Samoyed Lab Mix-Physical Look, Lifespan and Temperament

Given the remarkable intelligence of the Samoyed and Labrador, it is a given that the Samoyed Lab mix is one of the smartest dog mixes you would see. The Samoyed Lab typically inherits the signature white coat color of the Samoyed, although they don’t boast as much fluffiness of the Samoyed. The Samoyed Labrador has an average lifespan of 10-12 years. Unsurprisingly, this is a loving dog that loves a lot of attention from its owner.

Undoubtedly, the Samoyed Lab is one of the most popular hybrid dogs in the world. You would thus be curious about how this mix looks, what its feeding and exercise routine would be. Also, how compatible is the Samoyed Lab mix with kids and other animals? Lastly, what are the grooming needs of this mix? Let us learn all these exciting pieces of information about this hybrid.

Physical Characteristics (Size and Physical Look)

The Samoyed Lab is a medium-large dog hybrid. Typically, the male could weigh somewhere around 60 lbs. while the female could go for around 50 lbs.

The Samoyed Lab takes a lot after the appearance of the Samoyed – although fairly bigger. This mix comes with the famed white coat color of the Samoyed with the ears of the Lab. It has the characteristic double coat of the Samoyed.

The coat is significantly dense, medium length, a thicker and softer undercoat, and a relatively spiky outer coat.

The Samoyed Lab has almond-shaped eyes that are mostly black. Overall, this is a charming dog with a welcoming facial acquaintance that quickly gets their human companions falling in love with it.

Lifespan

The Samoyed Lab mix has an average life expectancy of 10-12 years.

Grooming Needs

The Samoyed Lab has a double coat and is, most times, a heavy shedder. This means twice in a year, your Samoyed Lab could blow its coat. Other than that, it would shed moderately throughout the year.

Daily brushing of the coat of your Samoyed Lab is a core part of its grooming therapy. The Samoyed Lab mix, just like its parent Labrador, is a self-maintaining dog that is keen about its hygiene.

This reduces the need for frequent bathing. You should only bathe this designer dog only when you notice the coat getting dirty or smelling. This bathing could be once in a month.

Make sure to trim the nails. Given the inherent proneness of the Samoyed Lab to ear infections, you must fervently check the ears of the Samoyed Lab for signs of infection.   

Temperament

The Samoyed Labrador is a lovely and incredibly smart dog breed. It has impressive trainability with quick learning capacities. This is a dog mix that would excel in obedience training.

These are enthusiastic dogs with a massive appetite for exercise, play, and human attention. In a Samoyed Lab mix, you get a very loyal and affectionate dog breed.

Given the Labrador half of this dog mix, it is not always as welcoming of strangers as the Samoyed. Interestingly, this designer breed has strong hunting instincts borrowed from the Labrador. It tends to herd too.

This mix is not as alert as the Samoyed but significantly more alert than the Labrador. They bark occasionally and will not flop as watchdogs. Just as you would expect, this hybrid is a protective dog.

They are very friendly to kids, seniors, and other pets, even cats. They have a high drive to exercise being high-energy dogs. We wouldn’t recommend this dog breed for the first-time dog owner due to its intermittent display of self-dependency (which you may see as stubbornness).

Exercise Needs

The Samoyed Lab is a high-energy dog. This means this designer dog is not just another dog that enjoys its own company for long. You need to regularly engage this mix and exercise it.

One of the favorite exercises of the Samoyed Lab is swimming. If possible, you can get this mix swimming every day. You can make do with rivers, pools, beaches, and lakes.

The added beauty of swimming for Samoyed Lab aside the entertainment is that swimming doesn’t put significant stress on the joints of the dog.

Aside from swimming, you can exercise your Samoyed Labrador by walking, running, and jogging them. Typically, this mix enjoys long walks and running with you. We will advise that you reduce the frequency of your Samoyed Lab running on hard surfaces.

If you care, you can take it hiking. On the other hand, you can give it some agility exercises like jumping over hurdles to mentally stimulate it.

Health Risks

While the Samoyed Lab is generally a healthy dog, it is prone to some health issues. Let us explore them, shall we?

The Samoyed Lab is Susceptible to Joint Problems

Your Samoyed Lab could suffer from joint issues like elbow dysplasia. This could go on to affect the elbow and hip joints of this dog mix.

When this designer dog starts suffering these joint problems, you will notice a disruption in the normalcy of the hybrid dog’s movement as a result of the pains it is struggling with when moving.

You can, however, reduce the vulnerability of this mix to dysplasia. To achieve this, you must prevent the weight of this dog from spontaneously spiking and lace its diet with premium vitamins combined with low-impact exercises like swimming.

The Samoyed Lab is Prone to Obesity and Bloating

Obesity and bloating are infamous problems generally associated with medium dogs. Preventing obesity is as easy as keeping a keen eye on the eating habits of your Samoyed Lab.

So long it doesn’t too much in one meal and doesn’t take too many treats between meals, it is unlikely your Samoyed Lab would suffer obesity.

You could divide the bulk of this mix’s food into smaller rations that you could feed it possibly after exercise sessions.

While bloating may be quite harmless in human metabolism, bloating could kill your Samoyed Lab. When this mix suffers bloating, it will experience a distended abdomen due to the swelling of its stomach.

Samoyed Labs are Prone to Retinal Dysplasia

Retinal dysplasia can lead to mild blindness in your Samoyed Lab. If your Samoyed Lab suffers from retinal dysplasia, it is possible it may be a carrier of the OculoSkeletal Dysplasia Syndrome (OSD). This is quite severe.

Samoyed Lab pups born with the OSD can manifest symptoms early blindness or other skeletal dysfunctions like dwarfed legs.

Aside from the retinal dysplasia, your Samoyed Lab can suffer other eye issues like corneal dystrophy and persistent pupillary membrane.

This mix can also suffer heart conditions like tricuspid valve disease, subaortic stenosis, septal malfunctions, and subaortic stenosis.

Feeding

It is paramount to feed your Samoyed Lab with high-quality food. Healthy fats and protein are core ingredients that shouldn’t be missing from the diet of your Samoyed Lab.

We would recommend that you go with dog foods that contain 2-3 meat proteins in its first 6 ingredients listed. We are not too selective between meat meals and whole meats. Both are just fine.

Excellent choices of whole meats include lamb, beef, and whole chicken. Meat meals are those meat diets where the moisture has been significantly reduced to make it more concentrated.

Understandably, meat meals have more protein content than whole meats. Many dog food brands prefer going with meat meals.

We can’t emphasize enough the need for moderation. Ensure that you are not feeding your Samoyed Lab with excessive amounts of protein in its meal. Equally, you would want to reduce the carb composition of its meal.

Your Samoyed Lab also needs a healthy dose of fats in its diet. Yes, you can go with fish oil or chicken fat. Fish oil is a lovable option for its wealthy omega 3 fatty acid component. This goes a long way in maintaining the health of your dog’s skin.

If you have got a Samoyed Lab puppy, such fish oil will be immensely beneficial to your pup, especially for its Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) component. This distinct variant of omega 3-fatty acid is crucial in developing the eye and brain of your pup.

If you are feeding an older Samoyed Lab, fish oil could richly supply them with medium-chain triglycerides, which keep your dog stronger and more agile.

We are not fanatic about adding soy, corn, and wheat in your Samoyed Lab mix’s food. If you can avoid them, that is just fine. Preferably, you can replace such with healthier grains like oats and barley. They are better sources of dietary fiber for your dog.

Are Samoyed Lab Mixes Protective?

Yes, Samoyed Labs are pretty protective, given their herding instincts. But they are not as obsessive about territories like the Bull Mastiff or the Rottweiler.

How Much Does a Samoyed Lab Mix Cost?

Typically, you have a Samoyed going for about $1200-$1500 and a lab going for about $1000-$2000. When you bring this together, you can expect a Samoyed Lab around $1,700.

Is a Samoyed Lab Mix Right for Me?

The Samoyed Lab may not be the right dog for you if this is your first time owning a dog. It requires a lot of attention and an active lifestyle.

If you barely stay at home, you shouldn’t get this dog as it loves lots of human company and shouldn’t be left on its own for too long.

Best Climate for a Samoyed Lab Mix

It survives best in temperate regions.

The Attention a Samoyed Lab Mix Needs

As we said, this is a dog mix that will require lots of attention from you. You will notice this mix fervently trying to interact with you.

It would whine, bark, and jump on you just to get your attention. When left alone for too long, the Samoyed Lab could develop canine separation anxiety or even get into destructive habits.

In other cases, your Samoyed Lab could paw at your leg or drop its toy on your lap without instructing it to. The Samoyed Lab mix is intelligent enough to come to steal your slippers or any other thing from you and attempt to run off with it. This is just for you to play with it.

However, if your Samoyed Lab excessively craves your attention, you can control that by not reinforcing such negative habits. Indeed, when it barks and whines, don’t look at it directly. It will think it has gotten your attention.

Pretend as if you are oblivious to their antics. If they persist (which they often would), you can stand up and walk away. When it stops whining and barking, you can give it a treat to show it that you love it being quieter.

Compatibility with Kids and Other Animals

The Samoyed Lab mix is friendly to strangers, kids, and seniors. It is not that territorial and welcoming to other dogs and pets. Interestingly, this dog mix is even friendly with cats.

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