Samoyed Training Guide – Crate, Toilet & More Tips!

When it comes to Spitz-type dogs besides the Siberian Husky, the Samoyed breed is the best you can find. You have to admit that this hound is so adorable, but there is much more to Samoyeds besides its fluffy white fur. Samoyeds are a highly intelligent breed initially used to pull sleds, herd, hunt, and offer protection, but what training do they need to be able to achieve these skills?

Before you invite this furry four-legged friend to your home, knowing that you will be able to provide adequate training is essential. Let’s discuss training methods that dog owners can use on their Samoyeds and this breed’s personality traits that could pose a challenge when trying to successfully train your hound.

Should I Train My Samoyed?

Make no mistake, Samoyeds are very intelligent and have a strong sense of independence. If implemented from the onset, effective dog training methods will help you have a positive relationship with your puppy.

Training a Samoyed is essential to control nuisance barking or even entering dog sports competitions to compete against other dogs. Not to mention that you must conduct potty training to prevent unhygienic tendencies.

Are Samoyeds Easy To Train?

Because of the Samoyed’s intelligence, they are brilliant learners and can begin responding to voice commands quicker than a lot of other breeds. As a result, the dog training process is less challenging for dog owners of Samoyeds.

Instead of focusing on repeating commands, it’s better to shake things up for your Samoyed training sessions. Keep them short, entertaining, and full of positive reinforcements. Harsh training methods might not be the best dog training techniques for obedience classes for any breed.

What Kind Of Training Does A Samoyed Need?

Since Samoyeds were originally bred to be working dogs, more training options are available for them. For example, as an adult dog, you can go beyond obedience training and prepare this working breed for competitions that entail activities that are well within their wheelhouse. Some examples include tracking, tracing, herding and weight pulling.

However, before your Samoyed becomes an adult dog, you must first lay the groundwork. The basic training you should do with your Samoyed includes:

• potty training
• obedience training
• crate training.

Toilet Training A Samoyed Puppy

Toilet training is the most fundamental skill to equip family dogs. The home environment gives dogs a routine, which applies when it’s time to potty. Your dog should know how to relieve itself when it feels it needs a bowel movement or has a full bladder.

Since this breed is brilliant when it comes to learning, you won’t have to use much repetition to teach these puppies the routine for relieving themselves.

When to start toilet training your Samoyed puppy

The best time to begin toilet training depends on where the dog is in its life cycle. Most of the time, this dog breed begins learning where to go relieve itself at four to eight weeks old. From seven to eight weeks old, these dogs can be easily toilet trained, and you can teach them using simple training techniques suitable for a pup.

How to toilet train your Samoyed puppy

1. The first step to training your dog to go outside for potty time. Young pups need to relieve themselves roughly every two hours, so stick to these intervals, and you should be safe from most accidents. Whenever the Samoyed pup starts circling or sniffing, take it outside and wait for it to finish doing its business. Use verbal reinforcements such as “go outside” when taking your pet outside.
2. Consistently take your Samoyed to a specific spot you want them to associate with going potty.
3. Praise them when they go outside. Let them know they’ve done a good job and even give them treats to create a positive association with relieving themselves outside.
4. Repeat until they do it by themselves.

Crate Training Your Samoyed

Unlike with other animals, confining your dog to a crate is not a form of punishment. For example, professional trainers have used crate training to get rid of bad behaviour by instilling positive associations with boundaries. You can also do the same with your dog.

Why is it important to crate-train your Samoyed puppy?

Samoyeds can be nuisance barkers when they do not get attention at times. To minimise this barking, you can implement crate training. This technique can also be used for obedience training.

When to start crate training your Samoyed puppy

Before you proceed, you must consider factors such as the environment this breed was bred under, the amount of daily exercise it is accustomed to, and early socialisation patterns with another family animal, such as a cat. Then, you can thoroughly implement crate training within approximately six months.

How to crate train your Samoyed puppy

Sammy owners can use a warm, snug bed after a long day of physical exercise to entice Samoyeds into the crate. Alternatively, food can be an incentive when using a slow feeder. That should generate positive emotions around their personal space.

Pros and cons of crate training

Before diving into crate-training, it’s best to know all the pros and cons so you can decide if this is the best route for you and your dog. Here are some of the pros and cons of crate-training.

Pros:

• Helps with toilet training
• Creates a personal safe space
• Improved obedience

Cons:

• In rare cases, it can lead to separation anxiety

Can I Train My Samoyed To Do Tricks?

You can totally train a Samoyed to master a few tricks from an early age. For example, some Sammy owners teach their dogs to respond to different verbal commands to prepare them for competitions.

After rooting out bad habits and making sure your Samoyed is well-behaved, you can focus more on some specific tricks for playtime or dog competitions.

Tips For Training Your Samoyed

Understanding the best tips and tricks for teaching a Samoyed could help the inexperienced Sammy owner in this endeavour, so what are the best tricks for training these hounds?

Be consistent

Consistency is vital even for the most intelligently bred dogs. Avoid repetition, but be consistent in your efforts while using different techniques to keep training interesting.

Positive reinforcement is key

Positive reinforcement right at the moment when this breed does something right instead of waiting a few seconds makes training efforts more effective. This dog breed may be independent, but it still likes to please its owner, so verbal praise and a pat on the back keep Samoyeds going during their training sessions.

Avoid over-using treats

This breed can overeat when unnoticed. Overusing treats poses this challenge, so opt for alternate rewards. For example, you can use some playtime or physical touch as a reward to properly teach this dog any tricks or skills.

Consider clicker training

Clicker training is a significant factor of training because it helps the dog being trained to understand just about when they did something right. Then, when you reward the dog, it will know the exact reason instead of guessing.

Final Thoughts on Training A Samoyed

Would you like to own a Sammy? Of course, you must get through the teaching phase first, and this guide can help throughout this entire process. Remember to be patient and loving at all times. Even if your pup gets bored of sessions, you can do more with a carrot instead of a stick.