Many people are in love with Samoyed breed dogs. There is nothing strange about it. They are very friendly and loyal companions. A lot of people find their plush, soft coats adorable. But there is one thing you should know about them if you plan to get one. They ”talk” a lot!
Siberian Samoyed dogs are very vocal. As a matter of fact, they are among the world’s most talkative dog breeds. They tend to express their opinion and like to vocalize in many different ways ( barking, howling, bellowing, yelping).
They are loud when they seek attention, treats, want you to play with them when they are sad, bored, happy, excited… so almost in every situation they have something to ”say”.
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Why Are Samoyeds So Talkative?
Samoyeds were originally bred to be hunting and working dogs (sleds pulling, reindeer herder, a guard dog). They don’t like to sit around. They need to be busy. If they are bored or depressed they will bark a lot. So keep your Sammy entertained with walks, hikes, dog sports, and games.
Samoyede people in Siberia bred and raised these beautiful dogs thousands of years ago. As I have already mentioned, they were bred to be working dogs that were also protecting their owners from wild animals and keeping them warm during long, freezing Siberian nights.
They were very valued dogs and as such, people considered them more as part of the family than just animals.
So Sammys like to be directly involved in family life. If you isolate them in the backyard where they don’t have constant interaction with humans you will make their life miserable. In that case, destructive behavior will appear. Among other things, constant barking is one of the most annoying ones.
It’s known that Samoyed dogs are one of 14 most ancient dog breeds but also the one that is genetically very close to wolfs. People believe that this is the reason why Samoyeds tend to howl a lot.
Many Northern dog breeds ( including Samoyeds but also Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute) are very loud and like to bark. They are all working dogs that need to pull the sleds or herd the reindeer.
As you can imagine, they need to ”communicate” with each other or with humans in order to do their job right.
When Do Samoyeds Bark or Make Other Sounds?
Dogs naturally bark. Ok, almost all dogs. There is a dog breed called Basenji. These dogs are known for being barkless( due to their physical disability to produce barking sound). But are they silent? Well, no. So all dogs are vocal, some more, some less.
Samoyeds are more vocal than others. When they bark ( or produce some other sound )?
Basically, Samoyeds will bark if :
- they are excited/sad/happy/frightened
- they want to announce a visitor
- they noticed an intruder
- they want to go outside
- they want to play with you
- they want treats
Samoyeds really like to spend time playing with you. As soon as you walk through the door, your Sammy will start ”telling” you how he has missed you and that you should grab some ball or other stuff and go outside to play with him.
Samoyeds are rather demanding dogs that always have something to tell you. They want treats all the time and they have no problem telling you million times ”give me my treats”! These dogs are sometimes like a spoiled child!
If you have planned a nice and quiet evening watching TV, make sure you spent a good amount of time with your Sammy playing outside earlier so he is rather tired.
You will discover that Samoyeds are quiet only on rare occasions. For example when they chewing something. That is why people give them treats very often in order to get some peace. But be careful, too many treats may lead to obesity and many other health issues.
The good alternative to treats is some nice and large chewing toy( bone ) with some yummy flavor. This should keep your dog entertained for some time.
Another situation when Samoyeds are quite is when they are doing something, usually wrong 🙂 If you live them in your backyard for too long, they will become destructive.
As they like to dig holes, they will start digging and will be very silent. So whenever your Samoyed is silent, do check what is he doing.
Believe it or not, Samoyeds are vocal even when they are sleeping! They dream a lot and if they chase some skunk or squirrel in that dream, oh you will hear very clear what’s going on. You, Sammy, won’t just make a yelping sound but also moving his paws could disturb your sleep.
How To Train Samoyed Not To Bark?
Samoyed dogs are adorable. They are so friendly, loyal, family dogs. They like their humans, they are good with children and although they tend to chase other animals ( as they were initially bred as hunting dogs), they are not aggressive.
Situations in which Samoyed could bite and scratch someone are highly unlikely. They are good watchdogs. But, of course, they are not perfect. Their biggest flaw is that they ”talk” most of the time.
If you live in an apartment and you don’t have sound-proofed walls this Samoyed’s characteristic can bring you a lot of trouble with the neighbors.
Even if you have tolerant neighbors, maybe you have kids or elderly people in your home who need rest. Or maybe you simply don’t like that amount of noise.
Some people try to sleep with earplugs but believe me this won’t work. You can also try to put on some nice, calming music or some kind of white noise and use headphones but this solution cannot be long-term.
What you need to do is to train your Samoyed not to bark that much.
First of all, not all dogs are the same. Find out what the triggers are. Why your Sammy is barking. Note that he needs a lot of activity and exercise.
Bear in mind that he doesn’t like to live outside, alone, far from you. Make sure all his needs are met before you start looking for triggers.
To make something clear first- you cannot stop the Samoyed dog from barking but you can teach him when to bark and how to express himself in some other way besides barking.
Samoyeds are very intelligent dogs. Even though they do have a strong personality, you can train them but you need to use positive reinforcement. Harsh training will not give good results.
When your Sammy starts barking and you don’t see any reason for that, it’s quite natural to yell ”stop barking” ”enough”, ”shut up” or whatever. This won’t be effective. Why? Well, because you have a dog in front of yourself and dogs think differently than humans. He thinks that your yelling is your way of barking so he assumes that you want to join the fun so you can ”bark” together. Totally opposite of what you have wanted to say, right?
Trainers usually say ”Tired dog – good dog”. So take your Sammy to the walk, run and play together. Make him tired. There is a great chance to be quiet if he is tired and takes a nap ( hopefully he won’t dream about chasing squirrels).
Reward your dog when he is quiet. People generally don’t pay much attention to dogs when they are peacefully sitting or lying down. But this is the perfect moment for the treat. Come to your dog with a yummy bite and tell ”Good boy ”. Keep doing this whenever your Sammy is quiet so he will quickly realize that he gets treat when he is quiet.
Of course, never give him treats when he is barking. Also try to ignore him when is barking ( if you know that all his essential needs are met), turn back on him as if he barks to get your attention and you respond on barking by giving him what he wants, that’s not good. Your dog will understand that barking brings him your attention and he will continue doing this.
As you surely cannot stop your dog from barking completely, at least teach him to bark on command.
Find the suitable trigger ( for example the doorbell) and encourage him to bark. When he does that, give him a treat but only if he barks when you ask him for.
When you teach him to bark on command, you can also teach him ”Quite” command right after it. If you stop barking on your command, give him a treat.
You can also reward some softer sounds your Samoyed can make. These dogs are known for the variety of tones they can produce. There are more soothing tones than classical barking so you can teach them to make those sounds instead of barking. And to treat them every time they do that.
If you find something that your Sammy really likes to do, like being outside when it’s cold and snowy, use that as well. If he starts barking when he is outside, tell him that the party is over and he must go inside. Soon he will realize that if he doesn’t bark he enjoy outside.
Conclusion
Although Samoyeds may be very vocal and loud, they are adorable dogs and great pets. As you know, not all dogs are the same, so there are Samoyeds that are rather quite.
Even if your Sammy is too loud, don’t give up, there is plenty of things you can do to teach him to be quieter. Patience, love, and positive reinforcement can make miracles.
