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Explore the Samoyed’s rich history, from ancient tundra roots to modern traits, showcasing its enduring intelligence, versatility, and charm.
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This article was originally published in Showsight Magazine, July 2014 issue.
A judge once remarked to me that she could always tell where the Sammy ring was by following the barking! Little did she know that this is a long-standing characteristic of the breed. The Russians often referred to the breed as “The Nenets deer herding laika,” with “laika” meaning “barker” in Russian. I love the fact that after thousands of years, the Samoyed still remains a natural breed and reflects the characteristics of its ancient ancestors! Let us take a look at the Samoyed history and then see how that history is reflected in the Samoyed of today.
The Samoyed is one of the world’s 14 most ancient breeds of dogs, as classified in 2004 using modern DNA testing. The earliest discovered proto-Samoyed remains date around the time of the Copper Age, taking the origin of the Samoyed breed back more than 5000 years. Of all modern breeds, the Samoyed is most nearly akin to the primitive dog.
As the last Ice Age disappeared, wild reindeer became key food for the people across northern Eurasia. For thousands of years, they hunted reindeer. Across the Arctic from Scandinavia to Chukotka, natives such as the Sami and Nenets adopted domestic reindeer herding and breeding and became known as the reindeer people.
In this vast frozen wasteland of the Russian tundra, the Nenets (also known as Samoyeds) made their home with their wonderful, aboriginal dogs, and here through the centuries the Samoyed dog “Самоедская собака” bred true.
The Nenets were a nomadic people who were hunters as well as reindeer herdsmen. Their prized dogs could be counted upon to keep the large reindeer herds intact and to guard the herds by “sounding the alarm” in wild abandon if there was a perceived threat. They helped to hunt wild animals, including the Polar Bear, for food and clothing, and they would also fill in as sled dogs when the reindeer could not be used because of icy conditions.
The Nenets seemed to have a close relationship with their dogs. Family members would take the dogs into the tents they lived in, called chooms, which were covered with reindeer hides or bark, and let the dogs sleep with them at night to provide extra warmth. The dog’s undercoats could also be spun like sheep wool and used for clothing, so the Samoyed was a multi-purpose dog, and had to fill a number of jobs within the family circle.
The Nenets moved with the seasons and with the movement of their large herds, consisting of hundreds of reindeer, around the tundra. The herds would migrate in a 600- to 700-mile migration pattern, in search of their favorite food, lichen (a type of moss). The reindeer were independent creatures, and it required very vigilant and alert dogs to keep the large herds intact!
During the late nineteenth century, the Samoyed became known to the outside world due to exploration of the North and South Poles. Most of the Samoyed strains in England and in the United States are related to veteran sledge dogs of these expeditions.
When the men returned to their homelands, many brought the dogs with them. It is speculated that there were only twelve dogs that constituted the original breeding stock outside of Russia. The first Samoyed brought into England in 1889 by Mr. Kilburn Scott, a member of the Royal Zoological Society, was a brown Samoyed named Sabarka, that was put on display in the zoo, generating interest in the breed.
His wife, Ms. Clara Kilburn-Scott, was very instrumental in establishing the breed in England with her selective breeding of Samoyeds. It was around this time that the black and brown colors were eliminated from breeding, although pictures remain of Peter the Great, a black Samoyed, and his offspring (some were black) who competed successfully in the conformation ring in England. The first official standard for the breed was adopted in England in 1909, and the first official American standard was adopted on May 15, 1923.
To examine how these ancient dogs are reflected in the Samoyed of today, we must first turn to the work of Sir Francis Galton F.R.S. In a nutshell, Galton studied the inheritance of continuous characteristics… height in humans, intelligence, etc.
During his studies of inherited traits, Galton noticed that “tallness” and “shortness” didn’t breed true like they did in Mendel’s pea experiments. He referred to this trait of inheritance as “regression to the mean,” “regress” meaning “to go back” or “revert to an earlier or more primitive state.” His conclusion was, “The child inherits partly from his parents, partly from his ancestry.”
Today we know that there is no generation skipping in genetics, so Galton’s concept was not totally correct; DNA from earlier ancestors must be passed through the parents. The DNA passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years by Samoyeds on the isolated Russian tundra is still present in the Samoyed today.
Like its ancestors that roamed the tundra, the Samoyed today is very independent… an intelligent, free-thinking breed that will enjoy a stroll around miles of countryside, if given the opportunity, roaming as far as 20-30 miles from home! For this reason, a fenced yard is recommended, and if there isn’t a fence, the owner will need to walk his Sammy on a lead. It’s not that this breed is naughty, the desire to roam has been genetically transmitted for thousands of years, as anyone who has owned a Samoyed can attest! Not only will they roam their territory, they will herd every animal that they encounter along the way—something your neighboring sheep farmer may not appreciate!
We have deer that live in the woods surrounding us, and I have found it interesting to watch our Samoyeds interacting with the deer. As in ancient times on the Russian tundra, the deer depend on our Sammies to alert them, often sleeping in the woods behind our kennels. The deer seem to understand that the dogs will “sound the alarm” at approaching danger, so they rest securely through the night, sensing that our dogs will protect them. It’s as though there has been an ancestral pact between the two species for thousands of years that transcends human understanding!
The Samoyed today is very much a family dog and a house dog, similar to its ancient ancestors who slept in the chooms at night with the Nenets on the Russian tundra. Sammies enjoy being a part of the family activities! They are up for anything their owners want to do… pack hiking, strolling in the park, weight pull, agility, sledding, herding, obedience, even lure coursing, an event normally reserved for the Sighthounds! A Sammy is very versatile and family-oriented, maintaining its ancient reputation as an all-purpose working and companion dog!
The breed was originally discovered on the tundra in white, black, brown and any combination of the above colors, and the English chose to selectively breed for the white. As breeders we still see remnants of this ancient ancestry in our litters, with the biscuit coloring being a throwback to the brown Samoyeds, and the black hairs or small black spots sometimes found on Samoyeds, being a throwback to the black Sammies!
The same continuity is present in the size of the modern-day Samoyed… no matter how large or small the breed seems to become in the show ring, it always reverts back to its original size range. It is a visual reminder that while we may selectively breed, there are some things that historically cannot be changed—the Samoyed is a living example of Galton’s concept of “regression to the mean” through the genetically transmitted characteristics of its ancient ancestors. The Samoyed today continues, as it has for thousands of years, to be a natural breed that combines the beauty of the past with the best hopes of the future.
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