NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
Saturday 6th April saw 7 club members and their dogs make their way to the large indoor riding school of the Solihull Riding Club at Bentley Heath, for a Rally and Obreedience show run by The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Club of UK.
Jacqui Cobb took along her husband Michael and Nancy Kent’s, Knytshall Angel Delight RL2Ex and Knythall Moon of Josephine,who she co owns with Alysha Blanchflower and who handles her. Bev Hall had Ailort Just The Ticket (Jay)RL4 Ex.Sarah Stonton took her Loxy(Trelowen Andrea AW (S)) & Ch Arnscroft In Di Ana Jack. Lisa Strong had Loki Snowfake and puppy Eris (Leggatts Dancing Queen). I was accompanied by Fizz (Ch/Bel Ch Tonylynn’s Charles Lafitte AW(P)RL2EX) and Time (Rikarlo Gable) both of whom I co own with daughter Debbie, so a total of 9 Buhunds and two Pyrenean Sheepdogs Merrywood Essien (Asti)& Cavronscourt Magic Jade owned by Debbie.
I am sure most of you know about Rally, it involves you and your dog working together to navigate a course with numbered signs indicating the various exercises. It is rather like Obedience with Obstacles, you start at level 1 and progress up to level 6 hopefully! You have to earn 3 excellent or 6 qualifying scores at each level before moving up, although you can do one level above the one you are working at. There are 6 place Rosettes but on the whole you are competing against yourself. Like agility you can walk the course for about half an hour before the class start.
The walk through for the morning Rally classes was at 9am so an early start for everyone, what was amazing was the fact that Debbie who lives in Harlow in Essex and I who live in Harrow in Middx followed each other into the car park! Eris who is just 7 months did a good round in Level 1 just missing out on a qualifying score, which was a great result. Then it was Time’s turn he was a good boy and the judge said nice round but I have to disqualify you as you missed out a position! Time obviously needs a better handler. Magic was next he had been working well outside and had a qualifying score. Then it was then down to the other end of the arena for the Obreedience heat,all the teams were doing their heel work first with the individual exercises after all the teams had worked. We had been practicing outside without the dogs to get the pattern correct (all the teams do the same heel work pattern).In the competition of course it is not so easy and we had 4.5 out of 10, though there were teams below us. Tight leads are always the problem in both Obreedience and Rally, loose leads are a must or marks are lost. The team was Alysha with Josephine, Jacqui with Angel, Sarah with Loxy and myself with Fizz. Before we did the individual exercise it was Fizz’s turn with Debbie to do Level 3 Rally which is off the lead. They gained an excellent score, so only need one more excellent to be in Level 4. Then it was into the ring to do the individual Obreedience exercises. Great start with Josephine doing ‘Go To Bed’ 10 out of 10 Angel does ‘Stop On Command’ 10 out of 10 .Loxy does ‘Retrieve’ but thought she would rather retrieve something smelly on the floor so 1 out 10. It was then Fizz’s turn to do scent but like Loxy he decided he would rather smell the floor so another 1 out 10. We had to remember that last time we competed we won with full marks for all the exercises! We had to give the other teams a chance!
It was then lunch time and as we as were all sitting together with the dogs it was great to have a get together, one of the lovely things of doing this kind of competition .
In the afternoon it was the turn of Jack to do Level 1 and 2,sadly it was not his day which was a shame, as he only needs one more Excellent in Level 1, to have letters after his name as well as in front. Asti put his best paw forward to gain his 3rd excellent in Level 1 so can now add RL1Ex after his name to add to his AW(G)as he is Debbie’s Grade 7 agility dog, leaning a new skill. Loki was also a star getting a qualifying score in Level 1 for the first time. (He is also Reserve for the Obreedience Team). The day finished well with an excellent score in Grade 4 for Jay, although he won out last week but was already entered here, in the morning he had been put off his level 5 by seeing Buhunds in the next door ring! So ended what had been an enjoyable if rather up and down day, but when you have 9 Buhunds together you know they will get noticed and questions asked, so definitely a way for the breed to become better known, and of course Lisa had the usual comment, ‘Oh I did not know they came in black’! Eris being Black.
On the same day many miles away across the Irish Sea Brenda Bethell and husband Tony had the very early start of 3.30am, to go to the Mid West Canine Society Champ show at Castlebar, County Mayo. Brenda told me that it was the first time since they arrived in Ireland that they had been out west! Apparently it was a super venue with half the rings inside and half outside. The Buhunds flew the flag and made a great impression with the general public, who naturally thought they were wonderful. It was not an International show so no CACIBs but both Ella (Minforst Galadriel CW19) & Freddy ( Ir Ch Zodiac’s Featuring Fredrik at Taevas of Minforst (Ir Jun Ch) (IMP US) (CW19) were graded excellent and were awarded Green Stars. Freddy then went onto be BOB with Ella in Reserve under Judge Mrs McCarry-Beattie. The group judge Mrs Gonzalez said what a super breed Buhunds are, so definitely worth the early start and a round trip 460km,especially as the day was spent with friends and family, so a very happy if rather long day.
Stop Press from Addrienne Frost Treadwell in Ireland that the Top Buhund for the first quarter is Brenda and Tony’s home bred Ella, what a fantastic achievement, followed by their Freddy bred by Linda Lundstrom with Fritz Frost’s Fabrajs Your Obedient Servant Mr Burr. (Imp US)bred by Faye Adcox & Else Turner in third place. Congratulations everyone.
Margare Deuchar margaretdeuchar@gmail.com
The 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