NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
I start with many apologies to Roger Thomas, as when I was talking about the very sad passing of Madeleine, I said I had not seen them since they moved to the Isle of Man, but of course we welcomed them both our 50th Anniversary weekend in July 2017, where Roger was our After Dinner Speaker talking about the ‘History of the Club’. I have sent Roger the lovely messages that you wrote on the forum about your memories of Madeleine.
The weekend 24th /25th September started a busy week for Buhunds and their owners. Below Jacqui Cobb tells of a Rally show she attended.
‘Last weekend Sherbourne Vale Dog Training Club held its first Rally show. As they were short of ‘workers’ I volunteered to help. On the Saturday I was asked to scribe for the Level 1 judge in the morning, and to help the scorers in the afternoon. On the Sunday to help the scorers both in the morning and the afternoon.
On the Saturday I left Eloise at home as you cannot scribe a class and compete in it. The day was sunny but windy, and I had a job getting all the score sheets in order. The judge had devised an easy flowing course and it was quickly set out. All went smoothly apart from one small hitch when a pigeon landed in the middle of the course, and had to be shooed away. When all the 27 competitors had finished their round, I went to give Veryan a walk. Then it was time to join the other judges and scribes for lunch which consisted of a generous salad bar followed by the best Apple Crumble and cream I have ever tasted. Feeling rather full, I took Veryan for another walk, and put my name down first in the running order, and then waited to walk the course. With Veryan getting slightly arthritic, I would have preferred less sits and downs but it was not a difficult course. I started the course with the feeling that this would just be a dry run to get Veryan used to the ring, if it went pear shaped, we had another chance tomorrow. I came out of the ring thinking that if the judge was lenient, we might just have managed the essential 175 score, but I was not very hopeful. I put Veryan back in the car and went back to the hall to start verifying the Level 4 results. There was a query on one of the Level 2 sheets, so I took it over the ring for clarification. It was only on my way back that I realised it was Veryan’s score sheet. Handing it over to the scorer I could not resist standing behind her as she added up-178! At long last Veryan could change the R1 for R2 four years after getting her first level 2 qualifier!’ Thanks Jacqui but of course there were virtually no competitions in 2020/21.Veryan is Ch Trelowen Veryan to Knytshall R2 born on 22/05/2009 now 13yrs old how fantastic still to be competing. What Jacqui has not written is that she returned the next day with Knytshall Eloise who gained the Excellent score of 190 in Level 1, very well done.
Also, on Saturday Time and I headed to Wichenford in Worcestershire for a Level 5 scent trial, not sure when I entered, I realised quite how far it was but it in the end it turned out it was worth rising at silly o’clock as to be there by 8.30am, for a briefing and walk through. Level 5 is completely different from the Levels 1-4 that we have been used to, it is the first Level to have environmental searches. Two rooms and an outside area, over the whole 3 searches you have to find 9 of 12 hides (hide = 2cm x 2cm pieces of material scented either with cloves or gun oil). You can have the hides divided evenly over the three searches or however the judge wants to divide them. You walk the search area with the judge before you start and they tell you how many hides there will be in the area and how long you have, usually a minute or less per hide. The pass mark is 90 and you can gain bonus points of 10 per search if the dog finds all the hides in that search area, so the top mark is 150 for finding all the hides and gaining all the bonus marks. The first search area was a room and corridor with a chair store, the were three hides too find in 3mins, Time found all three hides so 30marks plus 10. Then it was the outside area four hides in 4mins, a long length of wall containing two doors, a bench and a tree with wooden protection, again Time found all 4 so 40 marks plus 10.The last search was another room with part of the kitchen a small corridor with chairs and another chair store, 5 hides to find in four and a half minutes, we only needed to find two hides to qualify but Time did in style finding all 5 within the time, so 50+10points and ending up winning with the top score of 150.The last time we won a scent competition was a year ago when we were in level 2,so certainly worth the early start.
The following Friday we headed up the M1 to a much nearer Level 5 competition at Haynes Bedfordshire. Again, 2rooms and an outside,5 hides in the first room to find in 4.5mins, then to the outside 3 hides in 3mins and finally another room with 4 hides to find in 3. 5minutes.Time was one of the three out of twelve to find all the hides ending up second as we lost .5 of a mark for a tight lead in the outside search, tight leads are a definite no no in scentwork competitions, but a great result with Time really enjoying the searching which is the main thing.
The next day Sarah Stonton took Jack aka as Ch Arnscroft In Di Ana JackRL1exL2ex to Beancroft Farm in Beforshire where they won a Level 3 scentwork competition, in doing so they gained their ‘Excellent’ meaning they had gained 20points at that level and now L3ex can be added after his name, they also have a very nice Red White and Blue Rosette and will now move up to Level 4, where there will be distraction scents as well as Cloves and Gun Oil.
Belfast Dog Show Society Ch show was held over the 24th /25th Sept weekend at the Eikon Exhibition Centre Lisburn Northern Ireland, and is the only All Breed Ch show held in Ireland under KC rules. No CCs but lovely to have breed classes as there are three breeders of Buhunds in Ireland. In Northern Ireland it is Sue Sercombe’s Trelowen Kennel with daughter Jacqui who also handles when the dogs are shown. In Eire which is FCI it is the Frostisen Kennel of Kerry and Fritz Frost, Addrienne Frost-Treadwell and Jacqui Walmsley who is their representative in the UK and who also shows in Ireland, also in Eire Brenda and Tony Bethell, Minforst.
The judge at Belfast was the well-known Norwegian Judge Espen Eng, he found his BD & BOB in the Frostisen’s Ir /Int Ch Trelowen Aviator (Jun Ir Ch) by Ch Trelowen Conar Tun x Trelowen Kyoo. RBD the Frostisen’s Leggets Fernado from Frostisen (Jun Ir Ch) (Zorro) (Imp UK) by Frostisen Winsome x Knytshall Noor Ul Ain.BB Kerry and Fritz Frost and Karin Klouman’s Ir Ch Kyons Dronningen’s Av Frostisen (Ma’am)(Imp Can) by Nor Ch Kimura’s Uno x Can Ch Kyon’s Nordic Princess. RBB & BP Caro Flanagan and Frostisen’s, Frostisen You Win Again(Skye)by Fabrajs Your Obedient Servant Mr Burr (Jun Ir Ch)(Imp US) x Leggats Gimme Gimme Gimme CPW19 (Keeva)(Imp UK)
A very successful day for the Frostisen Kennel, congratulations.
Take care everyone, Covid is still around and get well soon those suffering with it.
Margaret 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