Page 203 - ShowSight - June 2020

THE EVOLUTION OF THE SAMOYED
“The Samoyed ultimately became a multi-purpose dog that had to fill a number of jobs within the family circle.”
relationship with their dogs. Family mem- bers would take the dogs into the tents they lived in, called chooms. Each choom was covered in 100 reindeer hides or in tree bark. There was a fire pit in the center of the choom for cooking and warmth, and the Nenets allowed the dogs to sleep with them at night to provide extra warmth. Dogs were stationed outside the tents to keep the deer herd away from the chooms, and a second group of dogs was stationed around the circumference of the herd to keep the herd intact, and to “sound the alarm” in the event of approaching danger. The Nenets also used the dogs for light freighting, such as to carry them out to the fishing holes on the ice to retrieve fish from the fishing lines, (the ice was too slippery for deer hooves) and, in addition, the dogs were used to hunt, including hunting the polar bear. The Samoyed ultimately became a multi-pur- pose dog that had to fill a number of jobs within the family circle. Over thousands of years, the Samoyed was gradually changed by its environment and by evolution into the natural breed that we know today.
Now we will fast forward 4,800 years to the late nineteenth century! During the late 1800s, the Samoyed first became known to the outside world due to the exploration of the North and South Poles. Most of the Samoyed strains in the UK and in the United States are related to the veteran sled dogs of these expeditions. When the men returned to their homelands, many brought the dogs with them. It is speculated that there were only twelve dogs that constituted the origi- nal breeding stock outside of Russia!
The first Samoyed brought into England in 1889 by Mr. Kilburn Scott was a brown Samoyed male named Sabarka that was put on display at the London Zoo. Sabarka was quite the novelty and drew many visi- tors to the zoo, generating interest in the breed! His wife, Mrs. Clara Kilburn Scott, was very taken with this newly discovered breed, and was very instrumental in estab- lishing the breed in England through her selective breeding of Samoyeds. It was Mrs. Kilburn Scott who decided to breed only for the white, crème and biscuit colored dogs, eliminating the black, brown and spotted colors from the breeding stock. The first official standard for the breed was adopted in England in 1909, and the first American standard was adopted on May 15, 1923.
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 con- formation should be for the evaluation of breeding stock. That being said, the follow- ing is this breeder’s perspective on evaluat- ing the Samoyed, based on preserving its long and ancient heritage.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
“The Samoyed should present a picture of beauty, alertness and strength, with agil- ity, dignity and grace.” As the judge stands back and takes a first look at the lineup, the judge should be looking for a balanced ani- mal. A balanced animal can set itself up four square without having its legs constantly reset. A balanced animal has bone that bal- ances 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 bal- ance out the arch of the neck. The back of the animal should be medium in length and 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 ani- mal’s height for optimal functionality in the deep tundra snow...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 must put your hands on the dogs to find what is underneath, as coat can be deceptive. While you are at it, check the texture of the coat....it should be weather resistant, and the quality of the coat should be considered more than quan- tity, 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 & biscuit...any other color is a disqualifying 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 beauti- ful and unique characteristic of our breed! The silvertips also help to repel and prevent snow from packing into the coat of dogs liv- ing on the tundra.
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
SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2020 | 201