1. Dog

  2. Shows

The Potomac Valley Samoyed Club was founded in 1966 by several enthusiasts in the Washington, D.C. area.  In the early 1970s, the Club began hosting “Specialty” (Samoyed-only) shows.  Today, the Club holds annual Spring and Fall Specialties that draw entrants and top breeders throughout the east coast.  At these AKC-approved shows, the dogs are judged on their adherence to the AKC Samoyed “Standard.”  A button below will take you to the Standard and you will see that it consists of several components:  1)  Conformation (color, height, etc.);  2)  Movement  (gait, front, rear, feet);  3)   Head (expression, eyes, lips, teeth, etc.);  4)  Torso (neck, chest, tail, loin and back);  5)  Disposition (behavioral).  The only disqualifiers are coat color and blue eyes.  


The Standard is predicated on the Samoyed’s ancient legacy as a “Working Dog.”  It is used by judges to help them find and reward the Samoyeds whose structure, performance and temperament best exemplify the breed’s historic achievements as extraordinarily capable athletes and loving and loyal companions.  


Selecting the best dogs at any given show can be akin to, please excuse the pun:  splitting hairs.  Knowledgeable judges work hard to identify the best representative of the breed in each class.  Each of those winners will go on to compete in the Winners Class.  There are several different classes in which dogs may be entered, the winners of which compete for the points and to go into Best of Breed.  Classes are divided by gender and culminate in a Winners Dog, Winners Bitch, Best of Breed, Best in Group (Group One) and Best in Show.  Dogs earn “points” based on being the Winners Dog or Winners Bitch and how many competitors there were in that gender.  A Samoyed earns the “Champion” (“Ch.”) designation after compiling fifteen or more points.  Gaining enough points to be designated a Champion is also known as “finishing.”   Some PVSC members “handle” their own dogs in shows, others hire professional handlers.                  


You do not need a show dog to enjoy dog shows.  Plenty of PVSC members have never had a show dog yet attend regional Samoyed specialties and the annual Samoyed National Specialty (with several hundred Samoyeds entered, this is one of the biggest, best organized breed shows in the nation).  The 2017 SCA National will take place in Huron, Ohio from October 8-15.

AKC




Dog Show Guidehttp://www.akc.org/events/conformation/beginners.cfm
AKC




Samoyed Standardhttp://images.akc.org/pdf/breeds/standards/Samoyed.pdf?_ga=1.240438787.1628845281.1407433586
InfoDog




Show Schedulehttp://www.infodog.com/


2017 SCA 
National Specialty
Huron, Ohio
 
October 8-15, 2017http://www.samoyedclubofamerica.org/showing-performance/sca-nationals/




AKC Point Schedulehttp://www.akc.org/events/conformation-dog-shows/point-schedule/http://www.akc.org/events/conformation-dog-shows/point-schedule/http://www.akc.org/events/conformation-dog-shows/point-schedule/http://www.akc.org/events/conformation-dog-shows/point-schedule/http://www.akc.org/events/conformation-dog-shows/point-schedule/shapeimage_9_link_0shapeimage_9_link_1shapeimage_9_link_2shapeimage_9_link_3


2018 SCA 
National Specialty
Gray Summit, Missouri




September 24-29, 2018http://www.samoyedclubofamerica.org/showing-performance/sca-nationals/
PVSC’s “Silver Tips” Program  http://www.potomacvalleysams.com/Silver_Tips.html
PVSC’s “Silver Tips” Programhttp://www.potomacvalleysams.com/Silver_Tips.html