Page 205 - ShowSight - June 2020

THE EVOLUTION OF THE SAMOYED
“Sammies enjoy being part of the family activities! They are up for anything their owners want to do...pack hiking, going for a jog in the park, weight pull, agility, sledding, herding, dock diving, obedience, and even lure coursing!”
without causing the Samoyed to move out at the elbows.
The shoulders should be long and sloping with a layback of 45 degrees. Also check the upper arm, which should be approximate- ly the same length as the shoulder blade. The withers separation, which indicates the lay-in of shoulder, should be 1–1 1⁄2 inch- es wide, or two to three fingertips apart, depending on the width of your fingers. The lay-in of shoulder tends to influence how the dog will put its front feet on the ground when in motion, and generally a Samoyed whose shoulders are not laid-in towards the spinal column will not converge into a single track when moving. The shoulder angles and lay-in of shoulder contribute to the dog’s endurance while working in the large open spaces of the tundra.
Next, run your hand down the front chest, where you should be able to feel the prosternum. The legs should be parallel and straight to the pastern, and approximately 55 percent of the dog’s height at the withers. Length of leg is important when working in the deep tundra snow. You will need to push the hair back on the chest at the elbow to determine the true length of leg, since this is a double-coated breed. Pasterns should be strong, sturdy and flexible with some spring for proper let-down of feet. The pasterns are the “shock absorbers” of the dog when moving and contribute to its endurance when working.
The feet are the dog’s running gear and should be long and slightly flat...a hare foot with two elongated central toes. The foot should be slightly spread, but not splayed, with arched toes, thick and tough pads, and a protective growth of hair between the toes. Faults are feet that turn in or out, round or cat feet and splayed feet. You can check the thickness of the foot pad when you get to the rear assembly by picking up a rear foot...and while you are there, check the bone by feeling the circumference of the rear hock.
LOIN AND BACK
The withers form the highest part of the back. Run your hand down the back from the withers to the loin to make sure it is level and not roached or dipped. The loin is the distance between the last rib and the pelvis,
and should be strong, slightly arched, and neither long nor short-coupled. The croup must be full and slightly sloping to the tail root.
The tail should be loose and mobile and not tight over the back. This is an important survival characteristic on the tundra, as the Samoyed had to be able to curl up and bury its face and muzzle in its tail when asleep to warm its breath and prevent freezing. The Samoyed should carry its tail up and over its back or side when alert, and dropped when at rest. The tail should be profusely covered with long hair and the tailbone should terminate at approximately the point of the hock. If there is any question about the length of the tail, you can measure it by pulling it down to the hock...but as a cour- tesy to the exhibitor, make sure you put it back over the back when you are done. The judge should see the tail over the back once during the judging.
REAR ASSEMBLY
Upper thighs should be well-developed. Palpate the upper portion of the thigh behind the stifles to check the muscle mass. Stifles should be well bent...approximately 45 degrees to the ground. Hocks should be well-developed and set at approximately 30 percent of the hip height. Straight stifles are objectionable; double jointed hocks or cow hocks are a fault. Cow hocks should only be determined after a dog has had the oppor- tunity to move.
Once you have examined the dog, it is time to move it to confirm what you have felt with your hands!
MOVEMENT
The Samoyed should trot, not pace, and should move with a quick, well-timed side gait! The gait should be free, balanced and vigorous with good reach in the front and equally good driving power in the rear. The back, or topline, should remain strong, firm and level, without a lot of up and down motion. If there is more reach than drive, or more drive than reach when viewed from the side, then it is not a balanced animal. This affects endurance when working on an open tundra.
The Samoyed should single track on the down and back. Moving at a slow walk or
trot, it will not single-track, but as speed increases, the legs gradually angle inward until the pads are finally falling on a line directly under the longitudinal center of the body. This results in an efficient, ground covering gait that can be maintained for hours. If you move a single tracking dog through snow, it will leave one line of paw prints in the snow, instead of two. This is not to be confused with crossing over, which is a fault. If you do not come from a breed that single tracks, then you will need to familiarize yourself with this movement so that you can identify it when you see it in your ring.
DISPOSITION
Intelligent, gentle, loyal, adaptable, alert, full of action, eager to serve, friendly, but conservative, not distrustful or shy, not overly aggressive. Unprovoked aggressive- ness is to be severely penalized. Good tem- perament is imperative in this breed. Herd- ing reindeer on the tundra required that the Samoyed be compatible working alongside other animals as well as alongside humans, and we strive as breeders to maintain this disposition in our breeding stock.
It takes a long time to learn to evaluate dogs and to train one’s hands on what to feel and where to find it. Practice going over the dogs in a methodical fashion until you can do this quickly, and develop a routine where you can examine each dog in the same man- ner every time. Develop an eye for balanced and efficient movement so that you can spot correct movement when you see it. Learn to evaluate breeding stock!
In conclusion, the Samoyed today is very much a family dog and a house dog, similar to its ancient ancestors that slept in the chooms at night with the Nenets on the Russian tundra. Sammies enjoy being part of the family activities! They are up for anything their owners want to do...pack hiking, going for a jog in the park, weight pull, agility, sledding, herding, dock div- ing, obedience, and even lure coursing! A Sammy is very versatile and family oriented, maintaining its ancient reputation as an all- purpose working and companion dog! We ask that you, as judges, help us protect the integrity of this very ancient and beautiful breed in your judging.
SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2020 | 203