DESCRIPTION

The Large Munsterlander is a sizeable gundog, well balanced and looking every inch a capable hunting breed. They are lean and muscular with straight forelegs, broad hips and well muscled thighs. The neck is strong, muscular and slightly arched supporting an elongated head, broad and slightly rounded with strong jaws and a slightly tapered muzzle, medium sized dark brown eyes and broad wide set ears hanging close and flat to the head. The coat is long and dense, but not curly or coarse, with feathering on the legs and tail. Colouring is a white base with blue roan or black patches.

HISTORY

Originally a dog bred to work with noble families' falconers before guns were used in bird and small game hunting, ancestors of the Small Munsterlander had to work in upland areas to flush prey for the falcon, then allow the falcon to keep the prey until the falconer could retrieve it while the dog pointed at the catch. To this day the Small Munsterlander has excellent close searching and pointing drive. With wider availability of guns and personal time for commoners, hunting became more popular, and the breed was further developed as a retriever that worked equally well in the field and water. Owners of the breed consider it to be uniquely effective in working as a team with the huntsman in all phases of the hunt, akin to the close cooperation between a sheep herder and Border Collie.

By the 1800s the breed had fallen into obscurity. Small Munsterlanders were little known, kept by a few families on farms around Munster. For a half century the few dogs that were bred were primarily companions, and used when hunting to feed the family rather than for sport. It developed a local reputation as the dog to have when a hunter's success or failure determined whether his family would have enough to eat. At the end of the 19th century, a concerted effort was made to re-establish the breed from the remaining lines in the Munster region. The fortunate outcome of the companion phase in the Small Munsterlander history was its excellent in-home

TEMPERAMENT

Large Munsterlanders are a loving, gentle and affectionate breed that bond strongly with their family. They are generally very good with children and have no problems with other dogs and household pets. However they do need to spend most of their time with the family and may pine even when you leave the room (!), they are not a dog that can be left alone during the day whilst the family work. They are brave, protective and quite vocal, making an excellent watchdog but may need to be trained not to bark as they do love the sound of their own voice. They are bright and intelligent dogs that love to please their master(s) and as such training is usually quite easy.

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