Page 290 - ShowSight - October 2019

Judging The Samoyed From A Breeder’s Perspective BY CAROL HJORT continued “It was the English who first chose to
breed specifically for the white dogs,
WHICH RESULTED IN THE SAMOYED FOUND IN TODAY’S SHOW RING.”
The Breed was originally discovered on the tundra by British explorers, and appeared in white, black, brown and any combination of the above colors. It was the English who first chose to breed specifi- cally for the white dogs, which resulted in the Samoyed found in today’s show ring. As breeders, we delight in seeing rem- nants of the Samoyed’s ancient ancestry in our litters, with the biscuit coloring being a throwback to the brown Samoyeds of the past.
AKC has stated that judging conforma- tion should be for the evaluation of breed- ing stock. That being said, the following is this breeder’s perspective on evaluating the Samoyed.
General Appearance: “The Samoyed should present a picture of beauty, alert- ness and strength, with agility, dignity and grace.” As the judge stands back and takes a first look at the lineup, the judge should be looking for a balanced animal. A balanced animal can set itself up four square without having its legs constantly reset. A balanced animal has bone that balances out its frame and is in proportion to its body size. The rear angulation and the front angulation should be in harmony with one another. The arch of the tail should balance out the arch of the neck. The back of the animal should not be too long but should be in proportion to its height...males should be just off square, with bitches allowed to be slightly longer. The length of leg should be approximately 55% of the animal’s height...if there is any question about the length of leg, then the coat should be pushed back at the elbow to see where the elbow ends....the Samoyed is a double-coated breed, so you often have to put your hands on the dogs to find what is underneath, as coat can be deceptive. As breeders, we prefer that you put your hands on the dog as opposed to standing back and trying to guess what’s underneath the coat! While you are at it, check the texture of the coat....it should be weather resistant, and the quality of the coat should be consid- ered more than quantity, as this is a survival characteristic for the Samoyed on the frigid Russian tundra. The only acceptable colors for the breed are white (and there are many shades of white,) cream, biscuit or white
and biscuit...any other color is a disquali- fying fault. The coat should glisten with a silver sheen when the light hits it...this is caused by the silvertips on the ends of the coat, which is a beautiful and unique char- acteristic of our breed!
Do not expect this breed to stand in the lineup motionless like a Doberman or a Pointer...it is an active breed and is keenly aware of its surroundings! If a Samoyed hears an unusual noise, it will look to see what it is...sometimes insisting on facing in the opposite direction to get a better view! This is the nature of the Breed....they are alert, independent dogs that are full of action...genetically programed over thou- sands of year to herd and guard the Nenets reindeer on the Russian tundra and to serve as an all-purpose dog and companion for the Nenet people.
The Judges Exam: As you approach a Samoyed for the judge’s exam, please refrain from addressing it in an enthusiastic, high- pitched voice...especially a puppy or a young adult...as it is likely to leap straight up in the air in wild abandon to give you kisses! We work hard to train our Sammies to stand still with all four feet on the ground for the judge’s exam, and it takes very little encouragement for the younger ones to decide it’s party time!
Start the exam with the head. The ears should be thick, well-furred and mobile, which protects the ears from freezing on the tundra. The ears should be in proportion to the size of the head and the dog. If you think the ears look too long or too short, fold the tip of the ear towards the outside corner of the eye...the tip of the ear should end close to this point, if it is the correct size. Ears should be set well apart but posi- tioned within the border of the outer edge of the head.
The head should form a wedge...it can be a narrow wedge or a wide wedge, depend- ing on Breeder preference, and the stop should not be too abrupt, which enhances both the air flow and the wedge shape of the head. The skull should be broad, but not round, and form an equilateral triangle between the inner base of the ears and the central point of the stop. Eyes should be dark for preference, placed well apart and
almond shaped with the lower lid slanting towards the base of the ear. This is a surviv- al characteristic of the breed, and it is inter- esting to note that most creatures living on the tundra, both human and animal, have this almond shaped eye. Evolution has cre- ated this eye shape, as a round eye has been shown to cause snow blindness due to the many months of exposure to the sun’s glare on the arctic snow. Please note that blue eyes are a disqualifying fault in this breed!
The muzzle must be of medium length, neither course nor snipy, and must have suf- ficent underjaw to give depth to the muzzle. This is a survival characteristic. as the muz- zle must be of sufficient length and depth to warm the frigid arctic air before it reaches the lungs. Nose should be black for prefer- ence, but a brown, liver or Dudley nose is not to be penalized. Teeth should snugly overlap in a scissor bite. Please Note: There is no disqualification or penalty for missing teeth in this Breed, so it is not necessary to count teeth or to open the mouth to look at the top and bottom dentition when check- ing the bite!
Lips should be black for preference and should curve up at the corners in a Sam- my smile, even when the mouth is closed. Expression should consist in a “lighting up of the face” when alert or intent on any- thing. Ears should be erect and alert, eyes should sparkle and mouth should form the Sammy smile! There should not be droopy flews at the corners of the mouth.
Torso And Front End: From the head, move around to the side of the dog to examine the torso and front end. The neck should be of good length, strong and well- muscled. The neck should blend into the shoulder and topline with a graceful arch, and any other neck should be depreciated. An arched neck is thicker at the base and has stronger neck ligaments, which offers more power for the dog’s shoulder blades and front assembly. A ewe neck, for exam- ple, is concave on the neckline and lacks any indication of an arch. This type of neck has weaker neck ligaments and because of that weakness has less support for the shoulder blades and front leg muscles. The ewe neck abruptly joins the shoulders and back with no gentle arch, sometimes causing the head
288 • ShowSight Magazine, october 2019