials.


Health

The breed can be affected by a genetic disease known as Samoyed hereditary glomerulopathy, a kidney disease. The disease is known to be caused by an X-linked dominant faulty allele and therefore the disease is more severe in male Samoyeds. Also known as hereditary nephritis, it is caused by a nonsense mutation in codon 1027 of the COL4A5 gene on the X chromosome (glycine to stop codon), which is similar to Alport's syndrome in humans. Carrier females do develop mild symptoms after 2–3 months of age, but mostly do not go on to develop kidney failure. The disease is caused by a defect in the structure of the type-IV collagen fibrils of the glomerular basement membrane. As a consequence, the collagen fibrils of the glomerular basement membrane are unable to form cross-links, so the structural integrity is weakened and the membrane is more susceptible to "wear-and-tear" damage. As the structure of the basement membrane begins to degenerate, plasma proteins are lost in the urine and symptoms begin to appear. Affected males appear healthy for the first three months of life, but then symptoms start to appear and worsen as the disease progresses: the dog becomes lethargic and muscle wastage occurs, as a result of proteinuria. From three months of age onwards, a reduced glomerular filtration rate is detected, indicative of progressive kidney failure.

Clinically, proteinuria is found in both sexes from the age of three to four months; in dogs older than this, kidney failure in combination with more or less pronounced hearing loss occurs swiftly and death at the age of 8 to 15 months is expected. In heterozygous females, the disease develops slowly. The disease can be treated to slow down the development by use of cyclosporine A and ACE inhibitors, but not be stopped. If a carrier female is mated with a healthy stud dog, the female offspring have a 50% chance of being carriers for the disease, and any male offspring have a 50% chance of being affected by the disease. A genetic test is available for this disease.

Other health concerns

  • Diabetes mellitus similar but not identical to human Type I (insulin deficiency): The disease occurs in middle-aged Samoyeds, the mean age at diagnosis is seven years. The cause is a chronic inflammation of the pancreas and/or autoimmune destruction of beta cells of islets of Langerhans. Moreover, autoantibodies to insulin were found in affected dogs. Several genetic markers are being discussed as possible causes.
  • Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) caused by a frameshift mutation in the RPRG locus of the X chromosome. The disease leads to a slowly progressive loss of vision, which eventually leads to blindness. The first symptoms appear between two and five years of age. The disease corresponds to the X-linked PRA type 3 in humans.
  • Short legs in conjunction with eye abnormalities: a genetic defect at the COL2A1 locusleads to disproportionate dwarfism due to short limbs in connection with cataracts, malformations of the retina and / or retinal detachment, liquefaction of the vitreous and a persistent hyaloid artery. The malformations of the retina are dominant (i.e. they occur in heterozygous dogs); the other symptoms are recessive, so they only come to expression in homozygous dogs. These conditions have no effect on the expression of the protein opticin.
  • Pulmonary stenosis occurs more frequently in Samoyeds in comparison with other breeds. The disease can cause shortness of breath, cardiac arrhythmias and rapid fatigue when moving, and increases the risk of congestive heart failure.
  • Hip dysplasia is also a concern for Samoyeds.
  • The breed can also be affected by sebaceous adenitis, an uncommon idiopathic autoimmune skin disease.


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