Q & A: My Samoyed & His Strange Desire For Cow Chasing

Question: My Samoyed & His Strange Desire For Cow Chasing

“I live on a cow farm and my dog is a Samoyed. Every once in a while he gets out and chases the cows and we are afraid that one of the cows will fall and break a leg, or fall and injure the dog. Can you tell me a way I could break his habit of chasing cows?”

Answer:

For most dogs there is a possible answer, but your Samoyed is in a different category than most breeds. Perhaps you are unaware that your Samoyed’s ancestors were charged with the responsibility of going out on their own – unattended by humans – to round up reindeer and heard them back to the camp.

This herding instinct has not been lost to the Samoyed down through the ages, and has in fact remained surprisingly strong.

To attempt to break your Samoyed of responding to the natural instinct could quite possibly have an adverse affect on his mental processes. I would suggest that you first enroll your dog in an obedience training class. Once thoroughly trained in basic obedience, you can then find a specialized instructor that may be able to instruct you on how to curb your dog’s appetite for herding.