Last Updated on November 9, 2022 by Denise Leo. Post first published on March 14, 2022.
Samoyeds make great human companions in terms of loyalty, socializing, and guarding. Keeping a Samoyed dog raises concern about Samoyed shedding due to their double coat. Do they shed a lot of dog hair? Let’s learn in this article!
Samoyeds possess soft white fur, almond-shaped eyes over their complete white coat, and a cherubic smile. Along with a pristine white coat and large build, they are exceptionally loyal, intelligent, and social dogs with a loving nature towards humans.
Let’s discuss the point of concern – knowing Samoyeds are snow dogs, you must be wondering if Samoyeds shed. The answer is, yes, they do. A lot!
This is because nature has provided them with a double coat for insulation against extreme cold weather. As a result, the shedding lasts for 2 to 3 weeks in the Samoyeds, and they shed significant fur throughout the year apart from the shedding seasons.
Let’s dig up into how much do Samoyeds shed. What are the ways to handle Samoyed shedding dog hair? If you are considering having this adorable breed as your pet.
History Of Samoyed Dogs
The Samoyed is an ancient working dog and is almost a primitive dog. There’s no mixture of fox or wolf in his breeding. The Samoyede people from Siberia developed this dog.
He was used to herding reindeer, haul sleds, hunt, and as a guard dog. The Samoyede people loved these dogs and allowed the dogs to sleep in their tents because they relied on the Samoyed for their very survival.
The Siberian Samoyed people anciently used Samoyeds to hunt down wild reindeer after the last ice age passed. The Samoyed people used to keep them as work resources and treat them kindly.
For this reason, the Samoyeds are dear to humans from an ancient era. They take part in family activities because they are trustworthy, harmless, and loyal dogs. These traits evolved in today’s Samoyed breed, which made people more attracted to them.
This dog breed is named after Nenets, aka Samoyeds of the Russian Tundra, who used them as work partners in herding and breeding the domestic reindeer for their survival. Samoyeds are genetically identical to wolves, and they have retained their genetic traits over all these years of selective breeding made by humans.
Samoyed’s evolution proceeded from Siberia in the late 19th century when the expeditions accompanied them on the trails. Samoyeds have the stamina to tolerate cold weather, which makes them a choice for hikers to take assistance from Samoyeds during long expeditions.
Antarctic Buck is the first-ever Samoyed dog brought to England for Queen Alexandra, a Samoyed enthusiast. Today, most American and English Samoyeds are the descendants of Queen Alexandra’s Antarctic Buck.
About the Samoyed
He’s a keen worker, intelligent, alert, loyal, and gentle. He’s recognized for his black lips that curl a little at the corners and look like a “smile.” He loves being busy and enjoys sledding, herding, pack hiking, agility, weight pulling, conformation shows, and anything else that’s required of him.
His heavy coat is resistant to the weather and is ideal for frigid climates. This dog’s fur color is biscuit, cream, biscuit, and white or white. He loves being with his family.
He may bark and chase things, so try to keep him occupied. He needs daily exercise, and his coat requires weekly brushing to stop it from matting and because he sheds dog hair.
Personality Trait Of Samoyeds
Samoyeds are energetic and make great walking and swimming companions. Their double coat makes them great partners to play in the snow. Because of their high energy expenditure, they need sufficient exercise and a healthy diet. They are intelligent focused on the given task but quickly get bored. Due to their cheerful nature, they are praised in public for pulling Santa’s sleigh and herding trials.
The height of the male Samoyeds ranges from 21 to 23 inches, and the height of a Samoyed female ranges from 19 to 21 inches. The weight ranges from 50 to 60 pounds in both males and females. It would help if you did not leave them alone as their personality and history don’t make them loners. Samoyeds love to be around family members.
They tend to remain close to their owner and don’t like to stay in the backyard or a kennel. Samoyeds are often kept as watchdogs because of their alertness and hunting traits. They can efficiently chase their prey and not hesitate to mingle with new people.
Inheritance, training methods, and environment are the factors that affect the temperament of Samoyed dogs. If you find a Samoyed playful and curious, he is well-trained or genetically has a good character.
How Shedding Takes Place In Samoyeds?
The shedding in dogs depends upon the cycle of their hair growth. But do Samoyeds shed a lot? Yes, they do! This means that their fur grows (anagen phase) and is replaced with fresh fur (telogen phase) faster. They are large dogs with thick and profuse coats. This also makes them heavy shedders.
Their fluff is of more concern than low shedders, especially when the Samoyed shedding season begins, which is spring and fall. Nature has given them double coats because they are meant to survive below-freezing temperatures, which cannot happen without solid insulation. Here are some reasons why Samoyed dogs shed a lot:
- As the Samoyeds were bred to hunting, their job was to hunt and guard in freezing cold temperatures. This breed is a reindeer herder and sled puller. This multipurpose dog breed has to work in the harsh cold weather, so nature has given them aid in the form of soft white double-coated fur, which works as an insulator for them. They possess a thick coat which means you have to be prepared for more shedding than usual.
- They have a unique coat that only 78 recognized dog breeds possess. The double coat of Samoyeds contains two layers, a top coat, and an undercoat. The latter is dense and short, which plays a role of an insulator and keeps them warm in freezing cold temperatures. The fluffy your Samoyed is, the denser his undercoat is. The topcoat contains long hair, which makes up a protective layer for their skin and is called “Guard hair.” The top coat has a biscuit and cream-like texture underneath.
- Samoyeds shed excessively twice a year, and their double coat is termed the “Blowing Coat.” When fall is around the corner, Samoyed starts shedding on a lighter level which becomes excessive with the arrival of summer as their coat is getting prepared for the winter. Samoyeds shed the most during the spring season as they have to stay light in the summer to remain safe from over-insulation.
- Samoyeds excessively shed when there is a lack of nutrition. Although it requires attentive observation when a Samoyed is shedding moderately or excessively, when you observe heavy shedding remains persistent, you should consider changing your dog’s diet.
- There is an exciting feature about Samoyed’s fur. It’s that the mud doesn’t remain stuck to it stubbornly. It means that cleaning a Samoyed is not that much difficult. They are called “Teflon” dogs for this particular reason it is easier to rinse off the mud from a Samoyed’s fur.
How To Take Care Of A Shedding Samoyed?
With a Samoyed pal, you’ll need to keep high maintenance as they shed a lot. Even when it’s not their shedding season, you’ll need to brush them every day to collect and dump their white fur. This is how you are supposed to take care of your shedding Samoyed:
Brushing Daily
Brushing your dog daily keeps its long, medium-length hair detangled and hence prevents painful brushing for the next time and frequent trimming of your canine’s hair. If you don’t brush a Samoyed daily, its fur may stick to every household, which may include your bed, furniture, clothes, utensils, and carpets.
Brushing just doesn’t let the crazy hair spread all over as you remove it as a precaution and save yourself from a long hassle. When there is no shedding season, you can switch brushing your Samoyed from daily to multiple times a week. Samoyeds have a water-resistant double coat of fur for which a slicker brush or a metal comb will make a perfect tool.
These tools pass easily from the hard outer coat and the soft inner hair, removing the shedding hair along with debris.
Bathing
Maintenance of a Samoyed’s coat also requires bathing. It removes their old fur and aids the growth of the fresh ones. Usually, a Samoyed needs monthly baths because it doesn’t possess a foul body odor. But you should consider more frequent baths during the shedding season.
Beware! Frequently bathing your dog can remove natural oils and leave your canine’s skin dry, stimulating abnormal shedding. Instead, use a good quality dog shampoo that moisturizes the skin and doesn’t cause irritation.
Healthy Diet
Taking care of your canine’s intake plays a role in its shedding pattern. Dog food that contains cheap and low-quality ingredients promote heavy shedding. A diet is rich in vitamins, minerals, and the right amount of proteins and carbs that your dog needs help to develop a naturally healthy coat. Omega 3 and Omega 6 fatty acids are food fats that make the fur healthier and shiny.
Are Samoyeds Hypoallergenic Dogs?
Hairless animals can cause allergies, and their skin becomes a carrier of germs. The agent which causes allergies is not fur. It’s the dander that resides in the animal fur, and most people are concerned about dog breeds being hypoallergenic. The allergy-causing agents could be urine or saliva as well.
The microscopic dander is the dead skin that your pet naturally loses, and the amount of shedding can estimate its quantity. But there is an interesting fact about Samoyeds: even if Samoyed shedding is too heavy, they are not regarded as allergy-causing dogs.
To make it clear that no dog comes with zero allergy-causing fur. The hypoallergenic term refers to the more tolerable pets by susceptible people than other animals. So if you get a hypoallergenic dog, this means that there are fewer chances of coughing, sneezing, and developing skin conditions.
However, these smiling sled dogs are considered hypoallergenic as their fur usually doesn’t stimulate the immune responses of sensitive people. You should spend some time with a Samoyed and observe how your body responds to it, in case you get one and are concerned about it being a whole allergen.
Is A Samoyed Dog Good To Keep?
Samoyeds love to contact humans as the nomads kept them as family members. So if you have kids and caregivers at home, you should keep this loyal animal for sure.
Their socializing ability is good with other pets, and they are likely to make friends. You can keep a Samoyed if you or your family are not allergic to fur because Samoyed shedding can pose health concerns to some people.
However, knowing that this breed sheds throughout the year and, at times, more excessively than usual, you’ll need to give good care, including daily brushing, bathing, and a habitat where your canine doesn’t get overheating.
Get a Samoyed only if you have time for its grooming and training. They have a great work ethic, make exceptional playmates, and are affectionate towards kids. Their upturned mouth signifies them as always happy dogs at which people can’t resist smiling.
However, bringing them to a hot climate will not be favorable for them as there are high chances of developing heat stroke due to the thick coats of fur on their body.
They are heavy shedders that should not be kept in small places like apartments. However, if you have a fenced yard or a garden where your Samoyed can cheerfully play and get trained, you can become a good Samoyed parent!
Blowing Off The Coat – Importance of Brushing Your Samoyed
To control Samoyed shedding, Samoyed owners need to brush them every day. However, brushing and grooming a Samoyed dog only once a week will only let you wrap excess fur from Samoyed shedding.
The peak shedding season in summer is when they need to shed their undercoat so that their body may minimize the insulation and keep them cool. As these dogs are meant to fight ice-cold temperatures, their coat is bi-layered and thick, which plays a crucial role in their survival in low temperatures. Therefore, the phenomenon of shedding in Samoyeds is called “Blowing off the coat”.
Keeping them in shade, exercising in the cold mornings and evenings, and daily brushing keeps your Samoyed safe from overheating.
The Final Word On Samoyed Dog Shedding
If you are going to become a Samoyed owner and keep this cute dog breed as a pet, you should know that they shed excessively in the shedding season to the extent their fur can fill several shopping bags (if you do not pay attention to grooming). All double-coated dogs shed, but not as much as smooth-coated dogs.
For being super loyal, playful, and affectionate, Samoyeds only require your little time to groom them and give them a favorable lifestyle in return.
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References and Further Reading:
American Kennel Club Samoyed Dog Information