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Breed guide · Dogs
She smiles at every stranger in the lift. I've taught her to keep four feet on the floor.
Last updated 12 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
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At home
The upturned corners of the mouth: the famous Sammy smile.
What's going onThe smile is real, and it has a job. Those upturned black lips helped stop drool and ice forming in the Siberian cold. They smile their way through life, and they expect you to smile back.
At home
Flat on the marble, across the air-conditioning vent, or in the shower tray.
What's going onTheir thick white double coat was made for Siberian winters, and they are getting rid of heat. Air conditioning, cool-hour walks and a brush through to the skin help, and never clip or shave the undercoat.
At home
Every guest and every delivery greeted like family, front feet first.
What's going onFriendliness was part of the job: their ancestors lived and slept in the family tent. Teach four feet on the floor while they are small, and reward it every time someone says hello.
At home
Barking at the window, and a full chorus when the door closes.
What's going onA dog bred to live in the middle of a family finds a long day alone hard, and a bored Samoyed barks. A midday visit, a stuffed chew or a scatter of their lunch breaks the day up.
At home
Soft and dry on top, still damp underneath an hour later.
What's going onTheir undercoat is dense, and a damp one sits against the skin for hours in the heat. After a bath or a swim, dry them right down to the skin, not just the top coat.
At home
The water bowl that needs filling more often than it used to.
What's going onDiabetes Mellitus (sugar diabetes) is a risk for Samoyeds from puppyhood to young adulthood. If they drink and wee much more than usual, or lose weight while eating well, tell your vet that week.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their cold
Built for: Siberian winters.
In Dubai: Summers of 45 degrees, in a coat made for the Arctic.
Their work
Built for: Herding reindeer and pulling sleds.
In Dubai: Mostly in the air conditioning.
Their family
Built for: Sleeping in a tent in the middle of the family.
In Dubai: Often alone for part of the day.
The barking, the jumping up and the flat-on-the-marble days mostly come from that gap.
You cannot give them a reindeer herd. You can give them a cool home and company, and the ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around their breed: the hips, eyes, thyroid and diabetes a Samoyed is prone to, at every age.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
Their coat was made for Siberia, and it needs real care in a Dubai summer.
Every age, most of all puppies and from 7 years
Why
Their coat was made for Siberia, and it needs real care in a Dubai summer.
What to do
Keep them in air conditioning through the day, with a cool tiled floor to lie on. From May to September, walk before sunrise and after dark, and check the pavement with the back of your hand first. If they pant hard, drool thickly or wobble, move them into shade or air conditioning straight away, wet their coat and skin with cool water, not ice-cold, and contact your vet now. Keep cooling them on the way, with the air conditioning on in the car.
They need a lot of brushing, so it helps if they learn to enjoy it.
Every age, starting the day they come home
Why
They need a lot of brushing, so it helps if they learn to enjoy it.
What to do
Every day, touch their paws, lift their ears and open their lips for a few seconds, then give a treat. Show them the brush and the nail clippers before you use them. Stop before they wriggle.
They love everyone, and at full size a happy Samoyed can knock a child over.
Every age, most of all puppies
Why
They love everyone, and at full size a happy Samoyed can knock a child over.
What to do
Reward four feet on the floor every time someone says hello. Two short sessions a day, paid with part of their dinner.
Many Samoyeds bark for company, and your neighbours share the wall.
Every age, loudest from 6 months to 2 years
Why
Many Samoyeds bark for company, and your neighbours share the wall.
What to do
Give them the walk and the company before they ask. When they bark for something, wait for a moment of quiet before you give it. Long barking or howling while you are out can be distress, so contact your vet.
Eye disease, diabetes and an underactive thyroid are all risks for a Samoyed.
Every age
Why
Eye disease, diabetes and an underactive thyroid are all risks for a Samoyed.
What to do
Once a week, as you brush, look at their eyes for redness, cloudiness or squinting, and at the skin under the coat. Notice how often you fill the water bowl. If anything about the eyes changes, call your vet that day. Weigh them once a month.
Dead undercoat and damp fur both hold heat against the skin.
Every age, more as the adult coat comes in
Why
Dead undercoat and damp fur both hold heat against the skin.
What to do
Brush them through to the skin several times a week with an undercoat rake and a slicker brush, and every day when they shed. After a bath, dry them all the way down. Do not clip or shave the undercoat. De-shed and de-mat with the right tools, and keep up the brushing and bathing, so the coat stays clear and skin problems are easier to spot.
They were bred to live in the middle of a family, and a bored Samoyed barks.
Every age, most of all 6 months to 2 years
Why
They were bred to live in the middle of a family, and a bored Samoyed barks.
What to do
If they are alone for more than a few hours, arrange a visit or a walk. On hot days, give them indoor work: a scatter of part of their food, a stuffed chew, a sniffing game.
They were herding dogs, and many Samoyeds will chase what runs. Street cats are everywhere in Dubai, and a running one is hard to resist.
Every age, for life
Why
They were herding dogs, and many Samoyeds will chase what runs. Street cats are everywhere in Dubai, and a running one is hard to resist.
What to do
Walk them on a lead, with a harness if they pull. In open spaces, use a long line of 5 to 10 metres, and practise calling them back on it.
They are friendlier than most of their sled-dog cousins, but they were still bred to cover ground, and a loose dog near a Dubai road is in danger fast.
Every age, most of all puppies and young dogs
Why
They are friendlier than most of their sled-dog cousins, but they were still bred to cover ground, and a loose dog near a Dubai road is in danger fast.
What to do
Check the gap under the gate, the height of the wall and the balcony rails. Keep a baby gate inside the front door for deliveries.
Hip Dysplasia (a poorly fitting hip joint) is one of the first risks for a Samoyed, from puppyhood, and arthritis follows with age.
Every age, screening before 2 years
Why
Hip Dysplasia (a poorly fitting hip joint) is one of the first risks for a Samoyed, from puppyhood, and arthritis follows with age.
What to do
Keep them lean. Put rugs where they turn and run on marble. Book their hip screening before they are two.
Two of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
6 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 4 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
4 to 7 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
10 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
The working dog and the family dog
The Samoyed you meet today was built in England from a handful of imported dogs, bred for the white coat, the smile and a calm, friendly nature. Underneath is still a dog who herded reindeer and pulled sleds, and wants a job to do.
Samoyed colours
Pure white, cream, white with biscuit, or biscuit all over. The earliest Samoyeds were sometimes black and white or brown and white, but every Samoyed today is a pale shade.
The first six months
Their full vaccination course, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first. Keep time outside short in summer, because puppies overheat quickly, and start short, gentle sessions with the brush.
Puppy health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Give them a tiled floor in an air-conditioned room, and rugs where they turn and run on marble. Check the gate and the balcony at puppy height, and put a baby gate inside the front door.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Ask the breeder whether both parents have had their hips scored and their eyes evaluated. Hip Dysplasia and eye disease are the first risks for a young Samoyed.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
For a new puppy: First 30 days with a new puppy · Puppy vaccinations in the UAE · Heatstroke in dogs
When it is not behaviour.
They'll keep smiling in the lift. If the smile comes with a squint, call your vet that day.
Before they were yours.
The beginning
The Samoyed comes from northern Siberia, where the Nenets people kept the dogs to herd reindeer and pull sleds. At night the dogs slept in the tents with the family.
What they still carryThe friendliness, the coat, and a dog who expects to be part of the household.
1889
In 1889 the explorer Ernest Kilburn-Scott brought a puppy home to England from Archangel. He and his wife built the breed from a handful of imported dogs.
What they still carryThe white Samoyed you know, bred for looks and temperament as much as work.
1890s to 1910s
Samoyeds pulled sleds on several early polar expeditions, in the Arctic and in Antarctica.
What they still carryProof of a working dog under the white coat.
1906 to 1912
The American Kennel Club registered its first Samoyed in 1906, and The Kennel Club in England recognised the breed in 1912.
What they still carryThe calm, friendly temperament breeders chose them for.
Today
Here most Samoyeds are family dogs, chosen for the white coat and the smile.
What they still carryAn Arctic coat, and a dog who wants to be in the middle of everything, in a 45-degree summer.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Samoyed suits you, so might these.
Alaskan MalamuteThe same kind of dog: an Arctic sled dog, bigger and stronger, and more reserved with strangers.
Siberian HuskyA fellow spitz from Siberia, bred as a sled dog, with even more energy and the same love of company.
BeagleThe same friendly, sociable temperament and love of the sound of their own voice, in a smaller, short-coated hound.
Rough CollieA similar size and a long double coat that needs the same brushing, in a calmer herding dog.
