ABOUT US
Our love for WPG's
Welcome to CrossIron Kennels!
​
We are Ron & Mary Belt and we live on an acreage near Calgary, Alberta in Rocky View County.
We are a small kennel with the focus of breeding the best Wirehaired Pointing Griffons from top Field & Conformation stock. We hope to achieve & conform to the original Korthal's standard and we test hips, elbows & eyes as well as K-locus, to ensure genetically sound dogs.
​
Ron grew up hearing about his grandfather's amazing Korthal's Griffons (Wirehaired Pointing Griffons) that he owned in the Netherlands and he dreamed that someday he would get his own 'Griff' and experience for himself this excellent companion & versatile hunter.
In 2009, his dream came true when he got his first pup 'Dina' from a Montana breeder. Her amazing natural ability for hunting and tracking pheasants and her gentle, loving nature was more than he could have ever hoped for in a dog.
Ron joined the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) in order to learn more on how to train his Griff. He became the treasurer for his local chapter and enjoyed the community of like minded people dedicated to training & developing versatile dogs for upland & waterfowl hunting.
​
In 2016, Ron got his second pup from Razorsedge Kennel in his home province of Alberta. He was at a stage in his life where he had more time to commit to training and learning more about the WPG breed. It wasn't long before Mary caught the dog training bug and became involved with NAVHDA and training their dogs.
Their hope was that Skye would have the essential elements of temperament, bird instinct, genetic & OFA testing (Skye received the highest & rare rating of excellent on her hips) in order for her to become Crossiron's foundation bitch.
And Skye did indeed prove that she had what it would take! Her excellent pedigree did produce an incredible gun dog: Skye received a Prize 1 in her Natural Ability test, and Prize 1 - Maximum score of 204/204 on her Utility test in 2019.
​
Skye's first litter was born in the spring of 2019. It was a strong litter with all pups showing bird drive very early on and 4 pups have tested their Natural Ability at 5 1/2 months old & it was very evident that the hunting genes were passed on with all pups scoring extremely well! Three dogs from Skye's A litter went on to recieve prize 1 in NAVHDA's Utility Test, attaining the elusive UT Breeder/ Litter Award. This litter is also loaded with titles in the CKC world with Grand Champions, Field Dog Excellent and Water Dog Elite to name a few.
​
We are so proud of our dog's sucesses in the field, water and the ring. Each Litter has brought about amazing successes. We are proud to produce some the top Griffons in the country that have titles in both the field and ring. We look forward to the future.
​
​
​
​
OUR 'GOT GRIFF' FAMILY
WHY WE BREED
Our dogs are bred from the top hunting and conformation lines. They are the result of careful breeding that has resulted in limited genetic problems such as hips, elbows and eyes.
It is our intention to develop great hunters with excellent drive and instincts that conform to the standards Korthal's intended for the breed: Dogs that are intelligent, loyal, biddable and with great endurance in the field and water.
Griffs are excellent family companions who love to watch over their people and their property.
These affectionate dogs love to snuggle and can lounge around lazily in the home. But don't be fooled by their easy going demeanor! In the field they turn into hunting machines demonstrating why the have earned the moniker, 'Supreme Gun Dog!'
