The Samoyed has a great heritage as one of the ancient breeds and a beautiful working dog of the arctic region. It was developed over many centuries by the isolated Samoyed tribes of northwestern Siberia, one of the harshest climates on earth. This isolation on the tundra preserved the gene pool from cross breeding with other types of domestic dogs. It is believed that the Samoyed remained unchanged for several thousand years since evolving from wolves. At the turn of the century polar explorers, and in particular the Norwegians, obtained some of these dogs for their expeditions, including for the Roald Amundsen 1911 expedition, who was the first man to reach the South Pole.
Find the ancient Samoyed in this canine evolution family tree