Happy 2019!

So much has happened over the past year and we have a lot to catch up on.

Only two weeks ago, our recent litter of champion bred, health tested parents, Justin, GCH HiBourne's Just Me and CeCe, GCH Grayhart's Almost Famous, CD, RN, CGCA, NRD, went to their forever homes. My heart and soul goes into raising every litter and my goal is to produce health puppies with stable and sound temperaments. These pups are raised the Avidog way and get as much socialization and new experiences as possible before going to their new homes.Some of these pups will grow to be show dogs, hunting dogs, performance (obedience and agility dogs) and all will and are much loved pets.

Exciting litter news! CeCe and Cash are expecting!

Our fabulous and talented CeCe, owned by Chris and KellyAnn Kwiatek and me, has been confirmed pregnant via ultrasound and is due around June 6, 2017. Cash is a Best in Maturity winner and was also has multiple group placements. This is a line breeding that contains some of the Top Producers in the Weimaraner breed. All health clearances have been completed with passing grades for both CeCe and Cash.

I have had the pleasure of spending  time with Cash, at both dog shows, agility trials and at his home, as well as know his mother, father and littermates, all with wonderful temperaments. Cash is friendly, sweet, has terrific drive and is biddable and smart. He competes in multiple performance venues. Cash has a gorgeous, balanced and typey build and we are hopeful that with CeCe, will produce beautiful puppies with good health and amazing temperaments.

Puppies will be whelped and raised by me following the Avidog program.

New CGCA titles for Jam, Savi and CeCe! Plus other big show news

Me with Savi and Jam who were melting from the heat.

It's been awhile since we've updated the blog and have so much news to share but that will come in time.  Last weekend, the Grayhart crew was in Bridgewater, NJ for a 4-day show circuit.  Sunday was the prestigious Westchester Kennel Club show with all-breed judging and announcing by the famous David Frei. One of the wonderful things they offered was free CGC (Canine Good Citizen) and CGCA (Canine Good Citizen Advanced) testing.  

We were so proud of our three Grayhart girls, my girls, Jam, Savi and her daughter CeCe (owned by KellyAnn and Chris Kwiatek and co-owned by me), who passed this real-life AKC Community Canine test with flying colors! The test was conducted under the busy show tent with lots of dogs, people and distractions and the dogs have to work without treats or toys.  Now we can add the CGCA title after their names!  We did have a group photo taken and cannot wait to see how that turns out.  

KellyAnn and the beautiful CeCe

Jam is GCH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD, JH, AX, AXJ, SD, VX, CGCA

Savi is CH Grayhart's Shear Genius, CD, SH, OA, OAJ, NSD, NRD, VX, CGCA

CeCe is CH Grayhart's Almost Famous, BN, RN, RL-1, CGCA

From the AKC website, here is information about the CGCA test:

To earn the CGCA title, the dog must:

1. be registered or listed with AKC (AKC number, PAL, or AKC Canine Partners number) and,
2. already have a Canine Good Citizen award/title on record.

Dogs must pass all 10 items of the test to receive the CGCA title.

1. Dog stands, sits or lies down and waits under control while the owner:
   • sits at the registration table and fills out paperwork, or,
   • if the test is done in the community, dog waits while the owner sits and has a snack or visits with another person (e.g., at a park)
2. Walks on a loose leash in a natural situation (not in a ring) -- does not pull.
   • left turn
   • right turn
   • stop
   • fast and slow pace
3. Walks on loose leash through a crowd:
   • at a show or in class, this item is tested in a real crowd, not in a ring
   • in the community, dog walks on sidewalk, through a crowd at a community fair, park, on a trail, through a busy hallway, etc.
4. Dog walks past distraction dogs present; does not pull.
   This item may be tested along with #3 if there are dogs in the crowd, etc.
   • at a show or class, dog walks by dogs waiting in the crowd--dogs 2 ft. apart
   • in the community, dog walks by other dogs on a trail, sidewalk, in a hallway, etc.
5. Sit -- stay in small group (3 other people with dogs).
   Owners and dogs are in an informal circle/square while owners have a conversation.
   Dogs are all on the owner's left side, on leash; 3 ft. apart. (At least 30 seconds)
6. Dog allows person who is carrying something (backpack, computer bag, etc.) to approach and pet it.
   "May I pet your dog?" (Item is placed on floor/ground before the person pets the dog)
7. "Leave it." Dog walks by food and follows owner instructions, "Leave it."
   This can be food placed by the evaluator on the floor or ground in a food dish with a wire cover as in Rally.
8. Down or sit stay -- distance (owner's choice).
   Dog is on 20--ft line, owner walks away with back to dog, picks up an item (e.g., backpack, training bag, clipboard, folder etc.) placed on the floor/chair/ground by the evaluator and returns to the dog.
9. Recall with distractions present (coming when called). Handler goes out 20--ft. **(off center) and calls dog.
   Dog is on the 20--ft. line from #8 above.
   
10. Dog will sit or stand stay (owner's choice) while owner enters/exits a doorway or narrow passageway. Owner calls dog through door when ready.
    Owner may also choose to:
    1. send the dog through first and have the dog wait for the owner, or
    2. the owner may choose to have the dog go through the doorway at the owner's side.
    Whichever method is used, the dog must not pull the owner and must be under good control. Think of the handler having the leash in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
    Doorway or gate can be real or simulated with ring gates, two chairs, or a natural passageway (e.g., entrance to trail) in the community.

Presley earns her Junior Hunter title and CeCe get her 1st JH leg!

Presley, with Qualifying Ribbon #4 for her JH title!

 We are thrilled to announce that Presley has earned her AKC Junior Hunter (JH) title and is now, Grayhart's Another Star, JH.  Presley completed her JH, handled by her breeder/co-owner,  by qualifying in four straight tests with terrific scores and at only one year of age!

Presley earned her first two legs at the Nutmeg Weimaraner Club Hunt Test in Simsbury, CT at the beginning of November under very difficult conditions.  The first day brought torrential rain but that did not deter Presley as she made her hunt test debut in style by finding and retrieving four birds to hand!

Extreme conditions call for the right attire & it worked for Presley's 1st JH leg

The next day, the weather was cold with swirling winds, which can be very challenging especially for novice dogs.  Presley hunted well and found her first bird, although did not point it and after the bird flushed, searched in thick cover and retrieved the bird to hand.  There is a rule that the dog must point 50% of the birds they encounter so we needed to find another bird and have a solid point.  She did not disappoint and with only minutes left, she made game, then a solid point before she went in on the bird.  She also caught that bird and retrieved it back. Chasing and busting the bird is allowed in the Junior level but not in Senior and Master so we will have to work on her training. Two tests, two qualifications on her debut weekend.

CeCe and Presley

I also ran CeCe, Grayhart's Almost Famous, co-owned with KellyAnn, in the Sunday test and this birdy girl qualified for her 1st Junior Hunter leg.  Tough conditions with few qualifiers but our girls made us proud by bringing home those orange ribbons. Guess we could call it a double Q!

After the test was over on Saturday, we took Savi, and her daughter, CeCe, out for a run and some training on the leftover birds in the fields.  What a beautiful sight to see CeCe back her momma!  Savi has her Senior Hunter and hunting is her favorite thing in the world.

CeCe honoring her mother, Savi

Savi on point

Presley with JH ribbon #2

The weekend after Thanksgiving brought the final hunt test of the season in the Northeast with the Nutmeg German Shorthaired Pointer Club Hunt Test at Flaherty Field Trial Grounds in CT.  Things did not look promising as we had a major snowstorm on Thanksgiving eve and the ground was covered with snow and ice.  Arriving at the test, those coming off the Junior course reported poor scenting conditions and the birds, Quail, were not staying planted.  Challenging conditions to say the least.  Plus it was cold!  

We met Presley's bracemate, a handsome, 22 month old male GSP, who turned out to be a hunting machine.  They took off from the start and after playing a few minutes started to hunt.  The GSP found a bird right away and hearing the shot of the blank gun, Presley upped her game and was trying really hard tracking and hunting to find a bird.  She found a quail under a log and pointed before flushing the bird.  She did not catch it.  She continued to hunt until the judges told us time was up and leash the dogs.  Presley qualified for JH leg #3.

On Sunday, we returned to Flaherty and fortunately, warmer weather.  Presley immediately knew why we were there and once we entered the bird field, boom, went on a gorgeous point.  The bird flushed and flew away.  Presley continued to hunt and the judge complimented her on how methodically she hunted.  We then saw her make game, showing the signs she was on a bird and boom, another beautiful, staunch point and to my surprise, she was pointing a walking bird!  Presley was easily 20 yards away so I couldn't get to her in time before she broke her point to flush the bird.  Very impressive for an untrained dog to point a walking bird and hold for a good 10 seconds!  It was exciting to see her perform so well and this was reflected in her scores of 9, 10, 10, 9,

Presley will now begin training for Senior Hunter and will return to the show ring in 2015. Her owners, Bob, Meridith and I are thrilled with how well she is doing and just adore this girl.

Major Win & New Rally Title for CeCe!!!!

It has been an exciting two weeks for CeCe, Grayhart's Almost Famous, CGC.  First, CeCe went with owner, KellyAnn to shows up in Springfield, MA, where Bonnie Lane, owner/breeder of Parker, (CeCe's dad and sire of our Fast Times Litter), piloted CeCe to Winners Bitch for her first major win in the show ring!!!  This gave CeCe a 3-point major and with her six single points, she is over halfway to her AKC show championship.

Then this past Sunday, KellyAnn had CeCe entered in back-to-back Cynosport Rally trials and not only did CeCe qualify in both trials with wonderful scores, she placed 5th and earned the final leg for her RL1 title!  

We are so proud of KellyAnn and all she is doing with CeCe, who is her first performance dog and allowing her to be shown.  CeCe has also been training for agility and field work.  A truly versatile Weimaraner.

2014 GSWC Independent Specialty Show

Trophies for the 2014 GSWC Independent Specialty & WCA Eastern Futurity/Maturity. Not all are pictured. Thank you to our talented club member, KellyAnn Kwiatek of 2K Designs, for the trophy design of the Weimaraner profile with scrollwork.

Sunday, October 5, 2014 was the annual Garden State Weimaraner Club Independent Specialty Show at North Branch Park. The club put on our usual outstanding show and everyone had a great time showing dogs, eating the delicious hot and cold buffet supplied by club members and winning raffle prizes.  As trophy chair, I was in charge of buying and organizing all the trophies and sponsors for them and was pleased with how they looked set up outside the ring and the winners seemed to enjoy them.

Our Grayhart entry at the show included three pups from our Fast Times litter (Parker x Savi), Ice, Grayhart's Going All the Way, CeCe, Grayhart's Almost Famous, CGC, and Reagan, Grayhart's Wild Life, NSD, and two pups from our Rockstar litter (Summit x Jam) Ella, Grayhart's How High the Moon, and Ember, Grayhart Light My Fire, CGC (major pointed).

After the big rainstorm the day before for the WCA Eastern Futurity, it was wonderful that the weather cooperated for our Specialty and was perfect.  The day began with the Sweepstakes and only Ice, CeCe and Reagan were eligible to compete.  What a thrill when CeCe, shown by Steve Lane, who is the breeder/owner of CeCe's sire Parker, went Best in Sweepstakes under breeder judge Michelle Govette!!!!

CeCe, Grayhart's Almost Famous, CGC, owned by KellyAnn & Chris Kwiatek & Linda Hartheimer, shown by Steve Lane, Best in Sweepstakes at the GSWC Independent Specialty Show!!!

In the Specialty Show, judged by Frank Washabaugh, CeCe, shown by Bonnie Lane, placed 3rd in her class. Reagan and Ice looked good in their classes but did not get any ribbons. Ember, was the only entry in the Bred-by-Exhibitor class and littermate, Ella, was 2nd in a large Open class. Ella went on to win Reserve Winners Bitch to the Specialty 5-pt major! I was so proud of Ella, who has had limited showing and showed her little paws off.

Ella, Grayhart's How High the Moon, owned by Brook Ryan and Linda Hartheimer, Reserve Winners Bitch to a 5-pt major at the GSWC Independent Specialty!

We had a great time with many of our Grayhart family visiting.  Nina, with Rigby, Grayhart's Rider on the Storm, TD, came to the show for a visit and Rigby was able to play with her littermates, Ella and Ember, who she hasn't seen since they were eight weeks old.  The day before after the Futurity, we took seven of our pups on a fun run at the park.

L-r: Ice, Presley, Reagan, Ember, CeCe, Savi & Ella

Grayhart Pups at the WCA Eastern Futurity

On October 4, 2014, Weimaraners from all over the US and Canada descended on North Branch Park, in Bridgewater, NJ, for the Weimaraner Club of America Eastern Futurity and Maturity.  My club, the Garden State Weimaraner Club, hosted the event along with our Specialty show on October 5th.  As there are only three futurities offered nationwide, other than Mica, Grayhart Lightfoot River of Light, (Parker x Savi) who was able to attend the Central Futurity, we decided to enter all our other futurity dogs who were available in the Eastern Futurity.

It was truly a crazy weekend, with five pups from two different litters (Rockstars and Fast Times litters) eligible, and we entered dogs in shows leading up to the Futurity to get them trained and ready for the big event.  Ice, Grayhart's Grayhart's Going All the Way, was able to stay with us for almost a month to train and get ready for the shows. Two of our Rockstars (Summit x Jam), Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, CGC, with owners Aimee and Josh, and Ella, Grayhart's How High the Moon, came for the weekend as did Reagan, Grayhart's Wild Life, NSD, out of our Fast Times litter (Parker x Savi).  CeCe, Grayhart's Almost Famous, lives local and her owners KellyAnn and Chris brought her to the show and were a great help with all the dogs.  I could not have managed without the help of Aimee and Josh, staying at the house, helping with the six dogs we had here for the weekend!  Trixie and Jam went on a mini-holiday to stay with Reagan's owners.  I have to add what fun we had with all our Grayhart family at the show for a mini-reunion.

The day of the Futurity started out with a big rainstorm but shows are held rain or shine.  With raincoats and nonslip shoes, we showed the dogs and were proud of how they all did among such tough competition, with many dogs shown by professional handlers.  We are proud of how well our dogs showed and three of them received placements.

Ice, Grayhart's Going All the Way was 4th place Junior Dog Futurity class.

 Ella, Grayhart's How High the Moon, shown by Steve Lane, was 3rd place Senior Bitch Futurity class.

Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, CGC, was 4th place Senior Bitch Futurity class.

For those unfamiliar with what the WCA Futurity is, this info is from a previous blog post on the topic with information from the Weimaraner Club of America website.

WCA Futurity and what it means


The owners of the stud or dam of the WCA Best Dog/Bitch in Futurity/Maturity receive the coveted "Pewter Dog"

Dual Show and Field Futurity Program

The Futurity Program is a breeder’s classic for Weimaraners, comparable to the Kentucky Derby for breeders of top running horses. In 1954, the Weimaraner Club of America inaugurated the Futurity Program. This program has proven to be one of the most important ever undertaken by the Weimaraner fraternity. No other program has done, or can do, as much to advance the cause of the breed both on the Bench and in the Field.

The purpose of the program is to insure the future excellence of the Weimaraner. Much time and effort has been expended in the past toward the development of the breed as we know it today. The Futurity Program is the means for the continuation of this development and improvement.

The Futurity is also a challenge, or a gamble on the future. The breeder has picked a certain Bitch to be bred to a certain Stud. It is his opinion that this breeding will produce offspring of the desired conformation and ability that will win in competition over the offspring of other breedings that are enrolled in the Futurity Program. To back up his faith in his judgment, he pays moneys into a fund that will be divided among the winners of the Futurity. These moneys are correctly termed “Forfeits” as the breeder agrees to forfeit the money if his opinion of his breeding did not prove to be correct.

Proper conformation for a hunting dog is the basis for the Weimaraner Standard. This standard describes the perfect Weimaraner. While we cannot hope to achieve perfection, the standard sets a goal for the conscientious breeder to strive toward. The conscientious Weimaraner breeder chooses, as a potential brood bitch, a female that most nearly approaches the standard. She will, in many instances, be from proven stock, and hopefully, she has been proven herself, by competition on the bench and in the field. When the breeder feels sure that his chosen bitch is an outstanding example of the breed, he begins to look for a suitable stud dog that will complement his bitch. The stud will also usually be from proven stock, and has also been proven, and has a reputation for producing high quality offspring. The use of proven bitches and studs gives the breeder little better odds, but this should not preclude using quality bitches and studs that have not previously produced. Many fine young Weimaraners were produced in the past from just such breedings. Since the Weimaraner is a hunting dog, the natural instincts of nose, desire to hunt, boldness and independence, and trainability, should also be given equal consideration when planning a breeding for the Futurity.

Because of the date lines that govern the W.C.A. Show Futurity, there are three age groups at the final date of judging. Show Futurity pups vary in age from approximately 11 months old to a maximum of 27 months. These pups are judged in three different age groups. Prior to the judging, the judge is provided with a set of the rules, which define the method of judgment. This procedure is followed so that each Futurity Class winner has an equal chance to win Best Dog in Futurity or Best Bitch in Futurity.

The W.C.A. Sectional Field Futurities are held in conjunction with the various National Classics and Championship Field Trials. The datelines established forthe Field Futurities are such that the ages of the pups in contention range from approximately 10 months to 30 months old. Field Futurity puppies are judged according to the AKC Derby Dog Standard of Judgment.

The goal of all Futurity Breeders and owners is, of course, to record a win in the Futurity. The “Ultimate Goal” is to win both a Bench Futurity and a Field Futurity with the same dog. A breeder or owner can also take great pride in a placement in any of the Futurity Sectionals. It should be remembered that all of these pups are bred for excellence, and a placement in this type of competition is indeed a prestigious accomplishment.
There are also financial rewards for winning.

CeCe goes WB on Long Island!

Happy to report that at last weekend's Riverhead Kennel Club show, CeCe, Grayhart's Almost Famous, (Parker x Savi) from our Fast Times litter, was Winners Bitch for another point towards her AKC show championship.  Thank you to Bonnie Lane, who owns Parker, for showing CeCe as I couldn't make the show.  Then CeCe's momma KellyAnn, took CeCe into the Best of Breed class, a first for Kel and from what she reported fun and nervous at the same time.  CeCe now has four points.  We look forward to getting the official win pic.

2014 Blue Ribbon Issue: The Grayhart Ads

The most awaited issue of the year, the June Blue Ribbon Issue of The Weimaraner Magazine, (the official publication of the WCA) has arrived. The Blue Ribbon is the biggest advertising issue for breeders and fanciers and this issue is sent to all AKC Weimaraner judges. It is the place to showcase your dogs and the issue is kept as a reference book for years to come. 

We are very excited to share the Grayhart ads from the 2014 Blue Ribbon which were designed by my extremely talented friend, Sara Renee Beaver. Sara even took some of the photos including my most favorite, the gorgeous head shot of Jam.

We had a total of five pages in the Breeder's Showcase section. This included the pages for Jam, her daughters, Siri and Presley, Savi and her daughters, CeCe and Reagan and littermates, Bliss and Bravo.

 Littermates Bliss and Bravo, stunning show dogs, strutted their stuff into the Top 20 in consecutive years, 2012 and 2013.  An impressive feat!

Pack walk Weimstyle!

Memorial Day was a perfect weather day and my friend, KellyAnn and I enjoyed taking the girls, Trixie, Jam and Savi plus visitors CeCe and Presley on a 3-mile walk in the neighborhood.  It was quite a sight!

Dynamite Debut for CeCe!

What an exciting weekend on Long Island, where CeCe, Grayhart's Almost Famous, (Parker x Savi) owned by KellyAnn and Chris Kwiatek and me, made her show debut and came away a winner, not once but twice, earning 3 points towards her AKC Championship! A big thank you to Steve and Bonnie Lane, owner of Parker, CeCe's sire, for showing CeCe to these wins.  CeCe is off to a wonderful start to her show career.

We also showed Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD, JH, AX, AXJ, SD, VX, (Parker x Trixie), for the first time in months, and she was awarded Select Bitch for 2 Grand Championship (GCH) points!  Jam only needs 2 more single GCH points to earn the GCH title.

Happy 1st Birthday to the Fast Times Litter!

Happy 1st Birthday to the Fast Times litter (Parker x Savi)! These special pups share my birthday & brought together some amazing people into the Grayhart family! We've had a wonderful year watching them grow & look forward to many more gray-t times ahead!

Wishing Mica, Reagan, CeCe, Sophie, Cruise, Henley & Ice a wonderful day!

Snow hike for Savi and CeCe

 Surprised to have a snow-free day, the weather people were wrong!  We had a super opportunity to take Savi and her daughter, CeCe, almost 10 months old, for a hike at Campgaw.  The trails were not icy as feared and the dogs had a blast running together.  After the hike, we took them to JB's Pet Supply, where Savi immediately had to jump on the counter for a treat.

 CeCe above...

 Savi, it's all about the ears!

J-F Pups Day 35: The Wonder Pups are 5 Weeks Old!

The Wonder pups are growing likes weeds and spend their days eating, sleeping and playing. They are weaned from Momma Jam and eat kibble three times a day and have to say, they literally dive into their food, no table manners for these pups! They now engage with each other as well as play with a variety of toys including a tippy board which didn't faze them a bit and some of them think it is a spring board to jump off of onto the pups in the dog bed!

 

The pups have been using the litter box 90% of the time, making cleanup much easier. They adore the dog beds and sometimes they nap in the crate. It has been a busy few weeks for the humans with a trip to California, where we saw Bravo, from our 2010 Clay x Trixie litter, so not much time to update the blog but as you can see, lots going on with the Wonder pups.

 The Wonder pups had a busy social schedule on New Year's Day, with old and new puppy people visiting. The Voltaggio family, who owns Savi's littermate, Memphis, (Clay x Trixie) and will be getting a girl pup from this litter, came in the morning to return Savi, who had been staying with them for 3 weeks. The pups were amazing with their small children who were very upset they could not take a pup home that day. Our good friend, KellyAnn made her weekly visit and brought CeCe, 7 1/2 months old, (Parker x Savi) to see the pups. CeCe was mesmerized and the pups were adorable reaching through the expen to engage her in play. The Hochberg family joined in on the fun in the afternoon with their three older kids, trying to guess which adorable pup will end up as part of their family.

CeCe was mesmerized by the puppies and kept play bowing and trying to engage them.

 The pups have become expert kissers and lap dogs!

 The pups now have sharp little needle-like teeth and no body part, especially toes are safe!

 How many pups will fit on a lap?