Surfs up for Treynor

Treynor, Grayhart's Workout, (Clay x Trixie), enjoying swimming and surfing in Amagansett, NY.

Jam the future face of Frontline

Trixie & Jam relaxing in the lounge at the studio before their call time

We were very excited to find out that Jam and Trixie, as the back up, were hired for a photo shoot for Frontline.  This is a product we use and recommend and it's exciting that Jam may be on some of the new packaging and advertisements to be launched next year. Jam did an awesome job during the two day shoot, one day on location at an incredible farm upstate New York and today, at a studio in NYC.  The girls are quite flexible at adapting to different locations and can relax and enjoy themselves wherever I take them.  

 

The farm was amazing and Jam was quite excited to run in the fields, especially as it was a crisp, fall-like day but we had to settle her down as it was a work day.  She did enjoy posing and then running back and forth for special treats while the photographer snapped away.  The shots looked incredible on the laptop and the client was thrilled with how gorgeous Jam looked.

 Views of the 168 acre farm and the animals that greeted us when we arrived.

Mr. Mason goes field training

While visiting with us, Mason, Grayhart's Daily Special, (Zeke x Trixie), gets to do all the cool things my dogs do, including bird work.  Mason was exposed to birds last year at our club's ratings test when he was almost six months old but hasn't had any field training since.  Since he is new to all this, we planted pigeons in traps and let him find them.  It was exciting to see the natural instinct come through.

We released the bird and let Mason chase it - wow was that a fun moment!  After that, he figured out why he was here and it elevated his drive and enthusiasm.  No shooting of the blank pistol since this is basically his first time and we don't want to do anything to turn him off to birds.

Showing off his lovely movement trotting across the grass...

Here's that natural abiltity coming through, another point on the second bird...

Nice to see another one of Trixie's pups with natural ability and confidence hunting in the fields.

What a good boy!  He had so much fun first running in the fields with Savi and getting his turn to find the birds.  Now for a nice drink of water on this beautiful day.

Hey Jam, your turn!

August News

August news?  Well, with so much going on, including being away for two weeks, we didn't get a chance to update the blog on all the exciting show news for the Grayhart pups.

Mia-belle, Grayhart's Special Request, RA, (Zeke x Trixie), went Best of Winners for 2 points under judge Marjorie Martorella.  Too bad the major in dogs broke or else Mia-belle would have won her first major.  We are so proud of Jessica and all the hard work she's put into learning how to handle...glad that it's paying off!  Jess also put a Rally Advanced title on Mia-belle earlier in the month with two 1st places and a 4th place!

Bliss, Grayhart's Launch My Line, (Clay x Trixie), made her show debut in Alaska.  She was the only Weim entered so went Best of Breed both days.  It was exciting to hear that Bliss, expertly handled by owner, Mike, was pulled in the Sporting Group.  A nice compliment from the judge, especially for this 7 month old pup.

Bliss shown above.  This girl can really move!

 Bravo,(pictured above and below), Grayhart Crescent's Bravo, (Clay x Trixie), made his show debut in California.  He was handled by Jennifer Underwood who did an excellent job presenting him.  He had fun in the ring and got used to all the noises, smells and goings on at the dog show.  He was entered in the AKC Match Show after the regular show ended and made everyone proud by going Best Weim Puppy and then, winning the Puppy Sporting Group!

Of course, we already reported news on Trixie getting her 2nd CDX leg with a 4th place and the month started off with a bang as Savi went Best Puppy in Match Show.  Now that September is here, we look forward to much more Grayhart news as the busy fall season begins.

One more point for Jam!

Jam, Grayhart's Purple Haze, JH, went Winner's Bitch today at the Schooley's Mountain Kennel Club show for her 9th point towards her AKC Championship title.  I guess two weeks of vacation on the Cape was the perfect R&R for Jam, as she showed beautifully and had fun in the ring.  I hope that our professional picture turns out nice as they were using the podium with a nice background.for the win photos.  Now, we need to win two majors and she'll be a champion...

Oh Brother...

We are so excited to have Mason, Grayhart's Daily Special, out of our Zeke x Trixie litter, come visit with us while his owners are away on their honeymoon.  We miss Wotan and it is nice to have a boy in the house for a few weeks.  He is such a sweetheart, obedient and calm and settled right into our household.  His half-sister, Savi, thinks Mason is her special playmate and Mason agrees.  They are keeping each other entertained, which is a good thing since both Jam and Trixie are in season and kept separate from Mr. Mason.  Mason will get lots of training and hikes while he's here and the lucky boy will also get to go field training.

Savi was happy to show Mason one of our favorite places to hike, full of all kinds of cool smells.

They loved to stretch their legs on this glorious, cool day and waited for us at the top of the hill.  Unfortunately, the light quality in the woods was not optimal so I apologize for the picture quality in today's post but I'm sure you can overlook that...

The standoff, Savi has the coveted piece of bark, and although Mason is much bigger than his little sister, he is not as fast or agile...she ran him around in circles, tired him out and won this game.

Savi giving Mason the "don't you even think you are getting this stick" look on her face.

Cape Cod 2010

The girls, our daughter and from l-r, Savi, Jam and Trixie

We had a fabulous two weeks on Cape Cod, exploring, hiking, cycling, swimming, shopping and eating amazing local seafood, especially lobster...it truly is our slice of heaven.  The dogs had a blast, running in the marshes, on the beach and Savi loved swimming in all the new places.  They enjoyed meeting new people and shopping with us in all the dog friendly shops.  Our girls are amazing travelers and I'm proud of how well puppy Savi did as this was her first trip to the Cape.  As one of our friends proclaimed, "The Cape is made for Savi!"

The dogs settled into our new routine there pretty quickly and with much planning and packing, we were well prepared to make their vacation with us an easy one.  It is important to make sure when traveling with pets that you not only have their food and depending where you go, water, extra leashes and ID on their collars, but all kinds of medications (check with your vet) and first aid supplies (vet wrap, hydrogen peroxide, super glue, etc) in the event of an illness or accident. We always carry anti-diarrhea medications and antibiotics.  Also, check to see where the nearest vet and emergency animal hospitals are located.

Just like at home, we set up crates and dog beds for the dogs in the house and show them their potty area and bring a pooper scooper for clean up.  A few favorite toys, treats and special chews, new knuckle bones from White Dog Bone, kept the dogs busy, especially on rainy days. Another important piece of equipment that we "schlep" with us are the xpens, which we attach to the deck.  Since our rental house did not have a fenced yard, it allows the dogs to hang out with us on the deck or alone while we are home, in a safe, contained outdoor area.  For practical reasons, it works great to put them in when we get back from the beach and they are wet and sandy; you sure do not want them in the house full of sand!

We left a day early to escape Hurricane Earl.  A hurricane warning was issued and the local TV and radio stations were announcing emergency shelters and which ones allowed pets...something to keep in mind when traveling.  Fortunately, the forecast looks like the Cape will be spared from heavy storm damage.

Now, to unpack...too bad the dogs can't help with that chore.