Breed Notes 25th September 2026 Margaret Deuchar

NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS

Those of you who have read my notes regularly over the years will know that I love to write about everything you do with your dogs, showing of course but there are many other activities you can do, one of which is Rally which I have not written about for some time, so I thought it was time I rectified this. Over the years Sarah Stonton successfully competed with Ch Arnscroft In Di Ana Jack (Jack) and I  did with  Ch  Tonylynns Charles Lafitte (Fizz) , but after the pandemic there were not so many competitions  and scent training was really taking off ,so Sarah and I  both went that route but the one owner who has stayed  with  Rally is  Jacque Cobb..In the past she competed very successfully with Ch  Trelowen Veryan To Knytshall (Veryan) and Knytshall  Angel Delight( Angel),now she is competing with  a new generation Knytshall Beau Bramble(Beau) his litter sister Knytshall Love In The Misty (Misty)and their mother Knytshall  Eloise. There are 6 Levels in Rally plus Veteran. The dogs complete a course with the easiest being Level 1 getting harder as you move up the Levels, the first two are done on the lead. The judge designs the course with signs showing each exercise applicable to that level. Each individual round should be performed at a reasonable pace with around 3 minutes per dog with a maximum course time for levels 1 and 2 of four minutes and 5 minutes for Level 3 and above. Unlike obedience there is no direction from the judge or the steward, the signs marking the course are all the guidance the competitors are gives. Like agility the competitors can walk the course before the competition starts and the ‘walk-through’ times are given on the schedule (obviously without the dogs). The competitions are based on Competitive Obedience although many of the exercises may vary slightly. Competitors start each round with a perfect score of 200, and deductions are made by the judge for inaccuracies and mistakes. To move up to the next level a qualifying standard must be reached. The minimum score is 175 for levels 1-4 and veteran and 180 for Level 5and 6. Physical or harsh verbal correction is heavily penalised. Progression to the next level does not require a win or place, it is dependent upon gaining 3 Excellent scores, under three different judges or 6 qualifying scores under 4 different judges, an Excellent score is 190 and above. The class is won by the dog that has lost the least number of points down to 6 places, with cards and rosettes being awarded to all that qualify. There are Rally titles including a Veteran one where the dog must gain 6 qualifying scores of 175 or better under 4 different judges in a veteran class. Being a RKC recognised activity the dog can add letters after its name such as RL1 continuing up the Levels. Rally & Veteran Rally Warrants can also be gained Bronze Silver and Gold. On September 13^th Jacque Cobb went to the ‘Somerset Rally Obedience Training Club’ Open Rally Competition held at West Buckland Village Hall Devon; it had all the Rally Levels including Veteran. Misty gained her first level 3 qualifying score and her mum Eloise her first Level 4 qualifying score, Jacque said they did her proud and that she then had a great afternoon scribing for the Level 5 judge Kate Wyke.

Pastoral Day at Darlington All Breed Ch Show giving CCs in all the breeds that have them was Sunday 20^th Sept. The show began in 1860 in the centre of Darlington moving in 1891 to South Park Darlington as a one-day show, staying there and only becoming a three day show to celebrate the Millenium. It moved to Newby Hall when South Park was renovated in 2005, the setting was beautiful, but the ground did not drain well so in 2013 it moved to Ripon Racecourse. Our judge was Karen Kennedy who gives CCs in 16 breeds and last judged the breed in 2022 at Richmond when we had CCs there. We were first in ring 23 at 9am, happily the weather was mild and sunny after some rain the previous day. BOB & DCC Millie Lambert’s homebred Ch Sturtmoor’s Gon’n Dun It JW SHCEX OSW (Gunna), by Draccus Diamond Day O’ Buhcafrey x Ch Sturtmoor’s Free’n Eezee, he is on a roll as this was his 6^th CC this year, he also has 3RCCs. RDCC his 9^th Jenny Shorer -Wheeler’s homebred Ch Koromandel Tusen Takk (ai)JW ShCEx OSW (Muchly) he also has 24CCs, by Trollheimens JR Made For Cascillus x Ch Sturtmoor Ffacination With Koromandel. BPD & BPIB Bridget & Chris Curnow’s Draccus Yin (Magnus) by Ch Tapui Haraldsson at Jjavacobe x Ch Leggatts Dancing Queen At Draccus he has a RCC. BCC Her 16^th she also has 4RCCS Kirsty Irvine’s Ch Blackcombe Bodil At Tapui (Bodi) (Imp Aus) by Aus Ch Kyon Urban Legand (Imp US) x Nor /UCH Ch Rennedal’s Brynhild Skjoldmoy(Imp Nor). She is also on a roll as this was also her 6^th CC this year and she was BIS at the club Ch show a couple of weeks ago. RBCC her 5^th Ch Ollie Wheeler’s Ch Knytshall Thistle Ink It Up Koromandel JW (Inky), by Ch Koromandel Best Served Cold At Knytshall x Knytshall Eloise, she also has 6CCs.BPB Lewis Rawlinson & Laura Beeney’s Draccus Yang (Nala), she has a RCC and is litter sister to Draccus Yin. BVB & BV Lisa and Alex Strong’s Ch Leggatts Dancing Queen At Draccus(Eris)by Ir Ch Frostisen Winsome IKC x Knytshall Noor Ul Ain she has 3CCs and 7RCCS. Muchly won the RKC Good Citizen Dog Scheme Stakes under Martin Sanders winning some very useful dog food /fuel money, and Bodi was third in the AVOB Event Support Open Stakes under Kevan Berry winning some treat money.

 There were celebrations as it was Magnus and Nala’s first birthday and what a great first 6 months showing they have both had. There was no love in the groups, but it was lovely to have a representative in all 3 groups. I thought when the sad news came that Our Dogs had ceased publication that we would not be able to watch the groups anymore as OD used to live stream them, but Steve from Higham Press took over the Live Streaming as well as taking the photos of the group winners, so worked very hard as Darlington pushed through the groups very quickly with the Puppies & Veterans being prejudged before going into the main ring for the final cut and placings. Of course, as so often happens the Pastoral Group was last out of the 3 groups which made it a very long day having had a 9am start. It was nice to see the main ring had grass rather than the very bare rings of the past few outside shows.

 The same day but much further south Marie Corin headed off to with her and Adam Camm’s Ch Kligenthal Almuric ShCEx(Bergen) to Bedford & District Canine Society Open show held at Moulton College Northampton with a view to starting Bergen’s journey to getting his Veteran Warrant. The judge for all the Pastoral classes was David Cavill. Bergen won his first 2points by being 3^rd in AV Veteran. Bergen’s son homebred Mazads Nom De Plume (Dexter)just went along for the ride and of course just to prove he could out do his dad he was 1^st AVNSC Open RBOB AVNSC & RBOB Pastoral. So, points for a different award!

Even further south and west but  the same day Jacqui Walmsley took Bunny aka Trelowen Amelia At Frostisen (VW)to Salisbury & South Wilts Canine Society OS held at Teffont Magna Wiltshire, which Jacqui said was only 35 minutes from her home. Bunny was 3^rd in Veteran under Mike Turner, she then won AVNSC Pastoral Open followed by BOB AVNSC and Pastoral G2 under Tate Forsey. Jacqui said it was a lovely, friendly show and so nice to be able to stay and watch BIS and still be home by 4pm! She thinks Bunny has read the book on, ‘How to win friends and influence people’ as the steward was very impressed with her and might even think about having a Buhund in the future, so the Buhund Flag was kept flying.

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