Jam showing at Westminster!!!

Jam's fabulous crate poster for the benching area designed by our talented friend, Sara Renee Beaver

Jam will be rockin' the Piers!  This year, the Westminster Kennel Club Show will be holding the breed judging at the Piers in New York City.  Breed winners will travel cross-town to Madison Square Garden for the Groups on Monday and Tuesday evening.  We are beyond excited to be part of this prestigious show and look forward to meeting tons of people and hanging out with some of the top dogs in the country.  Jam will be showing on Tuesday at 12:45 pm.  Live streaming of the judging will be on the Westminster Kennel Club website and you can download the Westminster Dog Show app.

Jam will be handled by one of her favorite people, Steve Lane, owner/breeder of Jam's sire, BISS GCH HiBourne's It's All About Me, BROM.  She will be accompanied by her entourage  some of whom traveled all the way from Kansas for the big event.

Best of luck to all the dogs and handlers showing at Westminster!

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!

Jam's Best of Breed Delaware Water Gap KC Show

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.

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

 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.

Handle this

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!

Jam gets her WCA Versatile Excellent Title!!!

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

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.

2011 WCA National Specialty

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.