Jam at the 3rd Annual Westminster Masters Agility Challenge

Jam, GCH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD, JH, MX, MXJ CGCA, SD, VX, posing in front of Sensation, the Westminster Kennel Club's official logo.

Jam competed and although we did not qualify for the finals, I could not be prouder of my girl, who was the only Weimaraner entered out of 330 dogs. She was a wonderful representative for the breed, both in and out of the ring. It was such an honor to be part of this amazing event.

Jam was clean on a very challenging Masters Jumpers with Weaves course but sadly over time. The turf proved to be very slippery for her causing her to fall and made her much more cautious. Only 10 dogs in our class qualified, and only two more, Jam and another dog, had clean rounds but were over time. 



In the Master Standard course, handler error caused her to get a refusal at the tunnel, darn, we almost got one of those fancy Q ribbons. She was 10 seconds under standard course time in this run. It was a fun course with a tricky opening. Lots of good things in this run and we always celebrate the positives. 


This was our first big agility event and Jam handled it all in stride. I think that having been a show dog, she even showed here 3 years ago in breed, she is used to the crowds, noise and distractions and was not stressed like some of the other dogs. We had fun, spent time with friends, met many awesome dogs and handlers from all over the country and although we did not make the finals, we were included in the TV broadcast of the finals on Fox Sports 1, showing the special relationship between Jam and me. Watch the whole clip to see me feeding Jam treats and then her kissing me!

Jam got into the Westminster Kennel Club Masters Agility Trial!!!!

I am beyond excited that Jam and I will be competing at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Agility Trial on February 13, 2016! 

This trial is limited to dogs that have their Masters level titles, both MX and MXJ, and only the first 330 dog's entries were accepted.  As far as I know, Jam is the only Weimaraner that will be competing there.

Jam competed in the Westminster Kennel Club Show in 2013 and strutted her stuff in the conformation ring.

Jam is GCH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD, JH, MX, MXJ, CGCA, SD, VX, Pet Partners Therapy Dog.

Jam at the Keystone ESS Agility Trial

Jam, GCH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD, JH,MZ,MXJ,CGCA,SD,VX, competing at the Keystone English Springer Spaniel Agility trial in Master Standard. These awesome photos are by Rich Knecht.

Jam new MXJ Title!

Jam earns her 10th MXJ leg at the American Chesapeake Club agility trial at Paws N Effect in Hamden, CT, to finish her MXJ, Master Jumpers with Weaves title!!!!

She is now Jam, GCH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD, JH, MX, MXJ, CGCA, SD, VX!!!

New MX title for Jam!!!!

I am so proud to announce that Jam earned her MX, Master Standard title on November 6, 2015, at the Irish Setter Club of America Agility trial held at Gloucester County Dream Park!  It takes 10 perfect runs to earn this title.

Jam is now GCH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD, JH, MX, AXJ, CGCA, SD, VX, Pet Partners Therapy Dog.

Jam has been rocking the agility ring!

Jam has been busy this fall competing at the Masters level in AKC agility.

We have gotten much more consistent as a team and our "Q" rate has risen tremendously.  She finished her MX, Master Standard title last weekend at Dream Park and the same weekend, earned MXJ, Master Jumpers with Weaves legs #8 and #9! It takes 10 qualifying runs to earn each Master title. She now only needs one Jumpers leg to complete her MXJ title.

She also qualified in both Master Standard and Jumpers on Sunday, giving her a Double Q! This is her first Double Q and counts towards a MACH, Master Agility Champion title, which takes 20 double Qs plus 750 points, which are seconds under the standard course time. 

Jam earns her 5th MX leg with a 4th place!

After a long time without qualifying in agility, I was thrilled to have Jam not only qualify but do it with a placement on a very challenging course.  In a large 24" class at the Schooley's Mountain Kennel Club Agility trial, only four dogs qualified in Master Standsard and Jam was one of them. She ran the course in 59 seconds and the Standard Course Time was 70 seconds. In general, she has been running well however, her handler has been a member of the one-little-thing club.  We've been working hard on perfecting our runs and it is finally paying off.  Jam is run with speed and enthusiasm and we are having a ton of fun - Q or no Q!

To earn the AKC Master Standard or MX title, a dog needs to have 10 qualifying runs.  At the master level, a run must be perfect to qualify so no refusals, wrong courses or time faults are allowed. Jam is halfway to her MX title.

New AXJ title for Mia-belle with a 1st place!

A huge congrats to a very special team- Jessica Scharff and her super talented Mia-belle, for earning their AJX (Agility Jumpers Excellent) with a 1st place yesterday! 

This makes Mia, CH Grayhart's Special Request, CDX,RA,JH,OA,AXJ,NSD, RD, VX2 (Zeke x Trixie). Additionally, they Double Q'd on Thursday in Exc Std and JWW with 2 - 2nd places, missing 1st place by a tenth of a second! I am so proud of this team and all they have accomplished with every title owner-handled including a specialty major win. Jessica has worked so hard with Mia, her "A" dog and is fortunate to have amazing mentors in obedience and field with Diane Gallagher of DogTrain and Tracy Hirsch of Airborne Agility for agility.

Great weekend for littermates Sky & Marshall

 A super Mother's Day weekend for littermates Marshall and Sky from our Hendrix litter (Parker x Trixie).  Laura and Marshall, CH Grayhart's In From the Storm, RN, CGC, made their debut in the Rally Advanced ring and qualified two day in a row to earn two of the three required legs towards the Rally Advanced title.  The Rally Advanced course is done entirely off lead and Marshall showed nice attention and worked happily with Laura.  Although Laura has shown Weims in the conformation ring for years, Marshall is Laura's first rally/obedience dog and she is doing a great job and more importantly, have lots of fun!

 Debbie and Sky, CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain,RN,TD, JH,AX, MXJ, CAT, NSD, NRD,CGC, VX2 showed in agility down in South Carolina at the Masters level and double Q'd (qualified)!!!  That means that in the same day, Sky qualified in both Masters Standard and Masters Jumpers.  

We are very proud of Debbie and Laura and their dogs!

Super Star Savi earns her 2nd Open Jumpers leg with a 2nd place!

Only one week ago, Savi finished her NAJ (Novice Agility Jumpers with Weaves title) with a 1st place, and was bumped up the next day to compete in Open and won the class.  Well this past weekend at the Scottish Terrier Club of New England trial, Savi did it again and qualified in Open Jumpers for her 2nd OAJ (Open Agility Jumpers) leg with a 2nd place!  It takes three qualifying legs to earn the title.

On Saturday, it took Savi time to acclimate to the new venue and she just got better and better with each run. On Sunday, Savi had a terrific Open Standard run but her handler, me, accidentally sent her to an off course jump, and since we are working on keeping her attitude up and trying to build speed, I just went on, not letting her know a mistake was made, and she did a super job which is more important than qualifying and possibly taking a backward step in our training.  Her Open Jumpers run, shown below, was smooth and she handled beautifully.  She isn't running as fast as I would like but she is not experienced and the confidence and speed will come.  Very proud of how well she did and look forward to our next trial in a few weeks.

Awesome Agility Weekend at HVGR trial!

Savi earned two 1st places & a new title, NAJ!

 Spring finally arrived and we had a fantastic weekend at the Hudson Valley Golden Retriever agility trial in beautiful Goshen, NY. Savi earned her NAJ (Novice Agility Jumpers) title with a 1st place! This makes Savi, CH Grayhart's Shear Genius, CD, SH, NA, NAJ, NSD, NRD, VX! She then made her debut in Open JWW and won the class for her 2nd 1st place of the weekend!!!

Sister Jam ran well  but with some handler errors (oops) but managed to Q (qualify) in Masters Jumpers for her 2nd MXJ leg with a 4th place!  It takes ten qualifying runs to earn the AKC MX (Master Standard) or MXJ (Master Jumpers) title. Masters is the highest level of AKC agility and the course are the most complex and to earn a Q, you must have a perfect run (no faults) with a score of 100.

Jam & Savi with their ribbons!

Weaving for Weimaraner Wednesday!

Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD, JH, AX, AXJ, SD, VX, at the March SOJAC agility trial earning her 3rd AKC MX (Master Standard) leg with 15 MACH points!  Ten qualifying legs are needed to earn the MX title. Photo by Rich Knecht.

In Perfect Balance

 Savi, during her 1st place Novice Standard run where she finished her NA title! This was taken at Dream Park in NJ, under Judge Howard Etzel, a fellow Weimaraner owner. Our favorite shot of the weekend!

I just love the look of concentration as Savi navigates the teeter.

Mia-belle earns her Open Agility Jumpers Title!

Mia-belle is now CH Grayhart's Special Request, CDX, RA, JH, OA, OAJ, NSD, RD, VX2

We are very proud of Jessica and all she has done with Mia-belle! Here is her blogpost with fantastic pictures of Mia-belle.

I am thrilled to announce Mia earned her 3rd OAJ (open agility jumpers leg) and OAJ title with a first place at the Charlotte Dog Training Club Agility Trial in Concord, NC. She also earned her first excellent jumpers leg with a first place! We came very close to qualifying on our other runs but Miss Mia is really fast and her handler (me) had some errors that pulled her off jumps. At the excellent level, no mistakes are allowed which can be difficult when running a fast dog with a lot of drive. I have to cue Mia right on time: a second too early, and I pull her off course; a second too late and she's off to run her own course :) Even though we had some mistakes, we also had a ton of fun and I can't wait to do it again! Pictures below are all from Phyllis Ensley Photography.

Jam rocks the agility ring at SOJAC!

Jam, CH Grayhart's Purple Haze, CD, JH, AX, AXJ, SD, VX

Last weekend, Jam returned to the agility ring for the first time in a year and four months after having a litter of seven puppies. At the SOJAC Agility Trial at Dream Park in New Jersey, Jam did an awesome job competing in Masters Standard and Master Jumpers with Weaves.  Our first run was a little wobbly as I was late on a command and didn't give her enough support but after that run, we got it together and Q'd.  Jam nailed her weaves 4 out of 4 runs. On Saturday, she earned an MX leg with 15 MACH points (meaning she was 15 seconds under the official course time) and on Sunday also earned an MXJ leg with 2 MACH points!  She almost qualified in standard on Sunday but fell off the dogwalk, which was the second to last obstacle and was a scary few minutes but fortunately, she was fine and went on to qualify in jumpers later that day.  You can see Jam's run from the weekend.

Savi also had a great weekend, which is in the previous blog post, qualifying in 3 out of 4 runs, all with 1st places and earned her Novice Standard title.  I am super proud of my girls and cannot wait to run them in the next agility trial.  The best part is the teamwork with my dogs and fun with friends, cheering each other on.

Savi (left) and Jam (right) with their ribbons!

Savi's agility weekend was full of firsts & a New NA title!

 Last weekend, Savi made us super proud at the SOJAC Agility Trial at Dream Park in New Jersey.  Savi had not been in the agility ring in two years, as she made her agility debut in North Carolina in 2012, earning two 1st places and NA and NAJ legs, but then we focused on other pursuits like hunting, obedience and motherhood.  Her return to the ring, really only her second time trialing, was a solid one with Savi qualifying 3 out of 4 runs, all with 1st places and she earned her NA or Novice Agility title.  She only needs one more qualifying leg to finish her NAJ or Novice Agility Jumpers with Weaves title.  She was close to qualifying day one in JWW but for some odd reason she kept missing the same weave pole.  In her three other runs, she nailed her weaves and did them independently, something we've been training.  Savi has solid, running contacts and a nice jumping style.  She is a thoughtful dog, so not super speedy at this point but with more experience, the confidence and speed will come.  

Savi is now CH Grayhart's Shear Genius, CD, SH, NA, NSD, NRD, VX!!!

We were fortunate to the Yay Good Dog was at the trials videotaping all the runs.

Here is Savi's first run of the weekend in Novice Standard where she won the class.  Notice the blind cross at the bottom of the Aframe.


This is her 1st place Novice JWW run:

And the last run of the weekend, her Novice Standard run and new title with a 1st place!


Savi earned her 3rd Novice Standard leg to finish her title under Judge Howard Etzel, who is also a Weimaraner person.  She also earned her 2nd Novice JWW leg under him  Both Q's were with 1st places!

Fantastic Agility Weekend for Savi & Jam!

The girls rocked the agility rings this past weekend at the SOJAC Agility Trial at Dream Park in southern New Jersey.  Savi qualified in 3 out of 4 runs with all 1st places!!!  She also finished her NA or Novice Standard title - all 3 legs were 1st places.  Savi earned her 2nd Novice Agility Jumpers (NAJ) leg so only needs one more qualifying run to complete that title.  Pretty good as she hasn't trialed in  two years.

 Savi is now CH Grayhart's Shear Genius, CD, SH, NA, NSD, NRD, VX!

Jam, who has not trialed in a year and is only four months post-puppies, made us proud by qualifying in Master Standard for her 3rd MX leg and earned 15 MACH points.  She also earned her first Master Jumpers with Weaves, MXJ, leg, with 2 MACH points on a nice, flowy course. It takes 10 qualifying legs  each to earn an MX or MXJ title, one of the highest levels in agility.  The courses are challenging and the run must be perfect in order to quality, no refusals or wrong courses allowed and you must run at or under the course time.  Not an easy feat but so rewarding to qualify and more fun than I can describe.  Videos will be posted in the coming days.

Jam back in action

A video from this week's agility lesson.  Jam is running well and we are working on some skills like back jumps, distance and more solid weaves.  We are fortunate to have an amazing instructor and cannot wait to start trialing and putting what we learn into action in the Masters ring.  Savi is also taking lessons and showing improvement and we hope to finish her Novice Agility titles this Spring.

Sky's new AX title with a 1st place!!!

Congratulations to Debbie Moody & Sky for finishing Sky's AX (Agility Excellent) title with a 1st place on Friday at the Greater Kingsport Agility Trial. Sky is now CH Grayhart Lightfoot Early Morning Rain, RN, TD, JH, AX, AXJ, CAT, NSD, NRD, CGC, VX2 (Parker x Trixie)

 Sky continued to soar and on Sunday, earned her 5th MXJ (Masters Agility Jumpers) leg.  It takes 10 qualifying runs to earn the MXJ title and Sky is halfway there.  So proud of this awesome team!

Debbie & Sky

Ember at Agility class

Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, Summit x Jam, only 10 months old and already running short agility courses!  Kudos to her handler, Josh, for doing such a terrific job training her. She is already showing nice speed over the jumps and two on, two off contacts. 

This Rockstar is on her way to the top of the charts!