New OAJ title for Sky!

Congratulations to Debbie and Sky for earning her Open Jumpers with Weaves (OAJ) title!  Not only did Sky finish her title in style with a 2nd place but she then went on to "double Q", meaning to earn two qualifying legs in the same day!  Sky had a clean run in Open Standard for her 2nd leg and won the class - another 1st place for Sky!

Sky is now, CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain, RN, JH, TD, NA, OAJ, NSD, NRD, CGC, VX

Mia wins her 2nd Specialty Major at the WCWDC!!!

Mia, winning her first point in September

We are thrilled that Mia, Grayhart's American Woman, CGC, (Parker x Trixie) was Winner's Bitch/Best of Winner's for a 4-pt Specialty Major today at the Weimaraner Club of Washington DC (WCWDC) Specialty Show in Maryland under Judge Dr. Robert Smith.  Huge thanks go out to Bonnie and Steve Lane, (owners/breeders of Mia's sire, Parker) for showing Mia to this fabulous win.  Parker, GCH HiBourne's It's All About Me, BROM, was awarded Best of Opposite at today's Specialty.

This is Mia's 2nd specialty major win as she went WB/BOW for a 5-pt Specialty major at the Garden State Weimaraner Club Specialty Show last month.  Mia now has 11 show points, including 2 majors, and only needs 5 single points to finish her AKC Championship title.

Marshall at the 2013 WCA Nationals

We are extremely proud of Laura and Marshall, CH Grayhart's In From the Storm, (Parker x Trixie) for representing Grayhart at the 2013 Weimaraner Club of America National Specialty in Texas.  Laura and Marshall made their debut in Rally Obedience and earned 1st place for Marshal's first Rally Novice leg.  He needs two more qualifying legs to earn his AKC Rally Novice (RN) title.

Princess and the Pea

When the floors were being mopped, the dog beds & loose toys were all piled up, and Trixie thought it was all for her personal comfort.

Chase in the Cupboard!

Look who we found in the cupboard!  Chase, only 9 1/2 weeks old, is such an inquisitive, bold pup and loves to explore.  I heard rustling noises and went to investigate and there he was, among the dish towels.  I took him out and he immediately wanted to lay in my lap but I had more cooking to do.  I put him on the floor and he climbed back into the cupboard and laid down to take a nap....well, I spoiled his fun and put him in his dog bed to nap.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chloe, one of the Rockstars, getting into the holiday spirit!

Wishing all our friends and family a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

J-S Pups: The Rockstar 8 week stacks

When the Rockstar pups turned 8 weeks old, we invited a few breeder friends over to help with the conformation evaluation.  These are respected and experienced breeders who have had great success in their breeding programs with show and performance dogs.  Ultimately, the decision was mine on deciding which pup goes to which home, but their valuable advice along with the temperament testing, makes my task a lot easier.  Below are our show/performance prospects who will be hitting show rings around the east coast.

"Ember"  Grayhart's Light My Fire

 "Gabi"  Grayhart's Something to Talk About

 "Rigby"  Grayhart's Rider on the Storm

 "Chloe"  Grayhart's Walk this Way

"Ella"  Grayhart's How High the Moon

The Rockstars are Produced by:

CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD,JH,OA,OAJ,SD, CGC ,VX

"Jam" 

x

"Summit"

Futurity, Specialty & Multiple Group Winner... 

CH Pike's Peak Silversmith Summit, SH,SDX,NRD,V

J-S Pups: The Rockstars go on Tour!

The last two weeks were beyond crazy and bittersweet as the Rockstars left for their new homes.  This litter was more work than usual due to hurricane Sandy and issues with Miss Pink and Chase, but the pups not only survived, they thrived and we are excited to introduce the Rockstars and their fabulous new families!

Presenting our Rockstars, born September 15, 2012, sired by Summit, BIF, BISS CH Pike's Peak Silversmith Summit, SH,SD,NRD, V and out of Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD, JH, OA, OAJ, SD, VX. 

Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, aka Miss Green, owned by Aimee Bederka, Josh Lutynski & Linda Hartheimer, off to a career as a show girl & agility star.

Chloe, Grayhart's Walk this Way, aka Miss Raspberry, owned by Michael Demkiw, Rosalie & Lauren Wong & Linda Hartheimer, off to a career as a NYC fashion icon, therapy dog & possible show pup.

Rigby, Grayhart's Rider on the Storm, aka Miss Purple, owned by Nina Biehler & Linda Hartheimer, off to Pittsburgh to be a performance star.

Gabi, Grayhart's Something to Talk About, aka Miss Leopard, owned by the Carver family & Linda Hartheimer, off to Virginia to become a show girl.

Ella, Grayhart's How High the Moon, aka Miss Stripe, owned by the Ryan family & Linda Hartheimer, off to upstate New York to be a buddy to Smokey the Weim & possibly be a show girl & therapy dog.

Roxie, Grayhart's Silver Rocket, aka Miss Purple, owned by the Dahling family in New York, already winning the hearts of the family, especially Aunt Danielle.

and last but not least, our keeper, Chase, Grayhart's Freeway Jam, aka Mr. Orange, has made himself right at home.

The Rockstar Puppy Party!

Jam watching over her pups while relaxing on the couch

 What has evolved into an important event for all our litters, is the Puppy Party. This party, is a celebration and the day the pups go to their new homes.  All the owners come and enjoy meeting each other, forming great camaraderie, attend the Grayhart Puppy Class, fill out all the necessary paperwork, including AKC Registration, sales agreement and WCA membership and if applicable, WCA Futurity/Maturity Forfeits.  We then take family portraits, which will be in a separate post, and after goodbyes, (for now) the pups leave with their families to begin their new lives.

Grayhart Rockstar booklet & wonderful gifts for human & dogs from our puppy people!

 This party was a bit different from those in the past, as the Grayhart Puppy Manual, had a custom cover with a special Rockstar Litter logo, designed by our good friend, KellyAnn.  Kel, who I can't thank enough, saved the day, by printing and assembling the books for me since I was unable to get the files on my home computer due to the power failure.  Kel also added color pictures of Jam and Summit, making this book extra special.  We also assembled gift bags for the new owners that included a toy from the puppy pen, a new, soft plush toy, and lots of treats from Natural Balance and special homemade treats that Megan, Summit's owner made for the pups!

Oh, as a reminder to anyone who either forgot or did not know, we lost power due to Hurricane Sandy and after 17 days without, it was restored on November 14th!  We ran the generator when necessary, and managed to throw the puppy evaluations on November 10th, another fun party and the official Puppy Party, on November 11th!

 It literally took a village to get everything done leading up to and including the party.  From the temperament testing, done by the amazing Gayle Watkins of Gaylans Goldens, the vet wellness visit, conformation evaluation and then finally the puppy party, we are grateful for the wonderful help and friendship to make all these events a success.  Enormous thanks go to KellyAnn, Nina, and Aimee and Josh!  At some point, I will be able to catch up and post photos from all the events.

 Of course, there was plenty of yummy food, including the best bagels, delivered by Bonnie and Steve, who one Jam's sire Parker.  Steve owns what is considered the best bagel shop on Long Island - no argument that these bagels are amazing.

The Grayhart manual include the vaccination record and protocol, feeding, care, health, behavior and training information and articles.  We then have a hands on portion, showing how to examine a pup, do nails, ears and teeth plus a stacking lesson.

 It was a fabulous end to our 8-weeks of puppy raising and now, it is up to the new owners to guide these pups to grow and thrive and live up to their potential.

Savi earns TWO Senior Hunter legs!!!

Savi, CH Grayhart's Shear Genius, JH, NSD, NRD, V, earned two Senior Hunter legs this past weekend in Cardington, OH, handled by her trainer, Denny Keeton.  Savi is now halfway to earning her AKC Senior Hunter title and we couldn't be more thrilled.  Denny has done a terrific job training Savi and hopes to complete her title in the coming weeks.

The Senior Hunter title is the mid-level AKC Hunt Test title. Dogs are required to perform and receive qualifying scores in various categories.

Scoring in a hunt test is based upon four criteria for Junior Hunter and six criteria for Senior and Master Hunter. The categories in Junior are Hunting, Bird Finding Ability, Pointing, Trainability, and in Senior and Master, Retrieving and Honoring are added. These criteria are loosely defined as follows:

• Hunting: Dogs must demonstrate desire, boldness, independence, speed and a useful pattern of running. Dogs must hunt and not merely be out for a run in the field. They must show independence by leaving their handlers side to explore the territory. Junior dogs are scored more leniently than Seniors and Masters.
• Bird Finding Ability: The dog must demonstrate the ability to find game. Translated, find a bird or don't pass. The number of finds is not as important as the quality of the finds. Scenting conditions, terrain and cover should be considered in the scoring of this category. Note: the course should have sufficient birds (no less than two per brace and more are strongly recommended) to insure that a dog with good finding ability will locate them.
• Pointing: scoring in this category should reflect the style (intensity and staunchness) of the dog and its ability to pinpoint birds, especially with difficult or confusing scent patterns. A dog with a low stance should not be scored lower than a dog with a high stance if it demonstrates staunchness and intensity, particularly in difficult pointing situations. A 12 o'clock tail is not necessary and indeed is not found in any AKC Pointing Breed standards. Flagging (considered a lack of staunchness) on game is generally a fault in older, more experienced dogs, but should not be reflected too severely in the Pointing score of a Junior dog. A flash point cannot quality in any of the three levels. A flash point is generally a point in which the dog stops only momentarily before chasing the bird. Junior dogs must hold their point until the handler gets with normal gunshot range. Senior dogs must point and remain in position until the bird is shot or the dog is released. The dog may reposition itself if it is attempting to pin the bird. The dog should not creep after or trail a bird that the handler is attempting to flush. Master dogs must demonstrate steadiness to wing and shot on all birds and cannot receive a qualifying score if it breaks.
• Trainability: A judged on its willingness to be handled, its obedience to commands and its gun response. In Junior, the dog must demonstrate "reasonable obedience" to commands and be willing to be handled. The Senior dog is scored with less tolerance than the Junior. The scoring of "obedience" and "willingness to handle" should reflect the level of response by the dog. The Senior dog must stop on a wild flushed bird and may be commanded to do so. The Master dog cannot be given a command to stop. Gun response is also evaluated under Trainability.
• Retrieving: Not required of a Junior dog. A good retrieve is one characterized by directness to the bird, quick location, prompt pick up, brisk, direct return to the handler, with tender delivery. A Senior dog is not required to retrieve to hand. Generally one or two steps would be generally acceptable. A Master dog must retrieve absolutely to hand. The handler cannot assist the dog on the retrieve in either Senior or Master tests by moving toward the downed bird. Mouthing is a serious fault and any dog which renders a bird unfit for consumption cannot receive a qualifying score.
• Honoring: Honoring is a requirement in Senior and Master. If a dog is given an opportunity to honor and refuses, it cannot receive a qualifying score. In Senior the handler may give the dog a command to honor but only after the dog acknowledges that its bracemate is on point. A dog that steals its bracemate's point cannot receive a qualifying score. A Master dog must honor on its own.

The Rockstars have gone on tour!

It has been quite a ride for the Rockstars, especially the last two weeks with Hurricane Sandy, trees falling on and around the house and no power for two weeks and still no date as when we'll be back on the grid.  They took field trips in the car, many fans visiting, had their temperament test, conformation evaluation, health check and vaccination by our vet and the big finale was the Grayhart Puppy Party.  All said and done, now these pups are off to star in solo careers with their new families.

We have a multitude of photos to share and now that we have internet back, it will be easier to update the blog and catch up on how the Rockstars are doing in their new homes as well as post the fun party pics from the last few weeks, when internet was spotty.

These talented and lovely pups will have careers in show and performance and snuggling.

J-S Pups Day 50: Naptime

Miss Yellow & our little boy, Chase

Being a Rockstar is hard work...all that playing and partying...need to rest up for the next gig!

J-S Pups Day 49: 7 Weeks Already!

Miss Stripe

 The countdown until the 8 week puppy party is on and as we do each week now, we took stack photos of the pups along with some fun shots.  Not only are these pups very sweet and confident, but multi-talented and awesome little retrievers.  They take turns retrieving and playing with the metal utility article which is like a dumbbell.

The stack shots aren't always easy to get and this week, we did not have a lot of time so the handler (me) did the best I could.  The final conformation evaluation, which will include hands on grading and watching puppy movement, will be when the pups are 8 weeks old.  Then, along with the results of the temperament testing, we will make the final and extremely important decisons of which pup is the best match for each family.

After the storm...

 The Rockstars continue to grow and thrive despite the challenges the Tri-State area is facing due to Hurricane Sandy damage.  We still do not have power and may not get it back for 2-4 weeks!  We are blessed to have a roof over our heads and a generator to provide running water, heat and power to the fridge  The pups, now 7 weeks old, have been busy, exploring new rooms in our house, playing with more new toys and providing tons of entertainment for us!

Only one more week until these special pups go to their new homes!

The Rockstars Survive Hurricane Sandy!!!

We are safe and very blessed that the damage to our house and property was minimal compared to those who lost everything in the areas that were devastated by Hurricane Sandy.  That being said, during the storm, the winds howled and the trees that fell on our house and around it, shook the house as if there was an earthquake.  We lost power and have been told not to expect it back for 7-10 days.  Our house is blocked as there are fallen trees and wires on the street on both sides of our house. Our deck was completely destroyed by fallen trees and caused roof damage.  The tarping company has been out already to cover that many holes in the roof from the elements. Fortunately, we have a generator that will run our well pump, the fridge, heat and some lights.

 Our deck...

 The street is blocked on both sides by giant trees and wires.  Ironically, our mailbox, was spared!

 The front & side yard, covered with trees that during a micro burst, barely missed our house!

 View from our living room onto the deck.  Amazing that not a single window was broken.  We planned ahead and had moved the pups into an alternate pen in a different part of the house.

 Below is the view from our kitchen sliding glass door onto the deck...

 Giant, 100 foot tall trees, were blown over from their roots!

 Our friend's car, parked in our driveway, as they had a mandatory evacuation in their town and were staying with us, had a huge branch go through the windshield.  Thankfully, no one was in the car or it would have been fatal.

 The blocked road on the other side of our house.

 The town will not remove the trees until the power company, Rockland Electric, removes/fixes the down wires.

 With wonderful friends here, we rode out the storm, making veal stew and other goodies and felt relatively safe.  We played with the puppies, who were amazingly unfazed by any of storm noises, house quakes or chainsaws in the aftermath.  We pulled out the tunnel and they had a blast running around a mock agility course from the wobble board and tunnel.  They also had fun retrieving toys including a metal scent article and glove.  We were well prepared for the storm, stocking up on food, gas, and puppy supplies.