As dogs with a long history of strenuous physical activity as a working breed that includes such tasks as herding reindeer and pulling sleds in temperatures that could go as low as -70 degrees F, the Samoyed has some unique exercise needs that must be met if you're to provide your animal with a truly happy home and lifestyle. This doesn't necessarily mean that you'll need to buy a large sled and move to a northern climate if you want your Samoyed to be properly exercised, it just means that you need to take a few steps to educate yourself about the breed's unique needs.

When your Samoyed is still a puppy, they can actually be less resilient than other breeds of the same age; a tendency that belies the reputation they'll later develop as a source of inexhaustible willpower in adulthood. As puppies, their muscles and skeleton are generally not developed enough to do any kind of heavy work, and all of their exercise will come from their own eagerness to play, explore, and learn. Take advantage of the Samoyed's open-minded temperament during this part of their life and engage in some early obedience training. Not only will you find that it's far easier to train a puppy than a full grown dog, but your Samoyed will also get some much needed exercise in a manner that's perfectly suited to his puppy body; neither too strenuous, nor too lazy.

Once the dog is at the halfway point to maturity, around about six months old, you can start taking more involved and strenuous obedience courses that involve heavy running and obstacle course navigation. In addition, by this point the Samoyed is resilient enough to handle being taken on daily walks, but it's absolutely vital that you remember to keep your Samoyed leashed at all times.

Once they reach adulthood, the Samoyed will need to be vigorously exercised at least an hour a day. Their amicable nature, however, means that you can easily adapt them into your own active hobbies and give them their exercise that way. For example, if you like bicycling or hiking, just bring your (well-trained) Samoyed along with you and he or she couldn't be happier.

If you do happen to live in a climate that gets snow, however, you might as well let your Samoyed do what he was bred to do and pull a sled. If you have children, this can be a highly fun activity to engage in for the entire family, and like any activity that combines exercise with family bonding, your Samoyed is certain to love it.

In general, just remember that like all things Samoyed, it's necessary to start out with a small foundation and build your way up slowly to the more impressive feats that the breed is known for.