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.

Ember's Major Win!!!!

 We had an amazing win at the Mid-Hudson Kennel Club show in New Paltz, NY last weekend.  Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, CGC, from our Rockstar litter (Summit x Jam) went Winner's Bitch from the Bred-by-Exhibitor class and then on to go Best of Opposite in the Best of Breed class to earn a 3-point major win!  Ember defeated three bitch specials, including her mother, Jam, which gave her the additional bitch number needed to turn the 2-pt win into a 3-pt major!  This was unexpected and we were thrilled that Judge Pat Mowbray recognized our lovely Ember who moves with big sidegait.  She also commented how happy she was and we have to agree, Ember is a pistol and her tail never stops.

 This was only Ember's 4th time in the show ring and she was solid and showed like a pro thanks to the wonderful training of her co-owners, Aimee and Josh.  They are training Ember for agility and obedience and plan to debut in those venues this fall.  

Show day not a snow day!

 Hard to believe that Jam had puppies 11 weeks ago as she re-entered the world of dog shows last Saturday at the Rockland Kennel Club show in Suffern, NY.  She has not been in a dog show since last summer but showed like the rock star she is.  She is in super physical shape and was happy to be at the show around all our friends.  We also showed some of our Grayhart pups, Reagan (Parker x Savi), who made her show debut, and Ember (Summit x Jam) only her second show.  Once we receive photos of them we will share.  I could not have been prouder of how well the pups did - solid in their stacks and moved beautifully and tails wagging!  The best part was spending time with the owners and friends!

The Best of Breed class lineup

Ember goes kayaking!

 Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, had a lot of firsts this past week.  She made her show debut and won her first point and yesterday, was her maiden voyage aboard a kayak.  Aimee took these stunning photos of Ember with Josh.  I had to share all of them due to their beauty and great poses and expressions by Ember

 Ember looks pretty relaxed and comfortable.

 Josh seems to be doing all the work while Ember navigates...

Ember wins her 1st point!

Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, (Summit x Jam) made her show debut at the Westbury Kennel Club show and we were pleased to have her go Winner's Bitch from the Bred-by_Exhibitor (BBE) class under judge Sam Houson McDonald! It was well worth the 4 hour drive to make it in time to show CeCe in the 4-6 puppy and Ember to her first win. What a successful weekend from the farms of PA to visit Fala to the Planting Fields Arboretum on Long Island! And sharing it with our good friends makes it even more special! The unofficial win photo, taken with a cellphone looks good so we hope the official win photo turns out nice.

Ember has big reach and drive!

Party all night long

 The Rockstars partied like it was 1999, each celebrating their first birthday in their own way.  Above, Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, had a party that would make any pup envious.

Chloe, Grayhart's Walk this Way, our resident city girl, was a fashionista in her Princess attire, and yes, she wears that crown daily!

 Roxy, Grayhart's Silver Rocket, showing off one of the fabulous birthday presents, handmade tugs made by Rigby's mom, Nina, that she thoughtfully sent to all the littermates in colors that matched their original collars!

 Roxy enjoyed her frosty paws ice cream and then had even more fun destroying her party hat!

 Rigby, Grayhart's Rider on the Storm, had a birthday week which included a party at a lake, that's our beautiful girl on the dock and playing with her friends. She also got to go tracking with her mom and her tracking group.

Ella, Grayhart's How High the Moon, who was the first in the litter to get a title, her AKC STAR Puppy, had a great weekend home with her family.

Chase, Grayhart's Freeway Jam, got all kinds of fun presents and played with his BFF Mia.

Gabi, Grayhart's Something to Talk About, had a zen-like birthday doing yoga poses...

 and there is always one who parties a little too hard...sleep well Ember!

Happy 1st Birthday to our Rockstar litter!!!!

Where has the year gone?  This incredible litter was brought up during Hurricane Sandy and we lost power for 17 days!  We also learned about losing a life, little Miss Pink, no matter how much you do, it is the way of Mother Nature and tube feeding and nursing a baby boy round the clock, who was an amazing fighter and we never gave up on him.  They are truly Rockstars and make music wherever they go.  These talented pups have been busy training for show, tracking, agility, obedience and therapy dog work.

Happy Birthday to our Rockstars - Chase, Chloe, Ella, Ember, Gabi, Rigby and Roxy!!!

The Rockstar litter is sired by BIF BISS CH Pike's Peak Silversmith Summit, SH, SDX, NRD, V, BROM and  out of Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD, JH, AX, AXJ, SD, VX.

Ready to party

Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, CGC (Summit x Jam), 11 months old, all dressed up and ready to party!

AKC Canine Experience & Match Show

Ember & Josh rocking the rally ring

We had a super fun day at the Suffolk County Kennel Club sponsored AKC Canine Experience Event held in Kings Park, NY last Sunday! An AKC Canine Experience is a multi-club, multi-sport event that introduces and welcomes owners of newly AKC-registered puppies to and educates them about the sport of purebred dogs. The day-long event features educational presentations and provides an opportunity for potential owners to be mentored by experienced exhibitors and club members prior to an afternoon match, during which new exhibitors and future fanciers practice their newly learned skills.

We represented the Long Island Weimaraner Club, offering information on our breed and giving people an opportunity to meet our dogs. There was a mini-Grayhart reunion with pups from a few of our litters in attendance. We participated in Rally run thrus and the conformation match. The Sporting group, including the Weimaraner judging, was judged by Mrs. Toby Frisch, an AKC judge who is approved to judge many groups and Best In Show. She was wonderful to our puppies and very complimentary - a pleasure to show to. After the event, we took the dogs, big and small, on a run and for them, that was the best part of the day!

 Josh and Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, (Summit x Jam), only 10 months old, did a super job on their rally run through - their first time ever in a show ring!  Josh and Aimee have been working hard at training Ember in obedience and agility, and it is obvious that their hard work is paying off.

 Bonnie Lane, President of the Long Island Weimaraner Club, had a nice informational booth set up with handouts and thanks to KellyAnn Kwiatek, samples of Natural Balance rolls and food.  The puppies, 4 month old, Martha & littermate Louie plus 11 weeks old, CeCe, were a big draw.

 A little show training for Cece...hard work for a little pup in the heat...

 I also did a rally run though with Savi, who has been training for her CD (Companion Dog) obedience title so the Novice Rally course was a piece of cake for her.  She had terrific attention and was happy to be working.

CeCe was a little star her first time in the ring - stacking like a pro!

 We had an entry of 5 Weimaraner puppies in the match show and it was a group effort to get all the pups in at the right time, figure out who would handle which pup and take photos. A match show is a practice dog show, a great way to get the pups used to the show ring and procedure, as well as get new handlers in the ring for practice.  Match shows are not worth points towards a championship but to win a match show with a big entry, is always nice.  Our Savi, was Best in Show Puppy at this same match show three years ago with an entry of 400!

 The puppies, Martha and CeCe were in the same class.  See what difference a month in age can make!  Martha won the class but I was thrilled with how well baby CeCe did.

Ten-month old Littermates from our Rockstar Litter (Summit x Jam), Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, up front with me and Ella, Grayhart's How High the Moon, shown by Steve Lane, in the 9-12 class.

 Ember was up first and the judge told us both girls were so similar she had a hard time making up her mind.

Steve did an awesome job showing Ella (above) and she won the class.  Then all the winners of the 3 classes went in for the judge to pick the Best of Breed (BOB) Puppy.  Ella won and was awarded BOB.  Steve then took Ella in for the Puppy Sporting Group and we were thrilled when she won a Puppy Sporting Group 2!

 Aimee didn't complain when she was asked to hold CeCe...taking her responsibility very seriously!

 Jam was along for the ride and got to play with one of her favorite people, Steve!   Steve showed Jam to her Championship and occasionally takes her in as a Special.

Then it was CeCe's turn for some puppy show and play!  Teaching her how to gait on a show lead and what fun it can be!

Ember at Agility class

Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, Summit x Jam, only 10 months old and already running short agility courses!  Kudos to her handler, Josh, for doing such a terrific job training her. She is already showing nice speed over the jumps and two on, two off contacts. 

This Rockstar is on her way to the top of the charts!

2013 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 2013 Blue Ribbon which were designed by my extremely talented friend, Sara Renee Beaver.  Sara even took some of the photos.

We had a total of six pages in the Breeder's Showcase section. This included the pages for Jam, Sky, Mia, Bliss, Ember, Mia-belle, Savi and Bravo. An update, Mia finished her AKC championship title in May. Also, Sky earned her WCA VX2 title.

 Mia-belle has earned her OA (Open Agility Standard) title and her VX2

Bliss has also received another Sporting Group placement...

On May 9th, Savi delivered 7 healthy pups, 4 girls and 3 boys!!!

It is always so much fun to plan, create and design the ads and of course, to see the finished product.