To us, this means a dog with the intelligence to pursue waterfowl in the morning, the drive to chase upland game in the afternoon, the conformation to hunt several days in a row and the good health to do it all for many years. The need is obvious to serious observers, as recent years have witnessed an explosion in the breed’s popularity that has encouraged many insincere breeders, whose goals are economic and whose breeding practices are focused on the companion pet market.

Our non-profit organization, Korthals Griffon United States (KG-USA) is modeled on the Club Français du Griffon Korthals. We follow their FCI conformation and working standards as well as share their philosophy about the primacy of working traits. And we are developing a similar system of certifying that our dogs are within the conformation standard. This system allows properly educated judges to determine whether a dog meets the breed’s conformation standard without the pageantry of a formal dog show.

Why the UKC? It was founded in 1898 and its motto, Dogs That Do More, speaks to the fact that its primary focus is on the working aspects of the dogs in its registry. In addition to running UKC field trials based on International F.C.I. rules, it has affiliate agreements with the National Shoot to Retrieve Association (NASTRA), United Field Trialers Association and the National Bird Dog Circuit so that titles given by these organizations appear on UKC pedigrees. In 2021, the UKC purchased American Field and its 140+ year old registry, the Field Dog Stud Book. Now, the granddaddy of all American field trial events, the National Championship, held at the Ames Plantation, primarily for Pointers and Setters, is a UKC event. The UKC field trials are of most interest to us because within that system we can host field trials that are effectively the same as those run in Continental Europe. In time, we might even be invited to field a team to compete in the European Championships.

Join us,

Carroll Kemp, President

a) Conducting versatile hunting dog tests and field trials for the versatile breeds according to the rules, guidelines, and in conjunction with United Kennel Club and/or other similar organizations such as NAVHDA, VHDF etc.

b) Acquainting and educating hunters, sportsmen, and dog owners with the history and use of the Korthals Griffon.

c) Cooperating with and supporting other hunting dog clubs that have similar interest in promoting conservation of game, habitat, the Korthals Griffon and other versatile hunting breeds.

d) Increasing general awareness of the historic heritage and undiminished value of the trained Korthals Griffon as an indispensable companion for the fair pursuit of game.

e) Cooperating with and supporting other organizations or individuals with the focus and interest in creating, maintaining, and fostering habitat for wild bird/fowl species in or around the United States.