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.

Savi in the New Nationally Airing Chase Banking Commercial!!!!

Savi was one of eight dogs hired to co-star with master trainer, Joel Silverman, in a commercial for Chase Banking.  We worked with Joel years ago when he hired Trixie to star in an IAMS commercial and he loved our Weimaraners. Owned, trained and bred by me, Savi, CH Grayhart's Shear Genius, CD,SH,OA,OAJ,NSD,NRD,VX, has star power!

A behind the scenes video was created as we were filming the main commercial and shows more of Savi doing her thing.

Savi's Pheasant Hunt

On Monday, we were thrilled to be invited on our first pheasant hunt at a picturesque, private farm in Dutchess County, NY. The weather was unseasonably warm, around 40 degrees and partly sunny. Savi, who has never been on pheasant and also hasn't had any formal training since she completed her Senior Hunter title two years ago, was just beyond amazing in the field.  From the start, she immediately went into full hunting mode, searching for the pheasants and strategically covering ground by quartering, working the wind and picking up scent. 

 Pheasants can be very challenging for the dogs as they are fidgety, tend not to hold in position and  run.  Savi had a fantastic day, found nine birds, although our group had only bought six.  Unfortunately,  my hunting partners were off their game and missed all but two of the birds.  Savi was rewarded for her work and had two lovely retrieves.  My friends, who had never hunted with her before, were quite impressed with her awesome nose and how well she listened.  Savi had solid points, even on walking birds and was tenacious in her tracking them down.  A few times, she went on point and we couldn't locate the bird.  I would release her to relocate and she would only move a few feet before going on a staunch point.  The old saying, "Always trust your dog" was the theme of the day and after scrutinizing the area where Savi was looking, we always found the bird, sometimes 20-30 feet in front of us! She hunted with style and enthusiasm, which we all marveled at, for three hours before we called it a day and a fantastic day at that.

 Savi showing off her agility skills!

 Savi going to retrieve her first rooster - it was a big one!

 Savi, beautiful on point!

 Savi was on an intense point and we finally found the hen about 20 feet ahead in the pine trees!

 The corn fields made good cover for the pheasants.

Savi on point

A truly fun and productive day in the great outsdoors!

Flashback Friday

Savi from the Gap Kids 2011 "I Want Candy" holiday campaign.

Weekends are for sleeping in....

From l-r: Savi, Trixie, Jam (pregnant with that big belly) and sitting, Presley.

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

Where has the summer gone! Cape Cod & other adventures...

This is probably the longest I have ever gone between blog updates and so much news to share.  We spent the summer vacationing, traveling from Cape Cod to Alabama, competing in dog shows and agility trials, visiting with friends and enjoying many of the pups we've bred in addition to our own girls.  There was also a major health scare with Savi, who has recovered completely, that I will share once the blog is up to date.  The summer included show wins, agility titles, legs and placements and great times with the dogs for all the Grayhart family. We were fortunate to have a number of Grayhart pups come visit and loved having them here.

Now that the weather has gotten cooler and the fall is almost upon us, we have switched gears and started field training, planning our fall show schedule which includes our favorite show, my club, the Garden State Weimaraner Club Independent Specialty, that is also hosting the Weimaraner Club of America Eastern Futurity and Maturity and gearing up to breed Jam.  Weekly agility classes are a highlight of our week as both Jam and Savi, along with their handler, continue to improve.

Here are a few pictures from our annual Cape Cod holiday and we are blessed to be able to spend two weeks in this beautiful place.  The dogs consider it heaven!

 Savi is our star swimmer and retriever!

 She loves to swim and impatiently waits for us to go for our multiple walks/swims each day on the Cape, and will even run down to the marsh with the bumper in her mouth.

 Presley, above, spent the summer with us at Grayhart boot camp, learning to swim and just having a great time!

 The gorgeous view from our deck.

 Plenty of room to run through the salt marsh.

 Presley, below, pure joy!

 A favorite activity for Jam and Trixie is squirrel hunting in the decayed wood pilings.

Cape Cod 2014

Savi doing what she loves most!

We just returned from a fantastic two week family vacation in one of our most favorite places in the world, Truro on Cape Cod, MA.  With four dogs in tow, we had an incredible vacation doing many of our favorite activities. We hiked, cycled, whale watched, toured the Dunes, ate amazing seafood and took the dogs on daily run at the beach and in the salt marsh.  Traveling with four dogs takes much preparation and organization but we are experts at taking them with us on our annual family holiday and make it work beautifully.  Stay tuned for more photos of our trip and tips on traveling with your best friend(s).

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.

Mica's 1st point

A lovely photo to commemorate Mica's first AKC show point going Winner's Bitch and Best of Winners at the Western Carolina Dog Fanciers Association show.  

Congratulations again to Debbie Moody, Mica's owner/handler for doing such a wonderful job presenting her.  Mica is Grayhart Lightfoot River of Light, NRD, out of our Fast Times litter (Parker x Savi).  Mica is the second pup out of this litter to be show pointed (CeCe was the first).  Mica is not only on her way to her show championship but is training for agility, tracking and hunt tests.  Another versatile Grayhart pup!

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!