The Samoyed is a very beautiful breed who requires very little in the way of maintenance. They're highly skilled at preserving their own appearance and take well to obedience courses, so they're natural candidates for performing in the show ring. If you intend to show your Samoyed, however, it's not enough to simply rely on his or her natural graces to carry you through to victory. You must know precisely the things that the judges will be looking for and train your Samoyed to cultivate these desired behaviors and appearances. With the natural edge that the breed offers and the information in this article, you should be well on your way to earning those blue ribbons in no time.
The Samoyed is judged as a working breed. This means that they should project the appearance of strength and alertness, displaying both speed, power, and grace at all times. His or her coat should remain long to reflect the breed's history of working in arctic climates, but at the same time should be immaculately groomed. The standard for perfection among Samoyed body types is a body that is neither too long nor too muscular, but rather a natural median between strength and agility. Male Samoyeds should appear strong without seeming aggressive, and female Samoyeds should appear delicate and feminine without seeming weak or slight. The legs should be long to make up for the stockiness required of the breed's massive chest muscles, and in particular the hindquarters should be well developed.
A properly built Samoyed will appear neither so heavy that he or she seems to be clumsy, nor so light that he or she lacks a commanding presence. They ought to stand 21 to 23 1/2 inches at the withers for males, and 19 to 21 inches at the withers for females. There is little room for deviation from this norm as far as most show judges are concerned.
A Samoyed's coat should be groomed and maintained in such a way that both aspects of the Samoyed's coat are accounted for: the coarse and wiry undercoat and the long and silky outer coat. The outer coat in particular should be full-bodied and have a perky bounce when the Samoyed walks. It should be pristine white and carry an almost luminescent shine.
The Samoyed's walk should be akin to that of a trotting horse. In other words, he should move with a clarity of purpose that is obvious, and quickly but with a solid and steady rhythm. The right walk will show off the Samoyed's powerful musculature as well as their awesome restraint and capacity for grace. His legs should move in a straight line and turn neither inwards nor outwards.
Overall, if the Samoyed is to be a success in the show ring, he or she must exhibit the defining qualities of both sides of the breed: the gentle beauty of their exterior and the hearty, uncompromising endurance of their interior.
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