What's New At Cedars Point Kennel 2026

Life at Cedars Point Kennel has been full in the best possible way. From new litters on the ground to young dogs earning their keep in wild bird country, we’re pleased to share an update for our puppy buyers, kennel followers, and the broader Small Munsterlander and versatile hunting dog community.

The H and I Litters: Building Forward With Purpose

We’re excited to confirm the breeding and arrival of both our H and I litters in 2025, each representing a deliberate step forward in our long-term breeding program goals. These litters reflect our continued focus on producing Small Munsterlander puppies that exemplify the breed’s versatility, stability, and natural ability.

From these litters, we’ve chosen to retain two young females:

• Cedars Point Henious Hydra–River

• Cedars Point I’ve Got Your Number–Briar

Both girls are showing early promise in temperament, structure, and instinct. Our intent is to hunt them extensively, evaluate them honestly, and—assuming all goes as planned—eventually incorporate them into our breeding program.

What makes River and Briar particularly meaningful is the addition of new bloodlines to Cedars Point. These girls were sired by studs from Brush Dale and Belvoir Kennels, and carry foundational genetics tracing back to early imports-Belvoir, and foundational bloodlines for Brush Dale's helping preserve genetic depth while strengthening the future of our program.

Hunting Where It Counts: The Northern Plains and Beyond

At Cedars Point, dogs are evaluated in the field—on wild birds, across real terrain. This season, our adult dogs and young prospects were hunted in a balanced fashion based on age throughout Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, and the Black Hills regions in both states, encountering a wide variety of species and conditions. The pictures above take you through our season which started and ended in South Dakota.

Our dogs had feet and nose to the ground experiences with wild birds including:

• Forest grouse: blue grouse and ruffed grouse

• Prairie grouse: sharptail and prairie chicken

• Hungarian partridge

• Chukar

• Pheasant

These experiences are central to our philosophy as a Small Munsterlander breeder. Exposure to diverse habitat and bird species produces adaptable, confident versatile hunting dogs capable of excelling across regions and seasons.

Filling the Gaps: Duck Work and Seasonal Balance

Looking ahead, we will also focus on filling a gap in our seasonal hunting program by expanding to waterfowl exposure this spring/summer. This will include early and thoughtful introductions to duck work for the two retained puppies, as well as continued development of Cedars Point Glitzy Spitz in water and field steadiness.

Balanced exposure across upland and water is an important part of producing complete dogs, and we’re excited to round out that aspect of our program in the months ahead.

Testing, Showing, and What’s Next

As part of our commitment to objective evaluation, we plan to:

• Pursue NAVHDA Natural Ability (NA) testing for River and Briar

• Continue advanced NAVHDA testing with Cedars Point Glitzy Spitz

• Pursue the confirmation show ring with Glitzy Spitz in the summer or fall months

In addition, we are planning the intended breeding of Cedars Point Glitzy Spitz this coming weekend, assuming all goes as planned. We look forward to sharing more details as the ties are confirmed.

Community, Collaboration, and NAVHDA in Rapid City

Cedars Point Kennel is proud to be working alongside local versatile hunting dog owners and members of the Black Hills Chapter of NAVHDA as we explore the formation of a new NAVHDA chapter in the Rapid City area.

Strong local training communities are vital to the success of versatile dogs and their handlers, and we’re excited about the opportunity to help grow and support NAVHDA participation in western South Dakota and the surrounding regions.

About the Author

Jeff Mizenko is the breeder behind Cedars Point Kennel, based in western South Dakota. He focuses on preserving the Small Munsterlander as a true versatile hunting dog through thoughtful breeding, extensive wild bird exposure, and objective evaluation. Jeff hunts his dogs across South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming, emphasizing real-world performance on wild birds, NAVHDA testing, and long-term soundness. He is actively involved in the versatile hunting dog community and is working alongside local handlers and members of the Black Hills NAVHDA community to help grow NAVHDA opportunities in the Rapid City area.