Happy Holidays from the Grayhart Gang!

Snow bunny

Can someone come play with me?

Our two snow lovers, Wotan and Jam, playing fetch in the snow.

Getting ready to run...
Maybe not the most spectacular photo quality but Jam is so much fun to play with and watch tearing through the snow.

Flying Weim!

Another great Jam session!

Jam in Vanity Fair Magazine!

Hot off the newsstand, Jam appears in the January 2010 issue of Vanity Fair magazine with Twilight actress, Anna Kendrick. Jam is definately on her way to supermodel status!

Bam!

Always trust your dog! We ran Jam with the trainer's master hunter bitch and wanted Jam to run in front and point a bird that was planted in order to set up a backing (honoring) situation. Well, as Jam was running by she turned on scent and held this intense point....and in the sorghum was a wild pheasant. Good nose Jam!

Jam'n at Harriman State Park

A perfect way to end a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends plus a great way to work off those calories!

Senior training begins...

Now that Jam has completed her Junior Hunter title, we are forging ahead with a plan to train her for her Senior Hunter title. There is a tremendous leap between the requirements for Junior and Senior, and depending on the dog, some of these things may come easy, while others offer challenges. Jam has great potential, natural ability and drive, which make training her a pleasure. It is obvious to everyone that Jam absolutely LOVES hunting. The obstacles that we are currently facing in training are her newly found confidence and big run. She is ranging quite far and going ahead of us to find the birds. Yesterday, we found her in the next field, on point, holding for many minutes but she went in on the bird before she was released. Not acceptable at the Senior level.So, back to the check cord. Once she is pointing, we are putting her back on the check cord to teach her to steady and wait until she is released before moving. This process will take time as we will not move on to retrieving until we know she is steady to shot. We worked her on a few quail in various fields and then to some backing practice. It seems Jam is a natural backer, automatically honoring the dog on point.
Where are you going with my birds???

Jam on her perch

Jam, perched on the sectional, a favorite spot for watching the backyard and hoping to spot some of the wildlife that live here. We have deer, wild turkey, an occasional red fox and the ever present squirrels, who love to tease the dogs. And yes, that is our agility teeter in the backyard.

You called?
The look of total bliss...head scratches are the best!

Time to get back to work...

and a perfect place to take a morning nap...

New Junior Hunter title for Jam!!!

I am very proud of Jam for finishing her Junior Hunter (JH) title on Saturday at the Nutmeg Weimaraner Club's Hunt Test at Nodbrook in Simsbury, CT. Jam is the second Trixie and Parker puppy to earn a Junior Hunter title.
The judges were very complimentary of Jam's hunting skills, range and strong desire. Since we had entered both days, I ran Jam today for her "bumper" leg and was thrilled with the high scores she earned which included a 9 out of 10 in Trainability. For dogs to earn a Junior Hunter title, they must earn 4 qualifying legs, where they are judged on hunting, bird finding, pointing and trainability on a scale of 0-10, and must earn a minimum of a 5 in each category with an minimum average score of a 7.
***
Now, on to training for Senior Hunter and we hope to have Jam ready to run in the Spring.

Birds on the brain

Whoa! Jam's field training continues to improve but with it some new challenges as Jam has found her independence. She is ranging out like a field trial dog and breaking her whoa before I can get to her. On the positive side, the trainer is thrilled with her ranging, hunting style and her long nose plus we started backing her or honoring as it is called, a skill needed for Senior Hunter. She is still pointing with intensity so the breaking her whoa, is a training issue that we will continue work on and steady her to the flush before we move on to the next step. Jam absolutely loves hunting and her drive and nose is overpowering her brain.

Jam is holding her point for a good while as we walk up to her from across the field...unfortunately she broke her point just as we got to her. Back to the check cord to correct this behavior. And as always, tons of praise and rewards when she does the right thing.

Born to shop

Jam loves to shop, especially when it involves visiting her favorite store, J-B Pet Supply Outlet Store in Oakland, NJ, http://www.jbpet.com/ . She's been a visitor at this store ever since she was a puppy and knows the routine, look cute, jump on counter and a special reward awaits...from the magic treat bucket!

Princess Jam

Happy Halloween!

The Birdbox

Jam just cannot contain her excitement knowing that the birds in the box are meant for her. She stood like this for a few minutes with the most intense expression until we told her to get down so the birds could be planted in the field. Jam's intensity and drive has really come out in recent months due to consistent training, exposure and maturity. I really love this girl, who has brought me back to field training, something that I always had enjoyed but really missed in recent years. I know that she has the potential to go far and I will be along for the ride...

Junior Hunter leg #3!

Jam earned her third qualifying leg towards her Junior Hunter title on this beautiful fall day. She has earned three legs in a row and we hope to finish her title in November.

Jam's 2nd JH leg!

We are very proud of Jam, Grayhart's Purple Haze, for earning her 2nd Junior Hunter leg today at the Long Island Pointing Dog Field Trial Club! Her scores were respectable and she even earned a 9 out of 10 in the pointing category for her beautiful, steady point. Two more legs to go for Jam to finish her Junior Hunter title and then on to major leaque, training her for Senior Hunter.

Also qualifying today, pictured on the right, our good friend Lilly Bourke with Indy, GraytSky's Independence Day, CD,NSD, who at the age of 8 years young, with no prior field training, earned his first JH leg! A good day in the field for our gray dogs.

High Fashion...

Jam, during a lighting check, hangs in a gorgeous BMW, waiting for her supermodel counterpart, on location at a Vanity Fair photoshoot. Her model friend wore chic Chanel suits and dripped with diamonds. Jam sported a lovely Bottega Vaneta collar. Look for the stunning shots in the January issue of Vanity Fair.

GSWC Specialty Show Shots

Jam in the 12-18 months Sweeps class, looking like a real show dog!
Down and back on the diagonal

Setting up during Best in Sweeps

Jam earns her first Junior Hunter leg!

Jam made us very proud this past Saturday by earning her first Junior Hunter qualifying leg at the Westminster Kennel Club Hunt Test in Milbrook, NY! I was very proud of how our young girl did and received compliments from one of the judges on her "beautiful point".
***
To earn the AKC Junior Hunter title, a dog must receive four qualifying legs. The dogs run a pre-set course with a brace mate, for 15-20 minutes and must be able to find a bird, hold the point for a minimum of 3 seconds, not be gun shy when the handler shoots the blank pistol after flushing the bird and must point at least 50% of the birds they encounter. The Junior dogs are scored by two judges on a scale of 1-10, in four categories: hunting, bird finding ability, pointing and trainability. To pass, the dog must get a minimum score of 5 in each category with an overall average of not less than 7. Out of the 6 Junior dogs tested, only two passed that day.

***

Jam will be running in more hunt tests mid-October and our goal is complete her Junior Hunter title this fall and train her for the Senior Hunt tests in 2010.

New NSD for Jam!

Jam passed the Novice Shooting Dog test today and now has a new title - NSD!

Back Jam-in in the field

After a break from field training due to vacations and poor weather, we were excited to take Jam back to Mike's for field training, especially as we are getting ready for this Sunday's WCA Ratings test, hosted by the Garden State Weimaraner Club, as well as upcoming fall hunt tests.

Jam just keeps on wowing us with her natural ability and solid point.
Whoa! Once Jam finds the planted bird, we give her the "Whoa!" command and then walk up beside her. A check cord is attached to her collar to keep her steady in case she does break before or when the bird is flushed. Before the bird is flushed, I praise her verbally and also stroke her.

Our main focus at this point is steadying her on the bird once she goes on point and keeping her steady (staying in position) when we flush the bird. We are very pleased with her progress and the improvement in her skills each time she goes into the field.

Ahhh...vacation

Jam's had a wonderful time on our Cape Cod vacation. We'll upload lots of terrific pictures in the next few days.

Our Latest Ralph Lauren ad - Jam

Appearing in the Ralph Lauren Black Label, Fall 2009 booklet, Jam with model, Valentina Zeliaeva.
***
They could have at least shown her whole face...oh well, the life of a super model!

Macy's Father's Day Commercial 2009

We were very excited to find Jam's Macy's commercial on youtube! Jam rubs elbows in the commercial with the very handsome, actor/model/writer, Rodney Charles. Although Jam had done photoshoots before, this was her first commercial and she did an awesome job, especially since she wasn't even a year old at the time of filming!

Match show Sporting Group 2!

At the AKC Sanctioned Match Show during the Salem, VA show circuit, Steve Lane did a wonderful job of handling Jam to an Adult Sporting Group 2 placement!

Jam's New CGC

Jam has some new letters after her name "CGC". We are proud of this young girl for earning her AKC Canine Good Citizen certificate with flying colors during the Salem VA show circuit. The evaluator said that Jam was "awesome" and we couldn't agree more, especially after she tackled a three-minute out of sight down stay without batting an eye.

***

The CGC is an American Kennel Club "certification program that is designed to reward dogs who have good manners at home and in the community. The Canine Good Citizen Program is a two-part program that stresses responsible pet ownership for owners and basic good manners for dogs. All dogs who pass the 10-step CGC test may receive a certificate from the American Kennel Club." (AKC website)

***

Jam's training will continue to focus on competitive obedience, agility, conformation and field work.

Jam's southern adventure

Jam and Trixie at Max Patch, while we stopped to enjoy the incredible mountain views.
Sister Sky and Jam

The girls and me

So silly...

Jam and Sky played virtually non-stop for our entire visit