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Samoyeds are one of my favorite dog breeds. The beautiful white, fluffy coats combine with their unique personalities and adorable smiles make for a compelling breed.
If you love samoyeds but don’t love the idea of a big dog, a miniature samoyed may be the perfect dog for you.
In this article you’ll discover:
- If miniature samoyeds truly exist today
- Miniature samoyed sizes, characteristics, and behavior traits
- How much a miniature samoyed costs and dangers with buying one (make sure to read this if you are looking to buy one)
- A miniature samoyeds common health concerns
- And much more!
Let’s jump in.
Table of Contents
What Are Miniature Samoyeds?
As the name implies, miniature samoyed are just smaller samoyeds. They hold similar traits, behaviors, & appearances to the standard samoyed.
Mini samoyed dogs are loving, playful, intelligent, and loyal dogs.
Do Miniature Samoyed Exist?
Yes, miniature samoyeds exist but are very rare compared to their larger counterparts.
They appear almost identical to the typical samoyed with the major difference being their size. They are also pure-bred just like samoyeds.
The miniature samoyed was developed by a Norwegian explorer named Fridtjof Nansen who popularized the miniature samoyed.
It was said that this explorer would feed the smaller dogs to the larger ones. This resulted in the miniature samoyed population shrinking drastically.
All in all, there is too much evidence that suggests the existence of miniature samoyeds to ignore.
Let’s look into their history.
Where Did Miniature Samoyeds Come From?
To understand where the miniature samoyed comes from we first need to know where the standard samoyed came from.
The standard samoyed was originally bred to hunt reindeer, and haul sledges for the Siberian samoyed people.
It was said that nearing the end of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century the samoyed journeyed out of Siberia to pull sledges on polar expeditions.
History suggests a samoyed named Antartic Buck that was the first to be brought to england.
So when did the mini samoyed come into the picture?
Unfortunately there is no date exactly but it’s said that miniature samoyeds gained popularity when Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen used this breed, and their bigger relatives, for expeditions and polar voyages.
Explorers like Nansen brought this breed to European countries, where they became a favorite of the elite.
The first miniature Samoyed was officially registered in 1906 by the American Kennel Club in the USA.
Mini Samoyed Appearance, Size, & Traits
Appearance & Color
Like regular samoyed, the mini samoyed has upright ears, curled tails, and a fluffy coat.
Their coat is dense and full of short hair which gives them their puffy marshmello look. Their smaller size makes them look closely to the american eskimo dog breed.
Mini Samoyeds are mostly white but some can be off whites like cream-colored.
Their nose, eyes, paws, and lips are dominantly marked by dark pigmentation.
Height & Weight
Miniature samoyeds are anywhere from 5 – 15kg lighter than the standard samoyed.
Standard male samoyed weight 20-30kg whereas miniature male samoyed weight is 12.7-15.9 kgs with their height 12-16 inches.
Standard female samoyed weight 16-20kg whereas miniature female samoyeds weigh 11.3-13.6 kgs with their height 11-14 inches.
Size can vary depending on how the mini samoyed is raised, their age, and overall health.
The above weights and heights are based on averages of miniature samoyed.
Behavior & Personality
Samoyeds are active, cheerful, intelligent, and you can train them for almost anything.
Mini samoyed desire affection and being by their owners. This can make leaving them alone difficult due to their neediness to be around people.
Mini samoyed should not be left alone for more than a few hours.
Another great trait miniature samoyed have is independence and protective nature. This can make them excellent guard dogs
For this reason they also make great family pets and will fit well into most active homes.
They are great with kids and other animals so long as they are properly socialized from a young age.
Remember, a dog’s temperament and personality are shaped by their environment and upbringing.
Here is a quick list of a few of their personality and behaviors:
- Robust & spirited
- Warm and affectionate
- A great playfellow and guard dog
- Loyal companion
- Sweet and cuddle
- An absolute talker and quiet funny
- Quick-witted and brilliant
- Mischievous and inquisitive
Shedding & Grooming
Anyone who has seen pictures of a samoyed knows how fluffy they are. The usual thought after seeing these dogs is a question about their shedding.
So, do miniature samoyeds shed?
I thought the best way to answer this question would be to get information from miniature samoyed owners. However, they were impossible to find.
So instead we found data to their closest resembling breed… a samoyed!
We looked at the survey taken from Iheartdogs asking samoyed owners, “how bad does your samoyed shed?”.
Each samoyed owner was asked to rate their dogs shedding in 1 out of 4 ways, extreme, moderate, low, or no shedding.
39 real samoyed owners replied as follows:
46% said “Extreme Shedding”
38% said “Moderate Shedding”
15% said “Low Shedding”
And 0% said “No Shedding”
Although this information is not specific to mini samoyeds it’s safe to say the miniature will follow a similar trend.
However, because the min samoyed is much smaller than the standar the shedding would actually appear to be less overall.
So you can assume that a miniature samoyed would have slightly less shedding then the standard samoyed.
When looking through samoyed owners experiences with their pups shedding. Most recommend daily brushing.
This means even with miniature samoyeds daily grooming will be necessary to keep their shedding to a minimum.
Miniature Samoyed Health Problems & Lifespan
As one of the 14 ancient dog breeds that have survived this long for a reason.
They are actually one of the healthiest dog breeds genetically.
Mini samoyeds are adaptable to all sorts of environments and don’t often have health concerns as often as some other breeds.
The average lifespan of a miniature samoyed is similar to that of a standard samoyed. They live an average of 10-13 years.
Although mini samoyeds are one of the healthier dog breeds genetically they are still prone to certain health concerns.
Here is a list of the potential health risks a mini samoyed may face:
- Elbow & Hip Dysplasia
- Glaucoma
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy
- Cataracts
- Skin Allergies
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Hypothyroidism
- Patellar Luxation
Most of these health concerns are not caused for hereditary reasons but often occur due to consistent strenuous activity, nutrient deficiency, or unhygienic conditions.
Are Miniature Samoyeds Easy To Train?
Mini samoyed are brilliant dogs. This can make training them easy, but it also means dealing with a dog that might know how to outsmart you.
With consistency and the proper training schedule and routine you can develop them into an obedient well behaved dog.
The key with training a miniature samoyed and any dog, is to start it from a young age. The younger they’re the better.
Get them used to you being in control, socialize them with other dogs and people, and stay consistent.
In the early stage when they are puppies more time and training will be required but overtime it will only take 10 minute per day!
Combine at least 10 minutes per day of training with making sure you are exercising them, mentally stimulating them and that’s all you need.
Related Reading: 9 Simple Steps To Create The Obedient Dog Of Your Dreams
Miniature Samoyed Cost And Where To Get One
When researching miniature samoyed costs it was difficult to find the actual price for a mini samoyed.
Since mini samoyed are so rare it’s not very often you’ll find breeders ethically selling them.
You’ll most often find American Eskimos which are very similar in appearance to a samoyed.
Samoyeds are considered one of the more expensive dog breeds sitting at $600-$1500, with some costing more than $3000 depending on the bloodline.
The cost of a miniature samoyed would be similar to that of a samoyed and likely even more due to its rarity. This would likely put a miniature samoyed’s cost over $1500.
So where can you get a mini samoyed?
Well after looking around I found that it was almost impossible to find any breeders selling Miniature or teacup samoyeds.
Not even puppy mills were offering up mini samoyeds.
The other thing I realized is even if you were to find someone claiming to sell this breed, you need to be very careful.
Note of caution: Many samoyed owners and breeders will say to be careful of people claiming to sell “mini samoyeds”.
This is because there is a risk you will end up with a puppy mill dog.
Caffeinatedlackey From reddit says
“Fair warning, anyone who claims to be selling a “mini Samoyed” (or a mini GSD, mini husky, anything like that) is likely a bad breeder. Do not buy a puppy from anyone like that. That’s how you end up with a messed up puppy mill dog.”
Due to the rarity of these dogs, be careful if you find a breeder selling them. I looked extensively and could not find a single breeder offering any.
Here are a few physical characteristics that a healthy and ethically-bred mini Samoyed would never possess.
It is better to avoid buying a mini sammy if he shows the following features:
- Long foreface
- Very light-colored or blue eyes
- Ears with scanty hair, drooping or narrowly-spaced ears
- Disproportionately long body
- Bull neck
- Seemingly limp tail carriage(unless the dog is resting)
- Round feet
- Absence of undercoat
- Dark spots on the coat
So all in all, if you are looking to buy a mini samoyed your best bet is to reach out to samoyed breeders to find out if they have any.
For smaller sized samoyed you will want to look for breeds in europe over north america. This is because in North America most samoyeds are going to be over 40+ pounds on average.
In Europe you can find breeders that will breed smaller samoyeds (closer to 30-35 pounds), but they are still unlikely to have any that fall into the category of mini samoyed.
