White and Fluffy

Aw, thanks! I do post pictures of him occasionally, but I have an instagram that consists largely of pictures of him that gets updated more regularly. You can find me under the username: kodabeaar

Every Sammy is different, so generalisation can only go so far - remember that! 

Anyway, here’s a bit about my Samoyed, Koda, and his personality. 

Koda have a sense of humor that never dies. He does things purposely to defy you and has fun doing it. For example, most dogs would take a sock from the laundry basket and hide, Koda actually brings you the sock with a laugh in his eyes that says, ‘come get me’. I know for a lot of people this would be the most infuriating thing, but I find him entertaining. So yeh, he gets in trouble, but he also gets a pat on the back for his creativity. 

He’s never really aggressive. He sometimes gets frustrated and will bark at us, but that’s the extent of it. I could never see him intentionally hurting someone.

He is overbearingly friendly. Which can be bad as not everyone wants to be mauled by 18kg of fluff. But for me as owner this translates well, as I love walking through the door to be greeted as if I’ve been gone for months. Really, if nothing else, it’s an ego booster.

Koda was easy to train (with the exception of teaching him to drop for some reason I’m unaware of), he’s is a bad listener though. Most Samoyeds are intelligent to the point were they have a mind of their own. Koda at times intentionally won’t listen just to see if he can get away with it. A Samoyed is a pack animal even more than most dogs he needs a strong leader. If you don’t take this role, he will. Luckily, Koda is learning his place in the hierarchy, but he does need reminding at times.

Overall, I wouldn’t change a thing about him if I could. He suits my family and it’s as simple as that. Samoyed aren’t for everyone, though. Some people look for a dog that is nothing more than a pet, Koda is more an addition to the family. 

I live in Melbourne, so this is going to be a fairly comprehensive list of breeders. I spent years looking at breeders in Victoria before finally getting my pup.

I’ll start with my two favorites. They both make my list for entirely different reasons. 

1. Kalaska Samoyeds - http://www.kalaska.com/ - They breed the best looking samoyeds you could possibly find. I was so convinced that I was going to own a Kalaska samoyed at some stage. Their showing reputation probably has them labelled best in Victoria. 

2. Samloch Samoyeds - http://www.samloch.com/ - The nicest breeder I’ve met with dogs of amazing temperaments. I attended a show a few years ago with my dad and I met Michelle, (who’s contact details you can find on their website) and despite being equally busy as the other breeders there, she took the time to talk to us and let us play with her dogs. It the first time I’d really seen a Samoyed and my dad and I went from curious to desperate to get one in the span of a few hours. I’d say for the most supportive experience with your pup, this breeder is definitely the direction you should go in.

Here’s a really useful link to a website that lists Victorian breeders - http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/breeders/samoyed.asp?state=VIC&Submit=Go. It’s probably the most reliable source as breeders post advertisement which contain their contacts and usually a link to their webpage. Look through it and find the breeder that’s right for you. The other really helpful section of this website is the puppies for sale notices that is linked at the top of the page. They also advertise for mature dogs. If you’re a first time dog owner or have a busy life, I’d recommend considering a mature Samoyed. Everyone wants a cute puppy, but the neglect to consider the work that they bring. I don’t think I’d have minded missing the ball of fluff stage if my sammy had come home perfectly trained. 

Anyway, good luck with your puppy hunting and I hope you find what you’re looking for ! :)

I’m guessing this is saliva stains, right? There are two common causes I’m aware of. It might be a matter of how often you bath your Samoyed; they have a oils in their skin to prevent stains which are removed when you bath them, you may be bathing her too often? The other is the pH of your Samoyed’s saliva, I’ve heard of breeders putting small amounts of organic apple cider vinegar in their dogs drinking water to achieve the ideal pH to prevent staining. Remember the pH of your dog’s saliva is determined by their diet, you might want to discuss this with your vet if it worries you.

But the existing stains can be removed with the right products. There are shampoos specialized to whiten your dogs coat which work quite well. And also a power that can be used when brushing your Samoyed. I actually use the whitening powder often, and it works like a miracle. Back in the early puppy days my dog would get inconveniently dirty, especially before puppy school. We managed to somewhat hide an oil stain with that powder, so I highly recommend it. 

Although the Samoyed’s coat doesn’t seem warm weather friendly, it deceptively is. A Samoyed will shed it’s undercoat in the summer, and its white outer coat both reflects light and acts as an insulator allowing the Samoyed to have greater control over its body temperature than most breeds. As long as you provide a generous amount of water and shaded area your Samoyed will be fine. My Samoyed handled his first Australian summer (which is fairly hot) by sleeping under the air conditioning.

My Samoyed gets bathed every two to three months as recommended by our breeder. This is as their skin produces oils that are naturally repellent and resilient which washing them removes. When getting washed, he also gets a trim, just to neaten up his coat. He, however, gets brushed as often as every second day. This is generally for 5-15 minutes, just to brush out dirt and untangle any knots in his coat. This can be taken back to once a week, but you’ll find that the job becomes harder the less often its done. To be honest, grooming has never been an issue for my family. A groomed Samoyed has the coat of an angel, so it’s rewarding for you as an owner to put in the time. If you’re not willing to groom your dog this often, the perhaps the Samoyed isn’t the breed for you. Here’s a link to a page that might help you decided if the Samoyed is right for you: http://www.samoyedclubvictoria.com/choosing.htm 

Hope this helps!

I have a submit page that I’d love for you to use :) 

Ok, I’ll respond to both asks through this one if you don’t mind.

I’ve answered the personality type of the Samoyed. Yet I don’t think I’ve mentioned their interaction with strangers and other animals before. What you really need to know is that a Samoyed in nature is especially outgoing and friendly, sometimes overbearingly so. My little rascal tends to get very confused when strangers don’t want to play with him. A Samoyed, especially as a puppy, need some guidance on approaching strangers. Most people want the excited puppy to be licking their faces, yet there is always the exception that won’t and you need to be cautious of this as not to get your pup into bad habits. 

As far as other animals are concerned, Samoyeds have very strong herding and hunting instincts. This does not mean that a Samoyed will not be able to live with other animals. Just that their will be a learning curb involved especially with smaller animals. Your Samoyed will quickly learn how to approach their new friends, with some guidance from you, of course. It tends avoid issues to raise your Samoyed with these other animals. 

Instead of listing favourite experiences, I’ll tell you about my favourite qualities.

First is his sense of humor, which can very much be said to be typical of a Samoyed. Koda is constantly looking for a way to outsmart people and to entertain them. Usually this involves mischief, yet it’s gotten to the point where we’re laughing so hard that we almost forget we should be telling him off. 

I believe this is individual to Koda, as I’ve never noticed this in another Samoyed. But he will greet every single person that enters the house individually. Never has he skipped a person or cautiously approached a person. He always comes in a full speed and dances excitedly at your feet til you pat him. This is not so good for strangers, who often give us ‘your-dog-is-too-friendly-and-thats-not-okay’ looks. Yet its amazing to come home from a tiring day of hard work and have your puppy greet you as if you coming home is the highlight of his day, is the greatest. 

And I live in Australia, and Koda’s just endured his first summer. He basically had no special treatment besides that fact that we were mindful not to walk him in the hottest parts of the day and to ensure that he had buckets of water in the backyard when we weren’t home. He tended to sleep in front of the air conditioner especially on the hottest day of summer. Yet besides that, Samoyeds are perfectly capable of handling the summer season. It  is even possibly better to have a Samoyed in summer as their coat enables them to maintain their body temperature better than most short haired dogs.  

Hope this helped :) 

Start by never buying a Samoyed from a pet store. Chances are he or she will not be well bred. What you’re looking for is a reputable breeder, and I’m sad to say that there’s none that I know of in San Diego. Unfortunately, you’ll have to go a little further out, but I promise that it’ll be worth your while in the end. Here’s a list of breeders that are associated with popular Samoyed clubs (esp. Samoyed Club of America) - http://www.sambear.net/default.aspx Browse through those listed in California and you’ll usually find website links attached. Once you find one or more breeders that you like, contact them and ask every possible question before making a decision. Worst case scenario, you choose an alternate breeder. Best case scenario, there are currently pups available or you’re placed on a waiting list. 

Just make sure a Samoyed is really what your looking for. Do some research on their temperament and living requirements; and be willing to accommodate that. Good luck with it all, and I hope you get the pup you’re looking for :)