Norwegian Buhund

Breed Notes 14th June 2024 Margaret Deuchar

NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS

Those of you who read these notes regularly will know that the club encourages owners to do activities with their dogs, and that we have the Michael Quinney awards giving rosettes for various activities with the Gold rosettes as the top award, as the number of activities increase. I was therefore thrilled to receive a photo from Lisa showing Olivia Foam with her Goose sitting on a podium with a medal. Of course, I could not leave it at that so asked for more details. Oliva replied that ‘it was a 10K trail run in the Peak District, there are lots of races round the country that are dog friendly with lots of other lovely dogs.  Goose runs regularly with me, but this was his first race -he did great, was so calm and well behaved and was great at keeping pace. We stopped for a quick dunk in a lake halfway round to keep him cool. Took us just over an hour and half. Looking forward to doing another one soon’. Congratulations both and we look forward to hearing about you next one.’ Goose is aka Draccus Helidor bred by Lisa he is out of Eris by Time and he and Olivia live in London.

We do not have herding competitions in this country but in Finland they do, and I am always happy to talk about them especially when there is a UK connection. Anna-Leena Laakso who lives in Finland and bred Jenny Shorer Wheeler’s Ch Maidofcopper For Koromandel JW (Imp Fin) (Pikka), competes in them with Pikka’s daughter Koromandel Kullamuru (Fanni)who is by Ch Arnscroft Di Na Mo Farrah of Koromandel JW SHCM. On a recent weekend Ann-Leena competed with Fanni in the highest class 3 in Traditional Style herding on the Saturday and Sunday,and was graded Excellent on both days. On the Saturday she was 3rd with 140/150 points, and on the Sunday, she won with 136points on a difficult course. A couple of weeks earlier Fanni’s daughter Lennutadin Kullannuppu (Nuppu) did her Herd Working Test, this is carried out to evaluate the qualities of the dog, such as herding aptitude, obedience, initiative and gentleness, then at the weekend she made her debut in class 1. She worked nicely and carefully stopping the sheep from running back to their barn,and won her class with an Excellent 90/100. Anna said she was very proud of her girls.

The most recent Bu Bumble  organised by Lisa Strong  was at a new location, that of Hatfield Forest in Essex which is owned by the National Trust, which says it has been working on making it easier for dog walkers to find out how dog friendly various Trust areas are, by giving them a Paw Print rating, and  this can be found in the National Trust members handbook. Hatfield has a two pawprint rating, it has water and drinking bowls, a dog friendly café, lovely wooded walks, a lake and streams, although dogs are not allowed ever where, and professional dog walkers need a licence. Those that Bumbled  had a great time with many of the dogs enjoying playing chase and cooling off in the streams, they were Lisa and Alex Strong with Loki, Eris (Ch Leggatts Dancing Queen At Draccus) & Raven (Draccus I Have A Dream), Julia Engstad with Arven (Wheatshade Brada Hill), Joe Allen and Dean Cox with Oslo (Leggatt’s Mr Writer) and Andy & Andy Platts with Luna (Mazads Joie de Vivre), then there was Willow the black spaniel who was a Honorary Buhund for the day! I gather a great time was had by all.

Pastoral Day at Three Counties Ch show was Friday 7th June, the breed was third in the ring with judge Richard Morris who gives CCs in 1 Hound 2 Pastoral and 29 Gundog Breeds. He last judged the breed at Birmingham City on 1st Sept 2022.He found his BP & BOB in Mary & Coralie Dosson’s Leggatts Part Time Lover (Barnaby) born on 23rd October 2023, he is definitely on a roll as he already has 2 RCCS, a great start to his showing career. Happily, the weather had improved so most of the judging was outside.

The next day June 8th on the other side of the country it was Pastoral Day at Newmarket & District Canine Society 524 class two-day Premier Open Show, held at the Leisure & Sports Centre Littleport Ely Cambridgeshire. It is a completely outdoor with no wet weather accommodations, but exhibitors can take tents and gazebos, happily this year it was mostly dry apart from a squally shower that destroyed several gazabos!  and it was not that warm at times. For many years the show was held on the Rowley Mile Racecourse in Newmarket and had breed classes as there were number of breeders in the area. It was one of the first shows I judged at giving Kirsty Irvine’s Ch Tapui Tane BOB he went onto BIS. In recent years it has had several homes but without breed classes as the local breeders had moved away. Now however as there are several owners in the southeast, and with Lisa’s Strong’s involvement with the club they have again given us breed classes. Our judge was Marina White who gives CCs in Beagles, Newfoundland’s and 3 Pastoral Breeds. Marina became involved in dogs shows in the late 1980’s when she attended them with her mother, who bred and showed Beagles and competed in Obedience and Working Trials. Marina started to handle dogs herself and competed in Junior Handling, in 1998 she won the Scottish Junior Handler of the Year. The same year she represented the UK at the World Dog Show in Helsinki in the Junior Handling Finals and won, handling an Afghan Hound.

At Newmarket Marina found her BOB in Marie Corin and Adam Camm’s Bergen (Kligenthal Almuric). RBOB Lisa and Ales Strong’s Eris (Ch Leggatts Dancing Queen At Draccus ).) Jo, Nick and daughter Bethany Guillod -Rees Ruby (Draccus Obsidian) wonLimit and Andy & Andy Platts with Luna (Mazads Joie de Vivre) won Junior. Marie said, ‘Brilliant to have the Bu crew out with plenty of laughs all day and much kudos to the hard-working committee for running such a welcoming show.’

The following day Lucy Beatrice Gilbert took Penny and Zuki (Leggatts Fly Like An Eagle) to a fun Steeplechase at Hamworthy Club Bournemouth. Penny came 2nd with a clear round and Zuki gained a participation rosette for completing the course with only a handful of faults !

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