Samoyed (breed of dog)

Samoyed ; (Samoiedskaïa Sabaka)
FCI Standard No. 212
	Group 5: Spitz and primitive dogs; Section 1: Nordic sled dogs ; Without a working test ; Herd Service Dog (FCI);
Origin :	Russia
Patronage :	Association of the Nordic States (NKU)
Alternative names:	Samoyed dog, Samoyed spitz
Withers height:	Males 57 ± 3 cm, ; females 53 ± 3 cm
Weight:	Males 20–30 kg, ; bitches 17–25 kg
Breeding standards:	FCI , AKC
List of domestic dogs

The Samoyed ( Russian самоедская собака , transcribed samojedskaja sobaka , Samoyed dog ; sometimes also referred to as " Samoyed Spitz ") is a medium-sized Nordic dog breed recognized by the FCI ( FCI Group 5, Section 1, Standard No. 212 ). The breed originated from dogs used by Samoyed peoples in Siberia . The dog breed was named after these peoples when Ernest Kilburn-Scott brought the first specimens to England in 1894 and began breeding the breed, which was officially recognized from 1913.

description

The breed standard for the Samoyed is listed as FCI Standard No. 212 by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI). He describes the general appearance of a Samoyed as an animal that "gives the impression of strength, endurance, suppleness, dignity and self-confidence paired with charm". The so-called "smile" of the Samoyed is mentioned as a characteristic feature; This facial expression, which is unusual for dogs, is created by the combination of the shape and position of the eyes with the gently curved corners of the lips. The character of the Samoyed is said to be "friendly, open-minded, lively and lively with very little developed hunting instinct" and "very sociable"; Samoyeds should "in no way be shy or aggressive".

Despite their earlier use as watchdogs, they are now considered unsuitable for this use, although when a stranger approaches "their" territory (garden) they strike, but do not become aggressive.

The ideal height at the withers of a Samoyed is 57 (males) or 53 centimeters (females), whereby a deviation of 3 centimeters upwards or downwards is tolerated. The male weighs between 25 and 30 kilograms, the bitch between 20 and 25 kilograms. The head should be strong and wedge-shaped, the neck strong and of medium length. The body is slightly longer than high, deep and compact, but supple. The tail should be "set fairly high" and "when moving or in an attentive posture [...] carried over the back or bent to the side from the start, but may hang down when at rest". In contrast to other sled dogs, blue eyes or two differently colored eyes are a breeding-negative factor.

The fur

A special feature of the Samoyed is the coat, which is said to be "lush, thick, elastic and dense"; it serves as natural protection in the polar climate. The fur is pure white or white and beige or cream colored. It consists of a dense, soft undercoat (protection against the cold) and a longer outer coat that protects the undercoat from moisture and dirt. The Samoyed sheds little to no hair, except during the change of coat, which occurs twice a year. For the most part, the fur is self-cleaning.

The original Samoyed also appeared in other fur colors such as brown or black. However, this does not correspond to today's breeding standard.

Breeding and Use

Samoyed were originally used by the Nenets ( Samoyed ) tribe as working dogs , sled dogs , herding dogs and guard dogs . Erna Bossi describes the earlier use of this Nordic dog breed in her book The Samoyed : “They tended their reindeer herds, defended them against attacking wolves and bears and were their hunting companions. Sometimes they were also harnessed to the sledges. [...] Humans and animals were dependent on each other and lived in close communion with one another [...]. At night, the dogs were also allowed into the tent and served as bed warmers. They were considered full members of the family ” .

In the 19th and 20th centuries, Samoyeds were used as sled dogs by European and American researchers in the Arctic and Antarctic. An early mention of the ancestors of today's Samoyed can be found in the reports on the failed North Pole expedition by Fridtjof Nansen in 1894; the animals are described as very persistent, they could cover 95 kilometers in one distance without being fed.

The British zoologist Ernest Kilburn-Scott brought the first specimens to England in 1889 and is considered the founder of the Samoyed breed. His draft for a breed standard envisaged two types of Samoyed: One was a bit long-legged, but sturdy, the fur was snow-white; the other was a bearish guy with small, hairy ears and strong paws with thick pads. These basic types can still be found today, within the framework of what is permitted by the breeding standard. The first breed standard dates from 1909.

The first specimens arrived in the United States around 1904. In 1913, Samoyed were officially recognized as a breed of dog. In 1923, the Samoyed Club of America was founded as the first breed club in the USA . Intensive breeding began in the first post-war years from around 1946, but the popularity of the Samoyed only increased to a noticeable extent from around 1956.

In Germany, the German Club of Nordic Dog Breeds (DCNH), founded in 1968, is responsible for compliance with breeding standards.

Samoyeds are also bred on a larger scale in Australia , Denmark , Finland , Germany , the Netherlands , Ireland , Italy , New Zealand , Sweden , Norway and, for some time, Spain . There is even a small kennel in Zimbabwe . The animals bred there are said to have adapted surprisingly well to the climatic conditions.

Although Samoyed are actually working dogs, today they are mainly used as house, family or show dogs and occasionally in dog sports , for example in agility , with good success. They are seldom used as sled dogs in sled dog races because they are very persistent, but less fast than huskies and less powerful than malamutes .

Health

Several breed-specific hereditary diseases are described for the Samoyed in the veterinary literature :

Diabetes mellitus similar, but not identical, to human type I (insulin deficit): The disease occurs disproportionately often in middle-aged Samoyeds; the average age at diagnosis is seven years. The cause is chronic inflammation of the pancreas and / or autoimmune destruction of the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans . Autoantibodies to insulin were also found in affected dogs . Several gene markers are currently being discussed as possible causes.

Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA), in this breed caused by a frameshift mutation on the RPRG locus of the X chromosome . The disease results in a slow progressive loss of vision that eventually leads to blindness. The first symptoms appear between two and five years. The disease corresponds to the X-linked PRA type 3 in humans.

Hereditary kidney inflammation caused by a nonsense mutation in codon 1027 of the COL4A5 gene on the X chromosome ( glycine to stop codon ), which is similar to Alport's syndrome in humans. The disease is simply inherited as an X chromosomal dominant trait, with males generally showing more severe symptoms than females. Clinically, proteinuria is seen in both sexes from the age of three to four months ; in males this is followed relatively quickly by kidney failure in combination with more or less pronounced hearing loss and death at the age of 8 to 15 months; disease progression is slower in heterozygous bitches. The course of the disease can be slowed down, but not stopped, by means of cyclosporine A and ACE inhibitors .

Short legs in association with malformations of the eyes: Through a genetic defect in the COL2A1 - Locus there is disproportionated dwarfism due to shortened limbs associated with cataracts , malformations of the retina and / or retinal detachment , liquefaction of the vitreous and persistent hyaloid artery . The malformations of the retina are dominant (they already occur in heterozygous dogs), the other symptoms are recessive, so they only develop in homozygous dogs. There is no connection with Opticin .

Pulmonary stenosis is more common in the Samoyed than in other races. The disease can cause shortness of breath, cardiac arrhythmias, and rapid fatigue with movement, and increases the risk of congestive heart failure .

Related breeds

The Samoyed is often confused with white specimens of the Great Spitz ( German Spitz ), the American Eskimo Dog or the Wolfspitz , which also have a pointed muzzle and erect ears. The Samoyed is a Nordic breed and related to the Spitz, but does not share their characteristics as a guard and yard dog.

As a Nordic breed, the Samoyed is sometimes confused with the Siberian Husky ; However, this usually has a gray fur and blue eyes, while Samoyed always have white fur and brown to brown-black eyes and the fur is much longer than that of the husky, in which the too long fur is a breeding-excluding fault. Occasionally a mix-up with white Eurasians is possible, but white as a color in Eurasians is a fault that excludes breeding; accordingly, they are rare. Since Samoyed were also used to breed the Eurasier - besides Wolfspitz and Chow-Chow - these are very close relatives.

literature

Helmut Safeitz: "Super Samojeden", Safeitz , Himberg 2018, ISBN 978-3200055216

Erna Bossi: The Samoyed. Bossi, Solothurn 1994.

Eva-Maria Krämer: The new Kosmos dog handler. 5th edition. Kosmos, Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-440-07772-1 , p. 185.

Betsy Sikora Siino: Samoyeds. Barron's Educational Series, Hauppauge 1998, ISBN 0-7641-0175-7 .

Pamela Taylor: The Samoyed Today. Howell Books, New York 2000, ISBN 0-7645-6112-X .

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Breed standard No. 212 of the FCI: Samojede (PDF)
↑ Susan E. Kimmel et al. a .: Familial insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in Samoyed dogs. In: Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association. 38, No. 3, 2002, pp. 235-238, PMID 12022409 .
↑ Andrea D. Short: Analysis of candidate susceptibility genes in canine diabetes. In: Journal of Heredity. 98, No. 5, 2007, pp. 518-525, doi: 10.1093 / jhered / esm048 .
^ PF Dice: Progressive retinal atrophy in the Samoyed. In: Modern Veterinary Practice. 61, No. 1, 1980, pp. 59-60, PMID 7366567 .
↑ Barbara Zangerl u. a .: Independent origin and restricted distribution of RPGR deletions causing XLPRA. In: Journal of Heredity. 98, No. 5, 2007, pp. 526-530, doi: 10.1093 / jhered / esm060 .
↑ B. Jansen et al. a .: Mode of inheritance of Samoyed hereditary glomerulopathy: an animal model for hereditary nephritis in humans. In: Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine. 107, No. 6, 1986, pp. 551-555, PMID 3711721 .
↑ K. Zheng et al. a .: Canine X chromosome-linked hereditary nephritis: a genetic model for human X-linked hereditary nephritis resulting from a single base mutation in the gene encoding the alpha 5 chain of collagen type IV. (PDF; 1.4 MB) In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . 91, No. 9, 1994, p. 39893993, PMID 8171024
↑ KM Grodecki u. a .: Treatment of X-linked hereditary nephritis in Samoyed dogs with angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. In: Journal of Comparative Pathology. 117, No. 3, 1997, pp. 209-225, doi: 10.1016 / S0021-9975 (97) 80016-3 .
↑ Dilys Chen et al. a .: Cyclosporine a slows the progressive renal disease of alport syndrome (X-linked hereditary nephritis): results from a canine model. In: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology . 14, No. 3, 2003, pp. 690-698, PMID 12595505 .
^ VN Meyers u. a .: Short-limbed dwarfism and ocular defects in the Samoyed dog. In: Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 183, No. 9, 1983, pp. 975-979, PMID 12002589
↑ Gregory M. Acland et al. a .: Retinal dysplasia in the Samoyed dog is the heterozygous phenotype of the gene (drds) for short limbed dwarfism and ocular defects. In: Transactions of the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmology. 22, 1991, pp.: 44.
↑ Beth Pellegrini, Gregory M. Acland, Jharna Ra: Cloning and characterization of opticin cDNA: evaluation as a candidate for canine oculo-skeletal dysplasia. In: Gene 282, No. 1-2, 2002, pp. 121-131, doi: 10.1016 / S0378-1119 (01) 00842-3 .
↑ D. McCaw, E. Aronson: Congenital cardiac disease in dogs. In: Modern Veterinary Practice. 65, No. 7, 1984, pp. 509-512, PMID 6749116 .