Samoyed Buying Guide: What to Check Before You Buy

1 Samoyed Buying Guide

I. Check the Samoyed Puppy’s Build

A healthy Samoyed puppy is usually the best developed, with a fit, athletic body.

First, the teeth. A simple, effective method: have the puppy stand straight on a table and open its mouth to check the teeth and gums. A top-quality dog has a scissor bite — the upper (front) teeth meet the lower (front) teeth tightly with no gap.

Second, the eyes. As the saying goes, ‘the eyes are the window to the heart,’ and so it is with puppies. A healthy Samoyed puppy should have bright eyes, neat eyelashes and slightly moist eye rims. If the eyes are red (congested) or yellowish (jaundiced conjunctiva), that is abnormal.

Third, the bones: have the Samoyed stand and feel its whole body. Ribs should be felt but not seen; check the skeleton — whether the skull is deformed, the spine curved, the jaw cleft, or the hip and knee joints dislocated.

Fourth, movement: run and jump with the puppy; its motions should be normal, agile and free of lameness.

II. Observe the Puppy Closely

1. Watch the Samoyed puppy’s appetite

A healthy Samoyed puppy should have a normal appetite. Eating, playing, sleeping and eliminating are the four needs of healthy growth. A dog that just changed environment or is carsick may temporarily lose appetite. Do not pick a Samoyed that refuses food and is inactive, because sometimes severely dehydrated puppies, latent illness, gastroenteritis or those in pain also lose appetite. If you notice this, ask the staff about feeding times and observe again on a later visit.

2. Watch for any illness

Check for nasal discharge. Colds, rhinitis or upper respiratory infection can cause a runny nose; after bacterial infection the discharge turns creamy white, yellow or green pus. If food sprays from the nostrils, it may be eating too fast or even a swallowing disorder or congenital defect — such puppies are not recommended.

Check whether the puppy coughs. Colds, throat sensitivity, polluted air, tracheitis and bronchitis can all cause coughing in puppies — not recommended if so.

3. Watch the nose. A normal dog nose should be moist; if it dries out, the dog may be sick.

III. Be Careful Buying a Dog Under Three Months

Do not choose a Samoyed under three months (not just Samoyeds — basically all puppies are best chosen after three months). Because puppies look similar when young, some may even look prettier than purebreds.

But puppies born before three months are generally delicate (and the purer the breed, the higher the mortality), and vaccination shots are often incomplete. For safety, buy a puppy after three months.

The above are the specific criteria for judging purebred Samoyed quality and how to choose one. Besides these points, also check the puppy’s parents, since hereditary diseases can be spotted in the parents. Generally, if the parents are purebred Samoyeds, the puppy’s genes are also good.

IV. Detailed Observation

Its back should not be too long; a fragile back would unfit it for normal work and lose its value as a working dog, yet an overly compact body is bad for a draft dog. On this basis, enthusiasts can use these points as reference when buying. For a true Samoyed, though not long-bodied, well-developed muscle is an allowed exception; the chest should be deep with well-sprung ribs, and the neck strong. The front is straight and the loin very strong. Males look strong without unnecessary aggression; females look delicate in structure but not weak in temperament.

A female’s back may be slightly longer than a male’s. Both look very enduring but not coarse. Because the Samoyed has a deep chest, the legs need enough length for normal proportions; a dog with very short legs is undesirable. The hindquarters look well developed, with moderately angled stifles; any stifle or hock problem is severely penalized. Like the Bichon Frise, the Samoyed has a double coat: a short, dense, soft, cottony undercoat close to the skin, over which long, coarse guard hairs stand out and do not curl. The coat around the neck and shoulders forms a ‘ruff.’ Coat quality relates to weather resistance, so quality matters more than quantity; soft, loose coat is undesirable. With these points plus the relevant standard data, you can basically buy a better Samoyed.

Tip: Click our guide on how to care for a Samoyed to learn about feeding and care.