A Samoyed’s main objective in life is to be with his owners. He needs to be an integral part of your family. They are a human oriented breed, who demand to be with their people inside or where ever their people happen to be at any given time. The affectionate Samoyed will be your friend for life! If you are looking for a dog to put out in the backyard and to spend little time with then you are looking into the wrong breed. An ignored Samoyed equals a bored Samoyed resulting in behavioral problems such as excessive barking, digging and escaping.
They are a highly intelligent breed, which is sometimes confused with disobedience or stubbornness when it comes to obedience as they are not keen on repetitive training. You can look into the eyes of the Sammie and know the lights are on...they make decisions. The best way to train the happy and fun loving Samoyed is with a lot of patience, praise and consistency and lots of rewards either treats or toys. Training needs to be fun for the Samoyed. The Samoyed is a dog who requires adequate exercise. They are an active working dog; although, not high strung.
A Samoyed is a natural born digger. If you are a gardening enthusiast I don’t recommend a Samoyed unless you keep him in a separate area. I have known people to describe their backyard as a moon crater. It is a Samoyeds natural instinct to make “beds” for it self. In the arctic conditions they would dig hollows to protect themselves from the climate. In Australia they tend to dig shallow ditches to find that cooler wetter ground and make themselves as comfortable as possible.
Samoyeds are naturals when it comes to dog sports, and will thrive on the stimulation and adrenaline rush of fast paced activities like sledding or agility. As with all dogs, early socialisation and training is a must with the Samoyed to ensure it develops good social skills.