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!

Exciting breeding plans for Jam!

  Jam will be bred to the gorgeous Fala, CH A GraytSky A La Fala Love'A.  This line breeding combines two outstanding pedigrees and dogs with wonderful health, temperaments and natural ability in the field.  Puppies expected early December.

Fala is a young dog with a great future.  He finished in amazing style with three majors including a 5-pt major  going Winner's Dog at the 2013 Weimaraner Club of America National Specialty and another 5-pt major at the Atlanta Kennel Club show leading up to the National Specialty.  The European side of his pedigree includes dogs who have been proven in both the show ring and field.  

Jam, a multiple Best of Breed and Specialty AOM winner, has lovely conformation and beautiful side-gait.  She has a wonderful outgoing personality and sound temperament: sweet, confident and friendly.  She is also a little spitfire with high drive and thinks life is a game.  Jam only needs 4 singles to complete her GCH, has one leg towards her Senior Hunter title (owner handled) and competes in agility at the Masters level all while being selectively specialed. 

Jam has followed in her mother's paw prints as a model and has done photo shoots and commercials for Longchamp, Target, Ralph Lauren, Vanity Fair, Vogue and Macy's.  Jam is a Pet Partners Therapy dog and is certified to visit different environments including hospitals, schools, and nursing homes. She currently makes weekly visits to a residence for developmentally disabled and autistic adults and was recognized nationally for her service and is featured in the new Pet Partners promotional video.  

Jam is a proven producer of talented pups from her breeding last year to Summit. These pups are extremely biddable, with solid temperaments and are just beginning their show careers and in training for competition obedience, tracking, agility and therapy work.

CeCe struts her stuff at the GSWC Match Show

 CeCe, Grayhart's Almost Famous, (Parker x Savi), now 4 1/2 months old, is in training to be a show dog.  Match shows, which are not worth any championship points, are a terrific way to get real ring experience in a relaxed, fun environment.  The goal is for the puppies to have a positive experience.  CeCe stood for exam like a champion and the chicken we used for bait was as good as gold.

 Show dogs are judged in two areas, conformation and movement.  The pups need to learn to do the show stack, the stance that shows off their conformation, allow the judge to examine them from teeth to tail, which includes checking their bite, to being felt all over and their legs being reset.  Movement is gaiting around the ring at a trot with their head up.  This was only CeCe's 3rd time on a show lead and I was proud of how well she strutted her stuff around the ring.  

 CeCe showed correct movement, with reach and drive.

 CeCe on a down and back...

 CeCe's first 1st place ribbon! She also received a trophy gift bag filled with lots of good stuff.  

It's hard work being pretty CeCe!  

CeCe is owned by KellyAnn and Chris Kwiatek and myself.  We are thrilled with how this little pup is developing and having a ball with her.

Therapy Dog Trixie

What better way to start the weekend than with a heartwarming therapy dog visit.  Since Jam and Savi are in season, it was Trixie's turn to go visit our special friend at the group home, part of YAI, for developmentally disabled adult men who are nonverbal.  We had not made a visit in a few months and it was amazing to see the consumer, as they call the residents, immediately recognize Trixie.  He loves to feed her treats and we know it has been a great visit if he smiles and laughs, which he did. 

Trixie is a PetPartner's therapy dog and her daughter, Jam, was filmed along with Edward from the group homes, as part of PetPartner's new promotional video.  We were honored to be included in this important film.  

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.

Supermodel Jam - all in a days work

Jam, heading back to the parking garage after a gray-t modeling gig.

We spent the afternoon at a studio in the West Village neighborhood of New York City, for an exciting fashion shoot for Jam.  The ad campaign is for a major fashion retailer.  She was a hit on the set, striking various poses with the model and was dynamic for the video portion of the behind he scenes filming.  The campaign will be out in November and we cannot wait to see the final product.

Fabulous Friday the 13th

 No bad luck on this Friday the 13th!  In fact, it was a stellar weather day here in the Northeast and we took full advantage and took the dogs for a 3-hour hike to one of favorite local trails in Harriman State Park.  My friend, Lori, a fellow Weim lover, joined us for an afternoon of beautiful nature and great exercise.

 The reward at the top of the trail - a view of New York City!  It was a bit hazy today, not as spectacular as on a clear day but still impressive.

 Jam and Savi spent the hike hunting, exploring and just having a wonderful time and barely stopped for us to get photos.  They will sleep well tonight.

 Trixie is the perfect hiking companion and will pose or do anything for a treat!

Ready to party

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

Jam in the September Chico's Catalog

Supermodel Jam appearing in the newly released Chico's Catalog (September 2013) and the online version too!  Always fun to see our girl in rocking the fashion world!

Morning Marsh runs

There is nothing like waking up and being able to take the dogs on a fabulous run in the marsh just steps from our rental house. The house is on a salt marsh that is part of Pamet Harbor which leads to the Cape Cod Bay.

   Savi loves to swim and cannot wait to get down to the water.

 Below, a resident Great Blue Heron, who we saw quite a bit of during our stay.

Trixie on the move...

 High tide makes for beautiful views.

 View of Pamet Harbor and the Yacht Club.

 Chipmunk hunting is a favorite Weim activity!  Jam pointing a critter and then the three girls with a team effort but no, they did not catch the chimpmunk.

Cape Cod 2013

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 and retrieving in the marsh and bay.  They enjoyed meeting new people and shopping with us in all the dog friendly shops.  Our girls are amazing travelers and it feels just like home having them with us on vacation.  I really enjoy photographing the dogs and sharing their adventures.  

Daily hikes in the salt marsh are fun, give the dogs and people plenty of exercise!

 Truro is our favorite spot on the cape with rolling hills, salt marshes and fantastic bay and ocean beaches.

Running through the hills and swimming after ducks!

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.  Since Cape Cod is also known for its ticks, we make sure to apply Frontline or Vectra to the dogs a few days before we leave to give them adequate protection.

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!

I took a ton of pictures and will continue to share some of my favorites in future posts.

Reagan the Graduate!

Congratulations to Reagan, Grayhart's Wild Life, (Parker x Savi) for graduating from Puppy Kindergarten!

Once the pups leave us for their forever homes, usually at 8-9 weeks of age, it is up to their new owners to continue socializing and training them as the period from 8-16 weeks is one of the most critical developmental periods in a dog's life.  The experiences that the pup has during this time period will shape them for life.

Reagan attended class at the Staten Island Companion Dog Training Club and below is the description of the Puppy Kindergarten class:

Be a part of our interactive puppy experience which focuses on developing foundational training skills.  Our program provides the tools necessary to meet the social, intellectual and physical needs of your puppy while using primarily positive reinforcement techniques withina safe environment.  Puppies ages 9 weeks to 20 weeks will learn basic obedience skills such as sit, down, stay, to come when called and loose leash walking.  This class will practice human and dog socialization as well as introduce your puppy to agility equipment with the purpose of building confidence, developing dexterity and strengthening coordination.  Is your dog learning while having fun or having fun while learning?  That’s the beauty of Pups 101.  Come join the fun and be a part of the ultimate puppy learning experience.

Reagan is already signed up for the next level class, Beginner Obedience and was also invited to be part of a special Attention class later this fall.  We are proud of how well Reagan is doing under Kathy's tutelage!