NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
Working & Pastoral Day at Boston Ch show was Thursday 3rd July. I am sure you all know that the show took over the East of England Ch show dates, when the East of England Agricultural Society disbanded in 2023 taking the dog show with it, the showground also closed so Boston is held on The Ruland Showground Oakham. The show does not have CCs but has scheduled the breed for many years, so last year we also had our open show there, exhibitors therefore had two shows to attend although neither had CCs. I am sorry to say this was not very successful. Shows obviously charge clubs for the use of their facilities which is fair, but it turned out to be rather expensive. It would probably been alright if it had not rained heavily, but that meant everyone went into the marquees, there were no benches so people sat wherever they could find a space and people did not move out when their judging was over, so it proved very difficult to set up our club show. It is also a long way for those living in the West Country, not that close to the London area, and not brilliant for those living in the North either, so this year we decided to take the open show back to NW&PBs Ch show at Malvern, with the added attraction of Evesham & District Canine Society show the next day at the same venue, which now also has breed classes. This year with Pastoral day being a Thursday, Boston had only two Buhund exhibitors to keep the breed flag flying but both are CCs winners so quality dogs for judge Keith Baldwin to go over. He gives CCs in 61 breeds across 5 groups and is Level 2 for Buhunds. His BD was Cheryl Denham-Horton & Lorraine Bolton’s Tapui Haraldsson at Jjavacobe(Hogan).BB & BOB Dr Jo, Nick & Bethany Guillod -Rees Draccus Odsidian At Bucamereru (Ruby). Bethany was also 2nd in the Young Kennel Club Members Handling class 6-11yrs under judge Alexis Kirkwood -Emery which qualified her for Crufts. Happily, it was also cooler after the heat of Windsor, although they did have some rain on Friday and Sunday, and I believe had a thunderstorm some of which were quite violent over the Country.
We often read that studies have been done regarding dogs, one recently said that research had proved that dogs could be jealous of other dogs which could cause problems, did we really need research to prove that! Owners with more than one dog have known for some time that there could be jealousy, and that if the situation arises it needs to be managed to stop aggression. Wild dogs and wolves all have an order within the pack. One article I read recently did really interest me though. Nothing to do with Buhunds just dogs in general which I hope you find interesting. It is often said that sleep is a great healer especially as far as illness is concerned. However emerging research in both humans and animals is proving sleep is not the best thing after a severe trauma, especially in the hours immediately after the event. It can influence how the brain stores memories and whether they become fear-based triggers later. Studies have shown that with some animals and humans sleep plays a part in consolidating emotional memory, so that if the animals or people sleep immediately after a trauma, their brains may solidify the fear rather than helping them forget it. This may explain why some dogs never forget a bad memory and why the intense fear can seem to develop almost overnight. It is suggested that after a trauma it is best not to let them sleep it off as this may lock in trauma in as a highly important fear memory. Also do not leave the dog alone as this can cause to a sense of fear or abandonment, sedatives should only be given if there is a real reason as they can interfere with how memory is formed. The advice is for quiet support for a couple of hours avoiding too much stimulation. Once the dog feels safe then sleep is a good idea. It is often said there is critical window for puppy socialization -but the same is true for post -trauma recovery. The hours after a trauma is when the brain decides whether the incident should be remembered for ever. Once the dog has processed the event then sleep becomes helpful and can help with the healing process. A critical window for puppy socialization is often talked about and the same is true for post-trauma recovery, there is a period where the brain decides was it a one off, or should it be remembered for ever to stay safe. So, if your dog has a bad experience, keep them quiet and stay with them for a while before letting them sleep it off. I personally doubt that we will ever really know what a dog thinks but as people are involved with this research, the findings are probably more accurate than might otherwise have been. It is interesting as many of you know Debbie and Richard took on a dog whose owner was found dead at home with the dog. The owner had a few health problems, and they had looked after the dog when they lived in Essex on occasions when the owner was in hospital. After they moved to Cambridgeshire a few years ago they did not hear from the owner again. Then just over a year ago there was a phone asking if they could come and collect the dog as the owner had died. (The owner had asked if they would have him if anything happened to him). They are not sure how long the owner had been dead, but the dog was very thirsty. They very soon discovered that the dog had to have another dog or one of them close by otherwise he became very distressed, so we assume this is the memory he has of being left alone with his dead owner as he had never been like that before. We will never really know but he is now a very happy dog with a lot of company. Then there was the lady I met at DD some years ago who had a Romanian rescue who had been shot, I said that must be very difficult at firework time, she said no he did not mind loud bangs but got distressed when it got dark as presumably that was when he was shot, so it is hard to know how dogs remember trauma.
Margaret Deuchar margaretdeuchar@gmail.com
Any views expressed in Margaret’s Breed Notes are hers and hers alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Norwegian Buhund Club of the UK