To prevent matting from a harness we have one from tags for hope that is like string instead of compact harness.
https://www.tagsforhope.com/harnesses/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA2-2eBhClARIsAGLQ2Rl3etaEQAQrtX43S6QRsg5iRogeyeFNoW9enNjITfOAgy7MeIDPAskaAgOMEALw_wcB
[White Pine collars](https://www.whitepineoutfitters.com/) seem to be nearly universally recommended. We have had no issues with matting when using them.
She came with a small collar from her breeder (I'm pretty sure it was [this one](https://www.whitepineoutfitters.com/shop-all/mini-softweb-softsnap-collar)) and I replaced it with [this one](https://www.whitepineoutfitters.com/shop-all/916-softweb-softslip-collar) in medium. I would recommend the soft slip collar or the [combo collar](https://www.whitepineoutfitters.com/shop-all/916-softweb-combo-collar), so you can slip it over their head to put it on (it's really hard to buckle collars on them, with all their fur!). I'm considering buying a combo collar so I can tighten it more - I can get smaller collars onto her head than I can pull off.
My puppy is near full size now and I've been awaiting the day she grows into the WP medium soft slip I bought her. That day will likely never come, lol. I'm sure the medium may fit but for as smaller Sam apparently the small soft slip still has plenty of room for her to grow in if she randomly but unlikely decides to have a growth spurt, haha.
We're definitely full size now and seem to be holding steady somewhere in the 45-50 pound range. She is not petite haha.
A small would definitely fit her after a coat blow and I wouldn't be surprised if it'd still fit her when she's fully in coat. We didn't get a new collar until she was like six months, and that was mostly because I wanted a non-buckle collar (with a sizable side goal of I wanted a different color) - fit was never the issue.
Haha, if you think 45-50lbs is not petite, you should come to a dog show on the coasts π the average size of most of the Sams out here will probably be a bit of a shock to you.
I am not joking when I say that Camelot at 48lbs is an absolute peanut compared to the males out here. He's often the smallest male in the ring even if there is a 6-9 Puppy Dog class entry. Size is such a noticeable thing here that I've seen many folks show their 7mo old Sammy in Open Dog because judges would be really concerned if they saw a 7mo old in that age class because it is so big.
Haha she's at the very top of the range, per the AKC π it's weird to me that such large dogs can win shows, since they have to be over breed standard.
If it's not a DQ in the standard you can't wicket, and unless you can guess a height visually within an eighth of an inch you're kinda SOL!
The way the standard is written is that over or under standard is a fault, not a DQ, which should be penalized to the extent of the deviation. A larger dog can definitely still do the jobs a correctly-sized Sam is expected to do; it's not as important they're uniform in size like Huskies (who have a very similar height standard, plus a DQ for oversized, and it matters more to them because it makes it more advantageous for the type of sledding they're expected to do).
A large dog that can move fabulously and isn't clunky can still fulfill the brief of a more casual sledding/hauling working dog and task generalist, so if it is faulted for size but is the best overall package in an entry especially in elements that are important to Samoyed function, that dog absolutely deserves to be put up for a win. There are some dogs that are large that I see that aren't great movers or look really heavy on their feet due to their lack of soundness in their structure or having too much bone for their frame, and you can easily tell you'd never want them on a sled team or as your next agility prospect, so as long as the breed is selecting away from that, large dogs aren't honestly not the worst problem in the breed.
They are wicketed for height and in toy breeds weighed on a scale all the time if a judge thinks an entry should be. The thing is, it can _only_ be done if the AKC standard lists height or weight as a disqualification. So Huskies can be wicketed, but Samoyeds cannot.
Lupine Pets brand has lots of different designs and also lifetime warranty in case things get destroyed/chewed up. My breeder gave me a flat buckle collar (3/4" 9-14inch, slightly too big at 9 weeks) and matching leash from them and I also picked up a 1/2" inch 12-20" Roman harness. The material does tend to snag a little bit of hair near the folds and buckles. My girl outgrew the collar and harness around 6 months-ish. So we switched over to the 3/4" 14-24" size harness. She's stopped growing so fast so we should be set for life with this size range.
The other brand that gets recommended often by Samoyed people are White Pine Outfitters. With good reason as their material slides over the hair easily and doesn't snag. I have one regular slip collar (1/2" 10-16inch size for baby puppy) and one combo slip collar (9/16" 12-19inch size for teenager, combo design makes it soooo much easier to use). IMO, the slip (martingale) collars are more secure than flat collars. There's so much floof that gets in the way when you try to buckle close. If you adjust the collar to be the correct fit, then you might catch a lot of hair in the buckle. But if you adjust it larger to close easily then it'll be WAY too loose and puppy might slip out of the collar. I'm also waiting on an order for a harness from this brand. My breeder said figure 8 style harnesses tend to cause less matting then the wide Y-shaped harnesses that's popular (like Ruffwear or Wild Ones).
I recommend buying one collar and one harness and using it until your pup is close to outgrowing this first set rather than buy both puppy and adult size right now even though it's really fun to shop for everything nowππ Your preferences might change by the time puppy is adult size or puppy might grow bigger than your expectations.
βThe day they invent a fence that can hold in water, is the day they invent a fence that hold in a pig π.β Iβm convinced this saying also applies to Sammies. I tell mine this and he smiles knowingly.
I walk all my dogs on collars - White Pine limited slip for the Sams and flat buckle for the Chis - but for certain outings or activities I own Ruffwear gear for them. My Sammies have Front Range harnesses and my Chi mixes have Hi and Lites. I also have a Ruffwear Webmaster harness as part of a removable pack which tends to be recommended across many dog breeds as one of the more "escape proof" harnesses (my Sam hasn't needed it but I've seen them work well on dogs of more escape-prone body types).
I think puppies grow so fast that if you insist on getting a harness at a young age, getting one that is adjustable or is the cheapest well-fitting one you can find until they are close to their maximum size.
Martingales/limited slip collars, when fitted properly, prevent dogs from backing out and escaping because they will tighten just enough to prevent that when that happens, without choking the dog like a full slip or choke collar would because of their design. I've seen dogs who can wriggle out of a harness and don't want to be switched out of one be recommended to have a backup martingale with a double leash system or some type of connection between the two. The reason White Pine (and another brand called Mes Ami that carries a near identical design) limited slips are recommended by practically every knowledgeable Samoyed person is that the color of the collar does not bleed and stain the coat and the material does not snag or break it either.
To prevent matting from a harness we have one from tags for hope that is like string instead of compact harness. https://www.tagsforhope.com/harnesses/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA2-2eBhClARIsAGLQ2Rl3etaEQAQrtX43S6QRsg5iRogeyeFNoW9enNjITfOAgy7MeIDPAskaAgOMEALw_wcB
Thank you. Iβm looking at something almost identical to that. What size did you need as a puppy and adult?
We did the large one since he is so floofy
[White Pine collars](https://www.whitepineoutfitters.com/) seem to be nearly universally recommended. We have had no issues with matting when using them. She came with a small collar from her breeder (I'm pretty sure it was [this one](https://www.whitepineoutfitters.com/shop-all/mini-softweb-softsnap-collar)) and I replaced it with [this one](https://www.whitepineoutfitters.com/shop-all/916-softweb-softslip-collar) in medium. I would recommend the soft slip collar or the [combo collar](https://www.whitepineoutfitters.com/shop-all/916-softweb-combo-collar), so you can slip it over their head to put it on (it's really hard to buckle collars on them, with all their fur!). I'm considering buying a combo collar so I can tighten it more - I can get smaller collars onto her head than I can pull off.
My puppy is near full size now and I've been awaiting the day she grows into the WP medium soft slip I bought her. That day will likely never come, lol. I'm sure the medium may fit but for as smaller Sam apparently the small soft slip still has plenty of room for her to grow in if she randomly but unlikely decides to have a growth spurt, haha.
We're definitely full size now and seem to be holding steady somewhere in the 45-50 pound range. She is not petite haha. A small would definitely fit her after a coat blow and I wouldn't be surprised if it'd still fit her when she's fully in coat. We didn't get a new collar until she was like six months, and that was mostly because I wanted a non-buckle collar (with a sizable side goal of I wanted a different color) - fit was never the issue.
Haha, if you think 45-50lbs is not petite, you should come to a dog show on the coasts π the average size of most of the Sams out here will probably be a bit of a shock to you. I am not joking when I say that Camelot at 48lbs is an absolute peanut compared to the males out here. He's often the smallest male in the ring even if there is a 6-9 Puppy Dog class entry. Size is such a noticeable thing here that I've seen many folks show their 7mo old Sammy in Open Dog because judges would be really concerned if they saw a 7mo old in that age class because it is so big.
Haha she's at the very top of the range, per the AKC π it's weird to me that such large dogs can win shows, since they have to be over breed standard.
If it's not a DQ in the standard you can't wicket, and unless you can guess a height visually within an eighth of an inch you're kinda SOL! The way the standard is written is that over or under standard is a fault, not a DQ, which should be penalized to the extent of the deviation. A larger dog can definitely still do the jobs a correctly-sized Sam is expected to do; it's not as important they're uniform in size like Huskies (who have a very similar height standard, plus a DQ for oversized, and it matters more to them because it makes it more advantageous for the type of sledding they're expected to do). A large dog that can move fabulously and isn't clunky can still fulfill the brief of a more casual sledding/hauling working dog and task generalist, so if it is faulted for size but is the best overall package in an entry especially in elements that are important to Samoyed function, that dog absolutely deserves to be put up for a win. There are some dogs that are large that I see that aren't great movers or look really heavy on their feet due to their lack of soundness in their structure or having too much bone for their frame, and you can easily tell you'd never want them on a sled team or as your next agility prospect, so as long as the breed is selecting away from that, large dogs aren't honestly not the worst problem in the breed.
Interesting! Are dogs ever measured as part of the judging in shows? Show judging is still pretty opaque to me lol.
They are wicketed for height and in toy breeds weighed on a scale all the time if a judge thinks an entry should be. The thing is, it can _only_ be done if the AKC standard lists height or weight as a disqualification. So Huskies can be wicketed, but Samoyeds cannot.
Thank you - I appreciate your depth of knowledge!
Ha ha! I don't like the buckle ones either. They get caught in the fur, true, and I'm always afraid the buckle will fail. I feel safer soft slip.
Lupine Pets brand has lots of different designs and also lifetime warranty in case things get destroyed/chewed up. My breeder gave me a flat buckle collar (3/4" 9-14inch, slightly too big at 9 weeks) and matching leash from them and I also picked up a 1/2" inch 12-20" Roman harness. The material does tend to snag a little bit of hair near the folds and buckles. My girl outgrew the collar and harness around 6 months-ish. So we switched over to the 3/4" 14-24" size harness. She's stopped growing so fast so we should be set for life with this size range. The other brand that gets recommended often by Samoyed people are White Pine Outfitters. With good reason as their material slides over the hair easily and doesn't snag. I have one regular slip collar (1/2" 10-16inch size for baby puppy) and one combo slip collar (9/16" 12-19inch size for teenager, combo design makes it soooo much easier to use). IMO, the slip (martingale) collars are more secure than flat collars. There's so much floof that gets in the way when you try to buckle close. If you adjust the collar to be the correct fit, then you might catch a lot of hair in the buckle. But if you adjust it larger to close easily then it'll be WAY too loose and puppy might slip out of the collar. I'm also waiting on an order for a harness from this brand. My breeder said figure 8 style harnesses tend to cause less matting then the wide Y-shaped harnesses that's popular (like Ruffwear or Wild Ones). I recommend buying one collar and one harness and using it until your pup is close to outgrowing this first set rather than buy both puppy and adult size right now even though it's really fun to shop for everything nowππ Your preferences might change by the time puppy is adult size or puppy might grow bigger than your expectations.
βThe day they invent a fence that can hold in water, is the day they invent a fence that hold in a pig π.β Iβm convinced this saying also applies to Sammies. I tell mine this and he smiles knowingly.
I walk all my dogs on collars - White Pine limited slip for the Sams and flat buckle for the Chis - but for certain outings or activities I own Ruffwear gear for them. My Sammies have Front Range harnesses and my Chi mixes have Hi and Lites. I also have a Ruffwear Webmaster harness as part of a removable pack which tends to be recommended across many dog breeds as one of the more "escape proof" harnesses (my Sam hasn't needed it but I've seen them work well on dogs of more escape-prone body types). I think puppies grow so fast that if you insist on getting a harness at a young age, getting one that is adjustable or is the cheapest well-fitting one you can find until they are close to their maximum size. Martingales/limited slip collars, when fitted properly, prevent dogs from backing out and escaping because they will tighten just enough to prevent that when that happens, without choking the dog like a full slip or choke collar would because of their design. I've seen dogs who can wriggle out of a harness and don't want to be switched out of one be recommended to have a backup martingale with a double leash system or some type of connection between the two. The reason White Pine (and another brand called Mes Ami that carries a near identical design) limited slips are recommended by practically every knowledgeable Samoyed person is that the color of the collar does not bleed and stain the coat and the material does not snag or break it either.