NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS
The Scottish Kennel Club normally runs two Ch shows held in the Exhibition Centre on the Royal Highland Showground in Ingliston Edinburgh, one in May which is an All-Breed show so has CCs for Buhunds the other held in the beginning of October does not have classes for the breed. This year the May show was postponed and was run with the October show, going over 4 days. There were two schedules one for the May show and one for the Oct show. I take my hat off to the organisers running two Ch shows together but for those breeds that have CCs at both shows it was certainly worth the trip. There were classes, groups and BIS for both shows with prejudging of the groups. Then of course there was the fuel crisis just before the shows started!! Masks were meant to be mandatory but watching the live stream I think probably it was only 50%.
This is the last show to be held in the Royal Highland Exhibition Centre this year, as the centre feels there will be spike in covid from the end of October onwards. This was hard as it meant the cancellation of two Ch shows and six partnership shows which were already taking entries, one of the Ch shows is Working and Pastoral Breeds of Scotland, but it does make us all realise the Pandemic and its effects are still far from over.
We used to go every year to SKC often taking the caravan and doing Agility, Obedience and Showing and my first Buhund Okie aka Ch/Ir Ch Wolfen Just In Time won his crown there. The May show always used to be outside until some years ago a storm flooded the showground the night before the start, and the show has to be moved into the Exhibition Centre at the last minute, there were no benches and it was slightly chaotic, but the committee did their best, they obviously decided they were not going to risk that again as the show has been inside ever since.
This year Pastoral Day was the Saturday and with the large number of classes the breed was in a marquee, with in/out rings and exhibitors were allowed to set up behind the rings which was just as well as there was sunshine and showers.
Our judge was the well-known allrounder Albert White (Sharval), he has judged the breed on numerous occasions in the past and gives CCs in 74 breeds including 16 Pastoral Breeds, the only group he does not give give CCs in is Gundogs and he judged BIS at Crufts in 2003.He found his BOB and DCC his 11th Nancy Kent, Jacqui & Michael Cobb’s Ch Koromandel Best Served Cold at Knytshall (Jamie) by Am/Can/Uk Ch Kyon’s Bold Norseman x Ch Maidofcopper for Kormandel JW (Imp Fin), he also has 12 RCCs. BCC her 5th Maddy Norman’s Ch Arnscroft Delilah At Veekay by Ch Arnscroft Di To Be A Sailor x Ch Arnscroft Di or Comply she also has 6RCCs.RBCC her 3rd Lesley and Liz Butterworth’s Koromandel Gild The Lily she is Jamie’s litter sister and also has a CC.
BP Kirsty & Alex Irvine & Callum Gillies Tapui Let’s Blaze by Jamie x Ch Kimura’s Vera with Tapui (Imp Nor), he was also VHC in the puppy stakes under Rodney Oldham, his litter sister Michael Patrick and Leigh Ashman’s Tapui Starla was BBP.
BV Lillian and Michael Rumsey’s Ch Arnscroft Di Nah May by Ch/Am Ch Visions Dino of Trollheimen x Arnscroft Di Sing On Ice she has 6CCs and 7 RCCs
Millie Lambert’s newly crowned Stutmoor’s Eezee Luvva, was third in the Good Citizen Stakes under Irene Green.
Having gained his 4th CC with BOB at Birmingham Nation, Time aka Ch Rikarlo Gable JW had a really good day at the office in another disciple on Thursday Sept 30th.He loves doing scent (looking for a small piece of material with the scent of cloves) and at the end of last year just before the last lockdown he won out of level I am gaining the last 2points of the 20points needed. So, this year we started in level 2 but not of course until lockdown was over and then only in very carefully run covid safe trials. We had zoom lessons for the activity during lockdown which of course had been great but not the same as having lessons. Level 2 is obviously much harder as the dog must find 2 hides instead of 1 in each of the 4 searches. 6 finds are needed to qualify and 8 for a clean sweep. There is an Exterior search, things you might find in a garden, inside where one is on a Table or Chair and one on an item around the perimeter something you might find indoors like a broom, vacuum cleaner etc. Vehicle where the scent is on 2 out of 3 cars or 1 on a car and one on a wall. Boxes and Luggage with 1 hide on a box and another on a piece of luggage. At this level once the dog has found a hide in each section the clock is stopped and the dog can be taken out of the search area and rewarded, it then returns to the search area and the clock is started again. The hide must be out for at least 10 mins before he dog starts the search, and there is a drawn order so no dog has the advantage of always going first with a fresh sent or the disadvantage of going late on when in particularly on a wet windy day outside the scent can move around in the wind.
We did 2 trials before lessons started again and although he qualified at both, he only found 7 out of 8, one I called it too early thinking he had found it on a chair the other one he did not find one of the outside items. Then after a few face-to-face lessons we seemed to get it together and gained a fourth place, only being beaten on time and with me losing a handling mark (5 marks are given for handling each search and they are very hot on any tightness of a lead hence loss of a mark).
On Thursday it was one of those lovely days when everything went right. We were first to go on the outside items and right from the start Time was in a good search mode, finding the two hides in 37secs.Then came tables and chairs where we were 7 to go, it was on a chair and round the perimeter on a vacuum cleaner 27secs. We were drawn 3rd for the vehicle search, which was one car and a wall 20secs, and last which is always the least popular search with everyone as so often it causes the most problem was Boxes and Luggage, we were 6th, he found the one on the Box first, then the Luggage item 25 secs. We ended up winning with a total time of 109 secs and full handling marks for me, definitely a day to remember. A lovely red rosette and nice glass trophy. The following Sunday he was second in another Level 2 trial giving him his ‘Excellent’ meaning he had gained 20 points at that Level. Now he has to be introduced to Gun Oil as in Level 3 both scents are used in each search.
Mary Dosson is organising a Buhund Bumble on October 16th at 10am at Burnham on Sea, details will be on the Forum.
Stay safe everyone.
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