Samoyed breed standards compared
Each column is one club's published standard. An empty cell means the club says nothing on that point in our records.
Clubs compared: FCI, AKC, UKC, KC, CKC.
Size
| Measure | FCI | AKC | UKC | KC | CKC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Height at the withers, male | 54–60 cm | 53.3–59.7 cm | 53.3–59.7 cm | 51–56 cm | 53.3–59.8 cm |
| Height at the withers, female | 50–56 cm | 48.3–53.3 cm | 48.3–53.3 cm | 46–51 cm | 48.3–54.5 cm |
| Height to length | 1 | No ruling | 1 | No ruling | No ruling |
| Skull to muzzle | 1 | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
Conformation
| Form | FCI | AKC | UKC | KC | CKC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BiteScissors bite | Standard (“Regular and complete scissor bite”) | Standard (“snugly overlapping with scissors bite”) | Standard (“complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth with a scissors bite”) | Standard (“perfect, regular and complete scissor bite”) | Standard (“snugly overlapping in a scissors bite”) |
| BiteLevel bite | Fault (“FAULTS: ... Pincer bite”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| BiteUndershot | Disqualifying (“ELIMINATING FAULTS: Overshot or undershot bite”) | Fault (“Undershot or overshot should be penalized”) | Fault (“Faults: Undershot or overshot”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| BiteOvershot | Disqualifying (“ELIMINATING FAULTS: Overshot or undershot bite”) | Fault (“Undershot or overshot should be penalized”) | Fault (“Faults: Undershot or overshot”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| Ear carriageErect (prick) | Standard (“EARS: Erect, rather small, thick, triangular”) | Standard (“Strong and thick, erect, triangular”) | Standard (“carried strongly erect”) | Standard (“Fully erect in adults”) | No ruling |
| Ear setHigh | Standard (“They should be mobile, set high”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| Eye shapeAlmond | Standard (“somewhat slanting and almond-shaped”) | Standard (“almond shaped with lower lid slanting”) | Standard (“The eyes are dark brown, almond-shaped”) | Standard (“Almond-shaped, obliquely set”) | No ruling |
| Eye shapeRound | No ruling | Fault (“Round or protruding eyes penalized”) | Fault (“Faults: Round or protruding eyes”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| ToplineLevel | Standard (“Back: Of medium length, muscular and straight”) | No ruling | Standard (“blend gracefully into the level back”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| Tail carriageCurled over the back | Standard (“carried bent from the root forward over the back or side”) | No ruling | Standard (“normally carried over the back, draped to one side or the other”) | Standard (“carried over the back and to side when alert”) | No ruling |
| Tail setHigh | Standard (“TAIL: Set rather high”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| Tail lengthLong | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Standard (“Tail: Long, profusely coated”) | No ruling |
| Tail lengthMedium | No ruling | No ruling | Standard (“The tail is moderately long”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| FeetOval | Standard (“Fore Feet: Oval with long toes”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| FeetCat foot | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Fault (“Round cat feet highly undesirable”) | No ruling |
| HocksWell let down | Standard (“Hocks: Rather low and well angulated”) | No ruling | No ruling | Standard (“with well let down hocks”) | No ruling |
| HocksCow-hocked | Fault (“Badly bow-legged or cow hocked”) | Fault (“any suggestion of unsound stifles or cowhocks severely penalized”) | No ruling | Fault (“Cowhocks or straight stifles highly undesirable”) | No ruling |
| Neck lengthMedium | Standard (“NECK: Strong and of medium length”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| ChestDeep | Standard (“Chest: Broad, deep and long”) | No ruling | No ruling | Standard (“Chest deep but not too broad”) | No ruling |
| ChestBarrel | Fault (“FAULTS: ... Barrel ribcage”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
| Tuck-upModerate | Standard (“Underline: Moderate tuck-up”) | No ruling | Standard (“The belly is tight, with moderate tuck-up”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| Muzzle shapeTapered | Standard (“gradually tapering towards the nose”) | Standard (“should taper toward the nose”) | Standard (“there is slight tapering toward the nose”) | Standard (“tapering foreface not too sharply defined”) | No ruling |
| Muzzle shapeSnipy | Fault (“neither snipey nor heavy and square”) | Fault (“neither coarse nor snipy”) | Fault (“Faults: Coarse, snipey, or shallow muzzle”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| DentitionFull dentition | Standard (“Normal dentition”) | No ruling | Standard (“a complete set of evenly spaced, white teeth”) | No ruling | No ruling |
Cropping, docking and other procedures
| Procedure | FCI | AKC | UKC | KC | CKC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dewclaw removal | Standard (“The dewclaws should be removed”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling |
The law on these procedures differs by country. A listing here says nothing about whether one is legal where you live. See where each procedure is banned or allowed.
Samoyed colours and patterns
What each club's breed standard says about every Samoyed colour and pattern. Point at a ruling to see the club's own wording.
Breed standards describe the Samoyed in White and Cream. Standard patterns: Solid and Bicolour.
| Colour or pattern | FCI | AKC | UKC | KC | KUSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | Standard (“pure white”) | Standard (“White”) | Standard (“pure white”) | Standard (“pure white”) | Standard (“pure white”) |
| Cream | Standard (“cream”) | Standard (“Cream”) | Standard (“cream, or all biscuit”) | Standard (“cream”) | Standard (“cream”) |
| Albino | Disqualifying | Disqualifying | Disqualifying (“albinism”) | Not recognised | Disqualifying |
| Brown | Disqualifying (“should never give the impression of being pale brown”) | Disqualifying | Disqualifying | Not recognised | Disqualifying (“should never give the impression of being pale brown”) |
| Patterns | |||||
| Solid | Standard (“pure white”) | Standard (“White”) | Standard (“pure white”) | Standard (“pure white”) | Standard (“pure white”) |
| Bicolour | Standard (“white with biscuit”) | Standard (“White & Biscuit”) | Standard (“white and biscuit”) | Standard (“white and biscuit”) | Standard (“white with biscuit”) |
| Colour or pattern | FCI | AKC | UKC | KC | KUSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Standard (“medium to dark brown”) | No ruling |
| Dark brown | Standard (“dark brown”) | Standard (“dark for preference”) | Standard (“dark brown”) | Standard (“medium to dark brown”) | Standard (“dark brown”) |
| Black | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Fault (“light or black eyes undesirable”) | No ruling |
| Light brown | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Fault (“light or black eyes undesirable”) | No ruling |
| Yellow | Fault (“yellow eyes”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Fault (“yellow eyes”) |
| Blue | Disqualifying (“eyes blue”) | Disqualifying (“blue eyes”) | Disqualifying (“blue eyes”) | No ruling | Disqualifying (“eyes blue”) |
| Patterns | |||||
| Odd-eyed | Disqualifying (“eyes ... of different colours”) | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Disqualifying (“eyes ... of different colours”) |
| Colour or pattern | FCI | AKC | UKC | KC | KUSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | Standard (“preferably black”) | Standard (“black for preference”) | Standard (“black is preferred”) | Standard (“black for preference”) | Standard (“preferably black”) |
| Liver | No ruling | Standard (“brown, liver ... nose not penalized”) | Standard (“a brown, liver, or Dudley nose is acceptable”) | Standard (“may be brown”) | No ruling |
| Pink | No ruling | No ruling | No ruling | Standard (“flesh-coloured”) | No ruling |
| Dudley | No ruling | Standard (“Dudley nose not penalized”) | Standard (“a brown, liver, or Dudley nose is acceptable”) | No ruling | No ruling |
| Patterns | |||||
| Snow nose | Standard (“the pigment of the nose can fade to a so called « winter nose »”) | Standard (“color of nose sometimes changes with age and weather”) | Standard (“changes in nose color due to age or weather are not penalized”) | No ruling | Standard (“the pigment of the nose can fade to a so called "winter nose"”) |
What the rulings mean
- Standard
- Described by the club's breed standard.
- Fault
- Named by the club's breed standard as a fault: the animal can be shown but is penalised.
- Disqualifying
- The club's breed standard disqualifies an animal of this colour or pattern.
- Not recognised
- The club does not accept this colour or pattern for the breed.
Colour changes
How a Samoyed's colours can change over its life.
Whitechanges toRoan
Coat · With age · from 2 weeks
Blackchanges toSnow nose
Nose · With the season · can change back
Blackchanges toPink
Nose · With the season · can change back
Blackchanges toSnow nose
Nose · With the season · can change back
Sources
Each ruling comes from the club's published breed standard or colour list.