The British Samoyed Club have kindly provided space on their website for information about the Working Samoyed title which is organised by the Samoyed Club of America. The aim of the title is to encourage Samoyed owners to do more with their dogs and to provide a form of recognition for those Samoyed owners who do work their dog and where there is no other showcase. The title is available for Samoyed owners in the UK for the following disciplines
Competitive sledding/rig racing
Excursion Sledding or rig running
Weight pull
Back packing
Therapy
There are other categories available in the US such as Skijoring and herding which we are currently unable to offer but would like to work towards those being available to UK Samoyed owners as well.
There are three levels of title and all of these can now been earned in the UK
Working Samoyed title (WS) – this entails obtaining 1000 points from any one or a combination of working categories, which are set out above.
Working Samoyed Excellent title (WSX) – this entails obtaining at least 2000 points in any one or a combination of the above recognised working categories.
Master Working Samoyed title (WSXM) – whereby 5000 points must be earned in at least 4 of the recognised working categories above. The dog must have earned a minimum of 200 points in each of the 4 categories.
So how do you accumulate points and how does this work??
Racing
For the competitive racing the Samoyed must compete in races which the rules are recognised as compatible with the SCA requirements i.e. the race must be run under ISDRA or ISDRA compatible rules. Currently in the UK the organisations which run races which are compatible are SHCGB, SDAS and Wyedean Mushing. We are working with the SCA on establishing whether other organisations rules meet the requirements and will add them on here when they do. Racing counts on any size team and includes Scooter classes and also Bikejoring Classes for the relevant organisation. It means that for these single dog classes that lead dog points can also be added for the dog as well as the race points themselves. However, Canicross classes currently cannot count towards the working Samoyed title. A form must be signed by a race official noting your participation and points are collected for each race in accordance with the detailed document. You will need to ensure that you get Form B for each race by the Race Organiser. Form A is also required to be completed for your dog. Links to both Form A and Form B can be found HERE.
Excursion sledding or rig work
The dog must participate as a member of a team which pulls a sled for a minimum of 10 miles or 5 miles for a rig or where the team consists of only two dogs. Records need to be kept of all work undertaken and a link to the form is included is included HERE.
Weight pull
The Samoyed must pull a minimum of 10 to 12 times its own weight to earn points. The weight pull must be sanctioned by ISDRA, the International Weight pull Association or the Alaskan Malamute Club UK. The cart must have 4 pneumatic tyres of the same pressure. Points are earned by calculating the percentage of body weight the dog pulls in each competition. Again records need to be retained for each event and the relevant Form can be found HERE
Back packing
The Samoyed must carry a minimum of 25% of its own body weight for a minimum of 5 miles. Each mile counts as 10 points. Back packing events do not need to be organised by a club this can be done individually but a record needs to be retained of all pack hikes undertaken and a link to the relevant Form can be found HERE.
Therapy
The dog must be a registered PAT dog and on it’s registration will gain 250 points. It must then do a minimum of 20 hours actual visits to activate those 250 points. Each hour of visiting,including the initial 20, counts as 10 points. A link to the Form for recording these can be found HERE
Once you have accumulated all the relevant points to gain your working title then all the documentation must go to the Samoyed Club of America for verification and you as an individual will need to become a member of the Samoyed Club of America at this point as well in order for the title to be awarded. When you reach this stage please contact me, Liz Ballantine, () and we can then ensure all the paperwork is in order and that we have the relevant sponsors in place for your application. Good luck and enjoy working with your sam.