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!

Savi rocks the Rally-O ring

Thirteen weeks after whelping a litter of seven pups, Savi was back in action, making her debut in the Rally ring.  Honestly, we have never trained for rally and even though I winged it over 5 years ago and put a Rally Novice title on Trixie, in a weekend with 3 2nd placements, Rally is alien to me and a lot has changed since we last did it.  I've been practicing obedience with Savi, hoping to finish her CD title and thought the since we were going to the Harrisburg cluster of shows, entering her in rally would be a fun way to get her back into a show ring.  The other competitors and the judge were terrific and very helpful in explaining the meaning of some of the signs that I had questions about.  I knew she would qualify as she has the skills to do well in Rally Novice (the lowest level) but what a pleasant surprise to hear that she was in 2nd place with a terrific score of 98 (out of 100).  Very proud of my girl!  She just needs two more qualifying legs to earn her Rally Novice (RN) title.

For those who are unfamiliar with Rally, here is an explanation from the AKC:

Getting Started in Rally

Rally is a sport in which the dog and handler complete a course that has been designed by the rally judge. The judge tells the handler to begin, and the dog and handler proceed at their own pace through a course of designated stations (10 - 20, depending on the level). Each of these stations has a sign providing instructions regarding the next skill that is to be performed. Scoring is not as rigorous as traditional obedience.

The team of dog and handler moves continuously at a brisk, but normal, pace with the dog under control at the handler's left side. There should be a sense of teamwork between the dog and handler both during the numbered exercises and between the exercise signs; however, perfect "heel position" is not required. Any faults in traditional obedience that would be evaluated and scored as a one-point deduction or more should be scored the same in Rally, unless otherwise mentioned in the Rally Regulations. After the judge's "Forward" order, the team is on its own to complete the entire sequence of numbered signs correctly.

Unlimited communication from the handler to the dog is to be encouraged and not penalized. Unless otherwise specified in these Regulations, handlers are permitted to talk, praise, encourage, clap their hands, pat their legs, or use any verbal means of encouragement. Multiple commands and/or signals using one or both arms and hands are allowed; the handler's arms need not be maintained in any particular position at any time. The handler may not touch the dog or make physical corrections. At any time during the performance, loud or harsh commands or intimidating signals will be penalized.

Rally provides a link from the Canine Good Citizen® (CGC) program to obedience or agility competition, both for dogs and handlers. In addition, rally promotes fun and enjoyment for dogs at all levels of competition.

What is Rally?

AKC Rally is the new dog sport that is taking the nation by storm, a successful stepping stone from the AKC Canine Good Citizen® program to the world of obedience or agility. Rally offers both the dogs and handlers an experience that is fun and energizing. The canine team moves at their own pace, very similar to rally-style auto racing. Rally was designed with the traditional pet owner in mind, but it can still be very challenging for those who enjoy higher levels of competition.

A rally course includes 10 to 20 stations, depending on the level. Scoring is not as rigorous as traditional obedience. Communication between handler and dog is encouraged and perfect heel position is not required, but there should be a sense of teamwork between the dog and handler. The main objective of rally is to produce dogs that have been trained to behave in the home, in public places, and in the presence of other dogs, in a manner that will reflect positively on the sport of rally at all times and under all conditions.

AKC Canine Experience & Match Show

Ember & Josh rocking the rally ring

We had a super fun day at the Suffolk County Kennel Club sponsored AKC Canine Experience Event held in Kings Park, NY last Sunday! An AKC Canine Experience is a multi-club, multi-sport event that introduces and welcomes owners of newly AKC-registered puppies to and educates them about the sport of purebred dogs. The day-long event features educational presentations and provides an opportunity for potential owners to be mentored by experienced exhibitors and club members prior to an afternoon match, during which new exhibitors and future fanciers practice their newly learned skills.

We represented the Long Island Weimaraner Club, offering information on our breed and giving people an opportunity to meet our dogs. There was a mini-Grayhart reunion with pups from a few of our litters in attendance. We participated in Rally run thrus and the conformation match. The Sporting group, including the Weimaraner judging, was judged by Mrs. Toby Frisch, an AKC judge who is approved to judge many groups and Best In Show. She was wonderful to our puppies and very complimentary - a pleasure to show to. After the event, we took the dogs, big and small, on a run and for them, that was the best part of the day!

 Josh and Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, (Summit x Jam), only 10 months old, did a super job on their rally run through - their first time ever in a show ring!  Josh and Aimee have been working hard at training Ember in obedience and agility, and it is obvious that their hard work is paying off.

 Bonnie Lane, President of the Long Island Weimaraner Club, had a nice informational booth set up with handouts and thanks to KellyAnn Kwiatek, samples of Natural Balance rolls and food.  The puppies, 4 month old, Martha & littermate Louie plus 11 weeks old, CeCe, were a big draw.

 A little show training for Cece...hard work for a little pup in the heat...

 I also did a rally run though with Savi, who has been training for her CD (Companion Dog) obedience title so the Novice Rally course was a piece of cake for her.  She had terrific attention and was happy to be working.

CeCe was a little star her first time in the ring - stacking like a pro!

 We had an entry of 5 Weimaraner puppies in the match show and it was a group effort to get all the pups in at the right time, figure out who would handle which pup and take photos. A match show is a practice dog show, a great way to get the pups used to the show ring and procedure, as well as get new handlers in the ring for practice.  Match shows are not worth points towards a championship but to win a match show with a big entry, is always nice.  Our Savi, was Best in Show Puppy at this same match show three years ago with an entry of 400!

 The puppies, Martha and CeCe were in the same class.  See what difference a month in age can make!  Martha won the class but I was thrilled with how well baby CeCe did.

Ten-month old Littermates from our Rockstar Litter (Summit x Jam), Ember, Grayhart's Light My Fire, up front with me and Ella, Grayhart's How High the Moon, shown by Steve Lane, in the 9-12 class.

 Ember was up first and the judge told us both girls were so similar she had a hard time making up her mind.

Steve did an awesome job showing Ella (above) and she won the class.  Then all the winners of the 3 classes went in for the judge to pick the Best of Breed (BOB) Puppy.  Ella won and was awarded BOB.  Steve then took Ella in for the Puppy Sporting Group and we were thrilled when she won a Puppy Sporting Group 2!

 Aimee didn't complain when she was asked to hold CeCe...taking her responsibility very seriously!

 Jam was along for the ride and got to play with one of her favorite people, Steve!   Steve showed Jam to her Championship and occasionally takes her in as a Special.

Then it was CeCe's turn for some puppy show and play!  Teaching her how to gait on a show lead and what fun it can be!

Marshall new Rally Novice title!!!

Marshall, (Parker x Trixie)is now CH Grayhart's In from the Storm, RN!  

Marshall earned his Rally Novice title this weekend at a double trial on Saturday in Kansas with owner/handler, Laura.  This is Laura's first foray into performance events and Laura and Marshall are doing a super job.  Marshall made his debut in the Rally Novice ring in October at the Weimaraner Club of America National Specialty and earned his 1st Rally leg with a 1st place!  Then on Saturday, in the morning, Marshall qualified for his 2nd leg and again, won the class with a 1st place!  At the afternoon trial, Marshall again qualified, this time with a 2nd place and that gave him his 3rd leg to complete his RN or Rally Novice title.

We are so proud of the hard work Laura has put into training Marshall and look forward to seeing what they do next!

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.