J-S Pups Day 16: Momma Monday

 Jam, enjoying the beautiful day, watching her Momma Trixie on the deck above.  Jam is looking great considering she is 2 weeks post-whelp, getting her model figure back.

 Faces of Trixie, our foundation bitch and grandma to this litter.

 Puppy Love!

 While the six girls get all their nourishment from the milk bar, we have been bottle feeding Chase, as he has a hard time nursing so we supplement him with puppy formula.

 And after a good meal, everyone takes a nap!

Family Portrait

With Memphis visiting, I thought it would be fun to take a quick family portrait and despite the heat, the  dogs put up with sitting for a few minutes while I took a few shots and then were rewarded with treats.

From left to right: littermates from our Clay x Trixie breeding, "Memphis", Grayhart's Million Dollar Listing, "Savi", CH Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC,V, "Jam" (Parker x Trixie), CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,CD,JH,OA,OAJ,SD,VX, and Momma "Trixie", CH GraytSky's I'm Not Really A Waitress,CD,RN,OA,OAJ,V,BROM.

A Different Kind of Double Q!

Yesterday was an exciting one for us as both Trixie and her daughter, Jam, qualified and earned their 2nd Exc A Standard legs at the Schooley's Mountain Kennel Club Agility Trial.  Momma Trixie even earned a 3rd place!  Thanks to our pupparazzi, Kellyann for taking videos of our runs.

Here is Trixie's run:

And here is Jam's run:

I was quite out of breath after running both girls, with only a few minutes in between.  I'll have to get in better shape to keep up with them!  They are so much fun to run and look forward to our next trial in July!

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!

Our Girls

              A bevy of beauties...our champions...l-r: Savi, Jam & Momma Trixie!

Let the sun shine

A picture perfect almost-Spring day for sunning on the deck. L-r: Trixie, Savi, Jam

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!

Where does the time go?

Jam, our official new puppy picture

It was only four years ago that we embarked on an amazing journey as a breeder.  Jam, who was our keeper from that litter, will continue the legacy of Grayhart Weimaraners and begin her career as a mother.  The long awaited breeding date is upon us and we are filled with excitement, trepidation and nervousness.  We have such high hopes for this litter but any breeder knows that there are no guarantees and nature will take it's course no matter what our plans may be.  Who would have thought that our Miss Purple would accomplish so much before her fourth birthday and have such an impact on our lives and those she's touched.

Trixie and her pup Jam

 We will blog more about our upcoming litter, the process of this particular breeding, with advanced fertility treatments and the challenge of interviewing prospective homes.

Jam at 11 weeks, supermodel in the making!

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!

***

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.

Happy Holidays from Grayhart!

Photo and Design by Sara Renee

Back to the Backyard!

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

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

Summer fun continues

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!

 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!

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

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.