Daddy Parker: OH Group 1!

Beautiful photo of Parker, BISS GCH HiBourne's It's All About Me, BROM,  with owner/breeder/handler, Steve Lane, winning a Sporting Group 1 in the Owner-Handler Series at the Long Island Kennel Club Show on May 20, 2012.

We adore Parker, who is the sire of our first litter, and has grown into a handsome boy and fabulous producer.  We have plans to breed Savi, CH Grayhart's Shear Genius, JH,NSD,NRD,CGC,V, to him in late 2012.

Happy 4th Birthday to our Rockstars!

The Hendrix litter at 36 days old

Happy 4th Birthday to our first litter - our Jimi Hendrix song theme litter (Parker, GCH HiBourne's It's All About Me, BROM x Trixie, CH GraytSky's I'm Not Really A Waitress, CD,RN,OA, OAJ,V, BROM) that produced six amazing rock stars and forged wonderful friendships!

• " Jam," CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,CD,JH,OA,OAJ ,SD, VX, Delta Therapy Dog, 
• "Marshall", CH Grayhart's In From the Storm, 
• "Sky", CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain,RN,JH, TD, NA,NAJ,NSD, NRD,   CGC,VX, 
• "Monty", Grayhart's Stone Free,JH,CGC, 
• "Ranger", Grayhart's Midnight Lightening (specialty major pointed)
• "Mia", Grayhart's American Woman (showgirl in training)

May the good times continue!

Mother's Day Gifts!

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Trixie with her 1st place and new title ribbons!

Happy Mother's Day!

We spent Mother's Day at the Nutmeg Portuguese Water Dog Club (PCNUT) Agility trial held at FDR Park in Yorktown Heights, NY.  It was a hot day in the 80's but that didn't deter agility enthusiasts from all over the tri-state area and it was terrific to see many friends and their talented dogs.

We had a successful day and I'm proud to announce that Trixie, CH GraytSky's I'm Not Really A Waitress,CD,RN,OA,OAJ,V BROM, completed her Open Agility Jumpers With Weaves (OAJ) title with a 1st place!!!

Trixie's daughter, Jam, also had a terrific day and in her Excellent A Jumpers with Weaves run qualified with a 2nd place to earn her 2nd Exc A JWW leg.  One more and she'll earn her AKC Agility Excellent Jumpers (AXJ) title.

Sky

And one of Trixie's other daughters and Jam's littermate, Sky, CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain,RN,JH,TD,OA,OAJ,VX, also had a fun agility weekend in South Carolina.  Sky made her debut in Open Agility Standard and JWW.  Although she didn't qualify, she made owner/handler Debbie proud by running well, with focus and drive, and received many compliment.  As we all know, agility is a learning process and there are always new skills to teach our dogs as we move up in levels as well as to continue to reinforce obstacles and handler skills.

In the conformation ring, Ranger, Grayhart's Midnight Lightening, Jam & Sky's littermate, competed in a conformation match on Long Island and handled by owner Veronika, earned a Group 3!  Congratulations to Veronika and Ranger!

February Field Training

Savi

 We enjoyed President's Day doing one of our favorite activities, field training with Jam and Savi.  Kellyann was also off from work and took these great shots of our girls. We could not have been more pleased with how well Savi worked, as she has not been in the field since December.  If she continues as this pace, she will be ready for Senior Hunter this Spring or by fall.

 Savi on point.  The weather was perfect with good wind and Savi pointed the birds from quite a distance. She held until released for the retrieve!

 Awesome retrieve from Savi!

 Savi standing pretty!

Jam, who is still recovering from her procedure last week, was so happy that we let her out to retrieve a Chukkar!

Happy New Year! Our 2011 Grayhart Year in Review

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.

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

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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.

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

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.

New Champion Jam!

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.

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.

Go hup!

Waiting intently at the start line...

Jam in Novice B 24 inch class at the WCA Nationals

Perfect point!

Even on this super hot July day with sub-optimal scenting conditions, Jam found the quail and held this intense point and was steady through the blank shot and until I released her and heeled her away. She also had two nice backs (honored the other dog on point). Good girl!

Talk to me

Candid by Sara of Jam talking to me...impatiently waiting for her turn to play in the agility ring at the WCA Nationals in Gettysburg...the pouring rain didn't faze Jam nor Trixie!

Two for Two - another win!

For the second day in a row, Jam went Winner's Bitch and Best of Opposite for another point at the Shawangunk Kennel Club show.

So proud of my girl and how well she's showing.

We have a few weeks off from the conformation ring and then down to shows in Maryland where we hope to win a major...of course, Jam won't be sitting on the couch eating bonbons and watching I Love Lucy reruns...she'll be training in the field, attending an agility seminar and her weekly obedience class.

Jam WB/BOS Walkill KC Show

Another point towards Jam's championship!

Jam, (Trixie-Parker), went Winner's Bitch/Best of Opposite at today's Walkill Kennel Club show under judge Terry DePietro.

It was a sweltering 90 degree day, but we did our best to keep the dogs cool and Jam still showed well in the heat.

Back tomorrow with Jam and Trudy and hope that one of them wins the point.

Fashionista

Jam, with her supermodel friend, on location at Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village for a photo shoot for a Canadian retailer.

Posing by the famous fountain and landmark arch in the background.

Best Adult in Match Show for Jam!

Jam won Best Adult in Match Show today at the Ramapo Kennel Club's AKC Sanctioned All Breed Conformation “B” Match. Thanks to judge Ms. Phyllis Rosinksy for this honor.

It was a 3H kind of day, hazy, hot and humid with temps in the 90's, but Jam kept her cool and showed her little toes off. We were both pretty tired and had enough of the extreme weather by the time we took this picture but I'm sure glad we stuck it out and stayed for the whole match show. Jam sure doesn't let the heat wilt her showing ability for even as a young pup, at only 15 weeks of age, under similar weather conditions, went Best Puppy in Match. Hopefully there will be more "bests" in Jam's future!

GSWC Spring Specialty

The annual Garden State Weimaraner Club Spring Specialty held in conjunction with Plainfield Kennel Club took place last Sunday in Freehold, NJ. It was a very hot and humid day and we did our best to keep the dogs cool and happy. Waiting to go into the ring, Jam looks cool as a cucumber under the shade of the tent with her cool cloth on.

Down and back...

The lineup for the Open Bitch class.

Good going - Jam wins the Open class!

The lineup for Winner's Bitch...we didn't win that day but I am very proud of how Jam showed and the great attitude she presented in the ring. This is the second Specialty this month where Jam has won a competitive Open bitch class...it's just a matter of time until it's her turn to win that major.

The GSWC did a fine job of organizing the show, had lovely trophy items and a delicious luncheon for the exhibitors and their guests. We enjoyed spending time with all our Weim friends as well as visiting with friends with other breeds and shopping at all the terrific vendor booths. Thanks to my friend, KellyAnn, for taking these show shots.

Happy 2nd Birthday Jam!

Jam at 11 weeks

Who knew then that the little purple collared girl that was our keeper from the Trixie-Parker litter, would grow up to be such a multi-talented, versatile Weim, with a temperament that we just adore. She even won a birthday point today, going Winners Bitch and Best of Winners!

Nationals: Novice Obedience at the WCWDC trial

Jam's Novice Std debut at the WCA Nationals

Jam surprised us all with her boundless enthusiasm and drive during her agility runs. Being surrounded by Weims definitely added to her excitement but she did a terrific job considering this is her debut week of trialing. She was close to qualifying on this day but we had a failure which DQ'd us. Her attitude and speed, and being on the verge of control was a joy to watch. We were proud that she qualified the next day with a 3rd place in Jumpers with Weaves.

Jam's Adventure at the WCA Nationals

Jam with just some of her ribbons and trophies!

I couldn't be prouder of my Jam, who showed off her versatility and competed in almost every venue offered at this year's WCA National Specialty week in Gettysburg, PA. Not even two years old, Jam began the week running in Senior Hunter at the WCA Hunt Test in York, PA. Under tough conditions with swirling winds and walking birds, Jam had a stunning point on the first bird she found in the backcourse. She held this point while I literally chased the Chukkar around a bush to get it to fly and shot my blank gun. I heeled Jam away and off she ran up the hill to immediately go on point about 40 yards away. I could tell from her point that the bird was probably walking and knew that she wouldn't hold. Off she went to chase the bird...thank you handler, please pick up your dog. But wait, it wasn't over. Even though Jam was out of the running for a leg, the judges were impressed with her steady point and trainability that we were asked to meet them to work in the bird field so that a previous Senior dog could attempt a back. We used this opportunity as a training session and Jam held to the shot and did a nice retrieve, a performance that would have passed in Senior. The gunners were extremely complimentary of my young, beautiful birdy bitch!


Then off we drove to Gettysburg to the host hotel to meet Debbie and Sky. We spent a lovely Sunday touring the battlefield and BBQing at the motorhome of friends. Monday and Tuesday were the WCA Agility trials and I have never seen such drive shown by Jam. She was definitely turned on by all the other Weims and I was along for the ride. Considering this was her first week of trialing and the weather conditions of cold rain were suboptimal, she was awesome, would have qualified on day one but missed the dog walk contact. Tuesday was another story and she qualified in Nov JWW with a 3rd place. This was in between running back and forth to the show ring. She literally finished her JWW run and up to the ring for the WCWDC Specialty where I handed her off to Steve Lane, her sire Parker's owner/breeder, and she placed 4th in a very competitive Open Bitch class. We attended the Breeder's Education seminar where Part One of their Whelp Help program was presented and then Dr. Noa Safra spoke about the updated on the HOD study as well as the discovery of the HUU gene in Weimaraners and the available test for it. The presentations were excellent but it was disappointing to see that the attendance for such important topics was not much greater with less than fifty people attending.

Wednesday, our busy schedule continued with Jam entered in Novice Obedience and the WCWDC Sweeps. I was reluctant to run Jam in obedience as I admit this is the one area where we have not focused our training on, surprised me with a passable individual run. She was close to qualifying but went down on her group sit, a no no in obedience. Then back up to the breed ring and received a 4th place in the 18-24 mo bitch Sweeps class.

Thursday, was the WCA Futurity and Maturity and due to the ring conflicts, I opted not to run Jam in obedience. I needed to see my pups in their Futurity and Maturity's and then showed Jam myself in her Maturity. Alongside Steve with Jam's half sister Katie, CH HiBourne's Foolish Pleasure, we both made the first cut but were then dismissed from the ring. Our other dogs did great and you can see their results on Trixie's blog page. Thursday night we attended the WCA membership meeting then were off to the banquet where we celebrated our successes over champagne for all the Grayhart dogs attending the Nationals and I introduced our Legislative Speaker from the AKC, Phil Guidry.

The National Specialty ended on Friday, and the bitches were judged in the morning. Jam showed well, getting better each time in the ring and got 3rd place in the large Open bitch class.

The week flew by so quickly and it seemed that we did not get to do everything we had hoped although accomplished much and met many friends. I took four dogs with me, Trixie, Jam, Trudy and Savi, and of course, caring for them is quite time consuming on top of all the competition and socializing. We had a wonderful time and look forward to next year's Nationals!