New NRD title for Mica!

 Congratulations to Debbie Moody and Mica, Grayhart Lightfoot River of Light, (Parker x Savi) for earning her WCA NRD (Novice Retrieving Dog) title at the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Retrieving Ratings test.  Mica is the first pup from our Fast Times litter to earn a title and we are so proud of this team.  

To earn the NRD title, a dog must retrieve birds both on land and then in the water.  The handler must stand in a circle, usually made of hose or rope, and cannot leave that spot, the dog must bring the bird back into the circle.

 Nice retrieve to hand!

 At the Novice level (NRD), the handler is allowed to hold the dog until they are released for the retrieve.  You can see Mica is straining with excitement.

Mica is a natural retriever like her Momma Savi and loves to swim like both her parents!

A lovely portrait of Mica and her older sister, Sky, CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain,RN,TD, JH,AX, MXJ, CAT, NSD, NRD,CGC, VX2, (Parker x Trixie).

Mia earns her RD rating from the WCA!

We are thrilled to announce that Mia, CH Grayhart's Special Request, CDX, RA, NA, NAJ,NSD,RD,VX earned her RD (Retrieving Dog) rating from the Weimaraner Club of America on October 7, 2012.  

Reported from Jessica: Mia did beautiful land and water retrieves and received many compliments from the other weim owners.  The RD test requires the dog to complete a land and water double.  The dog is supposed to be steady on the line (with no restraint from the handler) and should not move until sent to retrieve by the handler.  In RD, a controlled break is allowed if the dog moves.  As long as the handler is able to verbally stop the dog before leaving the circle, you can still qualify.  Mia did break a couple of times but I was able to control her by reminding her to sit.  The RD test also requires that birds be retrieved to hand and the handler is not allowed to touch the dog at any point during the test.  Mia is very close to being ready for RDX but we have to work on her steadiness on the line.  She is very steady in training but working real birds increases her adrenaline and drive exponentially.  We also need to do some work with her releasing the bird on command.  She does pretty well the first few retrieves but then starts to get greedy and wants to hang on to the bird.  I am hoping to run her in RDX in the spring if she is ready.  

The RD test also requires the dog to retrieve birds through water decoys which is what you see in the middle right side of the picture.

Thanks to Gretchen Stephenson for taking pictures of my girl!

GSA: Trixie's 1st Excellent Agility JWW Leg

On our Grayhart Southern Adventure (GSA), we were quite excited to be attending the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility Trial in Sanford, NC, July 21-22, 2012.  On day one, Trixie ran a decent Excellent A Jumpers with Weaves (JWW) course to qualify for her first leg with a 2nd placement!  Always the supermodel, watch Trixie go through the weaves and stop to pose for the camera!  We refocused and finished strong.  To earn the Agility Excellent Jumpers with Weaves or AXJ title, a dog needs to get three qualifying legs.  At the TWC Agility trial weekend, Trixie earned two legs so all we need is one more to finish her title.

Trixie's winning agility runs at the TWC trial

What an exciting agility weekend on our Grayhart Southern Adventure!  Having been to the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility trial for the first time last year, we knew what to expect regarding the venue and wonderful club members and it is one of our favorite trials.  Last year, Jam made us proud and won the TWC High Combined Award.  Well this year, it was Momma Trixie's turn to wow the crowd.

Over the weekend, Trixie earned two 1st places, one 2nd place, a new title ribbon and tons of toys and special Weimaraner trophies - terrific bumpers & retrieving birds.

Trixie qualified on Saturday, July 21st, for her first Exc A JWW leg with a 2nd place.  The next day, she double Q'd - and not only had great runs in Exc A Standard and Jumpers, but earned 1st places for both.  The standard run gave her the 3rd leg needed to complete her AX or Agility Excellent title!

Savi posing with the Grayhart ribbons won at the TWC Trial!

Thanks to judge Lisa Rieves for designing awesome and fun agility courses!

Savi makes her agility debut with a splash!

Savi made her agility debut at the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility Trial in Sanford, NC last weekend.  I was so proud of how my little girl ran and received lots of compliments on her.  The judge could not believe this was her first trial.  On Saturday, Savi did not qualify in either Novice Standard nor Jumpers but was very close.  I realized that I needed to support her more and really hold my signals while keeping a steady motion forward.  She held her stay at the start line and amazed me that she nailed her weaves in 3 out of 4 of the weekends runs.

On Sunday, Savi earned her first Novice JWW (Jumpers with Weaves) legs with a 2nd place!  In addition to her ribbon, she received a stuffed toy and the TWC had special trophies for qualifying Weims so we picked a toy quail which I know Savi will love for water retrieves.  At the end of very long trial weekend, Savi was the last dog to run and what an exciting finish to have her qualify for her first Novice Standard leg and again, got 1st place!!!  More toys and special Weim trophies.  Wow, what a way to start, double qualifying and two 1st places!  

Savi posing with all of our ribbons from the trial.  The tally: Trixie earned 2 1st places, one in Exc JWW, and the other in Exc A Std, to finsih her AX title, and a 2nd place in Exc JWW. Savi earned a 1st place in Novice Standard and a 2nd place in Novice JWW.  Plus we had a shopping bag full of toys and trophies.  

A great weekend and trial put on by the Tarheel Weimaraner Club.  Thank you to judge Lisa Rieves for her awesome courses.

Trixie wins TWC Agility Trial High Combined Award!

We are excited to announce that Trixie was awarded the 2012 Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility Trial High Combined Weimaraner award this past Sunday! Daughter Jam won this award last year.

Trixie had an awesome weekend at the TWC Agility trial held in Sanford, NC.  Not only did she earn the High Combined award, but she completed her Agility Excellent (AX) title with a 1st place!  She is now CH GraytSky's I'm Not Really A Waitress, CD,RN,AX,OAJ,V BROM!!! 

Trixie double Q'd in Exc A Sunday, getting 1st places in both Standard & JWW (Jumpers with Weaves)! Saturday, she was 2nd place in ExcJWW. 

Daughter Savi made her agility debut and placed 2nd in Nov B JWW and 1st place in Novice B Standard! A great showing for her first trial. We also saw Sky run in the Open class and although she didn't qualify, she shows so much potential that with just a bit more practice, she'll rack up those agility titles.

The Tarheel Weimaraner Club put on  a terrific trial and cheered on all the teams, especially the Weims.  We enjoyed seeing many old friends and meeting new agility teams.  True Southern Hospitality! 

Videos of the runs will be posted in the near future.

The Grayhart Girls Great Southern Adventure - Part 2B- Agility Star Jam's Videos!

As previously posted, Jam had a great day at the Tarheel Weimaraner Club's Agility Trial in Sanford, NC on July 24th.  She earned her Open Jumpers with Weaves title with a 3rd place!  Then, the pressure was on to qualify in Excellent Standard.


Jam did have a nice Excellent Standard run, her 1st leg and received a 3rd place plus won the Tarheel Weimaraner Club High Combined Award - the giant Armadillo Duck!  The BonClyde Training Center venue was terrific, with a nice, soft dirt floor, lots of air conditioned crating space and warm up area.  The TWC put on a great trial, with yummy food and fun trophies, making our trip definitely a worthwhile one!

My wild girl is running fairly consistently and with control.  Happy that we can do all those front crosses, running contacts and a big lead out.  We'll be working on increasing speed in the weaves and gaining distance.

The Grayhart Girls Southern Adventure -Part 2 - Agility Star Jam!

Jam with her new title & 3rd place ribbons for earning her OAJ title! 

We arrived in Sanford, NC on Friday, after an eight hour drive from PA, to compete in the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility trial.  It was a relief to finally check into the hotel and get a chance to relax and let the dogs loose in the room.  Debbie, Sky's owner, arrived and we went out for a fabulous dinner at the Steele Pig, which I would highly recommend.  A more upscale BBQ restaurant with a talented chef who brings wonderful flavors to traditional barbecue. Debbie had to leave Sky at home due to her coming into season as bitches in season are not allowed at agility trials. My girls made her feel right at home and Savi even slept with her.

We rose early Saturday morning to head over to Bon Clyde Learning Center, the venue for the agility trial.  Thankfully, the facility is indoors and air conditioned, as we were having a heat wave with temps in around 100 degrees.  We set up the crates and settled the dogs and off I went to walk the Excellent Standard course.  The one ring trial was set in a large arena with a dirt floor and metal building. The Tarheel Club did a terrific job with their hospitality and it was a very well run trial.  Plus, I met a number of lovely Weim folks and saw old friends. Jessica, Mia's owner arrived late morning, and not only helped the club but taped my runs.  Those will be uploaded when I return home.  My girls were the only Weims at the trial.  Trixie had a good run but missed qualifying due to a handle error.  Jam was a bit wild, as the dirt floor made a fast course, and she's never run in this type of environment, but everyone was entertained by her fun run, especially when she had to greet the crowd.  A thunderstorm rolled in just before our Open Jumpers runs and the pounding rain on the metal roof upset Trixie and Jam and I pulled both of them off the course when they showed signs of stress.  Better to throw away the run or know when to excuse yourself from the ring in order to protect your dog from a negative experience.

Sunday was a new day and Jam was up first in our runs.  Boy did she make me proud when she qualified in Open Jumpers with Weaves to earn her OAJ title! She even placed 3rd in the class.  The club had special Armadillo retrieving toy prizes for all Weims who qualified and even a High Combined award for the highest scoring Weim to double qualify. I picked the quail toy shown in the photo. Trixie again had a decent run but we had a bauble so no Q.

Jam and me, with Judge David Blakely, with all her trophies and ribbons for High Combined

The pressure was on for us to qualify in Excellent Standard and win the High Combined award.  Again, Jam ran with speed and control to qualify for her 1st Excellent Standard leg and even got a 3rd place!  Trixie was up at the end of the lineup and my worst fears came true, a thunderstorm rolled in right before her run. She was stressed and after the 4th obstacke, she was not a happy camper from the thunder and rain noise, so I thanked the judge and excused her from the course.  My first priority is her safety and well being.

With Jam double qualifying, she was awarded the High Combined award!   A wonderful honor and she was given the giant duck!

Jam is now CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD,JH,OA,OAJ,NSD,CGC,VX

Getting ready for our win photo with the judge.  The a-frame makes a nice background.

The adventures continue as we followed Jessica home to Wilmington.  We have plans to take the dogs swimming and retrieving, to obedience classes and tour downtown Wilmington.