Samoyed AKC Breed Standard

Official Standard of the Samoyed

General Conformation: (a) General Appearance-The Samoyed, being essentially a working

dog, should present a picture of beauty, alertness and strength, with agility, dignity and grace. As

his work lies in cold climates, his coat should be heavy and weather-resistant, well groomed, and

of good quality rather than quantity. The male carries more of a “ruff” than the female. He should

not be long in the back as a weak back would make him practically useless for his legitimate

work, but at the same time, a close-coupled body would also place him at a great disadvantage as

a draft 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 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. A very short-legged dog is to be

deprecated. 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.

(b) Substance-Substance is that sufficiency of bone and muscle which rounds out a balance with

the frame. The bone is heavier than would be expected in a dog of this size but not so massive as

to prevent the speed and agility most desirable in a Samoyed. In all builds, 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. The weight should be in proportion to the height.

(c) Height – Males: 21 to 23½ inches; females: 19 to 21 inches at the withers. An oversized or

undersized Samoyed is to be penalized according to the extent of the deviation.

(d) Coat (Texture and Condition) – The Samoyed is a doublecoated dog. The body should be

well covered with an undercoat of soft, short, thick, close wool with longer and harsh hair

growing through it to form the outer coat, which stands straight out from the body and should be

free from curl. The coat should form a ruff around the neck and shoulders, framing the head

(more on males than on females). Quality of coat should be weather resistant and considered

more than quantity. A droopy coat is undesirable. The coat should glisten with a silver sheen.

The female does not usually carry as long a coat as most males and it is softer in texture.

(e) Color – Samoyeds should be pure white, white and biscuit, cream, or all biscuit. Any other

colors disqualify.

Movement: (a) Gait – The Samoyed should trot, not pace. He should move with a quick agile

stride that is well timed. The gait should be free, balanced and vigorous, with good reach in the

forequarters and good driving power in the hindquarters. When trotting, there should be a strong

rear action drive. Moving at a slow walk or trot, they will not single-track, but as speed increases

the legs gradually angle inward until the pads are finally falling on a line directly under the

longitudinal center of the body. As the pad marks converge the forelegs and hind legs are carried

straight forward in traveling, the stifles not turned in nor out. The back should remain strong,

firm and level. A choppy or stilted gait should be penalized.

(b) Rear End – Upper thighs should be well developed. Stifles well bent-approximately 45

degrees to the ground. Hocks should be well developed, sharply defined and set at approximately

30 percent of hip height. The hind legs should be parallel when viewed from the rear in a natural

stance, strong, well developed, turning neither in nor out. Straight stifles are objectionable.

Double-jointedness or cowhocks are a fault. Cowhocks should only be determined if the dog has

had an opportunity to move properly.

(c) Front End – Legs should be parallel and straight to the pasterns. The pasterns should be

strong, sturdy and straight, but flexible with some spring for proper let-down of feet. Because of

depth of chest, legs should be moderately long. Length of leg from the ground to the elbow

should be approximately 55 percent of the total height at the withers-a very short-legged dog is

to be deprecated. Shoulders should be long and sloping, with a layback of 45 degrees and be

firmly set. Out at the shoulders or out at the elbows should be penalized. The withers separation

should be approximately 1 to 1½ inches.

(d) 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. Feet should turn neither in nor out in

a natural stance but may turn in slightly in the act of pulling. Turning out, pigeon-toed, round or

cat-footed or splayed are faults. Feathers on feet are not too essential but are more profuse on

females than on males.

Head: (a) Conformation – Skull is wedge-shaped, broad, slightly crowned, not round or appleheaded, and should form an equilateral triangle on lines between the inner base of the ears and

the central point of the stop. 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 the

width of skull. The muzzle must have depth. Whiskers are not to be removed. Stop – Not too

abrupt, nevertheless well defined. 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 predominately at corners of the mouth. 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 set well apart but be within the border of the outer edge of the head; 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 inner base of ear to outer corner of eye.

Eyes – Should be dark for preference; should be placed well apart and deep-set; almond shaped

with lower lid slanting toward an imaginary point approximately the base of ears. Dark eye rims

for preference. Round or protruding eyes penalized. Blue eyes disqualifying. Nose – Black for

preference but brown, liver, or Dudley nose not penalized. Color of nose sometimes changes

with age and weather. Jaws and Teeth – Strong, well-set teeth, snugly overlapping with scissors

bite. Undershot or overshot should be penalized.

(b) Expression – The expression, referred to as “Samoyed expression,” is very important and is

indicated by sparkle of the eyes, animation and lighting up of the face when alert or intent on

anything. Expression is made up of a combination of eyes, ears and mouth. The ears should be

erect when alert; the mouth should be slightly curved up at the corners to form the “Samoyed

smile.”

Torso: (a) Neck – Strong, well muscled, carried proudly erect, set on sloping shoulders to carry

head with dignity when at attention. Neck should blend into shoulders with a graceful arch.

(b) Chest – Should be deep, with ribs well sprung out from the spine and flattened at the sides to

allow proper movement of the shoulders and freedom for the front legs. Should not be barrelchested. Perfect depth of chest approximates the point of elbows, and the deepest part of the

chest should be back of the forelegs-near the ninth rib. Heart and lung room are secured more by

body depth than width.

(c) Loin and Back – The withers forms the highest part of the back. Loins strong and slightly

arched. The back should be straight to the loin, medium in length, very muscular and neither

long nor short-coupled. The dog should be “just off square”-the length being approximately 5

percent more than the height. Females allowed to be slightly longer than males. The belly should

be well shaped and tightly muscled and, with the rear of the thorax, should swing up in a

pleasing curve (tuck-up). Croup must be full, slightly sloping, and must continue imperceptibly

to the tail root.

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 or side when alert, but sometimes dropped when at rest. It should not be high or low set and

should be mobile and loose-not tight over the back. A double hook is a fault. A judge should see

the tail over the back once when judging.

Disposition: Intelligent, gentle, loyal, adaptable, alert, full of action, eager to serve, friendly but

conservative, not distrustful or shy, not overly aggressive. Unprovoked aggressiveness is to be

severely penalized.

Disqualifications: Any color other than pure white, cream, biscuit, or white and biscuit. Blue

eyes.

Approved August 10, 1993

Effective September 29, 1993