The Samoyed

When a person does several different jobs capably or has a number of different skills, he or she is said to “wear many hats.” 

This particular idiom likely stems from a time when people engaged in various professions often wore a hat or cap distinctive to their job. A chef’s toque, the white “dixie cup” on a sailor, the artist’s beret, “campaign covers” worn by military drill instructors and a cowboy’s Stetson would be examples of modern holdovers from that era. 

While Samoyeds rarely actually wear hats, they do a number of jobs capably, and as a result, can be called a “many hats” breed. 

Originally developed to hunt, herd reindeer and haul loads for the Samoyede people of northwestern Siberia, Samoyeds have been successful in obedience, rally, tracking, agility, sledding, skijoring, scootering, herding, weight pull, packing, carting, barn hunt, trick work, dock diving, lure coursing, flyball, scent work and therapy work. In other words, just about every dog sport available with the exception of those that involve bird hunting. And it wouldn’t come as a complete surprise to find a Samoyed somewhere that finds, flushes/points and retrieves birds for its owner, so versatile is this very ancient breed.

Buca (Ch. Samodens Cool Shot of Licorice HAd His SDSs HTADIIId HTADls HSAs RATO CTN RN), one of Teresa Michaud’s Samoyeds, moves a flock of ducks at a herding event. 

Despite that versatility, training a Samoyed frequently poses some interesting problems. 

“They’re very much independent thinkers, and you have to outsmart them. When you do, you will see a sparkle in their eyes, as they know you are on to them,” says Teresa Michaud, whose current dogs are Buca (Ch. Samodens Cool Shot of Licorice HAd His SDSs HTADIIId HTADls HSAs RATO CTN RN) and Quila (TDCH Ch Sancha Y Samoden Gran Cosa DD HCT HTs RN PCD RI JHD ETD). “This unique thinking process makes them love to be challenged, which almost always means you need to train for more than one sport at a time.”

Michaud stresses that Samoyeds do not like repetitions. So once a Samoyed does something correctly a couple of times in a row, it’s time to stop and try some different skill. Michaud has found it useful to train in short periods several times a day. 

Quila (TDCH Ch Sancha Y Samoden Gran Cosa DD HCT HTs RN PCD RI JHD ETD), Michaud’s other Samoyed, pulls a cart through a field of mountain daisies near Vancouver B.C.

“Samoyeds thrive knowing they are doing what makes you happy. They want to work with you, not for you,” notes Kathleen Morrison, who owns Alfie (TDGCh Sancha’s Alfio Sings for Lola ETD-M CCF1), the world’s first grand champion trick dog. “Unlike other breeds that obey repeated commands without end, Sammies will need to work out ‘why’ you are asking them to do a task. Once they have that sorted out, they will work to excel with you no matter if that is carting, agility, sledding, tricks or whatever sport you want to try. While the breed is meant to work, I think it’s the companionship aspect of their history that leads them to excel in any sport.”

Alfie (TDGCh Sancha’s Alfio Sings for Lola ETD-M CCF1), Kathleen Morrison’s Samoyed, is the world’s first grand champion trick dog.

You can do nearly any sport with a Samoyed, according to Tami Kapphahn, whose most accomplished dogs are Amber (Int’l Ch Hawkwind’s Golden Amber Onyx RN TKN IT CGC) and Izzi Ch U-Ch Int’l Ch Desert Rose Hawkwind Chalcedony Bella BN RA CAX TKI IT CGC).

“They may not be the top performers in every sport, but then can excel,” she says. ‘They really like working with people. I think that because of their appearance and people-loving personalities, it’s sometimes easy to forget that this is a true working breed, and one that had to be very resourceful and intelligent to survive. They do, however, expect to be paid for their work with treats and praise, and they like having fun. Despite their reputation for being stubborn, I’ve found them very easy to train.”

Going through a hoop is one of Alfie’s tricks.

Maria Chow, who owns Moka (Am/Can GCh Dormo’s Ice Princess Mocha CGN CA CD RN RA RE Agls AGNJs ADC AADC MADC AGDC WSX THD), adds that the longer she works with the breed, the more fun she has training them. 

“They won’t ‘just do as they’re told.’ But they will do it for fun, and they are fast learners,” she says. “They also get bored easily, so training sessions need to be short, and they like problem solving, so ‘shaping’ works great with them. Because they are fast learners, they can be trained to do almost anything, even retrieving.” 

Moka (Am/Can GCh Dormo’s Ice Princess Mocha CGN CA CD RN RA RE AGls AGNJs ADC AADC MADC AGDC WSX THD), Maria Chow’s Samoyed, demonstrates one aspect of the breed’s versatility chasing the lure at a coursing event.

Trying to force a Samoyed to do something they don’t want to do is absolutely a non-starter, says Genevieve Deltieure. 

“If you are strict or use harsh methods or punishment, that can cause them to sour on the activity or perform what you want with their tails down and sad looks on their faces. They get bored very easily, so training for any sport that requires a lot of repetition can be a real challenge. You have to constantly challenge them by varying the training so you are not drilling them over and over on the same thing. Otherwise, when they get bored, they’ll add their own variations to what you want them to do.” 

Moka also enjoys agility.

Deltieure explains that her dog Celine (Ch MACH Argent’s Arctic Elegance UDX RE HSAs MXC MJB MXP2 MXPB MJP OF), who went on to get a UDX in obedience, would get bored with doing the same things the same way. So, she would do things her way. For example, on the glove retrieve in utility, she would go out to the glove that Deltieure indicated, scoop it up but would then toss it in the air to catch it before she’d bring it back. 

“While we lost points for her antics, she never knew it,” Deltieure says. “Most Samoyeds do something because it pleases you. So, even if they didn’t qualify, I’d praise them lavishly to always keep them motivated to continue to do the work. They also learn very quickly, and once they ‘get it,’ they don’t forget.” 

In addition to Celine, Deltieure’s other “top dog” is Beau (GCh Argent’s Indelible Impression FDC CA DCAT DN), the first male in the breed to get a dock-diving title. 

Morrison found trick training to be a way to overcome a traumatic experience Alfie had as a 10-month-old in which he was viciously attacked and almost killed. 

“Prior to the attack he was excelling in the fundamentals of agility, and I thought that would be our sport, but after the attack the environment around other dogs and the high energy aspect of the sport were just too triggering for him,” she remembers. 

It was clear Morrison needed to get Alfie’s focus back on her as well as engaging his brain and body in a calmer way. While Samoyeds are not generally known to excel at trick training because it’s a world of repetitions, something Samoyeds do not like to do, Morrison gave it a try. Since Alfie was also not food motivated, she had to find other rewards for him. It turned out that toys and physical praise were his jackpots. Morrison also found that he could do about three repetitions before it was time to move on to something else. 

“Fortunately, he really took to tricks and that has calmed him down to the point where we were able to get back into the show ring, run, learn to sled and even able to be in a rally class,” she says. “I’ve heard it said that Samoyeds are difficult to train, and while I think there’s some truth to that, I also think it’s because they are so smart. They won’t do something just to do it. There has to be a reason for them to want to do something.”

Izzi Ch U-Ch Int’l Ch Desert Rose Hawkwind Chalcedony Bella BN RA CAX TKI IT CGC, another Kapphahn Samoyed, loves to chase the lure.

For Michaud, herding has been a challenge in many ways. 

“I’ve been lucky to find trainers that understood a Samoyed is more smart than stubborn so that’s been a plus I’ve had that some other Samoyed owners may not have,” she says. “A lot of the herding journey with my dogs has been spent blazing our own trail, which meant that I had to overcome doubt on my part as well as learn to get out of my own way.”

That said, Michaud admits that she has had dogs shut down in herding, because there is so much to learn and so many moving parts. 

“When I start to apply rules and the dog has to learn to use more than just their instinct, it becomes more challenging for the dog,” she explains. “So, if it looks like one of my dogs is shutting down, I take a few steps back, break down the elements a bit more and work in smaller time increments. As part of the training, I make sure to mix in natural herding instinct segments to allow my dogs to not have to think as hard which adds some fun to their work and that seems to help get them past any difficulty we’re having.”   

Amber (Int’l Ch Hawkwind’s Golden Amber Onyx RN TKN IT CGC), one of Tami Kapphahn’s Samoyeds, gets a chance to do some herding.    

According to Deltieure, sometimes the breed’s intelligence can be a hurdle. “They get to thinking they know how to do things better than you do, and the sad fact is that many times they do. It’s just that their method of doing something might not fit within the rules of the sport.” 

Beau (GCh Argent’s Indelible Impression FDC CA DCAT DN), one of Genevieve Deltieure’s Samoyeds, is the first male in the breed to get a dock diving title. 

One thing that Deltieure found with her dogs was that while they loved to herd sheep, they didn’t like the “stop and go” type of herding that most trials require. Instead, she noticed that the more European-type trials of herding large flocks, which doesn’t require the handler to stop them periodically, seems to suit what these reindeer herders were developed to do. 

“One of the problems we face with the breed as a whole is that many Samoyeds are not given the opportunity to do something other than what required for the conformation ring,” she continues. “To preserve their natural instinct, retain their eagerness to please and the ability to learn so fast, we have to know they have these traits to pass on to the next generation as these things can be lost so quickly. Coming first from a performance background, I know just how important it is to breed not just for good health but also for a correct, strong front and a nice bend to the stifles. Without these, they can’t perform to the highest levels.”  

Chow agrees, adding that the biggest challenge the Samoyed breed faces is that many of breeders do not participate in performance events. 

“The Best in Show dog may not have the correct temperament to work as they have lost their work ethic. The only way you can tell if this is not the case is if that BIS dog has also been successful in some performance activity,” she says. “It’s been said that you can train any dog, but I’ve had a few that were not trainable. Work ethic is a genetic trait.”

Also, Chow points out that a perfectly groomed show coat may have the necessary quantity but not the quality: A poor coat is not weather resistant, will form ice balls and not last even a couple of hours in snow. What’s more, she says, the “high kicking rear” that looks showy in the ring is not practical moving in the snow. 

“Samoyeds are known for being more than just pretty faces. They are working dogs and should be versatile,” Chow concludes. “I don’t want to see our breed wind up like others where the show line and the working line look like two different breeds.”