A handful of people in the space at Lebanon’s Boulder Falls Event Center sustained a prolonged silence while the point of attention, a large dog, acted on commands from its handler.
Or, at least, partly obeyed the commands.
The center of the room, a large section bordered out by fencing, contained the show space. Ira Van Order, of Pennsylvania, ran her five-year-old Leonberger stud, Austin Powers, through the obedience trials.
After a few successful runs, Van Order then commanded her dog to perform a long jump over some flat boards. Instead, Austin Powers ran across the boards and laid on his back for a belly rub.
“He’s very goofy,” Van Order said. “With these Leonbergers, they are not typically your obedience dog, so sometimes they’re miserable in there because you’re making them do stuff.”
Her goal, she said, is for her dog to be happy.
“If his tail wasn’t wagging, I would not do the sport at all.”
Van Order and Austin Powers were taking part in the obedience trials of a week-long dog show last week. More specifically, it was the Leonberger Club of America’s 39th annual LCA National Specialty dog show.
She noted that only a handful of the 80-plus dog contestants from across the nation took part in the obedience part of the show, and attributed it to the fact that this particular dog isn’t bred for obedience.
“They’re not like a border collie or another working breed that is highly focused,” said Jim Carretta, of California, president of the Northern California Leonberger Club. “That’s not their primary function. They can do it, but it’s not ideal for them.”
LCA Board Member Don James, of Washington, said the breed is more “Newfy-like,” being “laid back” and basically created as a companion dog. They are, however, quite suitable as farm working dogs.
James said the best comparison of the breed would be a Newfoundland, but ultimately it is a cross-breed of the St. Bernard, Newfoundland and a Pyrenean.
The dog was first created in Germany during the mid-1800s by Heinrich Essig, who, it is believed, intended to make the dog resemble the town of Leonberg’s lion on its coat of arms. The breed almost disappeared during World War I and again later during World War II, but the few remaining dogs during that time were located and bred to keep the generations going.
Contestants at the dog show participated in draft tests, conformation (the “beauty pageant” of a dog show), a parade, and obedience and rally trials. The dog handlers also participated in conformation assessments, networking events, blood tests for dogs, and clinics and classes.
This is the first time the club held its show in Lebanon, but it isn’t the first time Boulder Falls Event Center has been the site of a dog show.
According to General Manager Chris Breshears, this week’s show is the sixth one the hotel has hosted since its opening. In 2022, the Lebanon Local/New Era covered an event hosted by the Spinone Club of America when they held their “Nuts Over Spinone” National Specialty Dog Show.
