SAMOYED
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STANDAR
Canadian
Kennel Club
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ORIGIN AND PURPOSE:
One
of the oldest domesticated breeds of dogs, the Samoyed was bred and developed
by the nomadic Samoyede tribes in Northeast Siberia north of the Arctic Circle.
Rather than being bred for a specific purpose, they were bred and are noted for
their versatility as a sled, herding, guard and companion dog. They made a
tremendous contribution to the Arctic and Antarctic expeditions as a strong and
dependable sled dog. They were used by the Samoyede people as a sled and
draught animal as well as to guard and drive reindeer herds from one feeding
ground to another. Their importance to the Samoyede people, who depend largely
upon their dogs for survival, caused them to be regarded as members of the
family and companions, as well as tough, sturdy work animals, which contributed
to the unique Samoyed disposition of
today.
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GENERAL APPEARANCE: The
Samoyed, being essentially a working dog, should present a picture of beauty,
alertness and strength, with agility, dignity and grace. As their work lies in
the cold climate, their coat should be heavy and weather resistant, and of good
quality rather than quantity. The male carries more of a "ruff" than
the female. they should not be long in the back as a weak back would make them
practically useless for their legitimate work, but at the same time a
close-coupled body would also place them at a great disadvantage as a draught
dog. Breeders should aim for the happy medium, a body not long but muscular,
allowing liberty, with a deep chest and well-sprung ribs, strong arched neck,
straight front and especially strong loins. Males should be masculine in
appearance and deportment without unwarranted aggressiveness; bitches feminine
without weakness of structure or apparent softness of temperament. Bitches may
be slightly longer in back than males. They should both give the appearance of
being capable of great endurance but be free from coarseness. Because of the
depth of chest required, the legs should be moderately long. Hindquarters
should be particularly well developed, stifles well bent and any suggestion of
unsound stifles or cowhocks severely penalized. General appearance should
include movement and general conformation indicating balance and good
substance.
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TEMPERAMENT:
Intelligent, gentle, loyal, adaptable, alert, full of action, eager to serve,
friendly but conservative, not distrustful or shy. Unprovoked aggressiveness is
to be severely penalized
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SIZE:
a) Height -
Dogs - 53 to 60 cm (21 to 23 1/2 inches) at the withers. Bitches - 48 to 55 cm
(19 to 21 1/2 inches) at the withers. An oversized or undersized Samoyed is to
be penalized according to the extent of the deviation.
b) Weight - in
proportion to size.
c) Substance - The
bone is heavier than would be expected in a dog this size but not so massive as
to prevent the speed and agility most desirable in a Samoyed. In all builds,
the bone should be in proportion to body size. The Samoyed should never be so
heavy as to appear clumsy nor so light as to appear racy.
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COAT AND COLOUR:
a) Coat - type and texture - The Samoyed is a double-coated dog. The body
should be well covered with an undercoat of soft, short thick closed wool with
longer, harsher hair growing through it to form the outer coat, which stands
straight out from the body and should be free from curl in the adult dog. The
coat should form a ruff around the neck and shoulders, framing the head (more
on the males than on the females). Quality of coat should be weather resistant
and considered more important than quantity. a droopy coat is undesirable.
Length of coat is unimportant when compared to type of coat and texture. The
coat should glisten with a silver sheen. The female does not usually carry as
long a coat as most males and it may be slightly softer in texture.
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b)
Colour - They must be white,
white and biscuit, white and cream, cream or all biscuit. All of these colours
should be considered equal. Any other colours disqualify.
c) Faults - Curly,
wavy, flat, droopy, soft or silky outercoat is extremely undesirable. Excessive
coat length should be viewed as an exaggeration of type and is a fault.
Extremely short, smooth coats are not typical. Lack of undercoat (with seasonal
consideration). Coat parting down back.
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HEAD:
a) Skull - The skull is wedge-shaped, broad, flat, not
round or apple-headed, and should form an equilateral triangle on lines between
the inner base of the ears and the centre point of the stop. The stop should
not be too abrupt, nevertheless well defined. In profile the topline of the
skull should parallel the topline of the muzzle.
b) Muzzle - Muzzle
of medium length and medium width, neither coarse nor snipy; should taper
toward the nose and be in proportion to the size of the dog and width of skull.
Length of muzzle should be slightly shorter than length of skull. The muzzle
must have depth with a strong underjaw. Whiskers should not be removed.
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c)
Nose - Black for preference, but
brown, liver or snow-nose not penalized. Colour of nose sometimes changes with
age and weather.
d) Mouth - Lips
should be black for preference and slightly curved up at the corners of the
mouth, giving the "Samoyed Smile". Lip lines should not have the
appearance of being coarse nor should the flews drop predominantly at the
corners of the mouth. The teeth should be strong, well-set, and snugly
overlapping in a scissor bite. Overshot or undershot should be penalized.
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e)
Eyes - Should be placed well apart
and deep-set; almond shaped rims set with lower lid slanting toward an
imaginary point approximating the outer base of the ear. both eye rims and eye
colour should be dark. Round or protruding eyes penalized. Blue eyes
disqualify.
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f) Ears - Strong and thick, erect, triangular
and slightly rounded at the tips; should not be large or pointed, nor should
they be small and "bear-eared". Ears should conform to head size and
the size of the dog. They should be mobile and well covered inside with hair;
hair full and stand-off before the ears. Length of ear should be the same
measurement as the distance from the inner base of the ear to the outer corner
of the eye
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NECK:
Strong, well muscled, moderately long, well arched; carried proudly when
standing, set on sloping shoulders to carry head with dignity when at
attention. Neck should blend in to shoulders with graceful arch. When moving at
a trot, the neck is extended so that the head is carried slightly
forward.
BODY:
a) Topline -
The withers forms the highest part of the back. The back should appear level to
the loin, medium in length, very muscular, neither long nor short coupled. The
ideal length of the Samoyed from tip of sternum (breastbone) to end of pelvis
is 10% more than the height at the withers.
b) Chest - Should
be deep, with moderate spring of rib and flattened at the sides to allow proper
movement of the shoulders and freedom for the front legs. Should not be
barrel-chested. The deepest part of the chest should be near the 9th rib. Heart
and lung room are secured more by body depth than width.
c) Loin - The loin
is strong and slightly arched.
d) Croup - must be
full, slightly sloping and must continue imperceptibly to the root of the tail.
e) Abdomen - The abdomen should be well shaped and tightly muscled and
with the rear of the thorax, should swing up in a pleasing curve
(tuck-up).
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FOREQUARTERS:
a) Shoulder -
Shoulders should be long and sloping, with the shoulder blade well laid back at
an IDEAL angle of 45 degrees to the ground. In the correctly constructed and
balanced front assembly, the forelimbs are placed well back on the ribcage,
with the point of the sternum (breastbone) well ahead of the front of the
shoulder joint (point of shoulder). The length of the shoulder blade is
approximately 1/3 the height at the tip of the withers.
b) Upper Arm - The
upper arm (humerus) angles backwards from point of shoulder to elbow, ideally
forming a 90 degree angle with the shoulder blade, and is never perpendicular to
the ground. The measurement from tip of shoulder blade to point of shoulder
should equal measurement from point of shoulder to elbow.
c) Lower Arm (radius & ulna)
- When standing and viewed from the front, the legs are moderately spaced,
parallel and straight, with elbows close to the body and turned neither in nor
out. The angle at the elbow joint should be approximately 135 degrees. Because
of depth of chest, legs should be moderately long. Length of lower arm should
be 1 to 2 inches longer than length of scapula. Length of leg from ground to
elbow should be approximately 55% of the total height at the withers.
d) Pasterns -
should be strong, sturdy and flexible. The pastern slopes at approximately 15
degrees from the vertical, allowing for spring and agility, and should not be
more than 1/3 the length of the shoulderblade.
e) Feet - Large,
long, flattish, a hare-foot, slightly spread but not splayed; toes arched, pads
thick and tough, with protective growth of hair between the toes. In natural
stance, feet may be turned very slightly out - but excessive turn-out,
pigeon-toed, round or cat-footed or splayed are
faults.
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HINDQUARTERS:
a) Hipbone -
The pelvis is set at 30 degrees to the horizontal and the length of the pelvis
is equal to the length of the shoulder blade measurement.
b) Upper Thigh -
The femur or thigh joins the pelvis at the hip socket, ideally forming a 90
degree angle. The measurement of the femur is equal to the length of the
pelvis. Muscle attachments must be very powerful, broad and evenly distributed.
c) Lower Thigh -
The lower thigh, comprised of the tibia and fibula, is ideally set at 90
degrees to the femur or upper thigh and is approximately 1/3 longer than the
pelvis. This length is very important to the gait.
d) Hocks - Should
be well developed, sharply defined and set at approximately 30% of hip height.
The rear pasterns should be parallel, and perpendicular to the ground in
natural stance and forms an angle of about 120 degrees with the lower thigh or
fibula and tibia.
e) Stifle Bend -
Stifles are well bent, approximately 45 degrees to the ground.
f) Feet - A
hare-foot, same as the front feet, although may be slightly longer and narrower
than the front. If present, rear dewclaws are to be
removed.
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TAIL: The tail should be moderately long with
the tail bone terminating approximately at the hock when down. It should be
profusely covered with long hair and carried forward over the back and draped
to either side when alert but sometimes dropped when at rest. It should not be
set high or low, and should be mobile and loose, not tight over the back. A
very tight, immobile tail or a double hooked tail is a fault. A judge should
see the tail over the back once when
judging.
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GAIT: The
Samoyed's characteristic gait is smooth and seemingly effortless. They are
quick and light on their feet and when on a loose lead at a moderately fast
trot, exhibiting good reach in the forequarter and powerful drive in the
hindquarters, allowing them to cover the most ground with the fewest number of
steps, expending the least amount of energy to perform the job for which they
were bred. Side gait is extremely important in assessing the desired reach and
drive in the Samoyed. When viewed from the front or rear, when moving at a walk
or slow trot, they will not single-track, but as speed increases, the legs
gradually angle inward until the pads are falling on a line directly under the
longitudinal centre of the body. As the pad marks converge, the forelegs and
hindlegs are carried straight forward, with neither elbows nor stifles turned
out. The back should remain strong, firm, and level, with very little lateral
or vertical displacement. A choppy or stilted or restricted gait should be
penalized.
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FAULTS: The foregoing description is that
of the ideal Samoyed. Any deviation from the above described dog must be
penalized to the extent of the deviation. Since the Samoyed is a working breed
any faults of soundness should be considered serious.
DISQUALIFICATIONS: Any colour other than white, biscuit, white and
biscuit, white and cream, cream. Blue eyes. Dewclaw s on the rear legs |
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