Beautiful weekend to hang on the deck...

The dogs love to sun themselves out on the deck.

Seasonably warm weather made the deck the perfect place to nap.

Trixie looking for the perfect sun spot.

Jam looking so grown up!

Oh Ma....can't you see I'm trying to get some sleep?

Sky in the field and hiking

Sky had her first introduction to birds this week and her owners couldn't be more please with how birdy she is!

Birds should be introduced slowly, giving the pup ample opportunity to investigate and smell the bird, in this case, quail.



Despite extremely high cover, Sky found the bird. Sky did not hesitate to go into high (over Debbie's head) thick cover when a bird flushed to attempt to chase/mark. The undergrowth was very thick grass and the tall was millet and weeds.

Enthusiam and excitement is what we want to see!




Found it!


The next day, Sky went on a 5 mi hike to Hemphill Bald on Cataloochee Ranch.


The weather was wet, foggy and cold but all had a great time.




Sky had a blast running around with the five friendly dogs on the hike.




Sky's Kodak moment, waiting for for the group, surrounded by the colorful fall leaves.

Sky on her playdate!

Sky and her buddy Star, playing keep away! Sky's quite a little athlete.

Free stack.

I'm a show dog too!

Yes, Mom, I'm a good girl, now where's the treat?

Trixie's Obedience: A Work in Progress

Trixie made her debut in Open obedience this past weekend. Let's just say that we are still a work in progress. Open obedience is completely off leash and the handler is only allowed to give either a verbal command or hand signal for each command. The open exercises include off lead heeling, drop on recall, retrieve on the flat and over the high jump and the broad jump. Food or toys are not allowed. Additionally, out of sight group stays for a three minute sit and five minute down, complete the Open class.

The good news, improvements were made from Saturday's trial to Sunday at our Specialty and the judge, Pat Scully, was extremely complimentary and felt we just have little fixes to make to be successful. The bad news, no qualifying runs.



Until you step into the ring, you never know what will happen and we have our list of things to work on. In this run, Trixie was still in the game until she cut the corner jumping the broad jump, which is a disqualification. All of the other errors, are points off your score.

Obedience continues to be a learning experience for both of us and the benefit of better teamwork and bonding with my girl, carry over to everything we do from agility to just cuddling on the couch.

Garden State Weimaraner Club Specialty Show

The GSWC Independent Specialty Show, Obedience and Rally trial was the perfect opportunity for a mini-reunion and stacking practice for the Parker puppies. The stormy weather cleared just in time for the show and the day turned out to be perfect for showing and spending time catching up with friends. As usual, my club put on a delicious lunch buffet, fabulous raffle and offered lovely trophies.

The exhibits were lovely to watch and Marge, the top Weim and #1 Sporting Dog in the country, won Best of Breed. We were thrilled when Parker went Best of Opposite, owner/breeder handled by Steve! Congratulations!

Steve stacking Jam., 17 1/2 weeks old.

That's me stacking littermate Monty.




This beautiful girl is Katie, half sister to Jam, sired by Parker and out of Mom Mariah, all owned and bred by Steve and Bonnie Lane of Hibourne. Katie is two weeks older than Jam.


Jam loved meeting all the new people and couldn't believe all the gray dogs. She was beyond excited. Her enthusiasm, confidence, playfulness and high energy level impressed many and so I've nicknamed her the Energizer bunny.

Trixie New RN!

No, she is not a registered nurse....Trixie now has some new initials added to her name...RN, which stands for Rally Novice. Trixie earned her new title in three straight trials this past weekend, all with 2nd places and high scores. Rally is the newest AKC dog event which is a more relaxed and fun version of obedience. For us, it provided positive ring time as we step back into the competition obedience ring, working towards a CDX. We also wanted to support our club's Independent Specialty show, which offered a rally trial. More on Trixie's open obedience debut later...

This is from the AKC website explaining the new sport of Rally:

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.

Photogenic Ranger

Ranger at rest....

He's getting so big.


Good stand! Ranger loves going to obedience school and get excited when he see's his people getting his gear ready.



At the beach in Montauk.



Practicing his sit at the beach....this boy is a smart one!