Base colour
Pure white, cream or white with biscuit
- (The basic colour to be white with a few biscuit markings.) Should never give the impression of being pale brown
About the Samoyed
Origin: Northern Russia, Siberia
- Typical life span
- 12-14 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 20-29 kg
- Female
- 16-23 kg
- Height
- Male
- 53-60 cm
- Female
- 48-53 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Spitz and primitive types
- Origin
- Northern Russia, Siberia
- Also called
- Samoyedo
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Samoyed?
A powerful and graceful medium to large Arctic spitz breed with a thick, all-white double coat and distinctive 'Samoyed smile' created by the upturned corners of the mouth
Samoyed history and origins
Ancient breed developed by the nomadic Samoyede people of Siberia over 3,000 years ago for herding reindeer, pulling sleds, and companionship. Their thick coats protected them from brutal climate, and they often slept with families for warmth. Brought out of Siberia in late 19th and early 20th centuries. Recognized by AKC in 1906.
Samoyed appearance and size
Males typically weigh 20-29 kg and stand 53-60 cm at the shoulder; females 16-23 kg and 48-53 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Sledge- and companion dog
- Behaviour and temperament
“Friendly, open, alert and lively. The hunting instinct is very slight. Never shy nor aggressive. Very social and cannot be used as guard dog”
Quoted from FCI standard n°212. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 4 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Samoyed
What you get with the Samoyed
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Sledge- and companion dog”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Friendly, open, alert and lively”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “On back of the thighs the hair forms trousers.”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Samoyed
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Profuse, thick, flexible and dense polar coat.
The Samoyed is a double coated dog with short, soft and dense undercoat and longer, harsher and straight outer coat.
The coat should form a ruff around the neck and shoulders framing the head, especially in males.
On head and on front of legs, hair is short and smooth
on outside of ears short, standing off and smooth.
Inside the ears should be well furred.
On back of the thighs the hair forms trousers.
There should be a protective growth of hair between the toes.
The tail should be profusely covered with hair.
The coat of the female is often shorter and softer in texture than that of the male.
The correct coat texture should always have a special glistening sheen
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°212 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Height at withers: Ideal height: male 57 cm with a tolerance of 3 cm and females 53 cm with a tolerance of 3 cm”
- FCI states a tolerance around the figure.
Quoted from FCI standard n°212. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Samoyed down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Severe faults
Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.
- Clearly unpigmented areas on eyerims or lips
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Eyes blue or of different colours.
- Overshot or undershot bite.
- Ears not erect.
- Coat colour other than permitted in the standard
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Samoyed in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Samoyed
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Samoyed on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Samoyed owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Samoyed breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.