New Senior Hunter title for Savi!!!

Proud to announce that Savi earned her 4th SH leg on Saturday to finish her Senior Hunter title handled/trained by Denny Keeton! This also gives Savi the required points to receive a WCA VX or Versatile Excellent award.

Savi is now CH Grayhart's Shear Genius, SH, NSD, NRD, CGC, VX

Denny coming off the bird field with a fist pump telling us Savi did it!

It was a gray-t day celebrating with a number of our Ohio friends, who came to the hunt test to cheer Savi on. And best of all, KellyAnn was along for this Grayhart Adventure and loves seeing her PBP work in the field and get her final leg,

He may raise Vizlas but has a fondness for our gray girl,

 

We are beyond excited that not only did Savi start and finish her Senior Hunter this fall, under the expert training and handling by Denny, but she is our first Senior Hunter. Savi is now home and next on her agenda is to finish her CD or Companion Dog obedience title and possibly her novice agility titles before she is bred in the Spring to Parker, GCH HiBourne's It's All About Me, BROM.

Off to bird camp!

Savi was quite sad to see her brother Memphis go home yesterday. What she didn't know was that we had a big trip planned and she was going to bird heaven. Off we went for a long, nine hour drive to Ohio, where Savi will be going for field training to work on Senior and Master Hunter. Savi will learn to steady, hold until released for the retrieve, retrieve to hand and honor her bracemate on point.

Savi showed her new trainer what she's made of and impressed him with her intense points and drive, finding every bird he planted with style and attitude. It is a wonderful opportunity for Savi to be able to fulfill her potential and spend days doing what she loves - running in the field and hunting and retrieving birds. We'll be busy at home with pups, so the perfect time for Savi to be at bird camp.

We'll be posting pictures and videos as we get updates from her trainer

Savi's grounds, beautiful acreage in central Ohio.

Savilicious

Fabulous graphic design by my daughter!

Savi soaring!

 

We were thrilled that on our Grayhart Southern Adventure (GSA), at the Tarheel Weimaraner Club Agility Trial, Savi made her agility debut and qualified for her Novice Standard and Novice Jumper with Weaves legs with 1st and 2nd placements! The TWC requested agility pictures of all the Weims who were entered for their newsletter and since it was Savi's first trial, we didn't have any agility shots to send in beforehand. Thanks to our pupparazzi, KellyAnn, we did an impromptu photoshoot at Debbie's house. The shot above is my favorite, showing off Savi's perfect jumping form and focus.

 

More great shots of our girl...

and sometimes, the funniest things appear...

Tongue anyone?

All ears!

Family Portrait

With Memphis visiting, I thought it would be fun to take a quick family portrait and despite the heat, the dogs put up with sitting for a few minutes while I took a few shots and then were rewarded with treats.

From left to right: littermates from our Clay x Trixie breeding, "Memphis", Grayhart's Million Dollar Listing, "Savi", CH Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC,V, "Jam" (Parker x Trixie), CH Grayhart's Purple Haze,CD,JH,OA,OAJ,SD,VX, and Momma "Trixie", CH GraytSky's I'm Not Really A Waitress,CD,RN,OA,OAJ,V,BROM.

Oh so Savi!

Summertime fun!

Summer vacation is in full swing and we love to enjoy the outdoors.  Today, we met a friend with her two Vizslas and went for a lovely hike and then the dogs practiced water retrieves.  Savi is a natural retriever and I think, part fish!  She gets super excited and absolutely loves to swim and retrieve.  In fact, she enjoyed her role as the cleanup dog when the other dogs couldn't bring the bumpers back.  Savi also screams like a banshee when she impatiently waits for her turn.  Watching her swim is pure joy and she will retrieve over and over.  I took a short video with my Iphone of her doing a water retrieve.   Managed to get the whole thing without dropping the phone!

2012 Blue Ribbon Ad for Savi

Savi's ad appearing in the annual Blue Ribbon issue of The Weimaraner Magazine, the official publication of the Weimaraner Club of America. This beautiful ad was designed the very talented, Sara Renee of Sara Renee Photos & Design.  The lovely rock photo and retrieving shots were taken by KellyAnn Kwiatek.  I will be posting all the Grayhart ads over the next few days.

Parker - future hubby!

Beautiful photo of Parker, BISS GCH HiBourne's It's All About Me, BROM, with owner/breeder/handler, Steve Lane, winning a Sporting Group 1 in the Owner-Handler Series at the Long Island Kennel Club Show on May 20, 2012.

We adore Parker, who is the sire of our first litter, and has grown into a handsome boy and fabulous producer. We have plans to breed Savi, CH Grayhart's Shear Genius, JH,NSD,NRD,CGC,V, to him in late 2012.

Working girl

Savi did a fabulous high fashion editorial photo shoot Friday for a top international fashion magazine. The studio was located at Chelsea Piers in New York City. While waiting to be called to set, Savi hung out on the gorgeous outdoor roof deck. We look forward to seeing the spread in the August issue of the magazine.

Our agent Nancy from AllTame and the client's representative. You can see Savi adores them!

The diva hard at work!

Field trip

 

At obedience class Thursday night, we took a field trip to the local train station. What better way to incorporate real life distractions into our training regimen. Above, group stays and below, Savi, practicing her stand for exam, waiting to be examined. We also did off lead recall and Savi nailed them as well held her stays. A bonus was to enjoy the beautiful spring evening during class and walking to and from the train station!

Future Agility Star

 

Savi, demonstrating her agility skills at the Annual TSWR Picnic. Like her Momma and sisters, she knows how to fly over the jumps. Savi still needs work on her weave poles but loves the contact equipment and is very responsive on course. We hope for her to make her agility debut this summer.

Cinco de Weimo!

Trixie during her demo

 A fun day was had by all at the Tri-State Weimaraner Rescue's 6th Annual Picnic held at the Ironwood Outdoor Center in Lumberton, NJ.  The forecast was for a sunny day in the 80's but that never happened and the temps stayed cool in the high 60's and the day was overcast.  The drab weather did not ruin the day and it was amazing to see dozens of Weims run loose together, playing and socializing, while their owners enjoyed good food and a terrific raffle.

Savi takes a turn

 We volunteered to bring some agility equipment for a demo and to let the other Weims take a try at our favorite sport.

 Trixie sported her new Mod Dog collar for the occasion...

Ha, I'm the Weim Whisperer! This is only about half the dogs that ended up surrounding me and sitting for a treat!

 A mix of gray and blue Weims frolicked in the huge fenced area and the people food was kept in the smaller fenced area by the pool.

 Trying to get a group picture with all those people and dogs was a challenge for sure!

 This was an excellent fundraiser for a great cause.  At the end of the summer, TSWR holds another event at Ironwood where the dogs get to swim in the pools before they are drained for the season.

Hunt Test Weekend

Savi, CH Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC,V, during her Senior Hunter test this past weekend, run by the Eastern German Shorthair Pointer Club  Although she didn't pass, I was pleased with how well she ran and held to the shot.  More photos and the full report to come...

Patience...

Savi, patiently waiting for her turn while I worked Jam at obedience class last night! And no, she wasn't told to get on the chair, her leash was hooked to the fence and she decided to get comfortable!

Friday in the Field!

Savi, CH Grayhart's Shear Genius,JH,NSD,NRD,CGC,V, with her favorite accessory!

We are in high gear training for the Spring hunt tests. Jam is entered this weekend in Senior Hunter and we are still working on steadying her on the bird. She is a very smart cookie and an opportunist, taking advantage of any opportunity to take the bird out if she can. She had a beautiful point in the back course and did a great job backing the other dog before we entered the bird field. That's when things went downhill. The wind disappeared and she was very close to the bird when she went on point. Although she didn't catch it, she broke point, which is very bad. We had to correct this behavior as it is an automatic fail in the tests and unfortunately, she has learned that she can get away with it. She spent some time in her crate, not happily, while we then worked Savi. When we brought Jam back out, she was raring to go and we were very careful to keep her close and bring her into the wind to get a nice point, far from the planted bird. The wind was blowing lightly and bam, she went on a beautiful point. I went to the planted bird, reinforced Jam's "whoa" command, setup the gunner and flushed the bird. Jam held steady, even after the bird did not fly, but ran and then finally flew. She was not only steady to shot, but stayed until I release her for the retrieve. She flew out and did a nice retrieve. Success! We ended her session on a very positive note.


Savi had a stellar day and was truly impressive. With little experience backing other dogs, Savi acknowledged the other dog on point, getting her back in. She also found the pigeon on the back course and pointed it from 20' away! She held while I flushed the bird, shot the blank gun and then heeled her away. In the bird field, again, she had a terrific, staunch point from a nice distance and no only held through the shot, but until I sent her for the retrieve. She ran out and got her bird and retrieved to hand. This girl is already showing Master hunter potential. We were so happy with Savi's performance that I entered her in an upcoming hunt test for her first time in Senior Hunter.


A big weekend ahead and we'll report the results.

Our Girls

A bevy of beauties...our champions...l-r: Savi, Jam & Momma Trixie!

New CHAMPION Savi!!!

 

Proud to announce our newest AKC Champion, Savi, who is now CH Grayhart's Shear Genius, JH, NSD, NRD,V, who finished today at the Bronx County Kennel Club show in Edison, NJ, from the Bred-By-Exhibitor class, under judge Bud DiDonato.  Savi is her momma Trixie's 8th champion!

Savi's show career has been an exciting one with fun wins including Best Puppy in Show at the AKC Canine Learning Experience Match show, 5-pt Supported entry major during the Southern Fut/Mat weekend from the BBE class and a 2nd place Futurity placement.

It was wonderful to have some of our friends there to celebrate her win with a fabulous bottle of champagne, thanks to Savi's personal pupparazzi and godmother, Kellyann.

Next on Savi's agenda is to work on her Senior Hunter title and get ready to compete in obedience and agility this coming summer.

Let the sun shine

A picture perfect almost-Spring day for sunning on the deck. L-r: Trixie, Savi, Jam

Rockland Show Weekend - New CH Trudy!

Savi, free baiting during the BBE class on Sunday - can you see her tongue

I wanted to share pictures from the Rockland County Kennel Club show on February 26th, that my friend, Kellyann Kwiatek, Savi's godmother, took. Both Savi and Trudy (Zeke x Trixie) showed Saturday and Sunday at the Rockland Kennel Club shows in Suffern, NY. These shows are only fifteen minutes from home, which is a luxury and not only made for an easy commute but made it possible for us to have a post-show party back at the house for some of our close Weimaraner friends. Also, being a local show, it was great to run into so many friends at the show. On Saturday, Savi was awarded a 3rd place ribbon in the BBE (Bred-by-Exhibitor) class and Trudy was 1st place in Open. She did not get Winner's bitch to win the points that day. On Sunday, we were all much more relaxed, and the stars were aligned for us to earn the big win.

Savi gaiting around the ring to get 1st place in the BBE class.

Trudy showed well and won the Open class.

Above, the Winner's Bitch class, composed of the class winner's and the judge then awards the bitch that will get the points. l-r: I'm handling Trudy, my friend Jenna, was kind enough to help out and handle Savi and the puppy class winner is in the rear.

The judge awarded Trudy Winner's Bitch and we were thrilled! She needed three singles to finish her championship and this was a 3-point major win!

Our Long Island princess is now a champion and finished in style with three 3-point majors!

Trudy is now CH Grayhart's Special Reserve

February Field Training

Savi

 We enjoyed President's Day doing one of our favorite activities, field training with Jam and Savi.  Kellyann was also off from work and took these great shots of our girls. We could not have been more pleased with how well Savi worked, as she has not been in the field since December.  If she continues as this pace, she will be ready for Senior Hunter this Spring or by fall.

 Savi on point.  The weather was perfect with good wind and Savi pointed the birds from quite a distance. She held until released for the retrieve!

 Awesome retrieve from Savi!

 Savi standing pretty!

Jam, who is still recovering from her procedure last week, was so happy that we let her out to retrieve a Chukkar!

A special birthday pawty!

 Savi had a birthday surprise when Kellyann came by with a present.  Although for Savi, Kel is one of her most favorite people in the world, as you can see in the picture above.

 Birthday bow stuck to her head!

Kel gave her PBP (Puppy-by-Proxy) a super new toy duck.  Savi pranced around to show off and made sure the other dogs couldn't get it.

 This toy is sturdier than it looks and held up to nooking and chewing, so far a winner in Savi's book!  Thanks Aunt Kel!