Member Activities

Our members participate in many different sports and activities. Here are a few of them.

Barn Hunt

This is a sport where dogs need to find rats hidden in the hay. The rats are safe inside pvc tubes which are camouflaged so the dogs cannot harm them. There are also decoy tubes filled with the rats’ litter that the dogs need to be able to avoid. In the instinct test, the tubes are visible and the dogs need to find the one that has the rat. In Novice and above, the tubes are hidden inside the hay.

A dog going through the tunnel

Agility

Agility is a sport where dogs are trained to complete a series of obstacles. The obstacles are in different sequences in each run. There are different types of courses. Jumpers with Weaves is a series of jumps, tunnels and weave poles. Standard contains the above but also includes the dog walk, a frame, and teeter. There are also various games such as snooker, FAST, and jackpot depending on the venue you compete in.

Aerith competing at AKC Agility invitationals
Aerith flying over a jump.
Breeze Competing in AKC agility at Paws N’ Effect in Hamden CT
Breeze (right) and Aerith (left) at CPE Agility Nationals May 2025
Linda and her girl earn their MACH under judge Zach Davis

Fast CAT

Fast CAT is a coursing ability test. Dogs run a 100 yard dash in a fenced in area as fast as they can while chasing a lure. The faster the dog runs, the more points they get toward their title. No training is required for this sport, but dogs should be in good shape and have a decent recall so they can be caught at the end of the run.

Nova chasing a lure
Juliet chasing a lure
Helen and Juliet at a FastCAT event

Weight Pull

Canine Weight Pull is a sport designed to test a dog’s athletic ability, stamina, and structural soundness in a controlled environment. It focuses on a “steady pull” rather than speed. Dogs are harnessed and tasked with pulling a weighted cart or sled across a set distance within a specific time limit.

Herding

Herding as a competitive sport transforms traditional farm work into a high-stakes test of communication and instinct, where a dog and handler work together to move livestock through a prescribed course of gates and pens. It is less about “chasing” and more about controlled pressure. The dog must use its movement and presence to influence the animals’ behavior with precision and calmness. Samoyeds still retain a lot of their herding instinct and many love it. Some can even compete at trials.

Aerith and her handler learning the basics.

ScentWork

ScentWork is a sport where dogs need to find hidden essential oils (Birch, Anise, Clove, and Cypress are what AKC uses) in both interior and exterior spaces. They are trained to find the specific scent through pairing, where food is combined with the scent. Over time, the dog learns that finding the scent is rewarding. This sport harnesses a dog’s innate ability to smell and many dogs really enjoy it.

Joy hunting for a scent in an exterior space
Joy trying to find the container that holds the scent.

Hiking/Pack Walks/Social Time

Samoyeds are a very versatile breed and don’t always have to do dog sports. Sometimes our members just go for a hike or spend some social time together.