QUICK
SAM FAQS
IS
A SAMOYED RIGHT FOR YOU?
FIND
OUT BEFORE YOU GET ONE!
There is nothing
cuter than a Samoyed puppy! Their antics will keep you
entertained for hours on end. But, do you know the history of the
breed and what they were bred for? Do you know how big a puppy
will be as an adult? Do you know that they, like other Arctic
breeds, have some traits and behaviors that you might find undesirable? Shedding, digging, barking,
chewing, wanderlust
(running off) and being
stubborn are some general Samoyed breed traits.
Please read the
following information on what it is like to be "owned"
by a Samoyed BEFORE you get one. It is OK
to think Samoyeds are beautiful but realize you would not be
happy living with one! It is better for you AND the puppy to
understand this now and avoid heartache later.
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- Find
out if a Samoyed is right for YOU at these sites!
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- HISTORY
OF THE SAMOYED
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SAMOYED
TEMPERAMENT
The following are questions I'm
often asked about temperament traits and the answers I give.
ARE SAMOYEDS GUARD DOGS?
No. They are not aggressive
to people and usually view strangers as another person who might scratch their
butts! Samoyeds are watch dogs. They watch everything (and I do mean
everything!) and bark to let us know "something" is out there.
There is a wide range of "something" which includes visitors, anyone
walking past "their yard", deer, squirrels and of course other dogs or
cats. I'm confident they'd show a burglar where the good stuff is if they
got a treat or a butt scratch. <g>
ARE THEY EASILY TRAINED?
That depends on what you call
easy. Samoyeds are smart but have an independent streak. They learn
quickly, but will tune you out if there is too much repetition or training is
too boring. They are not like a Golden Retriever or a Border Collie!
Samoyed
Temperament - not like any other!
from Whitestar Sams
From a recent discussion on SamFans on what makes for "good
temperment" in a Samoyed?
Sidney Boardman writes about what makes a sammie a sammie. One
of the very best descriptions I've ever seen.
- Temperament is more than not having a propensity for
being dog and people aggressive, although that's important. Our dogs have a
different temperament than other breeds have.
- Temperament is heart. Its the dog's willingness to stay and
distract and stand off polar bears while the (human) members of the polar
expedition team got their guns out and loaded. Its the willingness to not
start fights, but to finish them if attacked. Our dogs are not afraid.
- Temperament is mental as well as physical stamina. Its the
willingness to keep going in the middle of the night in the dark and cold,
pulling a sledge or a sled. Its the willingness to search the entire fence
line for a weak link or the one place to keep digging. Our dogs are strong,
mentally as well as physically.
- Temperament is the stubbornness to use their brains. Its
the dog's ability to refuse to try to pull a sled over thin ice, even though
the driver tries to insist. Its the ability to question even the alpha's
judgment. Its the willingness to keep trying to get what they want. If you
tell one of our dogs "No" it usually means "you can't use *that* method to get
what you want" to the dog, rather than the "you can't have that even if you
want it" that we want it to mean to the dog. Our dogs are intelligent enough
to see other possibilities and stubborn enough to try them out.
- Temperament is the ability to work together but separately.
Its the ability of a pack to divide up when hunting, and each dog doing his or
her part, some herding from one side, some from the other, some lying
down waiting to seize the prey as it drives past. Its also the ability to go
for a walk "with" a human by ranging all over the area, just coming back to
"check in" every now and again. They don't have to be "at heel" to be "with"
you. Our dogs are more independent than most other breeds.
- Temperament is the desire to herd, to pull, to be a working
dog. Its the clear enjoyment of doing something, rather than sitting around.
Its the hunting instinct that makes them good mousers. Its the need to dig or
chew when bored. Our dogs are easily bored, and need a lot of exercise.
- In many "Northern Breeds" most of the pack orients to a dog
as leader, while only the alpha dog orients to a human as pack leader. That's
not true of most Sams. The whole pack orients to a human leader, if
there's a suitable candidate. The original dogs lived inside the skin huts
with the people, not outside with only each other, like so many
other breeds.
- Temperament is the willingness to include humans as members
of the pack. Its to look to a human as pack leader. Our dogs accept the whole
family as part of the pack.
- Sams originated where there was no need to guard dwellings
and property. They will fight to protect the pack, and the humans who are part
of that pack. Temperament is not guarding. Its welcoming a burglar
enthusiastically, and showing him or her where the biscuits are kept. Our dogs
are not aggressive in guarding our property.
- Temperament can, and unfortunately sometimes is, overcome
by early training, and lack of socialization, but our dogs are different in
their temperament, not just their looks.
ABOUT
HAIR...
Dog
hair is just another condiment... David Frei, Westminster commentator.
When I go on business trips, I
take a small plastic bag of sammy hair with me. Then when I'm in
restaurants, I can add the hair to the food. It's just too odd to eat
"fur-free" food. It's like trying to switch from regular cola to
diet. You just can't do it. Samfan Dave
Wiley
SAMOYED
BOOKS
See
Books
and Videos for more great books!
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If
you think a Samoyed IS
for you, find out
|
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For
information on available puppies or how to find a responsible breeder, please email us. We're
much more likely to respond via email than to return a phone call.
You can also call
(208)
347-2689 MST. If we don't
pick up, leave your name, numberand date you called. Or, leave your e-mail
address.
- Sammy
Animation by
- Ruth
Gillum
