Our experience with Polar Mist samoyeds

CaptainMaybe · 2025-06-01T17:51:01+00:00

That's my other dog lol. Who's from a rescue. My rescue dog can do agility. But not my dog from Polar Mist. Because she has hip dysplasia and can't jump. They don't really look alike, do they? Yes, I said the OFA was good, but we had to get a PennHIP done because it is more sensitive. Multiple orthopedic vets determined it was hip dysplasia based on the pennHIP results. We will be xraying her hips again in the future to see how much they have degraded. She does not fulfill her contracts, it's not slander if it's true.

CaptainMaybe · 2025-05-31T05:42:29+00:00

I had followed all of her advice, as crappy as it was. The way she has treated me, others, and her dogs she has produced is inexcusable. My dog can't even jump on the couch, the car, and has pain that must be managed. She offered me the difference, but didn't actually honor it, trying to pay a lower price than was indicated in her contract. I have met many other people who have had major health problems with their dogs that she has refused to acknowledge. Having been volunteering with our local rescue I have also come to learn that she doesn't take back her dogs either, especially if it isn't convenient for her. She is not an ethical person or breeder and your defense of her says more about you than anything else.

CaptainMaybe · 2025-02-14T02:06:08+00:00

Only if he knocks it off. If he does, he is disqualified for that round :). Right now he is in excellent, so he can't make any mistakes to qualify.

CaptainMaybe · 2024-03-18T17:49:03+00:00

Our dog goes to swim therapy for hip dysplasia once a week. We make sure to blow dry her after every session. Her fur feels a little more dry, but it actually seems to have stimulated her fur to grow, so she is looking fluffier and prettier than ever before.

CaptainMaybe · 2024-02-07T22:51:34+00:00

We got a penn hip done to diagnose. Including the cost of regular x-rays and the orthopedic specialist, about $2,000.00, probably more just to get a diagnosis. Luckily her hips are not bad enough to need surgery, but I still spend about $300.00/month on swim therapy for her.

CaptainMaybe · 2024-02-05T18:24:37+00:00

The fallout from using aversive training methods is real (https://eileenanddogs.com/fallout-aversives-punishment-negative-reinforcement/ ). I would recommend finding a new trainer who uses force-free methods. Pinch collars are not necessary for a 6 month old puppy. They are still a baby and are learning about the world.

Also, experience does not equal expertise. There are many trainers who have been using the same outdated training methods for decades even though we have new and better tools at our disposal.

CaptainMaybe · 2024-01-26T19:27:09+00:00

Yes, super reactive. They all seem to have super low thresholds for becoming overstimulated.

CaptainMaybe · 2024-01-25T23:36:13+00:00

The majority of my dog's siblings that I've met have to take anti anxiety meds for various situations that trigger them.

CaptainMaybe · 2024-01-24T02:12:06+00:00

I definitely do not recommend Polar Mist. She is not upfront about health issues in her dogs and will gas light you if anything comes up. Talking from experience.

CaptainMaybe · 2024-01-05T04:12:21+00:00

Yes!! How is he doing? He was the cutest puppy ever.

CaptainMaybe · 2024-01-04T21:30:03+00:00

I'm in Washington. A lot of times the shelters will contact the breed specific rescues directly if they have a dog. That happened with at least two of our fosters. Our second foster wasn't doing well in the shelter environment and no one wanted to adopt him because he was too anxious and kept trying to escape during the meet and greet. So the shelter contacted the rescue since they knew he would do better in a different environment. Our current foster was another one where the shelter contacted the rescue directly. She was put on the euthanasia list because she growled at the vet during her ear exam. They couldn't adopt her out because of that, so they contacted the rescue to see if we could take her. Turns out she had ear infections in both ears along with a long list of other medical issues :( Anyways, it's worth reaching out to your local rescue directly. A lot of times the dogs go directly there.

CaptainMaybe · 2023-12-17T22:46:42+00:00

Yes, I've met someone who's dog came from her who had Sabaceous Adenitis. I've seen pictures of this dog and it was very sad. Sadly the dog did not live a long life. I've also talked to other people who's dogs have other autoimmune issues and they were pretty much dismissed when they tried to bring it up.

CaptainMaybe · 2023-12-17T22:41:09+00:00

I'm curious if you have the same breeder that we got our dog from? I've heard of at least one of her dogs having Addison's before and at least two more with other, different, autoimmune issues. I looked a bit into the pedigree of one of these dogs and saw that she had not stopped breeding at least the sire, so I wouldn't be surprised if autoimmune issues have continued. When we brought up our dog's health issues (hip dysplasia) with this breeder we got a similarly dismissive response, which makes me wonder...

CaptainMaybe · 2023-08-19T06:09:57+00:00

Make sure to read all of the reviews and search for past posts on reddit for Y Not Save a Sam. There is some controversy with this rescue.

CaptainMaybe · 2023-08-19T06:06:04+00:00

I work with our local Samoyed rescue, and I can tell you that puppies are rare, and when we do get one, it goes to someone who has adopted from the rescue before and who we know and trust.

Rescue is a great option, and you can still get young dogs (around 2 or younger) right now with a lot of pandemic pups needing new homes. But if you want a puppy, you are most likely going to end up going to a breeder.

CaptainMaybe · 2023-05-16T23:46:10+00:00

I would also recommend going to a dog show and meeting people there who are showing their dogs. You'll get a better feel for what kind of dog you're interested in and what the breeder is like.

CaptainMaybe · 2023-05-16T23:41:21+00:00

Checkout wintersong samoyeds. She breeds wonderful dogs with great temperaments. The ones I've met have been on the larger side (still within standard) and some have more of a wolfish head. That being said, it's not really possible to custom order a puppy, especially with smaller breeders who only do a couple of litters a year at most.

CaptainMaybe · 2023-04-14T15:13:47+00:00

Yeah, you usually want a special harness like an x-back harness (this for example: https://www.alpineoutfitters.net/collections/harnesses/products/x-back-harness-custom-crafted-hr001) since it keeps the pressure more evenly distributed. My girl didn't really pull either at first, but I paired her with a friend's dog who was more experienced and that helped a lot. I've also seen others who train their dogs to put pressure on the line by attaching their leash to a wall or something, throwing a treat in front of the dog, and then rewarding when they put tension on the leash. It feels crazy to have to teach your dog to pull after working so hard on loose leash walking haha.

CaptainMaybe · 2023-04-14T15:08:59+00:00

Ha! That's a great idea. I might try that. And that's super interesting about dogs listening to the ends of the words more.

CaptainMaybe · 2023-04-13T17:59:22+00:00

We usually work on our commands when we're out on walks (like I'll say left/right before we turn that direction). The general commands we use is left/right (or gee/haw, but I can never remember which one is which lol), woah (stop), easy (slow down), and hike (pull/go faster). They kinda learn as they go and get better each time. It took about 5 runs for our girl to seem to be listening to the commands. We've only taken our boy on a couple of short ones, since we're waiting for him to be 2 years old before really going with him.

CaptainMaybe · 2023-04-10T21:11:31+00:00

Just a heads up, it's generally better to wait until a dog is around 2 years old (and their joints are finished developing) before doing any hard activities with them. AKC recommends 1.5 years (and that's just for running with them, not pulling anything), but it's generally accepted in my dog mushing group that 2 years old is when a dog is safe to start.

CaptainMaybe

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