Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD,JH, OA,OAJ,SD, CGC,VX

Jam for Longchamp in Vogue & Elle magazines!

2012-01-24T19:07:00.000-08:00

How awesome to see Jam and Coco Rocha's Longchamp ads in the March issues of Vogue and Elle magazines.

Oh! My Dog - Longchamp 2012

2012-01-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

We are excited to present the video from Longchamps 2012 campaign starring Coco Rocha and our girl, Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,CD,JH,OA,OAJ,SD,VX. We had so much fun working on this video. Filmed in Dumbo, NY.

Rock on!

2012-01-08T19:19:00.000-08:00

A fun morning spent with Kellyann as our puparrazzi, taking shots of the girls on the rocks. Jam is standing on the point of a triangular shaped rock, watching us on the other side of the formation.

Happy New Year! Our 2011 Grayhart Year in Review

2012-01-03T15:31:00.000-08:00

Sky, CH Grayhart Lightfoot's Early Morning Rain, RN,JH,TD,NSD,NRD,CGC,VX

Our 2011 Year in Review

Wow, 2011 was a busy year full of family, friends and of course, Weims. We couldn't have imagined all the fun times and successes brought by the Grayhart dogs and their dedicated owners. A highlight of the year was the Weimaraner Club of America National Specialty in May, in Ohio, where every dog we had placed or won their classes, and even finished titles, in multiple venues and the wonderful time we spent with friends from all over the country, especially Bliss and owner, Jen Boyd, who flew in from Alaska.

In July, we traveled to St. Louis for the AVMA convention for Jam and Trixie to represent Frontline's newest product Certifect and were able to spend the weekend with Marshall, Dylan and owner Laura Roehrich. We then took a road trip down South, and spent time with Sky & Debbie Moody and Mia-belle & Jessica Scharff, competing at the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility trial in North Carolina and then the WCA Southern Futurity/Maturity show weekend in Greenville, SC.

Visiting with Bravo at Martin's Beach in December 2011

We ended the year visiting Bravo and owners Jay and Ron in California, spending a wonderful few days with them and their family and visiting their incredible beach cottage. Many Grayhart dogs live in the Northeast and we were thrilled to see Ranger, Monty, Mia, Mason, Trudy, Whitmore, Memphis and all their owners.

As for awards, we were honored for Trixie to receive her WCA BROM title and with Bravo, GCH Grayhart's Crescent Bravo, CGC, going Best Dog in the Western Futurity, we had our first Futurity winner! And couldn't be prouder that FOUR of Trixie's get finished their AKC Championships in 2011!

Congratulation to our new Champions: Bravo, Mia-belle, Mason and Sky!

We are grateful for all the support of our wonderful puppy people who give our pups the best homes possible. We could not have done it without the help of my wonderful mentors and friends, Amy Anderson and Bonnie Lane.

***

We hope 2012 will bring everyone good health, happiness and prosperity!

***

Highlights of 2011:

Trixie, CH GraytSky's I'm Not Really A Waitress, CD,RN,OA,NAJ, V:

Trixie was awarded the WCA Breed Register of Merit or BROM title. This WCA award recognizes sires and dams who produce fine offspring.
Four of our Grayhart bred pups out of Trixie finished their AKC Championship titles in 2011! Trixie has produced six champions to date and we look forward to more of her pups completing their championship titles.
At the 2011 WCA Specialty Agility trials, Trixie had stellar performances. Day one: 1st place Exc A Standard and 3rd place Open JWW. Day two: 1st place Open JWW!
Trixie's son, Bravo, won Best Dog in Western Futurity, and as owner of the dam and Bravo's breeder, we received a pewter dog statue.
Trixie continued to model, doing printwork and video for Tiffany's and represented Frontline's new product, Certifect, at the AVMA convention in St. Louis, with daughter Jam.

Trixie-Parker pups born May 28, 2008, were busy in 2011:

Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD,JH, OA,OAJ,SD,CGC,VX, had an extremely busy year in multiple venues, earning titles and qualifying legs.
Out on a limited basis as a special, Jam earned multiple Best of Breeds, owner/breeder handled.
At the 2011 WCA Nationals week, Jam, handled by Jamie Bernardin, was selected for an Award of Merit. Jam also received a Specialty AOM at the GSWC Specialty in May and then owner/breeder handled, earned an AOM during the Southern Regional Specialty in Greenville, over several group placing specials.
Jam finished both Open Agility (OA) and Open Agility Jumpers with Weaves (OAJ) titles, all legs with placements, including many 1st places. Jam completed her Open Standard title at the WCA Nationals winning the class. At the WCA Specialty Agility trial, Jam was 1st place in Open JWW! All of Jam's qualifying runs for her agility titles have been earned with placements.
At the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility trial, Jam won the High Combined award for highest scoring Weimaraner.
Jam earned her first qualifying legs in both Excellent A Standard and Excellent A JWW.
During the WCA Nationals week, Jam earned her 3rd Companion Dog, or CD leg to complete this title with a 3rd place. These titles gave Jam the necessary requirements to earn her WCA "VX", Versatile Excellent title.
Jam earned her WCA Shooting Dog (SD) title.
She continued to train in obedience, agility and field work and will do the same in 2012 after her first litter, with breeding plans in January to Mason, CH GraytSky's Southern Fire, NSD.
Jam passed the Delta Therapy Dog certification and spent time visiting autistic adults at a nearby residential facility.
Jam continued to model, doing shoots for Frontline's Certifect, representing them at the 2011 AVMA convention for the product launch in St. Louis. She also worked with Supermodel Coco Rocha on a commercial and print shoot for Longchamp.
Sky, New CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain, JH,TD,RN,NSD,NRD, CGC,VX, finished her AKC championship title and the next day went Best of Breed!
Sky earned her WCA Novice Retrieving Dog (NRD) and Versatile Excellent "VX" titles.
She continues to train in agility, earning her first agility legs and is working towards her TDX.or bred by us, we are proud of

Trixie-Zeke litter, born March 23, 2009, were busy in 2011:

Mason, New CH Grayhart's Daily Special, handled to his last 2 points by his breeder, completed his championship in September. We are truly thankful to Pat O'Brien, Zeke's breeder/co-owner, for his friendship and handling of Mason to his three majors wins, including a Specialty win.
Mia-belle, New CH Grayhart's Special Request, RA,CD,NSD,NRD,V, had an extremely busy year, titling in multiple venues.
Mia-belle finished her AKC Championship completely owner handled, including winning a 4-point Specialty major!
Mia-belle earned her WCA Versatile "V" title and her WCA NRD title.
Mia-belle earned her first Open obedience CDX leg. She will be back in the obedience ring in 2012 and is training for agility and hunt tests.
Trudy, Grayhart's Special Reserve, shown sparingly in 2011, won 8 show points including her 2nd major, owner/breeder handled. She only needs 3 single points to finish her AKC championship. Many thanks to Pat O'Brien for his handling of Trudy to her first major and our collaborative effort to finish this lovely girl.

Trixie-Clay litter, born January 14, 2010, wasted no time making their mark in 2011:

Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC, had an exciting year. She earned her first show point in February and with limited showing, ended the year needing just one single point to finish her championship. She was a great traveler, going along for the ride to the WCA Nationals and then our trip down to the Carolina's for the Southern Futurity/Maturity and visiting with Debbie and Jessica.
At the WCA Southern Futurity, Savi, handled by Carissa Shimpano, came in 2nd place in her futurity class. Then, at the Greater Charleston Weimaraner Club Supported Entry show, owner/breeder handled, Savi won a 5-pt major from the Bred-By-Exhibitor class and went on to go Best of Winners!
At the last show weekend of the year, at the Lehigh KC show, Savi was Winner's Bitch for 2-pts and the next day at the Delaware Water Gap KC show, Savi was Winner's Bitch and Best of Winners for a 3-point major!
Savi earned her WCA NRD, Novice Retrieving Dog title and her WCA Versatile "V" title.
Savi was a terrific ambassador for the Weimaraner breed at the AKC Meet the Breeds in New York City. She also helped out at a number of Tri-State Weimaraner Rescue events, helping to raise money and educate people on the breed.
Supermodel Savi followed in the Grayhart tradition and her Swiffer ad was spotted in many nationally circulated magazines and she was a hit as part of the Gap Kid's I Want Candy, holiday ad campaign. She also worked with Trixie on the Tiffany shoot.
Savi will be very active in 2012, training for her agility and obedience debuts as well as training for her Senior Hunter title and Delta Therapy Dog certification.
Bravo, New GCH Grayhart Crescent's Bravo,CGC, had an exciting year in the show ring, completing his championship title at just 14 months of age and finishing his Grand Champion title just two month later, earning multiple Best of Breed wins. He also earned Specialty Select Dog and Awards of Merit. Selectively specialed in 2011, Bravo finished the year ranked #22 among all Weims nationwide. Bravo will be out in the show ring in 2012.
With no formal training, GCH Bravo earned his Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certificate.
Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, made the trip down from Alaska to the 2011 WCA Nationals in Ohio and made us proud, placing in every class she was shown in. She will work towards her show championship in 2012.

I hope that I haven't forgotten anyone but as you can see, it was a busy year. You can check the archives of our blogs, the main one, for Trixie and all our Grayhart pups, and the ones dedicated specifically to each of our dogs and we will continue to publish updates to share all the news and fun happenings as well as the Grayhart website.

It was great fun spending time with the pups and their owners, as well as old and new friends at shows. We also enjoyed running and chairing the Garden State Weimaraner Club Hunt Test and volunteering for Tri-State Weimaraner Rescue.

Jam's Best of Breed Delaware Water Gap KC Show

2012-01-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

Jam's official Best of Breed win photo with Judge Shirley Limoges, awarded on December 18, 2011, at the Delaware Water Gap Kennel Club show. There was a major entry in Weimaraners and half-sister Savi was Winner's Bitch and Best of Winners for a 3-pt major! A terrific day at the show.

Happy Holidays from Grayhart!

2011-12-23T19:12:00.000-08:00

Photo and Design by Sara Renee

Gray-t Weekend for the Grayhart Girls! Delaware Water Gap KC Show

2011-12-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

Sunday was the Delaware Water Gap Kennel Club show and the Weims had an 8:00 am ring time. No sleeping late for the princesses. Trudy stayed with Pat in his room and my girls enjoyed going back and forth between Kel's room and mine in our suite. They are truly creatures of comfort!

Sunday was a repeat performance of Saturday. Ike was Winner's Dog and both Savi and Trudy won their classes. Pat stayed on Trudy and I took Savi in for winner's. I was thrilled when the judge pointed to Savi and she was Winner's bitch. There was a major in dogs so Savi would have to go Best of Winner's to get the major. Again, Michelle, our Weim friend, took Savi in for me while I showed Jam. Michelle worked hard to show Savi off.

Jam showed really well and was full of attitude. After all the champions were examined and lined up, the judge had the one dog special and Ike gate around together. She then pointed to Jam and had us go to the front. Then placed Savi second and then Ike. She had the group go around together and the final results....Jam won Best of Breed, Savi was Best of Winners and Ike was awarded Best of Opposite!!!

This gave Jam a Grand Champion major and also earned Savi her second major. Savi now only needs one single point to finish her AKC championship title. We were just floating after the judging was over.

Jam - Best of Breed (unofficial win picture)

Since Jam went Best of Breed, we needed to wait around for the Group competition. The Sporting Group, was the last group before Best in Show. We had a lot of time to kill, so Kel and I bundled up and took the dogs for a long walk and then went out for Chinese food for lunch. We then visited the many vendors and did some shopping. It was a thrill to watch our friends show their Vizslas and see Jenna go Best of Breed with her special, Miles. Miles won the breed on Saturday and had gotten a Group 2.

The Sporting Group was late in the afternoon and since it was full of professional handlers and some of the top dogs in the country, my goal was just to have fun with Jam and make her shine. Kel got some terrific shots of Jam and Miles in the group.

It takes about 20 minutes for each of the seven groups to be judged. It is a long time for the dogs and you want to make them look their best when the judge is looking.

Congrats to Jenna and Miles for winning the Sporting Group and competing for Best in Show!!!

A wonderful end to a great weekend! We look forward to the dog shows in 2012 and finishing Savi and Trudy's championships. We plan to breed Jam in January so she won't be back in the show ring until after her maternity leave and she's in shape.

Gray-t Weekend for the Grayhart Girls! Lehigh KC Show

2011-12-20T15:57:00.000-08:00

Kellyann and I headed off early Saturday morning to Allentown, Pennsylvania, for the last show weekend of the year. We were looking forward to seeing friends and hoping that we could finish the year with a win. What an amazing weekend it turned out to be, beyond our wildest expectations.

Savi, Winner's Bitch for 2 points!

Saturday was the Lehigh Kennel Club show. I showed Savi in the bred-by-exhibitor class, which we won. Pat O'Brien, who was there to show both our Trudy as well as a very nice puppy named Ike, out of Pat's dog Duke, littermate to Zeke, Trudy's sire. Pat went winner's dog with Ike and then won the Open bitch class with Trudy. Since Trudy is so attached to me, Pat and I decided to switch dogs and I took Trudy in for winner's and he handled Savi. We were afraid that if I was standing behind Trudy, she would keep trying to turn and look at me. Trudy was quite the happy girl and tried kissing me nonstop while I stacked her. The judge even commented on my happy girl. The judge pointed to Savi and she was Winner's Bitch for 2 points!

Next was the Best of Breed class and a fellow Weim friend took Savi in for me as I had to handle Jam. Ike was picked for Best of Winners and Jam was awarded Select Bitch, earning Grand Champion points.

Jam in the Best of Breed class

This show has a Bred-by-Exhibitor competition and Savi was Best BBE Weim, so we waited for the BBE groups which did not start until mid-afternoon. The BBE Sporting group was last. After a long wait, it was finally our turn to show. The group was quite competive, with eight sporting dogs, most of which had gone winner's for majors in their respective breeds. Savi showed well and we had fun in the big group.

Yay! The judge awarded Savi a Group 3!

Savi doing a bow while we played and had fun in the BBE group.

After a long day at the show, we rushed off to the hotel to meet Pat and Ike's owner, Sandra, and went out for a fabulous celebration dinner. Back at the room, Savi and Jam had a wild play session, well deserved after being crated all day and strutting their stuff in the show ring.

Off to bed to get our beauty sleep for Sunday's show...

Longchamp Spring Summer 2012 Campaign with Coco & Jam!!!

2011-12-08T06:12:00.001-08:00

Jam & Coco, photo by Dane Shitagi

So excited to see the first released shot of Longchamp's Spring Summer 2012 campaign. Supermodel Coco Rocha has been chosen as the face of this campaign and we are thrilled for her. Of course, it is also thrilling to see Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,CD,JH,OA,OAJ,SD,VX, in this beautiful shot. We had a great time on this shoot. Stay tuned for more images and video!

Handle this

2011-12-07T12:41:00.001-08:00

It wasn't a Weim only class but with four Weims training, we definitely had the majority. From left to right above, Jam with me, Bebe with Bonnie and Steve working the puppy.

What better way to spend a rainy Tuesday morning than go with friends to handling class and then out for a scrumptious lunch? An added bonus was the shopping at Total Pet Care, where they have terrific prices on food, treats, toys, collars and everything your dog would need.

Savi practicing her free stack

This shot of Savi is actually the reflection in the mirror on the other side of the room.

another free stack of Savi after our go around...

Jam, out for some ring practice as we get ready for the Delaware Water Gap and Lehigh shows in two weeks.

Good girl! She remembers how to be a show dog.

Jam loves Steve and he took a turn working her...

And around we go...

More treats please!

Jam above and Savi below...

Kel tried her best to take shots of all the dogs without intruding on the class. It was challenging with the poor lighting and constant moving but I appreciate the pictures she took.

Savi

After class, we all went to a Long Island favorite, Maureen's Kitchen. They have the most awesome menu, hard to decide between their yummy breakfast options or creative sandwiches. Lots of comfort food and great company = a perfect day with friends!

Exciting breeding plans for Jam!

2011-12-02T12:45:00.001-08:00

We are excited to announce that

Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,CD,JH,OA,OAJ,SD,VX,

will be bred to

"Mason" CH GraytSky's Southern Fire,NSD

(Am/Can CH Colsidex Nani Reprint, JH, SD, BROM HOF x BISS CH GraytSky's Stellaluna, BROM, Top Producer)
Owners: Laura Lauffer, Amy Anderson & Mary Ann Richard

DOB: September 11, 2003

OFA Hips: WE-9657G24M-PI -- OFA Elbows: WE-EL599M24-PI -- OFA Thyroid: WE-TH151/25M-PI -- OFA Cardiac: WE-CA34/26M/C-PI-ECHO

HUU - N/N Normal (clear)

Mason has earned multiple Best of Breed wins and Futurity and Maturity placements. He is a proven sire of multiple champions who have shown natural ability in the field and earned performance titles.

This is a line breeding, bringing together a pedigree of top producers and BROMs, who have produced champions and versatile get, earning titles in field, agility, obedience and tracking. More importantly, dogs with excellent temperaments, health, and proper conformation.

Check out our Jam x Mason page on the Grayhart website for more information and pedigree.

Therapy Thursday

2011-11-17T18:34:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned before that Jam is a certified Delta Society Pet Partner. Over a month ago, we were asked by a social worker who is also a Delta Evaluator, to be ambassadors and do an initial visit to a residence that is part of the Rockland County Association for Learning Disabilities and has wanted a pet therapy team for a long time. Jam was a hit and I was honored to be asked back and offered to do weekly visits. The residents or consumers as they are called, are mostly men in their mid-twenties with ASDs (Autism Spectrum Disorders) plus developmental disabilities and neurological issues and are non-verbal.

Our visits have been powerful, for me and also for the positive effects of the therapy visits on the consumers. Jam seems to be a calming influence and the staff see wonderful reactions, such as smiling, laughing and the individual behaviors expressed by the men. Each visit, the men, especially the one pictured, get more comfortable with Jam and it was exciting to see him initiate petting her - a truly big deal for him.

The consumers enjoy petting Jam and helping me give commands for her to do tricks. It is important to understand the population and know what to do to make them feel comfortable and safe when interacting with Jam and to also keep her safety paramount. Jam loves going on the visits and gets extra special treats!

More Jam Agility

2011-11-15T15:02:00.000-08:00

Fabulous photos by Barry Rosen, taken at the SICDTC Agility trial in November. These were from Jam's Excellent Standard run.

Excellent JWW Agility leg #1

2011-11-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

We had perfect fall weather for this weekend's Staten Island Companion Dog Club's agility trial. Jam made me proud with her jumpers runs and earned her first qualifying leg on Saturday, in the 24" Excellent A class with a 3rd place! To earn the AXJ or Agility Excellent Jumpers title, Jam needs to earn two more qualifying legs. Jam also has one AX or Agility Excellent standard leg so she is on her way to earning these high level titles.

She came very close to qualifying on Friday in JWW, with a terrific run but slipped on the mud and missed the tunnel entrance at the end of the course. The standard courses were a challenge for us with a very difficult weave pole entry on Friday, that wasn't doable for us and on Saturday, Jam slipped off the teeter. She did manage to nail her weaves in three of our four runs and had awesome start line stays. We'll be working on speeding up her weaves as well as teaching independent weaves and difficult entries; important skills at the excellent level, especially if we want to be competitive. I also tried to apply some of what we learned at the Tracy Sklenar seminar and I feel that although we are a work in progress, Jam was more responsive and my handling was improved.

A highlight of the trial was seeing many friends that I have not seen in a long time since we have not trialed locally in awhile. It was exciting to see how well their dogs ran and cheer them on.

Jam-in at the Tracy Sklenar Masters Agility Seminar

2011-11-01T16:48:00.001-07:00

Always looking to learn and improve my handling, I was excited to have the opportunity to participate with Jam in a Tracy Sklenar Masters/Advanced Agility Seminar. The seminar covered course analysis and how motion, footwork and position can give your dogs information for fabulous runs. Tracy Sklenar is a world class agility competitor and a great instructor, bringing humor and her excellent eye to help handlers get faster, more accurate and consistent runs out of their dogs.

Jam and I were up to the challenge and as hard as it was to learn a new handling method, running for acceleration and less arm and verbal cues, I had to trust my dog and it worked! We also enjoyed and learned from watching the other dogs and handlers, many of whom we've taken classes with and known for years.

Therapy Thursday

2011-10-20T17:45:00.000-07:00

Jam, all dressed up and ready for an official Delta Pet Partner Therapy Dog visit. This was our second visit to this residence for mentally disabled and autistic adults who are all non-verbal. It is truly amazing to see the positive impact that is made by Jam's interactions with these gentlemen.

New WCA Ratings Titles for Jam and Savi!!!

2011-10-17T05:35:00.001-07:00

Jam & Savi with their qualifying ribbons

We had a great time today at the Delaware Valley Weimaraner Club (DVWC) WCA Ratings tests visiting with friends and seeing many talented Weimaraners. The DVWC and Garden State Weimaraner Club's put on a double ratings test at Assunpink Wildlife Management Area, with morning and afternoon tests with a delicious potluck lunch in between.

We are proud to announce that both Jam and Savi qualified and have new titles! Jam ran in the Shooting Dog (SD) rating, which is similar to the AKC Senior Hunter test but not as stringent, and had a terrific run that would have been a pass in a regular AKC Hunt test. She was braced with her half brother, a Parker son, who already has his Senior Hunter title, and they ran very well together. Jam had a nice honor in the backcourse. In the birdfield, Jam used the wind and pointed the Chukkar on scent from at least ten feet away. She held her point while I located the bird and was steady to shot and then retrieved the bird to me.

Jam is now CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,CD,JH,OA,OAJ,SD,VX!

Savi was entered in the Novice Retrieving Dog (NRD) rating test. This test includes both a land and water retrieve. Savi had awesome retrieves to hand on and and in the water. Friends commented that she has a Master Hunter retrieve!

Savi is now Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC!

Bumming in Bridgehampton

2011-10-10T17:24:00.000-07:00

Well not exactly bumming. Jam was called at the last minute for a modeling job in Bridgehampton, part of the famous New York Hamptons, home of the rich and famous. The day was glorious and after a 2 1/2 hour drive, we arrived at a fabulous beach house for the location of the shoot. Jam posed on the beach, in the house and even in front of a Maserati, for this clients upscale product line. I'm not sure when the ad campaign will be out but I will sure look for it and post when available.

The house had incredible views out every window and the 2nd floor deck area had this amazing infinity pool with ocean views. The man from the management company for the house told me that this special house has been used on episodes of Royal Pains, a USA Network show and many other commercials and movies. Jam's career takes us to the coolest places!

Weimaraner Wednesday

2011-10-06T12:40:00.001-07:00

Fall is definitely here and we had a perfect day for field training - cool, crisp and sunny! I forgot my camera but snapped off a few shots of the dogs running in the field before we began training. No, I didn't get a German Shorthair Pointer. This energetic girl belongs to my friend and training partner Jeff and I took her for some obedience and socialization training with Jam, Savi and Trixie.

Becky, the GSP, is a friendly 9 month old pup but needs to learn some manners with other dogs. Jam took on the role of teacher and gave Becky a number of appropriate corrections until Becky learned how to behave. All dogs need to learn dog language and if they don't it can be dangerous. Becky runs in hunt tests and needs to know when another dog doesn't want to play or not to get in their face.

Once Becky was comfortable with my grey girls, she had a blast running and playing with them in this huge field. It also helped get burn some of her endless supply of energy off.

Training was very satisfying. Jam ran with Becky's housemate, Beau, who received his 1st Senior Hunter leg last weekend. The two ran well together and we were able to steady them and shoot for retrieves. Jam broke before the shot and I was able to correct her before she grabbed the bird. I then made her stand and then released her for the retrieve, which she did well with. Unless a dog makes a mistake in training, it is difficult to fix problems encountered during the actual test.

Even though Becky is a green dog and working on her Junior Hunter, she is extremely birdy and the perfect running mate for Savi. Savi had a gorgeous point, sorry no photo, and we shot over her for the first time. I did attach a check cord before we flushed and released the Chukkar in case she broke. Well, so proud of my girl who stood through the shot and waited until I released her for the retrieve. She had to search for the bird as she didn't mark the fall but when she found it, had an impressive retrieve to hand. We are also training her to honor and she's starting to understand that not every bird is hers. I'm very excited at the progress she is making and hope to have her ready to run in Senior Hunter in the Spring.

Ooh La La Jam!!!

2011-09-29T18:44:00.000-07:00

Jam behind the scenes with Coco.

Jam was back at work today and what an exciting day it was. We arrived on set in Brooklyn, New York, to find that she was hired to be the co-star with supermodel, Coco Roche in a commercial and advertising campaign for a very special client.

This will be part of a 2012 Spring/Summer campaign and of course, we will let you know when it is launched and show the final product.

Coco and Jam in deep discussion behind the scenes during a set change.

We loved working with Coco, who although a bonofide supermodel, was down to earth and a true animal lover. She told me all about an amazing charity that she is involved in. From her website, Senhoa is a great charity that supports victims of human trafficking in South East Asia by providing income-generating opportunities, social reintegration and programs for self-empowerment. Some of the children they work with are as young as 4 years old.

This weekend I flew to LA to finalize jewelry designs which we hope to have available within a few months. The Jewelry ‘Coco Rocha For Senhoa’will be made in Cambodia by the older girls in the program, with all proceeds going back into the program.

Weimaraner Wednesday

2011-09-21T05:43:00.000-07:00

Jam, enthusiastic in the fields!

Weimaraner Wednesday fun spent field training with our friends and their dogs. The weather was a bit hot and muggy with little breeze, so challenging scenting conditions for the dogs.

Jam on point

The girls found the birds and had decent retrieves, especially our little retrieving machine, Savi, who does it with such gusto and retrieved to hand, it brings a smile to everyone who watches her.

Savi, air scenting as scenting as she hunts for birds

The leaves are already beginning to change color, reminding us that fall is upon us. I just long for some nice cool weather.

And only in New Jersey would we have such wild distractions in the bird field! The preserve where we train is said to have one of the best Halloween Hayrides in the state!

The dogs are so used to these freaky figures that they pay no attention to them.

Happy Hiking at Harriman

2011-09-18T17:43:00.000-07:00

What to do on a perfect September day? Go hiking of course at one of our favorite places, Harriman State Park. It was cool in the woods and Jam and Savi were excited to run and run and run...

Jam stopped to point a deer in the distance and we were thrilled to see Savi back her.

Savi backing Jam...

Jam on a deer point!

Smiling Savi, she sure enjoyed our hike.

And even treats, the girls think this is the best thing ever, especially doled out by Kellyann.

Fall Field Training!

2011-09-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

Savi & Jam

Even though the official start to fall is still a week away, with cool temps and rain, it sure felt like fall and we had our first day training in the field since Spring. The dogs got to run in the field for fun to stretch their legs and get some of the excess energy out before getting down to business.

Savi getting ready for take-off!

Jam

Jam was up first and we ran her with a German Shorthair Pointer, that is working on her Senior Hunter title. Jam ran fine with this new dog, always good to switch things up as you never know what kind of dog you'll be braced with at a hunt test. It began pouring during our run, which was not the most pleasant thing for the handler's and does effect the scenting conditions and birds, but hunt tests are run rain or shine and it was a good opportunity to challenge the dogs in not the most ideal conditions. Jam then had a chance for a second run with our friend's Vizsla, who is very close to finishing his Master Hunter title. We ran the dogs in a mock hunt test and I was pleased with how well Jam hunted, backed the other dog immediately and was steady to wing and shot. Her retrieve was passable, still something I'd like to improve to get her to have a better hold on the bird, but the whole run, if in a real test would have been a pass! Amazing how the dog's remember what they are supposed to do and pick up where we left off.

Savi, beginning her training for Senior Hunter, ran with the Vizsla, and we wanted to evaluate where she was at. She hunted in her usual bold, independent style and held point until we got to her to flush the bird. We need to work on steadying her more on the bird without holding her and while the bird is being shot. She has an incredible retrieve and brought the bird to hand! We wanted to introduce her to honoring or backing the other dog on point, and she did acknowledge the other dog. I then collared her and she was not happy watching the other dog retrieve the bird. In fact, she was hysterical, barking, jumping and whining....sorry Savi, life is not fair and every bird does not belong to you! We know what our biggest challenge is going to be with Savi in training her for Senior.

A fun day for sure, even if we were soaked by the time we packed up. We peeled off our rain gear, felt chilled and went out to lunch for some hot pasta fagiouli soup and Italian food....can't get much better than that!

Back to the Backyard!

2011-09-12T17:38:00.000-07:00

After days of hurricane cleanup with the chainsaw, chipper and lugging wood, we could finally see grass in the backyard and the dogs could run around.

There is still one giant tree left in the lower part, that as you can see has been cut into sections. The dogs however, think it makes for a great new squirrel hunting ground as well as an outdoor agility course!

Savi, Queen of the Log

Trixie & Jam on St. Louis Fox2 for Certifect

2011-09-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

We found the link to a video of Trixie and Jam's appearance on FOX 2 St. Louis, when we were there for the Certifect product launch at the AVMA convention in July.

They were on the FOX2 Morning show as part of the PR team and did a great job!

Click on the link for the segment: Keeping the Pests Away From Your Pets
http://www.fox2now.com/videobeta/1c96e2c9-1b9b-4cb1-8f1a-36009202d4f0/News/Keeping-the-Pests-Away-From-Your-Pets

Don't rain on my parade

2011-09-07T17:25:00.000-07:00

I love my knee high Bogs Boots!

Mother Nature struck again this week with close to five inches of rain and more flooding in the Northeast. We had just finished our cleanup from Hurricane Irene and no sooner was the yard clear, the skies opened up for the downpour. It was disappointing to find out that the North Branch Park Cluster of shows this week, Big Apple Sporting, Tuxedo, Somerset Hills and Westchester, were cancelled due to flooding at the show site. What is a girl and her dogs to do? Go hiking! So what if we get a little wet. I donned my raincoat, waterproof baseball hat and Bogs boots and off we went...

The dogs needed a good run to stretch their legs after being cooped up due to the bad weather. We didn't see a soul and enjoyed having the woods to ourselves.

Savi

The rain and mud didn't bother the dogs one bit and they looked like dappled Weims by the time we were done.

Trixie waiting for the girls to come back from chasing a squirrel...

Jam and Savi find something interesting in the wood post.

The girls checking out the base of this beautiful tree.

Savi, all wet from our hike but a happy camper. The benefit of having a wash-and-wear breed!

Jam-in at Balston Beach

2011-08-29T17:05:00.000-07:00

A picture perfect day for a hike through the hills of Truro to Balston Beach, which is on the Atlantic Ocean.

We couldn't imagine that the beach would be empty on such a gorgeous August day,

The surf was a bit rough due to Hurrican Irene and there was a high surf warning. The little black dot out in the water is a seal. We saw a number of seals swimming offshore amid the seagulls floating on the surface.

Jam loved spending time with us and running along the beach,

Here I come!

And what could be better than shorebirds to point...we think these are terns.

August is considered the best month for observing shorebirds on Cape Cod.

Jam had a wonderful workout and was quite tired when she joined us for dinner at an outdoor cafe in Provincetown.

Summer fun continues

2011-08-23T18:02:00.000-07:00

Savi is our resident retriever, loves to retrieve whether on land or in the water. We let her play with the Armadillo brand Quail toy that Jam won as a trophy for qualifying at the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility trial back in July.. Whar is amazing is that this salt marsh is right outside our house and at high tide becomes a fabulous place for the dogs to swim. At other times, the perfect place for a romp.

Savi and her quail toy

Life is good when you have a view like this!

Savi waiting for the throw...she's always ready for fun and games!

Jam, practicing her whoa and sister, Savi, did an automatic back, very cool.

There must be critters in these holes...

Summer fun on the Cape!

2011-08-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

On the road again...this time for our annual summer holiday on Cape Cod. We call it our little slice of heaven and you can see why from these photos.

The dogs love running in the salt marsh and we have amazing views from our rental house.

Running along the beach at Pamet Harbor and viewing the boats.

Trixie and Savi cooling off. We've had spectacular weather - perfect beach day and cool evenings.

Savi doing what she loves best, swimming and retrieving...until she find birds!

Savi found the big prize...a dead seagull! Yuck but she retrieved it and dropped it on command. Good girl!

Fisher Beach, just beautiful!

and a fabulous way to celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary!

Certifect: Cover Girl Jam

2011-08-11T18:01:00.000-07:00

Jam on the cover of the sales brochure

We received an exciting package in the mail yesterday...samples of Certifect by the makers Frontline and copies of all the promotional materials that Jam was used in for the launch and on the packaging. She looks just stunning in all the photos!

Folded brochure. All of these promotional materials were given out at the AVMA Convention in St. Louis that we attended in July with Jam and Trixie for the Certifect product launch.

Special discount coupon

Single flyer with Jam on the packaging


Certifect package insert for dogs 45-88 lbs.

The Grayhart Girls Great Southern Adventure - Part 2 B- Agility Star Jam's Videos!

2011-08-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

As previously posted, Jam had a great day at the Tarheel Weimaraner Club's Agility Trial in Sanford, NC on July 24th. She earned her Open Jumpers with Weaves title with a 3rd place! Then, the pressure was on to qualify in Excellent Standard.

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Jam did have a nice Excellent Standard run, her 1st leg and received a 3rd place plus won the Tarheel Weimaraner Club High Combined Award - the giant Armadillo Duck! The BonClyde Training Center venue was terrific, with a nice, soft dirt floor, lots of air conditioned crating space and warm up area. The TWC put on a great trial, with yummy food and fun trophies, making our trip definitely a worthwhile one!

My wild girl is running fairly consistently and with control. Happy that we can do all those front crosses, running contacts and a big lead out. We'll be working on increasing speed in the weaves and gaining distance.

The Grayhart Girls Great Southern Adventure - Part 4: Futurity Placement for Savi!

2011-08-08T17:37:00.000-07:00


Savi 2nd place WCA Southern Futurity Intermediate Bitch Class!

The first day of the WCA Southern Futurity/Maturity regional show weekend was an exciting one and extremely hot, with the outdoor temperature hitting 103 degrees! The show took place in Greenville, SC, a huge indoor, air conditioned venue, that hosts one of the largest dog shows in the country, with approximately 2800 dogs entered per day Friday through Sunday! Thursday was the WCA Southern Futurity/Maturity and Greater Charleston Weimaraner Club Specialty show along with four other breed club specialties. There was a last minute judge change for the Futurity/Maturity and Bonnie Linnell Clark was the new judge. Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius, JH,NSD,CGC, was in the Intermediate Futurity class and looked fabulous with handler Carissa Demilta Shimpeno. There were eight in her class and we were thrilled when Savi was awarded 2nd place! This was tough competition with dogs and professional handlers from all over the country. With Savi's littermate Bravo winning the Western Futurity, we were thrilled that Savi had such a good showing.

Stacking during the class...our lovely, typey girl

Savi with her effortless movement and reach and drive.

The show was a mini-reunion of Grayhart pups, with my three girls, Momma Trixie, Jam, Savi, and Sky (Jam's littermate) and Mia-belle (out of our Zeke litter) all present and crated together for a weekend of fun and socializing. Jessica did a terrific job showing Mia-belle in her maturity, and didn't let a sprained ankle stop her from competing in the show. Mia-belle showed well but again, the competition was fierce and I think that Jess was the only non-professional handler in the ring.

The afternoon brought on the Greater Charleston Specialty show, with a large entry of 92 dogs, under judge Jean Fournier. Eight of the ten top ten Weimaraners in the country were entered in the Best of Breed class and both the dog and bitch points were 5-point majors! Savi showed nicely for me in the Bred-by-Exhibitor class and received a 3rd place, while Sky, Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain, RN,JH,TD, shown by Susan Wise, placed 2nd in a very competitive Open bitch class. Both Winner's Dog and Winner's Bitch were out of Parker, GCH HiBourne's It's All About Me, the sire of Sky and Jam.

With 30 dogs and bitches entered in Best of Breed, I was quite happy that CH Jam made the judges cut.

Jam moving well in the breed ring!

A fun time to sit ringside with friends and cheer Jam on in the breed ring.

All moving and ring shots by Phyllis Ensley Photography.

The Grayhart Girls Great Southern Adventure - Part 3 - Wilmington fun!

2011-08-07T20:07:00.001-07:00

After the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility trial in Sanford, NC, blogged about in a previous post, we followed Jessica and Mia-belle, Grayhart's Special Request, CD,RA,NSD, home for a couple of days of fun in Wilmington, NC. I've never been to Wilmington and enjoyed touring the downtown with Jess and going in all the little shops. The main part of trip was to do dog stuff - no surprise there. Jess is fortunate to train with Diane Gallagher of Dogtrain, who runs one of the premier dog training schools in Wilmington and also specializes in retriever training. We spent our first morning watching Diane work many talented retrievers, from beginner to master hunter levels dogs, retrieve bumpers from launchers and do blind duck retrieves. Then it was Savi's turn to work on her duck retrieves as this is one area she needed some help in.

Savi has had limited exposure to ducks and when she first met one at the retrieving ratings test last fall, that was a surprise and she did not want to retrieve it during the test. Once introduced, she was happy to retrieve the duck and as you can see, although the duck is quite large for her, she does what it takes to bring it to me!

Savi had no problem retrieving the duck from different distances and was happy to finally get her turn in the water.

Jam's training was focused on getting her to swim with confidence. Unlike her sister Savi, who is a fish in the water, Jam would rather watch from the sidelines. To help instill confidence, we put a long line on Jam and used a technique called a restrained recall to get her to swim across the water to me.

The trainer held Jam while I walked to the other side of the pond. I then called Jam to me and she had no choice but to swim across the water to me. She was not pulled across but the long line helped guarantee a water entry. Jam did well swimming across the pond and we practiced this several times and then did it again the next day.

Jam was happy to be near the water and seemed more comfortable. Hopefully, we can practice this more over the summer and get her to enter the water independently and work towards water retrieves.

We were quite impressed watching Mia-belle during her water and land retrieves and know that not only will she be ready for her NRD (Novice Retrieving Dog) this fall , but on her way to getting her RD (Retrieving Dog) title as well.

The next day was obedience Tuesday, with Trixie being our main focus. Since she was entered in obedience in Greenville, I wanted to do open obedience exercises and run throughs in a new environment and have Diane, who is an accomplished obedience competitor, watch and give us feedback. We had a great lesson and Trixie did well. I was then able to work Savi and Jam in Diane's group classes, which Jess assists, and enjoyed Diane's philosophy and teaching style. What a treat to see where Mia-belle trains and meet Jess' mentor and friend, Diane.

Our whirlwind trip to Wilmington was over and on Wednesday the 27th, we packed up and drove across the beautiful state of North Carolina to Debbie and Sky's house. More on that later...

The Grayhart Girls Great Southern Adventure - Part 2 - Agility Star Jam!

2011-08-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

Jam with her new title & 3rd place ribbons for earning her OAJ title!

We arrived in Sanford, NC on Friday, after an eight hour drive from PA, to compete in the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility trial. It was a relief to finally check into the hotel and get a chance to relax and let the dogs loose in the room. Debbie, Sky's owner, arrived and we went out for a fabulous dinner at the Steele Pig, which I would highly recommend. A more upscale BBQ restaurant with a talented chef who brings wonderful flavors to traditional barbecue. Debbie had to leave Sky at home due to her coming into season as bitches in season are not allowed at agility trials. My girls made her feel right at home and Savi even slept with her.

We rose early Saturday morning to head over to Bon Clyde Learning Center, the venue for the agility trial. Thankfully, the facility is indoors and air conditioned, as we were having a heat wave with temps in around 100 degrees. We set up the crates and settled the dogs and off I went to walk the Excellent Standard course. The one ring trial was set in a large arena with a dirt floor and metal building. The Tarheel Club did a terrific job with their hospitality and it was a very well run trial. Plus, I met a number of lovely Weim folks and saw old friends. Jessica, Mia's owner arrived late morning, and not only helped the club but taped my runs. Those will be uploaded when I return home. My girls were the only Weims at the trial. Trixie had a good run but missed qualifying due to a handle error. Jam was a bit wild, as the dirt floor made a fast course, and she's never run in this type of environment, but everyone was entertained by her fun run, especially when she had to greet the crowd. A thunderstorm rolled in just before our Open Jumpers runs and the pounding rain on the metal roof upset Trixie and Jam and I pulled both of them off the course when they showed signs of stress. Better to throw away the run or know when to excuse yourself from the ring in order to protect your dog from a negative experience.

Sunday was a new day and Jam was up first in our runs. Boy did she make me proud when she qualified in Open Jumpers with Weaves to earn her OAJ title! She even placed 3rd in the class. The club had special Armadillo retrieving toy prizes for all Weims who qualified and even a High Combined award for the highest scoring Weim to double qualify. I picked the quail toy shown in the photo. Trixie again had a decent run but we had a bauble so no Q.

Jam and me, with Judge David Blakely, with all her trophies and ribbons for High Combined

The pressure was on for us to qualify in Excellent Standard and win the High Combined award. Again, Jam ran with speed and control to qualify for her 1st Excellent Standard leg and even got a 3rd place! Trixie was up at the end of the lineup and my worst fears came true, a thunderstorm rolled in right before her run. She was stressed and after the 4th obstacke, she was not a happy camper from the thunder and rain noise, so I thanked the judge and excused her from the course. My first priority is her safety and well being.

With Jam double qualifying, she was awarded the High Combined award! A wonderful honor and she was given the giant duck!

Jam is now CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD,JH,OA,OAJ,NSD,CGC,VX

Getting ready for our win photo with the judge. The a-frame makes a nice background.

The adventures continue as we followed Jessica home to Wilmington. We have plans to take the dogs swimming and retrieving, to obedience classes and tour downtown Wilmington.

The Grayhart Girls Great Southern Adventure - Part 1

2011-08-03T18:57:00.001-07:00

Last Thursday, we loaded up the minivan for the beginning of our almost two week adventure down South to visit friends, Grayhart pups, compete in agility trials and dog shows. Our first stop was an overnight in PA to visit Trixie's breeders, Michael and Amy of GraytSky Weimaraners. They live on a beaucolic property with 12 acres of pasture and forest. Heavenly for people and dogs to run and relax.

The highlight was playing with their litter of 6 1/2 week old Maestro x Mia pups. Adorable and active, who can't resist these babies!

I love pups this age, friendly, playful and full of curiousity. Wonderful temperaments and lovely conformation, many of these pups will be going to show and performance homes.

Already mastering the agility equipment!

One of the most interesting things is how dogs remember their breeders and have a special connection to them. Trixie is no exception. Although she has seen Amy and Michael over the years on and off, whenever she sees them, they get a greeting like no other, hysterical kissing and an outpouring of love from Trixie.

Michael has a special touch with the dogs and they all love him...my girls are no exception...

Savi, Jam and Trixie vying for a treat and attention...

Savi even had some stacking practice and training to get ready for her big Futurity show weekend in Greenville, South Carolina on the 28th. We're thrilled with how she's maturing.

We left PA for the long drive down to Sanford, North Carolina for the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility trials...more news to follow...

Jam the New Face of Certifect by Frontline

2011-07-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

The first thing I saw in the St. Louis Airport baggage area - my girl Jam...what a stunner!

Jam's picture on the new Certifect packaging!

What a surprise to be greeted at the St. Louis Airport by this gorgeous, giant advertisement featuring Jam! We did the photoshoot for this new product last September and were excited to see that indeed, Jam is the star of their ad campaign and used on the packaging. We are here in St. Louis for the AVMA Convention (American Veterinary Medical Association), to work in the Frontline/Certifect booth. Jam and Trixie flew with me and they arrived safe and sound, taking all the travel in stride. They even got frequent flyer points!
It should be a busy and fun three days with the girls working the booth, getting their photos taken with attendees and walking around the exhibition hall promoting the product.

There were even mobile billboards driving around the city promoting Certifect with Jam's picture!

An extra special part of this trip is that Laura, Marshall's owner, drove in from Kansas with Marshall and Dylan to spend time with us. Marshall, Jam's littermate looks fabulous and both boys have the sweetest temperaments, covering me with kisses. Laura and I toured St. Louis, going to the famous Arch, which is the "Gateway to the West" and took a relaxing riverboat tour.

Pictures of all our adventures will get posted in the coming days...

2011 WCA Nationals Agility Trial - Day 3- Jam 1st place Open JWW!

2011-07-09T07:36:00.000-07:00

The 3rd and final day of agility during the WCA Nationals week was the WCA Weimaraner Only Agility Trial. We shared the day with the Keeshonds and it was a fun day for all, full of camaraderie for both breeds and helping each other run a very efficient trial. Jam had a terrific Open Jumpers with Weaves run, full of controlled drive and she won the class!

Jam is very focused and jumping 24" in easy for this athletic girl.

Woo hoo! 1st place Open Jumpers with Weaves wins the class and gives Jam her 2nd Open JWW leg.

Jam with her running contact off the A-frame. These last two photos are from her Exc A Standard run. It was her debut in Excellent and other than knocking the top panel of the panel jump, she had a terrific run.

An end to a fantastic three days of agility. I couldn't be more proud of how Jam and Trixie ran. Jam earned two 1st places, one of which gave her the qualifying leg to finish her Open Standard title, and a 4th place. Then we were off to the host hotel to compete in conformation and obedience, where Jam finished her Companion Dog (CD) title and then got an Award of Merit hours later!

Finishing her OA and CD also gave her another new title - VX or Versatile Excellent. You can see blog posts for the 2011 WCA Nationals in the May/June archives and also on Trixie's blog in the May/June archives.

2011 WCA Nationals Agility Trial - Day 2 - Jam & Trixie more 1st places

2011-06-30T12:05:00.001-07:00

Jam in Open JWW. I love her focus and how we are both on the same path. Jam was on fire during her 1st place Open Standard run, getting a time of 49.38 seconds, more than 17 seconds under the 67 seconds standard course time!!!

I'm happy to share more of the terrific photos by Natureworks that were shot during the 2011 WCA Nationals week agility trials in Ohio. We were fortunate to have three days of agility. The first day was the WCA All Breed Agility trial, the second day was the Keeshond All Breed Agility trial and the third day was the combined Weimaraner and Keeshond Specialty Trials. On day two, Trixie gave us an exciting Open JWW run winning the class, getting her 2nd 1st place of the weekend. Jam showed what a star she could be winning the Open Standard class which also gave her a new title - Open Agility (OA)!!!

Above, Trixie during her winning Open Jumpers with Weaves run with a time of 35.75 seconds. SCT was 43 sec.

The shot above and two below are from Trixie's Exc A Standard run. She had a wonderful run, even though she didn't qualify. Her runs were very consistent and she had a great attitude, which is more important to me than anything else.

2011 WCA Nationals Agility Trial - Day one - Jam - Open Std Q!

2011-06-27T11:30:00.001-07:00

Jam flying over the triple!

These are the terrific pictures taken by Natureworks, at the Weimaraner Club of America All-breed Agility Trial during the 2011 Nationals week in Sharonville, OH in May.. Jam had a nice Open Standard run, earning her 2nd qualifying leg with a 4th place.

Nice focus and control...

Who says you can't work the crowd while waiting for the table count? Jam posing for her fans!

This was the 2nd to last obstacle on the course and my favorite jump!
We had a blast running these fun courses at this terrific venue...more photos from the agility trials to come!

2011 WCA Nationals Agility Trial Photos

2011-06-22T10:23:00.001-07:00

Always exciting to get a package in the mail, especially as I've been waiting for the disc with our photo order from the 2011 WCA Nationals Agility trials last month. This was one of my favorite jumps and that's Jam showing off her jumping form. I'll post more pics of Trixie and Jam later...

Jam gets her WCA Versatile Excellent Title!!!

2011-06-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

Jam's 2011 Blue Ribbon ad for the Weimaraner Magazine, showing off her versatility.

We are pleased to announce that Jam has qualified for one of the Weimaraner Club of America's prestigious titles, Versatile Excellent or VX. The WCA recognizes Weimaraners who excel in a number of areas of competition and based on a point system, dogs can quality for the Versatile title and then the Versatile Excellent title and beyond. The dogs must acquire titles in at least three different areas. It is an exciting milestone not only for Jam, who did this before her 3rd birthday, but for our breeding program as Jam is our first VX and completed this title during the 2011 WCA Nationals week when she completed both her Open Agility (OA) and Companion Dog (CD) titles.

Jam is now CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD,JH,OA,NAJ,NSD,CGC,VX

Jam's Versatile Excellent points came from the following areas: conformation (Bench Champion), obedience (CD), field (JH) and agility (OA).

From the Weimaraner Club of America Rules & Policies, here are the requirements for Versatile and Versatile Excellent awards:

SECTION VIII- Versatile Rating Standards

I. Schedule of Available Versatile Points
A. Bench Champion.....................................................8
Ten Bench Points (includes major win)...............6
Five Bench Points.....................................................4
Bench Pointed...........................................................2
B. Obedience Trial Champion....................................10
UDX.............................................................................8
UD...............................................................................6
CDX.............................................................................4
CD...............................................................................2
C. Field Champion, AFC or MH..................................10
Senior Hunter, SDX or 1st place in AA/GD Retrieving Stake 6
Junior Hunter, SD or 4 Field Points.....................4
NSD or 1 Field Point................................................2
D. RDX............................................................................6
RD...............................................................................4
NRD............................................................................2
E. Champion Tracker (CT)..........................................10
Variable Surface Tracking (VST)...........................8
Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX)...............................6
Tracking Dog (TD)...................................................4

Section II—RULES Standards for Ratings
F. Master Agility Champion.......................................10
Master Agility Excellent (MX) or MXJ...................8
Agility Excellent (AX) or AXJ.................................6
Agility Excellent Preferred (AXP) or AJP.............5
Open Agility (OA) or OAJ.......................................4
Open Agility Preferred (OAP) or OJP...................3
Novice Agility (NA) or NAJ.....................................2
Novice Agility Preferred (NAP) or NJP.................1

II. Requirements for Award of Versatile “V”
A. Twelve (12) versatile points minimum total.
B. Above Twelve (12) points must be obtained from at least three (3) of the above six (6) groups.
C. Points are not accumulative in any one group (i.e., a UD entitles a dog to six (6) points. His CDX and CD cannot be added.)

III. Requirements for Award of Versatile Excellent “VX”
A. Eighteen (18) points minimum total
B. Above eighteen (18) points may be obtained from three (3) of the above six (6) groups and must include a Bench Champion, Field Champion, Amateur Field Champion, Obedience Trial Champion, Master Agility Champion or Champion Tracker.
OR
Above eighteen (18) points may be obtained from at least four (4) of the six (6) groups.
C. Points are not accumulative in any one group.
IV. Requirements for Award of Versatile Excellent 2 (VX2)
A. Twenty four (24) points minimum total.
B. Above twenty-four (24) points must be obtained from at least four (4) of the above six (6) groups.
C. Points are not accumulative in any one group.
V. Requirements for Award of Versatile Excellent 3 (VX3) – VX7
A. Must meet the requirements of Versatile Excellent 2 (VX2)
B. Minimum total points required:
VX3...................................................30 Points
VX4...................................................36 Points
VX5...................................................42 Points
VX6...................................................48 Points
Weimaraner Club of America Rules and Policies

2011 WCA Nationals Week - BOB GSWC

2011-06-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

Don't blink but here is a short clip of Jam gaiting in the Best of Breed class at the first host specialty, Greater Cincinnati Weimaraner Club, of the 2011 Weimaraner Club of America's Nationals week in Wilmington, Ohio.

Tres chic

2011-06-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

Jam and Supermodel Jennifer Pugh, looking glamorous at today's high fashion photo shoot in NYC.

It was a hot day but JP as she's known, looked stunning and didn't even break a sweat modeling fur coats.

Wardrobe change, for both JP and Jam, and a touch up before we move to the next location...

Challenging shooting on the streets of New York, in between traffic but Jam rocked the shoot and they loved her.

A fabulous pair, out for a stroll...

Jam in high demand

2011-06-02T09:10:00.000-07:00

Jam on set last week, with a blue screen, that way the ad agency can put in whatever background they want.

Jam seems to be the "it girl" for photo shoots and agents are requesting her for a number of different jobs. Last week, Jam was terrific on a shoot for a canine pharmaceutical drug and the client and photographer loved her. She was the ultimate professional, performing every pose they asked for, many jumps in the air at different angles and impressed everyone with how well trained she was. The photographer requested her for "beauty shots" and she happily obliged. As a bonus, everyone on set got kisses and she was a perfect ambassador for the breed.

Today, she's off to New York City for a high fashion shoot....the exciting life of a supermodel!

The busy set of last week's photoshoot...hard to see Jam on the monitor, jumping in the air.

GSWC Specialty Show: Award of Merit for Jam!

2011-06-01T03:53:00.000-07:00

Savi practicing before Sweeps

One of our annual Memorial Day Weekend traditions is to support our club's Specialty show, which is part of the Atlantic Shore Classic show circuit in Freehold, NJ. It is one of our favorite show sites, except it can and usually is extremely hot and humid this time of year. Under 80 degree weather, we did our best to keep the dogs cool and have a good time. It was a busy show, as we had three of our girls entered, Savi, Trudy and Jam, and I was fortunate to have my good friend, Kellyann there to help with the girls and take pictures. The club served a lovely lunch to everyone entered and we even got to spend time with Michele and Mia, who came for a short visit.

Mia, Grayhart's American Woman, Jam's littermate, had some show training and we can't wait to start showing her this year.

Savi, getting ready for the judge to examine her.

Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,CGC, (Clay x Trixie),who has not been shown much, did very well, especially since she does not care for the hot weather but held her stacks, stood for exam and gated nicely. She placed 3rd in sweeps and 3rd in the 12-18 class, both the biggest classes of the day.

Trudy, Grayhart's Special Reserve, (Zeke x Trixie) spent a wonderful weekend with us and found every tennis ball in the house, no matter how well hidden! She remembered how to be a show girl and placed 2nd in the Open class. She got to then go home to swim in her pool.

Jam waiting for her turn to go in the ring, she's cool as a cucumber..

Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,CD,JH,OA,NAJ,NSD,V, held up very well under the hot conditions and received an Award of Merit! After the show, we celebrated by visiting our favorite vendors and Jam and Savi both got fabulous new collars.

Happy 3rd Birthday to our Jimi Hendrix (Parker x Trixie) Litter

2011-05-31T17:14:00.000-07:00

Jimi Hendrix pups 36 days old

This was our first litter and all of these pups, not so little anymore, hold a very special place in our hearts. We have enjoyed watching them grow up and made lasting friendships with their owners, all part of our Grayhart family. Even though the pups are spread across the country, from Long Island, NY & New Jersey, to North Carolina and Kansas, we get regular updates/ pictures and have had a number of mini-reunions. These dogs have accomplished so much and continue to excel in whatever their owners ask, from conformation, agility, tracking, hunting and just being the best family companions ever.

Happy Birthday to...

Marshall, CH Grayhart's In From the Storm (training for obedience)
Sky, Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain, JH,TD,RN,NSD,V, CGC (major pointed)
Ranger, Grayhart's Midnight Lightening (major pointed)
Mia, Grayhart's American Woman (in training for show, agility, obedience)
Monty, Grayhart's Stone Free, JH,CGC (in training for show & Senior Hunter)
Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD,JH,OA,NAJ,NSD,CGC,V (our Special & competing in agility/obedience/Senior Hunter)

Oh, and Jam had a great birthday weekend getting an Award of Merit at the Garden State Weimaraner Club Specialty show at Plainfield Kennel Club! Of course, we then went shopping and picked out fabulous new collars for our special girl.

Mia came for a visit at this weekend show & looks terrific!

2011 WCA National Specialty

2011-05-22T15:58:00.001-07:00

Lots of ribbons for the Grayhart girls - this doesn't even include our obedience ribbon or Bliss' haul.

The 2011 Weimaraner Club of America National Speciatly was held last week at the Robert's Centre in Wilmington, Ohio with the related agility trials held at Queen City Dog Training Club(QCDTC) in Sharonville, Ohio. Our Nationals adventure began with a long, almost 12 hour drive out to stay near the agility trials, which began on May 14th. Three dogs (Trixie,Jam and Savi), three humans, leather leads stock, displays, soft crates, luggage and everything needed for the dogs and humans for a week away made for a very packed mini-van. It was a week of exciting competition in various venues and socializing with friends from all over the world. A major highlight of our trip was getting to meet and spend time with Jen Boyd and Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, who flew in from Alaska just for the Nationals. The only disappointment was the weather, which rained almost nonstop until Thursday, the day we left. Fortunately, all the activities for us were indoors.

Bonnie (owner of Jam's sire, Parker, GCH Hibourne's It's All About Me) and me waiting for Jam's AOM picture.

Jam & Jamie in the BOB competition where they received an AOM!

I am still overwhelmed at the successful week we had as our hope was just to maybe get a placement or two but we ended up with many agility class wins, new titles in obedience and agility, Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, placing 3rd in almost every huge 12-18 month conformation class and the Futurity, and Jam getting an Award of Merit. not an easy feat at a National with such a huge entry and high quality of dogs.

Jen & Bliss

Savi was along for the ride and was only shown in one day of sweeps and at the Columbus Specialty. She was a good girl and I was pleased with her showing even though she wasn't in the ribbons. Not to be left out, Savi, came everywhere with us and thought that the Nationals were the best party she's ever been to and loved playing with her littermate Bliss!

Savi in the Sweeps class

In the obedience venue, Jam finished her Companion Dog (CD) title with a 3rd placement and score of 185.

Jam heeling


New CD title with a 3rd place for Jam

Trixie even competed in Open A Obedience and would have qualified with a 1st place if she had held her out of sight group sit but I was happy with her performance since we have not focused as much on competition obedience and her individual run was very impressive.


Trixie, off lead heeling with attention.

We were entered in three days of agility trials and I was thrilled with how Trixie and Jam performed. Some of Jam and Trixie's runs are posted on other blog posts. The QCDTC is a wonderful venue, with cushy, matted flooring, air conditioning and indoor bathrooms. The only negative was that the ring is the minimum size allowed by AKC, which made for very tight, challenging courses for the big-strided Weimaraners. Judges Laura English and David Hirsch designed terrific courses that were fast and fun and were very encouraging to the competitors. We were honored to be running alongside some of the top agility Weims in the country and were impressed with their drive, athleticism and owner's handling.

Trixie 1st place Exc A Std!

The first day, Saturday the 14th, was the WCA All Breed Agility trial, where Trixie and Jam had stellar performances with Trixie winning the 24" Exc A Standard class and a 3rd place in Open Jumpers with Weaves and Jam earning 4th place in 24" Open Standard.

On Sunday, the Keeshond All Breed Agility trial, Trixie gave us an exciting Open JWW run winning the class, getting her 2nd 1st place of the weekend. Jam showed what a star she could be winning the Open Standard class which also gave her a new title - Open Agility (OA)!!!

Jam with her New Open Standard Title & !st place Ribbons!

On Monday, at the WCA Specialty trial, Jam won the Open JWW class! Both girls had great Exc Std runs but Trixie knocked the last bar and Jam knocked the top panel of the panel jump.

All the dogs were terrific travelers and held up well under crazy weather conditions from cold rain at the beginning of the week to warm temps at the end. This is a testament to their solid temperaments and training. A busy week for sure and an exhausting trip but well worth the drive to see the top dogs in the country, meet other breeders, attend the Breeder's Ed seminar and have a great time.

Jam receives Award of Merit during WCA Nationals week!

2011-05-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

At the Weimaraner Club of Columbus Specialty Show during the WCA Nationals week, Jam was chosen for an Award of Merit, which is a great honor. There were many beautiful Weims and the top dogs in the country are here, making this a very competitive show. Jamie Bernardin did an amazing job handling Jam to this exciting award.

Before Jam entered the breed ring, she was busy in the obedience ring earning her 3rd Novice leg to finish her Companion Dog (CD) title.

More news from the WCA Nationals and our great adventure to Ohio will be posted soon...

Jam wins the Open JWW class at the WCA Nationals!

2011-05-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

Jam at the 2011 WCA Nationals Specialty Agility trial wins the 24" Open JWW class!

WCA Nationals 2011- Agility Trials & a new title for Jam

2011-05-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

WCA Nationals 2011- Agility Trials & a new title for Jam

Jam with her 1st place and new title ribbons!

This week was the beginning of the 2011 Weimaraner Club of America National Specialty in Ohio. We entered all three days of agility which included two all breed trials and one Weimaraner Specialty trial. The first day, Saturday the 14th, was the WCA All Breed Agility trial, where Trixie and Jam had stellar performances with Trixie winning the 24" Exc A Standard class and a 3rd place in Open Jumpers with Weaves and Jam earning 4th place in 24" Open Standard.

Today was the Keeshond All Breed Agility trial where Trixie gave us an exciting Open JWW run winning the class, getting her 2nd 1st place of the weekend. Jam showed what a star she could be winning the Open Standard class which also gave her a new title - Open Agility (OA)!!!

Jam is now CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, JH,OA,NAJ,NSD,V

Jam with her 4th place Open Std ribbon

Tomorrow is the WCA Specialty Agility trial and we can't wait to see how our girls fare for their 3rd day of runs. The facility in Sharonville, the Queen City Dog Training Club, is a terrific indoor venue, with air conditioning, matted flooring and friendly, welcoming club members. We loved seeing old friends and meeting new ones plus watching so many talented dogs run. After the agility trials, we'll switch gears and the girls will compete in conformation and obedience. Friends videotaped our runs and we'll upload those soon.

Favorite things

2011-04-29T19:16:00.001-07:00

Jam - pure enjoyment!

The dogs have many favorite things but raw and smoked bones top the list. I call them doggie pacifiers or babysitters, especially when earlier in the week, we had torrential rainstorms and tornado warnings so taking the dogs for a run was out of the question. The bones also have the benefit of keeping their teeth clean. We love the smoked bones from Paws Up On Health , who we see frequently at dog shows and agility trials, and raw bones from Wholistic Paws. , which has two stores in our area.

Trixie in a chewing trance...find a comfortable dog bed and chew to your hearts desire or until Mom takes it away. Sometimes the dogs play musical bones, since your bone must taste better than mine. Fortunately, they are pretty good but we always keep a close eye as we do not want any fights or choking incidents.

Savi tries to fit the whole thing in her mouth...notice she picked the most comfy spot in the house, the king size bed!

Back at it for another try...

2011-04-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

or are we gluttons for punishment! At the GSWC Hunt Test, even though Jam did not qualify, the judges and our friends were very impressed with how Jam ran and encouraged us to enter the Vizsla Club of Greater New York's Hunt Test weekend at Assunpink Wildlife Management Area in New Jersey the next weekend. The consensus was that she's ready and so close to qualifying that we should keep trying. So, enter I did. The weekend came and the weather was confused, it was very cold and windy (very un-Springlike) and unfortunately, the grounds at Assunpink had been cut down and the birdfield was as bald as a bowling ball. The first day, Saturday, Jam and her bracemate made it through the backcourse without getting into trouble, as there were coveys of quail in the hedgerows and bushes. We entered the birdfield and that's when the trouble started...walking birds! Our bracemate, a nice Vizsla saw it first and Jam not to be outdone took a look at the bird and both dogs took off after the Chukkar! Automatic disqualification. As much training as we've done, walking birds are just too much of a temptation. Many of the Master level dogs and Senior dogs were taken out by the same difficult conditions.

Day two of the test, the weather turned warm and Jam was not herself, staying close and not hunting as well as usual. However, once we hit the birdfield, I had my dog back and her body language changed and the huntress was on fire. She immediately found a bird and went on a beautiful point. She held the point while her bracemate backed her.

I gave the gunners instruction as to where I was going to flush the bird. Jam, holding her point all this time and then I went to flush the Chukkar, who was sitting in plain sight. The darn bird would not fly, I chased it, threw my hat at it and then....Jam just couldn't stand it anymore and broke point and flushed it herself! The bird went up, Jam did an Olympic medal worthy leap into the air and caught the bird.

Jam repositioned the bird in her mouth for the retrieve and the bird got caught in a sticker branch on the ground. You can see her GSP bracemate honoring through the whole fiasco.

Then I went and untangled the bird and Jam released it and leashed my dog. Thank you handler....

Oh well, we were done. I thanked the judges and moved off the birdfield. Our bracemate did not fare too well, pointing a bird and then going in on it before it was even shot. Tough conditions for all the dogs this weekend. Crazy thing, we still had fun. The Vizsla Club ran a terrific test, very well organized, had a nice raffle and thanks to Kellyann, Natural Balance dog biscuits were given to all the handlers. Many of our friends were there plus Kellyann joined us for her first ever hunt test. She took these pictures and got the Hunt Test 101 plus spent quality time with her PBP (Puppy By Proxy), Savi.

I decided that this would be our last hunt test of the season. Yes, Jam was very close to qualifying at times but with the weather getting warmer and cover conditions not ideal, I knew it wasn't in our best interest to continue. She could use more training, especially on walking birds and stop to flushes, and it seems, my very smart girl is going through the terrible twos! We have all Spring and Summer to train and will be back in style for the fall tests in another attempt to complete her Senior Hunter title.

Savi was along for the ride and had fun socializing with people and dogs alike but her favorite part was running in the fields after the test was over. She was rewarded for her patience and as soon as she hit the birdfield, she found a quail and retrieved it to me. Good girl!

GSWC Hunt Test Weekend

2011-04-11T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with Junior test judges, Frank Luksa & Lou Manipelli. Savi was along for the ride.

We were away this past weekend for hunt tests at Freeland Kennels in Weatherly, PA. These are terrific grounds with wooded pine areas which open onto large fields. Lots of great cover for bird planting and excellent grounds for the dogs to run and hunt on. One of my favorite things about these grounds is that the clubhouse sits on a hill overlooking the Senior and Master birdfield and is the perfect vantage point for viewing all the action.

Saturday's test was hosted by the Pointer Club of Central New Jersey and Sunday's test was hosted by my club, the Garden State Weimaraner Club (GSWC). The Pointer Club hosted a delicious judges dinner on Saturday night. As the Hunt Test Chair for the GSWC and that means that I was in charge of everything related to the test which started many months ago: from hiring the judges and gunners, securing the grounds, applying to the AKC to get approval for the test, preparing the premium, buying the birds, managing the helpers and hospitality....plus a zillion other small details. My hubby was the Hunt Test Secretary and all the entries went to him and he took care of all the paperwork the AKC requires for the test. All in all, a very big job and I'm happy to say, we had a successful event, with forty entries, lots of qualifiers and everyone had a great time. I was lucky to have wonderful club members who came out and helped plant birds (Peter, Mary & Peter), got handlers to the line (Michelle and Lilly) and sold a delicious breakfast and lunch (Jack, Marilyn, Lilly, Joline) plus our talented club photographer Michelle who photographed all the qualifiers. We also had a special treat for everyone who entered - a one pound bag of Natural Balance dog treats - thanks to Natural Balance and Kellyann for this greatly appreciated donation. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped!

At the GSWC test, we had a good number of Weims entered in the Junior Hunter level and Jam was in Senior. People commented how nice it was to see more Weims getting back to field work and I agree. Lots of talented dogs from many of the pointing breeds were represented and our gray ghosts held their own. It was a jovial crowd and very welcoming for all the novices, who felt comfortable asking questions and learning from more experienced folks.

Jam was entered in Senior Hunter both days but did not qualify. Her and her bracemates had great honors in the back course and made it to the birdfield. Unfortunately, those darn Chukkar just wouldn't stay put and challenged us. Jam received high scores of 9 out of 10 in hunting and trainability and compliments from the judges so I was pleased with her runs. She is soooo close to qualifying and we just hope it all comes together at the next hunt tests.

An exhausting weekend of travel, working and running dogs but well worth it. It's also important to note that without the help of active volunteers, none of the dog clubs could put on successful events like this. Yes, it's hard work but it is important to give back, especially when we enjoy and enter tests/shows/trials put on by other clubs. If you haven't volunteered or stepped up, it's time to pay it forward...

Open Double Q!!!

2011-04-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

Jam's debut in Open agility was double the fun with her qualifying in both 24" Open Standard and Open Jumpers With Weaves! She got what we agility folks call a "double Q" and is pretty cool. She also earned 2nd place in each class with her terrific runs, earning a leg in each and getting some new toys to take home. Next agility trial will be at the Weimaraner Club of America Nationals, where we hope she runs just as well.

Jam is now a Delta Therapy Dog!

2011-03-22T19:15:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Jam and I underwent evaluation for the Delta Society Pet Parners Program. The test was given at Kathy Santo's Dog Training School.

What is unique about this program is that both the dog and handler are tested on their skills and aptitude as relating to what it takes to being a successful and safe team able to visit various environments. I was so proud of Jam, who did an awesome job, getting the highest marks in all test categories and we received an overall team qualification to visit in complex environments.

From the Delta Society website:

Pet Partners® program

Delta Society's Pet Partners program trains volunteers and screens volunteers and their pets for visiting animal programs in hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, schools and other facilities.
The Pet Partners program was established in 1990 to ensure that "both ends of the leash," people as well as animals, were well-prepared to participate in animal-assisted activity and animal-assisted therapy programs. Pet Partners is the only national registry that requires volunteer training and screening of animal-handler teams.

Delta Society's national network links volunteers with facilities in their own communities that request visiting pets and helps Pet Partners contact facilities to begin visits in new locations.

Thanks to my good friend, Kellyann for the terrific photos and helping make the entire test day a success!

Jam earns her 2nd CD leg!

2011-03-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

At the Monticello Kennel Club today, Jam earned her 2nd Companion Dog (CD) obedience leg. She had a respectable score of 184 and received many compliments on her run, especially from the judge, who said "what a nice working dog she is." I just love this girl!

Jam is the 2nd of Trixie's pups and the 1st of Parker's to earn CD legs.

One more leg to go and she'll get her CD title!

Jam's Official Best of Breed Photo

2011-03-05T12:55:00.000-08:00

Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,JH,NA,NAJ,NSD,CGC,V, (Parker x Trixie), with owner/breeder/handler, winning her 2nd Best of Breed at the Rockland County Kennel Club show under Judge Col. Joe B. Purkhiser.

Weimaraner Wednesday - Spring Tease

2011-03-03T08:18:00.000-08:00

We were excited to get back to field training, for the first time in almost three months. It has been a brutal winter with all the ice and snow and this weeks warm temps allowed us to finally get in some training. Jam impressed us with solid, intense points and held until released. She's right on track to get back into the Senior Hunt tests. Next week, we'll work on backing and retrieving.

Jam & Steve in the Sporting Group at Rockland

2011-02-28T14:07:00.000-08:00

Jam, with Steve Lane, HiBourne Weimaraners, owner/breeder of Jam's sire Parker, in the Sporting Group at the Rockland County Kennel Club Show on February 27, 2011. She received Best of Breed with her breeder/owner handling and then we were fortunate to have her other dad come handle her and watch them both shine in the group ring.

Jam will be selectively specialed this year while we continue to pursue her Senior Hunter and advanced agility and obedience titles.

Jam goes Best of Breed

2011-02-26T18:17:00.000-08:00

Jam in the Sporting Group

At the Walkill Kennel Club show, Jam won Best of Breed to earn another Grand Champion point and it was fun showing her in the Sporting Group.

Savi posing outside the ring at Saturday's show

Sister Savi, Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,CGC, (Clay x Trixie) shown in the Bred by Exhibitor class (BBE) by me, her breeder/owner, went Winner's Bitch to earn her first conformation point. She is really starting to get this show thing down and stood for exam and moved nicely around the ring. Our good friend Lilly came to help us because big sister Jam was also entered in Breed and it is impossible to handle two dogs at once.

As this was a local show, we saw lots of friends and were even able to go home for lunch, let the dogs play and relax a bit before heading back to the show site for groups. Back for two more days of shows and hopefully more points. Plus, some of our favorite vendors are at the show so we may be doing a bit of shopping!

Jam awarded Select Bitch at the BASS Show!

2011-02-11T10:51:00.001-08:00

Jam with her Grand Champion Select ribbon

We always knew Jam was special but now she is an official "special" in the dog show world. This means that when a dog completes its AKC Championship title, they continue to compete to win Best of Breed, then compete in the Sporting Group and go for the big prize - Best in Show. They can also compete to achieve the relatively new AKC title of Grand Champion.

Jam's first time out as a special was yesterday at the Big Apple Sporting Society show. She showed beautifully and was awarded Grand Champion Select, earning her first Grand Champion points! She beat other very nice specials and I'm thrilled that she was recognized this way, especially being owner/breeder handled.

Weimie Winter Olympics - Snowball Catch

2011-01-27T19:46:00.000-08:00

Gold medal winner!!!

Jam and Savi compete...

Jam has a new amazing talent!

Snowcone

2011-01-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

There must be something very interesting in this fallen tree because every time we pass it, no matter the season, Jam stops to investigate. This week, covered in snow, it was great for snacking on the snow!

New Snow - time for another snow hike!

2011-01-22T20:07:00.000-08:00

Jam and Savi had blast on our most recent snow hike after we received a fresh 4 inches of snow last Friday. Running in the snow on the hills is great conditioning for the dogs and us!

A New Year deserves New Mod Dog Collars!

2011-01-20T05:49:00.000-08:00

Our new favorite collar vendor...Mod Dog!

The Mod Dog specializes in custom designed collars and leashes. I allow you to choose all aspects of the design for the collar/leash, so that it is completely customized for your pet. That means you can choose the style of the collar, the pattern, the webbing color (main collar material), and hardware.

Jam is rocking her new "Choxy" martingale collar featuring a white, pink, black, and light pink retro dot design on nylon webbing. All the girls received new collars and you can see them on Trixie's blog.

Jam has her own brew!

2011-01-16T17:25:00.000-08:00

Who knew? What a great surprise. Thanks Kel...down the hatch!

Winter Wonderland Hike - Harriman State Park

2011-01-15T10:54:00.000-08:00

Jam had a blast on our winter hike and couldn't contain her enthusiasm. A fun morning exploring our favorite trail with a fresh layer of fluffy snow.

Trixie, Savi and Jam getting treats for doing a great recall.

Neither snow nor rain...Jam still works

2011-01-12T15:26:00.001-08:00

Last night's snowstorm wasn't enough to deter us from accepting a last minute call for Jam to put on her modeling hat in NYC today. The plow arrived to dig us out just as her agent called and we were off into the city, where she wowed the photographer doing everything asked, from jumping up in the air to hitting her marks, for a European Purina project. Unfortunately, we will not see the finished product here.

Jam's favorite parts of the trip were the steak treats, only the best rewards for her and pointing pigeons on the street! A surprise chance to practice her "whoa" training!

Friday frolick in the new snow

2011-01-08T18:50:00.000-08:00

The first Friday of the new year brought another storm, adding 6 inches of fluffy snow on top of the 24 inches we received during the December blizzard! The dogs thought the snow was great fun and had a blast playing in the yard, a true winter wonderland. More pics on Trixie's blog.

Savi in the pink and Jam in purple - perfect playmates.

My snow angel!

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

2010-12-20T07:17:00.001-08:00

The official Grayhart holiday card featuring from l-r, Trixie,Joline, Savi and Jam.

Happy Holidays and wishing all our family and friends good health, joy and fortune in the New Year!

Holiday pose

2010-12-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

A sneak peak of our holiday card...

Champion Jam: the official win picture

2010-12-11T19:11:00.001-08:00

Jam, winning her second major to finish her championship at the Northeastern Maryland Kennel Club show under Judge Dr. Klaus Anselm. Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,JH,NA,NAJ,NSD,V, was beautifully handled by Steve Lane, owner/breeder of her sire, Parker, CH Hibourne's It's All About Me, for this exciting win.

1st Place NA & NAJ New Title Runs!

2010-12-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

Jam's 3rd qualifying leg at the Skyline Agility Club's trial on December 5th. Jam earned a 1st placement and finished her NA, Novice Agility Standard title. Jam finished her title easily with two 1st places and one 2nd place at all breed trials. We have work to do on the teeter and weaves as well as distractions but she shows terrific promise as a competitive agility dog and hope to bring her out again in the Spring. The location of the trial is where we train on a weekly basis and Jam typically is much speedier and runs with higher drive at outdoor trials.

Jam's 1st place Jumpers with Weaves run, (shown below) earning her 3rd qualifying leg to complete the NAJ or Novice Agility Jumpers title.

Jam LOVES people, especially kids and it was a real challenge keeping her focus during the run when she decided to go visit the young people on the ring crew. Fortunately, she has a huge stride and was able to make up the time to finish with only a few time faults.

New Agility Titles for Jam!

2010-12-05T15:21:00.001-08:00

Jam with her ribbons. There should be one more 1st place ribbon but the club ran out so that one will be mailed to us.

Jam had a terrific weekend at the Skyline Agility Club's Novice Only trial. She qualified 3 out of her 4 runs, all with top placements. On Saturday, she did well in her Novice Jumpers with Weaves (JWW) run but has a wrong course so didn't qualify but was 12 seconds under course time. Her Novice Standard run was super fast, almost 20 seconds under course time with just two little baubles, a wrong course and a table fault, which are allowed in novice and earned her 2nd place for her second Novice Standard leg.

Today was her winning day, finishing both her Novice Standard and Novice JWW titles with 1st places! This also qualifies Jam for her Weimaraner Club of America Versatility "V" certificate. All of Jam's novice agility legs were earned with placements. Her runs were fairly smooth except for her deciding to visit the ring crew for a quick hello which ate up precious time. She needs to get speedier on her teeter and weaves and we will spend the winter working on those skills to get ready for her Open debut at the Spring trials. Three of our four runs were videotaped and I'll be posting those in the next few days.

Jam is now....CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, JH,NA,NAJ,NSD,CGC,V

Warming up

2010-12-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

Jam, at the Skyline Agility Club's Novice Only trial, during our warm-up routine. We play a game, using her various commands, to get attention and attitude.

She has an almost perfect Jumpers run but I didn't call her soon enough and she went into the weaves for a wrong course, which is a disqualification. I was thrilled with her run thought, precise and very fast - 30 seconds, with was 12 seconds under the 42 second course time!

We will find out if we qualified in Standard when we go back today and hope to finish her Jumpers title and maybe get another standard leg.

The new champion happy to be home

2010-11-28T18:20:00.000-08:00

Look at those pearly whites - big smile!

A belly rub and her favorite antler chew...

Jam being silly and Savi waiting to steal the antler

New Champion Jam!

2010-11-26T19:37:00.001-08:00

We are pleased to announce our newest champion.....Jam is now...drum roll please...

CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, JH,NSD,CGC!!!

Jam won her second 3-point major today at the Northeastern Maryland Kennel Club show, handled by Daddy Parker's owner/breeder, Steve Lane, which was all she needed to finish her AKC show championship. It was a wonderful team effort to earn Jam's championship, me as breeder/owner, able to put seven singles on her and Steve with two singles and those very important two majors. We are very grateful to Steve and Bonnie Lane of Hibourne, for their handling, mentorship and friendship.

Also at the show, Parker, CH Hibourne's It's All About Me, went Best of Opposite and completed his Grand Championship title.

Jam is the 2nd out of our Parker x Trixie litter to earn a championship, is Trixie's 2nd and Parker's 3rd champion get.

Oldie but Goody - the Pyramid toy

2010-11-24T08:21:00.001-08:00

Jam, formally the purple girl, now with the Pyramid toy and below, at 23 days old...still a favorite!

Jam wins her first major and goes Best of Winners!

2010-11-14T05:23:00.000-08:00

At the Weimaraner Club of Washington, DC (WCWDC) Supported Entry at the Salisbury Maryland Kennel Club show, Jam went Winner's Bitch and Best of Winners for a 3-pt major under judge Howard Falberg!!!

I couldn't go to these shows and Jam went with her sire's family, Steve and Bonnie Lane of Hibourne Weimaraners, whom she adores and is always the perfect guest in their motor home. Friends reported that Jam showed beautifully for Steve. Daddy Parker, CH Hibournes's It's All About Me, was awarded Judges Select. No photos from the show to share but we'll be sure to post her official win picture if it turns out to be a keeper. So I posted one of my favorites of her from our vacation last summer on Cape Cod.

Jam only needs one major to finish her AKC Championship title.

A month of firsts and a celebration of versatility

2010-11-13T05:44:00.000-08:00

ver·sa·tile = JAM

adj
\ˈvər-sə-t^əl, especially British -ˌtī(-ə)l\

Definition of VERSATILE

1: changing or fluctuating readily : variable versatile disposition>

2: embracing a variety of subjects, fields, or skills; also : turning with ease from one thing to another

Savi & Jam with their qualifying hunt test ribbons at last week's DVGWP test

A month of firsts and a celebration of versatility...quite a mouthful. Well, that month was October and what an incredible month it was, especially for Jam with her breeder/owner/handler, along for the ride. Weimaraner owners and breeders value this thing called versatility but witnessing it is an amazing sight, especially when the dog does well in each venue.

Jam competed in FOUR different venues in October with the following results:

Earned her first Novice Standard (NA) agility leg with a 1st place!

Earned her first Novice Obedience CD (Companion Dog) leg

Earned her first Senior Hunter leg with scores of 9's in bird finding and trainability
...and in the show ring (conformation) with Steve Lane, won first place in the Open Bitch class at the GSWC Independent Specialty and her first Reserve Winners Bitch to a Specialty major
back to the agility ring, Jam earned her 2nd Novice Jumpers with Weaves (JWW) leg with a 2nd place...not too shabby!

Although Trixie already has her WCA Versatility title, she continues to work on the VX or Versatile Excellent title, and does it in style, finishing her Open Agility Standard title with a first place. And puppy Savi, is another shining star, earning three Junior Hunter legs within a month's time and we hope to finish that title this coming weekend. She will be the first in her litter to earn a JH title.

Of course, none of this happens in a bubble and I have been fortunate to have wonderful people to help guide me and train with as well as well bred dogs that as puppies had stable and confident temperaments, showed great potential and were biddable. I'm a firm believer that temperament is hereditary, however, once the pups go to their new homes, or the ones who stay and live with me, that environment then becomes the driving force and shapes who the dog grows up to be. It is a huge responsibility for the owner to bring out the dog's potential and lay the foundation of training to build a successful competition dog or great companion. Here is the secret...it requires a well trained dog, good handling and no excuses. Just do it!

Four-bird Jam: the story of our first Senior Hunter Leg

2010-11-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

Nothing in dog training, especially for competition is easy, and I guess, the more challenges we overcome successfully, the greater the sense of accomplishment. Last Spring, with the Weimaraner Club of America's National Specialty in Gettysburg, PA, along with a hunt test, my goal had been to prepare Jam to run in Senior if she was ready, at our National event. What better place to showcase your Weims hunting ability then amongst your peers and some of the best dogs in the country. My trainer felt that Jam, not even two years old, was doing extremely well in practice and we decided to enter her in a bunch of hunt tests since she was not only steady to shot, but holding until released and fine on Quail and Chukkar. In the actual tests, with the excitement of different bracemates and new grounds, Jam was in high drive and although we came close a few times, she just couldn't hold it together to pass - she would take out the bird either before the gunners set up or break before the shot...so no Q's...

We put Jam away and trained all summer and early fall with the plan not to enter her until we were confident she was ready. I entered her in the Delaware Valley German Wirehaired Pointer Hunt Test to be held in Weatherly, PA, Halloween weekend, on grounds that we really liked and a judging panel of fair and encouraging judges. The first day, Saturday, was disappointing as she pointed a bird within minutes of the breakaway and when I had difficulty flushing the bird, Jam broke her point and flushed the bird for me - she just couldn't take it and control herself. Thank you handler, please pick up your dog...done for the day before we even got started. After that day's event ended, we were fortunate to be able to work Jam and another dog together and steady them on birds and practicing backing. A good training session to remind Jam what was expected of her and I got some excellent pointers too.

Halloween morning was a beautiful, crisp fall day and the dogs were fresh and excited to run. The club had Jam and Savi as the first dogs to run in both Senior and Junior, an impossible feat to run two dogs at once. They asked me if I would mind running Jam first and as soon as she was done, immediately get Savi and run her; not a problem for me, hey, I'm used to running dogs in different agility rings back to back. We were in the first Senior brace and braced with a nice, young male German Shorthair Pointer. My goal was to keep Jam out of trouble in the back course and make it to the bird field. With three weekends in a row of hunt tests on these grounds, the place was teaming with coveys of quail, that had knocked out even the most seasoned Master dogs. Remembering to warm Jam up and put her in "work mode," I heeled her to the start line and made her "whoa" before the breakaway. We let the dogs go and they were off, two amazing fast dogs, tearing through down the path and through the brush. Both of them immediately got to business and started looking for birds. I was relieved to get past the point where just the day before, had been knocked out. Well things quickly got busy as we entered the next field, both the GSP and Jam found separate birds, some they had to perform a stop to flush and others, they pointed.

I shot my blank gun on Jam's stop to flush and called her away to prevent a delayed chase. Then bam, she was on point and there was a bird walking under a tree, I looked to see where it was going to try and flush it and there was a covey of about five birds all gathering on the road we were headed for. I couldn't flush the bird in the heavy cover, so the judge told me to shoot my blank gun and then heel her away and we would detour around the covey. Phew...we were halfway to the birdfield. We entered a more open field and Jam was quartering the area and I just kept her in sight and worked her towards the bird field. We were ahead of the GSP and when he went on point, the judges called us around to bring Jam in for a back. She acknowledged the other dog and I collared her. The bird was in thick cover and couldn't be flushed so they shot the blank and sent both dogs on. We were almost out of the back course when I saw the GSP run down the treeline. I immediately called Jam around to me so she would not follow him and to give her some water, as I knew from the earlier Master braces that there was trouble in that area. Seconds later, it was like an Alfred Hitchcock movie, the GSP bumped up about twenty quail and the sky darkened for an instant as they flew overhead. The GSP chased the birds, instead of stopping to point, and our bracemate was done for the day.

Luckily, we had gotten the honor out of the way, so now all Jam had to do was find a chukkar, hold steady to shot and complete the retrieve to pass. Jam entered the birdfield with excitement as she saw the gunners and knew what that meant. Within a minute, she went on point and I whoa'd her while I looked for the bird. In the tall grass, I just couldn't locate the bird and Jam was doing great, holding steady. I always trust her and knew the bird was there but couldn't find it. The judges asked me if I wanted to relocate her or send her on. I decided to send her on, thinking that if I relocated her, she'd take out the bird. I sent her on but she immediately came around and went on an intense point. I followed her gaze and saw the bird. I set up my gunners and flushed the chukkar. Up it went and made a u-turn and flew towards the clubhouse and the judges said "NO shot!" I then shot my blank gun while Jam held steady and sent her on to find another bird.

Jam pointing Bird #1

Bird number one gone. Jam ran about twenty yards and went on point. Then before we could get there, bird number two, wild flushed and flew away. I shot my blank gun and sent Jam on. There was a slight wind and I brought her around to the middle of the field into the wind. She had no problem finding bird number three. Beautiful, stylish point. I set up the gunners for the second time and flushed the bird. Bam, Bam, both gunners missed! Jam left at the shot, which is allowed in Senior but would not retrieve the live bird that had flown into the thick cover of pricker bushes. Well, the judges and gunners had a little conference. By now, there was a sea of orange, about 20-30 people watching us from the clubhouse. The judges asked one of the gunners to plant another bird for Jam. The bird was planted and we were good to go. I sent Jam on and she easily found the bird and went on point. I set up the gunners and nudged the bird with my foot. It didn't make a move to fly so I quickly took my hat off and threw it at the bird and it flew. Bam, bam, and you won't believe it but the gunners missed again! Jam had broke at the shot and marked the bird as it flew about fifty yards away into the woods. Jam went into the woods and we lost sight of her. I anxiously waited for her to reappear and then saw a grey flash emerge. I heard someone say she had the bird! I called her to me and she came almost to me, and started to drop the bird. I encouraged her to hold it and started towards me again. I took a giant step towards her and grabbed the live bird. The judge, chuckling, thanked her for recycling their bird. What a good girl! I was told that we were done and I could leash my dog. I was ecstatic and told Jam how proud I was of her as we left the birdfield.

I still didn't know if we had passed but whatever it was, she was just amazing. I ran up the hill and with no time to spare, had to put Jam in her crate and grab Savi for her Junior run. Everyone was waiting for us to finish Senior so they could start the Junior braces. Our bracemate lent me blanks as I didn't even have time at the car to reload my blank pistol, especially since I had used up most of the shots in Senior. Savi had an exciting run, way too many birds on the Junior course but she did manage to get in a solid point and passed for JH leg #3. Back to the club house to see Jam's score and hurray, not only was there a shiny orange qualifying ribbon for us, but the score sheet with wonderful scores for Jam of 9's in bird finding and trainability.

We were getting ready to take pictures and the judges approached me and asked if I wanted to run Jam as the bye dog in the last Senior brace, I was honored and agreed. We used it as a training session and it was a great opportunity for our friend, Tom Davis, who owns two GraytSky dogs, including Trixie's littermate, Ellie, to get close and take pictures. He got some terrific shots that I've included.

Jam on point in the back course

On another intense point

Look closely and you can see Jam pointing the quail walking down the road. There were two and one has made a left turn and was directly in front of her, the other on the road!

Friends congratulated us and nicknamed her four-bird Jam...an experience I will never forget.

We did it! Jam's 1st Senior Hunter leg!!!

2010-11-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

We finally did it - Jam earned her 1st Senior Hunter leg!!! We attended the Delaware Valley German Wirehaired Pointer AKC Hunt Test weekend held at the beautiful Freeland Kennel Club in Weatherly, PA.

On Sunday, Jam had terrific scores of 9's in trainablility and bird finding. Qualifying for a Senior Hunter leg is not easy and we had a particularly challenging run. After making it through the back course with numerous coveys of Quail, once in the bird field, Jam had to stand thru FOUR chukkars being flushed - gunners missed 2, one self released and the other flew towards the club house so couldn't be shot. We really worked for this leg and I am mighty proud of my girl. Jam isn't even 2 1/2 years old and is considered young to be competing at this high a level of the hunt test program.

We were lucky to have our friend, Tom Davis, who owns Trixie's littermate, Ellie, hang out with us at the test and generously took pictures of my girls....you know us, we always have our personal pup-a-razzi along. I'll post all of those pictures with a full report of the runs later this week.

Jam in the bird field, holding an intense point, while I go to flush the Chukkar

Jam 2nd place Novice JWW

2010-10-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Jam showed she wasn't just another pretty face, she earned her second Novice Jumpers with Weaves (JWW) leg going 2nd place in her class with a clean run at the Skyline Agility Club's Trial in Yorktown Heights, NY. This is her second JWW leg, receiving a 1st place at the BCDC trial for her first leg and now she only needs one more qualifying leg to earn her title. Although she didn't qualify in her Novice Standard run, she was super fast running the course 20 seconds under course time. Glad I invested in those North Face trail runners!

Jam with her 2nd place ribbon

2010-10-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

From the Garden State Weimaraner Club Independent Specialty show on October 10th, here is the "official" professional picture of our beautiful girl, Jam, Grayhart's Purple Haze. Jam won a large Open bitch class and then was awarded Reserve Winner's Bitch to the major. Steve Lane of Hibourne Weimaraners and owner/breeder of her sire, Parker, CH Hibourne's It's All About Me, did a terrific job of handling her. Steve also showed Parker and was chosen as the Judges Select and given an Award of Merit.

So far, so good...

2010-10-21T20:04:00.000-07:00

Jam had an excellent day training, she did everything required to pass Senior Hunter and did it well. She had two terrific backs from a great distance, held steady to shot and retrieved the bird.

I forgot my regular camera but managed to take a few quick shots with my phone. They don't capture her intensity and it didn't help that my timing was off.

Ahead of Jam about 15 feet, is the Chukkar, with it's head up looking at her and Jam had to wait for the other handler to bring her dog around for a back. I hope the consistency and improvement in her performance bodes well for her at this weekend's Shooting dog WCA Ratings test and then at the AKC hunt test the following weekend.

Obedient girls

2010-10-17T12:42:00.000-07:00

Savi and Jam at obedience class last week at Kathy Santo's Dog Training...practicing go to place, basically a send to the bed from a distance, and stays...my girls decided to share a bed, even if it was one of the smallest in the room.

Jam's 1st Novice Obedience Leg

2010-10-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

Jam with her qualifying rosette

With all the excitement last weekend, I didn't get a chance to update Jam's blog with her latest accomplishment. It was a super Saturday from coast to coast: In New York, with Jam, Grayhart's Purple Haze,JH,NSD, (Parker x Trixie) earning her first Novice Obedience leg with a very respectable score of 189 out of 200! In California, her half brother, Bravo, (Clay x Trixie), went Winner's Dog, Best of Winner's and Best of Opposite from the 6-9 month class, over a special to earn his first two points.

Over the next month or so, we will be busy showing in agility and hunt tests, then conformation shows, before we have time to get back into the obedience ring to try and finish Jam's Companion Dog (CD) title. So much to do, never enough time!

"A Legal Mind" & our Weims!

2010-10-16T05:10:00.000-07:00


Gina Torres, Victor Garber, Jam & Trixie, on location

Trixie and daughter, Jam, put their acting hats on as they were hired to be in the pilot for a new show for USA Network called A Legal Mind. They played the dogs owned by wealthy attorneys and got to frolick in the backyard for two of the scenes that featured two well known actors, both of whom I adored on Alias, Victor Garber and Gina Torres.

Victor Garber


Gina Torres

Waiting between takes

The breakfast scene, where Trixie decided to improvise and grab a cameo appearance by trying to steal a taste of the delectable food placed on the service cart.

Running ahead of their TV owners...it was important that the dogs ran from point A to point B at a specific time for the camera to frame the shot.

Some down time between takes, the girls were terrific and hit their marks on cue! The cast and crew loved them and we hope that the series will be picked up and the girls have a shot at a recurring role on the show.

At first glance, you may think that not much was involved for the girls to do this...that's how it should look, easy. There is a lot training involved and the girls must stay off lead in a specific area with only hand signals as you cannot use voice commands during filming. We needed to keep the girls moving and with lots of attitude with many distractions, including crew, equipment, squirrels and food. Also, it is a long day, and important to make sure the dogs do not get stressed, overly excited and keep them safe. We waited hours for the first scene and then had a two minute call to set. All in a days work for my talented girls!

Reserve Winner's Bitch @ GSWC Specialty

2010-10-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

Jam showed like a pro today at the GSWC Independent Specialty Show winning the Open class and going Reserve Winner's Bitch to the major. Steve did a great job showing her...now to find more shows in the hunt for those elusive major wins.

Stunning stack

Hello, like where's my treat???

Rockin Retrieve

2010-10-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

Jam hit it out of the park today, pointing and staying steady on walking birds, holding steady to shot and then performed two terrific retrieves including her first blind retrieve. We were patient and let her figure it out and she did, going into the thick sorghum patch, finding the bird and then making her way out and delivering the bird to me. She's definitely ready to start competing in Senior Hunter with these kind of performances.

This is where she came out of the sorghum on the dirt road...50 yards away!

Here she comes at a nice brisk pace.

1st place Novice Standard!!!

2010-10-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

Good girl Jam...it was very windy.

At today's BCDC Agility trial, Jam had a perfect Novice Standard run qualifying with a score of 100 and earning 1st place for her first Novice Standard agility leg. She was the only 24 inch dog to qualify. The course time was 73 seconds and Jam flew over the jumps and across the contacts in 56.95 seconds, 16 seconds under course time!

Jam patiently posing for her win pictures!

Her Novice Jumpers run was terrific, even staying through a two jump lead out, except she had one wrong course, which isn't allowed in jumpers so no qualifying score there.

Trixie had two very respectable runs but no Q's. She dropped a bar in her Open Standard run, which was otherwise flawless and 20 seconds under time. We were haunted again by the weave poles in her Open JWW run, and she needed an extra try to complete them, giving her two refusals where you are only allowed one. All in all, we had a great weekend, with the girls showing everyone what awesome agility dogs Weimaraners can be and what great ambassadors Jam, Trixie and Savi, who came along for the ride, are for our breed.

The weekend had more exciting news when we found out that Jam's sire, Parker, CH Hibourne's It's All About Me, received a Sporting Group 3, at the show on Long Island, with owner/handler/breeder, Steve Lane showing him. Congratulations to Steve and Bonnie Lane of Hibourne!

Jam in Vogue

2010-09-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

Jam appeared in this March 2010 fashion editorial spread for Vogue magazine.

"Urban Minimalism today is a simple composition of sharp angles and flat planes - with a few interesting new wrinkles (even ruffles) worked in. Photographed by Steven Klein." Vogue, p.411, March 2010.

Jam may be considered a suburban dog but fit right into this high-end fashion shoot where the model's designer bodysuit retails for $1,845. Good thing she was on her best behavior and didn't jump up and put paw prints on the clothes.

Agility Class: Working on Advance Skills and Fixing things!

2010-09-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

Jam is in an Intermediate level agility class. In today's class, we ran an Excellent level course that the instructor reconstructed from last weekend's agility trial. Although Jam and the other dogs in the class compete at the novice level, we always train up and improve by being challenged. Check out the opening jump sequence with an immediate front cross and tunnel/Aframe discrimination.with a tricky weave pole entrance. At the far end of the room is a threadle or serpentine sequence that we ran twice in the course, going over 3 jumps the first pass and all 4 the second time. Jam ran the course well but is still having teeter issues that we're working on. Most importantly, we both have fun playing this game called agility!