Samoyed Dog Breed Information

SamoyedDog Breed Information

The Samoyed dog takes its name from an obsolete term for the Nenets people of Siberia. These nomadic reindeer herders bred the fluffy, white, smiling dogs to help with the herding, to pull sleds when they moved, and to keep their owners warm at night by sleeping on top of them.

Temperament

Samoyeds' friendly disposition makes them poor guard dogs, but excellent companions, especially for small children or even other dogs, and they remain playful into old age. Samoyeds are also known to be stubborn at times and difficult to train, due to unwillingness rather than lack of intelligence; they must be persuaded to obey commands. 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.

History

The Samoyed name quickly become obsolete for the Nenets people after the Russian Revolution. However, by then, Arctic explorers (e.g., Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen) had brought enough of the dogs back to Europe to keep the name and to establish the breed both there and in the US.

Miscellaneous

The breed is sometimes nicknamed "The Smiley Dog" because they usually have a permanent smiling look that makes them appear pleased to see everyone.
The dogs are still used to pull sleds, but are seldom used for herding anymore.