Page 190 - ShowSight - June 2020

THE
SAMOYED
1. Where do you live? What is your occupation? How many years in dogs?
2. Do you have any hobbies or interests apart from breeding and showing dogs?
3. As a Working Dog, what are the key aspects of breed type for the Samoyed?
4. Can you speak to the breed’s ideal size?
5. What about that “Sammy smile?” How important is correct expression?
6. Is there a preference for color in the breed ring?
7. Does the Samoyed have any specific exercise needs?
8. Is the breed generally good with other dogs? With other household pets?
9. How much does the Samoyed really shed? Are they enthusiastic barkers?
10. Is there a funny story you’d like to share about your experi- ences showing Samoyeds?
SUE BURRELL
My first show dog, Krystal (a Samoyed), was a Christmas gift in 1984. Bill Burrell taught me to handle. We fell in love and married. Now we have two beautiful chil- dren who help us with our thriving business. Between the four of us, we have over 100 years of experience in show- ing and training dogs.
We’ve worked with dogs and their owners in about 25 countries spanning five continents. We’ve won multiple Best in Shows and Best in Specialty Shows, and about fifteen different varieties of con- formation championships. We’ve worked with most, if not all, AKC and FCI breeds. Each year, Burrell Handling and its students earn more than 70 titles in conformation, obedience, rally, and more. In addition, we have more than 50 students who have won Best in Show.
Our training extends beyond the show ring to virtually all aspects of dog life. Bill is a co-founder of the United States Tem- perament Testing Association, and we’ve tested thousands of dogs. We have titled dogs in rally and obedience. We have experience with tracking, protection work, service dogs, movies and television, problem dogs, etc. We enjoy applying techniques including obedi- ence, massage, strength training, and conditioning to develop indi- vidual programs for each dog to help it achieve the owner’s goals.
I live in Southeastern New Hampshire and have shown dogs since 1985. I have worked with dogs since I was a teenager; showing dogs is my passion.
Do I have hobbies or interests apart from breeding and showing dogs? I enjoy crafting, but rarely find the time. I work with dogs full-time and care for my aging, ailing husband.
What are the key aspects of my breed’s type? The Samoyed standard is written describing the ideal working dog for its pur- pose. Each aspect is important. To me, the most important part
is the structure. A Samoyed is supposed to pull a sled and herd on unpacked snow. They need to have enough length of leg to get through the drifts. They need to have a significant forechest with good fill on either side of the breast bone to comfortably pull in a harness. They need to have excellent angulation for the effortless movement that will allow them to work all day. It’s important to have moderate bone–too much bone will cause them to sink deeper in the snow, leading to early exhaustion while sledding.
The coat in Samoyeds is very important and a correct coat is hard to find. Our standard calls for a weather-resistant outer coat and a soft, downy undercoat. One coat doesn’t need to be signifi- cantly longer than the other. Many breeders look for an outer coat that feels dry, wiry and coarse. The correct outer coat has a weath- er-resistant, almost oily feel. This coat is quick to dry. Samoyeds shouldn’t need four hours of grooming time. The water should blow quickly off of the coat and a dog should be fully dry in just a couple of hours.
However, there are other features that may seem less significant, but are very important as well. For example, Samoyed muzzles must be long enough to warm the air before it gets to their lungs, so they don’t get cold. The ears shouldn’t be too big as they need to fold back against the head to hear the musher’s command and stay warm. The pigment should be dark to fight snow glare. Interest- ingly, the tail is supposed to reach the hock in order to cover the head when they’re curled up sleeping in the snow. However, many short-tailed Sams can still easily cover their faces.
Can I speak to my breed’s ideal size? Though we don’t have a disqualification for size in our breed, it is very important. We don’t allow too much variation in size as it’s difficult to run a big male next to a small female on the team. Also, we tend to have lots of oversized dogs in our breed. Unfortunately, these dogs sink down in that unpacked snow and have trouble with endurance. A lighter dog doesn’t have to exert as much energy to do the required work.
What about that “Sammy smile?” How important is correct expression? There’s a beautiful story told by the Samoyede tribe that developed our breed. They speak of a spirit that possesses each Samoyed puppy when it’s born. This kind spirit watches over the dog and whatever is important to it (the people of the tribe). The spirit offers safety, protection and comfort to the tribe. However, it is easily scared away. If the Samoyede people were unkind to the Sammies, they would scare that spirit away and danger would come to the tribe. I like to think the Samoyed smile is the indicator that the spirit is still in the dog. Looking at a Sammy should make you feel good and happy.
Is there a preference for color in the ring? There should be no preference for color in the Samoyed. I find that the dogs in the Northeast are judged with more bias toward white than the dogs in the Midwest.
Does my breed have any specific exercise needs? The Samoyed needs lots of physical exercise as well as brain games. I recently was able to fence-in an acre of hills for my Sammies to run on. I’ve noticed more content dogs (they’ve always had fenced-in yards, but never quite this big). They are happy to run all day, with a couple of nap breaks. They also need mental stimulation. Remember, some Samoyeds are meant to be lead sled dogs. They are independent- minded enough to refuse to cross thin ice no matter what the mush- er does/says. If a Samoyed doesn’t have enough entertainment, they will find their own in the form of digging, barking and/or running.
Is my breed generally good with other dogs? With other house- hold pets? Samoyeds raised around other species are good with
188 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2020