NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
We should be used to the fact by now that in the UK summer weather can change very quickly. After weeks of rain and cold weather that on occasions meant we needed the heating on indoors, it started to heat up on Sat 22nd June, but of course Time and I still managed to get very wet when attending a scent training day, in the only shower of the day! By Monday 24th June it was hot and unfortunately, I had a scent Excellent trial booked. It was scheduled to start at 9.30am and being only an hour away I decided to go. It was held at Gulliver’s Dinosaur and Farm Park, Milton Keynes. This covers acres and is noted for its collection of animatronic dinosaurs and the landscape that goes with them, there is also a farm and wild west area and everything in between. After being shown our outside and inside search area, I and some of the other competitors asked if we could keep our dogs inside the venue, rather than keep going back to the car park which was about 5mins away, that way we could keep the dogs cool sitting in the shade. We were drawn second to go in the outside area, 10mins to find an unknown number of hides. The area had long walkways, tables and chairs among the dinosaur landscape and lots of fencing. Time found 4 out of the 6 hides, he so nearly found 5 but could just not quite locate it . A rest before doing the inside which was a theatre attached to a child’s play area with slides, toys and another seating area, again 10mins and an unknown number of hides, this time there were 5 hides and Time found 4.The final search is called selection, which is 20 items usually plastic boxes which also have distraction odours in some of them, boxes, cat or dog treats anything really, and if the dog gives a wrong indication marks are lost and two indications and that is disqualification. We had no wrong indications and 4 out of 4 hides found, so we were awarded a badge for that search. Back to the car with the other competitors for the results, and to my delight Time won the reserve medal and was only .5 of a mark behind the winner. With NNA trials you and the dog are marked out of 10 for area coverage, team confidence the dog’s indication in finding the hide. Boths dogs found the same number of hides, but Time was so keen to search the items which must be searched in order, that he knocked one of the boxes over which lost him the marks, but I was still delighted especially on such a hot day, then a trip home down the M1 with the AC working hard followed by a chill in the garden. The next two days saw the temperature rise to 30degress plus, which was worrying as Pastoral day at Windsor Ch show was the Thursday and I was judging. They have improved the layout since the pandemic with two long marquess down the centre of the show ground, with in/out ring with the benches behind the rings and with no sides on the marquee I knew it would be as cool as possible, but showing dogs in that heat especially a double coated breed is not ideal, so I was delighted when I woke on the Thursday morning to find that the promised slightly cooler weather had arrived. Windsor is my local and favourite show, I love the location just below the castle and showed horses on the same venue long before I showed the dogs there. When I first started to show in 1992, I was sad that Windsor did not have Buhund classes though they did have Elkhounds. Then in 2004 I was asked if I would judge them without CCs as the show was going to be having CCs for them a few years later, I remember it well as at that time the benching tents were around the outside with the rings in the middle, some with no cover .We could see and hear the storm approaching over the castle and I awarded BOB just in time before we all dived for cover. By 2011 the show had CCs for the breed (and I was also awarding CCs by then,) and was again asked to judge, the show of course is now an All-Breed Show having CCs for all breeds that have them. I think probably the fact that I am local and do not claim expenses attracts the organisers!! I had not judged since Crufts in 2018 and this was my fifth time of awarding CCs in Buhunds, I have also awarded them 4 times in Elkhounds. When I knew Pastoral day was the Thursday a working day, with commuter traffic in the area, and with exhibitors spread all over the country and now with 4 bitches on maternity duty, I thought I would be lucky to have four or five exhibitors. To have dogs in every class with 2 and 3 in some, I really cannot thank you all enough. I so enjoyed my day and I hope you did. It is not easy when you know a breed so well but when you are in the ring judging you have to judge the dogs on the day, and it is different from sitting ring side. One of our daughters used to live 10mins from the showground, so I know all the back roads and did not have to use the M25 which caused so many problems, with one exhibitor missing the judging, even so I still left home at 7am to make sure I was not caught in the local commuter traffic and school runs. We went in at 10.45 am after 31 Australian Shepherds. My BCC & BOB was Michael Patrick and Leigh Ashman’s Ch Tapui Starla (Freya) this was her 7CC she also has 7RCC, she is by Ch Koromandel Best Served Cold At Knytshall x Ch Kimura’s Vera At Tapui (Imp Nor), she was handled by Neil Hood. RBCC her 5th she also has 3CCs Lisa and Alex Strong’s Ch Leggatts Dancing Quess at Draccus (Eris) by Frostisen Winsome x Knytshall Noor Ul Ain.) (Noor) BPB Sue Crocker’s Leggats Superstition (Franny) she is by Kligenthal Bran Mak x Noor . BVB & BV Maddie Norman’s Ch Arnscroft Delilah At Veekay by Ch Arnscroft Di To Be A Sailor x Ch Arnscroft Di Or Comply. She has 10CCs and 11 RCCs.DCC his 3rd and giving him his title was Marie Corin and Adam Camm’s Kligenthal Almuric(Bergen ) he is by Ch Arnscroft Mo Farrah of Koromandel JW ShCM x Ch Koromandel Gild The Lily, and was bred by Lesley and Liz Butterworth. His first CC was at Crufts 2023 under all-rounder David Cavill where he was also BOB, his second was this year at Birmingham National under Dr Annukka Paloheimo Segersven from Finland, she is an FCI All Breed judge. Bergen is Marie’s first Champion, and she very nearly did not make the show as she was stuck on the M25 for some time, which seemed particularly bad for some reason on Thursday, then when she did arrive her mother twisted her ankle in the car park and Marie had to get help from the show officials with a buggy to get her to the ring. Happily, the injury was not too bad although she did have transport back to the car when they went home. Marie was very pleased that her mother was there to see Bergen gain his crown as her parents had Buhunds years ago. RDCC his first such award Jenny and David Langford’s Frostisen Zeffer (Imp Ire)(Loki) by Ir Ch Leggatts Fernando From Frostisen x Ir Ch Kyon’s Dronningen av Frostisen (Imp Can)he was handled by Jacqui Walmsley. BP his 5th, Mary & Coralie Dosson’s Leggatts Part Time Lover (Barnaby) he is by Kligenthal Bran Mak Morn x Knytshall Noor Ul Ain he also has 2RCCs .BVD Neil Hood’s Sturtmoor Eeza Geeza at Buhcafrey (Geeza)he is by Ch Arnscroft Di Na Mo Farrah Of Koromandel JW ShCm x Sturtmoor’s Dream Maker At Gazenorth and has 1RCC.
Dr Jo, Nicolas and Bethany Guillod Rees Draccus Obsidian At Bucamereru, handled as usual by daughter Bethany, was third in the Special Beginners stakes under Mrs Williams -Wegmann, this is the last time she can do these classes as she won the BCC at Bath. She also won the Junior Handling 6-11yrs under Miss King.
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