西摩犬

薩摩耶犬

別名	西摩犬
原產國	俄羅斯西伯利亞
特徵 體重 雄性 20—30公斤（44—66英磅） 雌性 16—20公斤（35—44英磅） 身高 雄性 51—56 cm（20—22英寸） 雌性 46—51 cm（18—20英寸） 顏色 白色 壽命 12–14年
分類／標準 FCI 標⁠準
家犬（Canis lupus familiaris）

西摩犬（英語：Samoyed；俄語：Самое́дская соба́ка或Самое́д）是一種帶有雙層白色厚毛的中型牧羊犬。西摩是一種斯皮茨犬，名字取自西伯利亞地區的西摩族。西摩犬是涅涅茨牧羊萊卡犬的後代，被馴化以輔助牧羊、狩獵、看家以及拉雪橇。

一隻兩歲半的雄性西摩

西摩犬通常是白色的，也可能會有棕色的品種。其雙層厚毛是天然的防水層。西摩犬以被用於在北極與南極地區進行探險及有着友善且親人的性格而聞名。

血統

西摩犬，約攝於1915年

西摩犬的祖先為涅涅茨牧羊萊卡犬，是一種在西伯利亞北部廣泛使用的牧鹿用斯皮茨犬。在當時，被蔑稱為西摩族人的涅涅茨人尤其喜愛使用這種犬。DNA證據確認了西摩是一種基礎犬種，其起源早於19世紀現代犬種的出現。一項針對從亞馬爾半島處的涅涅茨人中所取得的近一百年前的兩個犬只標本的基因組研究發現，這兩個標本與距今2,000年和850年的兩個標本有血緣關係，表明這一區域的犬只血統具有延續性。這兩隻一百年前的犬與西摩品種犬有血緣關係，也表明了古代北極圈犬只的血統在現代的西摩犬身上延續了下來。

啟程前往北極的南森·約翰森

During preparation for the Fram expedition to the North Pole in 1893–1896, 33 dogs were purchased from the Nenets people. While 28 of these dogs would go to the North Pole, none of them survived. The remaining dogs, including pups born during the voyage, were left aboard the ship. In April 1893 the bitch had another litter, most of them white. According to Nansen's notes "...all the dogs were strong, tough and excellent at pulling sleds; they worked very well in hunting Polar bears [as well]." These dogs would become the original Samoyeds.

Appearance and characteristics

Samoyed puppy

The AKC Standard requires 45—65英磅（20—29公斤） and 21—23.5英寸（53—60厘米） at the shoulder for males, and 35—50英磅（16—23公斤） and 19—21英寸（48—53厘米） for females. The UK Kennel Club Standard requires 51—56厘米（20—22英寸） for males, and 46—51厘米（18—20英寸） for females.

Samoyed ears are thick and covered with fur, triangular in shape, and erect. They are almost always white but have a light to dark brown tint (known as "biscuit") to a greater or lesser extent. The tint is usually on the ears but can be visible on the whole body.

A two year old adult female Samoyed. The breed is characterized by an alert and happy expression.

The Samoyed tail is one of the breed's distinguishing features. Like the Alaskan Malamute, the tail is carried curled over the back; however, unlike the Alaskan Malamute, the Samoyed tail is held actually touching the back. It is not usually held in a tight curl, or held flag-like; it is usually carried lying over the back and to one side. In cold weather, Samoyeds may sleep with their tails over their noses to provide additional warmth. Almost all Samoyeds will allow their tails to fall when they are relaxed and at ease, as when being stroked or while eating, but will return their tails to a curl when more alert.

Samoyeds have a dense, double layer coat. The topcoat contains long, coarse, and straight guard hairs, which appear white but have a hint of silver coloring. This top layer keeps the undercoat relatively clean and free of debris. The under layer, or undercoat, consists of a dense, soft, and short fur that keeps the dog warm. The undercoat typically sheds heavily once or twice a year, and this seasonal process is sometimes referred to as "blowing coat". This does not mean the Samoyed will shed only during that time however; fine hairs (versus the dense clumps shed during seasonal shedding) will be shed all year round, and have a tendency to stick to cloth and float in the air. The standard Samoyed may come in a mixture of biscuit and white coloring, although pure white and all biscuit dogs are common. Males typically have larger ruffs than females. While this breed is touted as "hypoallergenic", it does shed a fair amount and needs frequent grooming. While the breed may produce fewer allergens, care should be taken for severe allergies.

Shed Samoyed fur is sometimes used as an alternative to wool in knitting, with a texture similar to angora. The fur is sometimes also used for the creation of artificial flies for fly fishing.

Life expectancy for the breed is about 12–13 years.

Temperament

A Samoyed resting with a teddy bear

Samoyeds' friendly and affable disposition makes them poor guard dogs; an aggressive Samoyed is rare. The breed is characterized by an alert and happy expression which has earned the nicknames "Sammie smile" and "smiley dog". With their tendency to bark, however, they can be diligent watch dogs, barking whenever something approaches their territory. Samoyeds are excellent companions, especially for small children or even other dogs, and they remain playful into old age. According to the Samoyed Club of America, when Samoyeds become bored, they may become destructive or start to dig.

Activities

An active Samoyed

Samoyeds can compete in dog agility trials, carting, obedience, showmanship, flyball, tracking, mushing and herding events. Herding instincts and trainability can be measured at non-competitive herding tests. Samoyeds exhibiting basic herding instincts can be trained to compete in herding trials.

Health

A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 13.1 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds.

Samoyed hereditary glomerulopathy

主條目：Samoyed hereditary glomerulopathy

The breed can be affected by a genetic disease known as Samoyed hereditary glomerulopathy, a kidney disease. The disease is known to be caused by an X-linked recessive faulty allele and therefore the disease is more severe in male Samoyeds. Also known as hereditary nephritis, it is caused by a nonsense mutation in codon 1027 of the COL4A5 gene on the X chromosome (glycine to stop codon), which is similar to Alport's syndrome in humans.

A senior female Samoyed

Carrier females do develop mild symptoms after 2–3 months of age, but mostly do not go on to develop kidney failure. The disease is caused by a defect in the structure of the type-IV collagen fibrils of the glomerular basement membrane. As a consequence, the collagen fibrils of the glomerular basement membrane are unable to form cross-links, so the structural integrity is weakened and the membrane is more susceptible to "wear-and-tear" damage. As the structure of the basement membrane begins to degenerate, plasma proteins are lost in the urine and symptoms begin to appear. Affected males appear healthy for the first three months of life, but then symptoms start to appear and worsen as the disease progresses: the dog becomes lethargic and muscle wastage occurs, as a result of proteinuria. From three months of age onwards, a reduced glomerular filtration rate is detected, indicative of progressive kidney failure.

Clinically, proteinuria is found in both sexes from the age of three to four months; in dogs older than this, kidney failure in combination with more or less pronounced hearing loss occurs swiftly and death at the age of 8 to 15 months is expected. In heterozygous females, the disease develops slowly. The disease can be treated to slow down the development by use of cyclosporine A and ACE inhibitors, but not stopped.

If a carrier female is mated with a healthy stud dog, the female offspring have a 50% chance of being carriers for the disease, and any male offspring have a 50% chance of being affected by the disease. A genetic test is available for this disease.

Other health concerns

For the Samoyeds several breed-specific hereditary diseases are described in the veterinary literature:

• Diabetes mellitus similar but not identical to human Type I (insulin deficiency): The disease occurs in middle-aged Samoyeds, the mean age at diagnosis is seven years. The cause is a chronic inflammation of the pancreas and/or autoimmune destruction of the beta cells of islets of Langerhans. Moreover, autoantibodies to insulin were found in affected dogs. Several genetic markers are being discussed as possible causes.
• Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) caused by a frameshift mutation in the RPRG locus of the X chromosome. The disease leads to a slowly progressive loss of vision, which eventually leads to blindness. The first symptoms appear between two and five years of age. The disease corresponds to the X-linked PRA type 3 in humans.
• Short legs in conjunction with eye abnormalities: a genetic defect at the COL2A1 locus leads to disproportionate dwarfism due to short limbs in connection with cataracts, malformations of the retina and / or retinal detachment, liquefaction of the vitreous and a persistent hyaloid artery. The malformations of the retina are dominant (i.e. they occur in heterozygous dogs); the other symptoms are recessive, so that they are expressed only in homozygous dogs. These conditions have no effect on the expression of the protein opticin.
• Pulmonary stenosis occurs more frequently in Samoyeds in comparison with other breeds. The disease can cause shortness of breath, cardiac arrhythmias and rapid fatigue when moving, and increases the risk of congestive heart failure.
• Hip dysplasia is also a concern for Samoyeds.
• The breed can also be affected by sebaceous adenitis, an uncommon idiopathic autoimmune skin disease.

See also

• Samoyeds
• List of dog breeds

Further reading

• Bernard, MA; Valli, VE. Familial renal disease in Samoyed dogs. The Canadian Veterinary Journal. 1977, 18 (7): 181–9. PMC 1697612 . PMID 884645. 
• Meyers, VN; Jezyk, PF; Aguirre, GD; Patterson, DF. Short-limbed dwarfism and ocular defects in the Samoyed dog. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 1983, 183 (9): 975–9. PMID 12002589. 
• Kimmel, SE; Ward, CR; Henthorn, PS; Hess, RS. Familial insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus in Samoyed dogs. Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association. 2002, 38 (3): 235–8. PMID 12022409. doi:10.5326/0380235. 

狐狸犬、雪橇犬家族的一員，原是俄國西伯利亞原住民西摩族培育出的犬種。因看起來永遠在笑的樣子又喜歡親近人，而被稱為「微笑天使」、「笑臉天使」、「雪天使」。但同時，他們很容易狼嚎

除了溫和的個性，西摩犬也以忍耐力跟健壯著稱，原是用來拉雪橇跟看守馴鹿，也曾被西方探險家用來從事極地探險的任務。

原有多種毛色，黑、黑白、黑褐，但十九世紀時毛皮商人認為白色會最受歡迎而大量輸出白西摩犬到歐美。今日所見的純種西摩犬多是白色系。

性格特徵

聰明，溫和，忠誠，適應性強，機警，充滿活力，樂於服務，友好而富有激情，勇敢而樂於嘗試，真誠而不會去懷疑，進攻性不強。

外部連結

• Samoyed.org （頁面存檔備份，存於互聯網檔案館）