The Large Munsterlander
 This is my own definition of the breed. So please do not copy any of this web site, these are my own words!
Conclusions are drawn from living, working, training, showing and being owned and  loved by 10 Large Munsterlanders!!!! oh and judging the breed as well. Please read carefully to assess whether this may be the breed for you and make notes so that you can phone me and ask me any questions you may have. Munsterlanders are not for the faint hearted, they love life to the full, but if you have the time and energy for one you will be rewarded by a loyal and exceptionally loving dog.
 

The Large Munsterlander is a magnificent looking breed, one who typifies elegance with practicality.
They should have a noble head with a strong neck and beautiful dark brown eyes. Their eyes are always full of expression, and they are always looking to tell you something, they don't look at you, more a case of looking right inside of you, they will react to what mood you are in, if your sad, they will cheer you up.


They have a strong muscular, square - balanced body which carries a dense long coat that feathers the body. Their tails are lethal and I mean lethal, they will clear a coffee  table in a split second not to mention excellent at bruising shins!. The trouble is they are always happy and their tails never stop!


Their movement should be free and flowing
with a springy gait and long stride. They should cover the ground easily and freely.

And boy can they move, a very fast and agile breed, great for agility if you channel them properly

 

Colour:  Munsterlanders are born white and black, their colour comes through as they grow. The flecks and ticks develop as they grow. Any variation of black and white is considered correct but the head should be predominately black.

However expect to see your brown with mud or green from rolling!

They all have huge personalities and brains to match. I often describe them as Springer x Border collies, they have the brains of collies and the zest for life that a Springer has. Left to their own devices and you will have a bundle of trouble, channel their energies and you will reap the rewards.

They do make great working dogs as their natural working abilities are still very near the surface however, to keep the grey cells occupied you don't have to go shooting. Munsterlanders  will turn their talents to any form of work, from obedience to agility, working trials, field trials and many are great PAT dogs (Pets as therapy). They are excellent family members just don't leave them to their own devices too often or for too long, they are so clever that they will soon work out ways to entertain themselves which you may not approve of!
They do need exercise and a quick walk around the block will not suffice. They need a walk come rain or shine, in fact the wetter the better in most cases! If you are lucky enough to live in a place with a lot of land you will need to erect a fence, Munster's do need boundaries. Do not trust them to stay close if they pick up a scent of a deer they will go and go and go and ...........!

They don't make great family pets BUT they do make fantastic Family members, by that I mean they need to feel part of the family and not excluded. They are great with children provided the children are bought up to respect the dog, and they are good with other animals providing they are socialised from an early age, remember they are gundogs so they will always be very interested in birds and small furry animals, teach your dog from day one to leave them alone. At the age of 7 weeks our Logi once very proudly bought into the kitchen one of our pet chickens, thankfully the chicken was totally unhurt but he has been taught not to touch them again. All our cats and dogs live together very happily, too happily in fact as one of our cats is sure Diva is his mother and is always trying to suckle off her!

Colour Changes 

Above is Tetra at birth and again at 6 months 

Below is Logi at 6 weeks and Logi as an adult. 

 

There are two health issues that breeding dogs should be screened for:    

 1) Heredity cataract (both Mother and Father should have a current clear eye test certificate issued by the BVA.) Do bear in mind however, the eye cataracts that are now cropping up from time to time in our breed does not affect the dogs vision, they are not going blind and their quality of life is not affected.  We do not breed from affected parents to try to eradicate the cataracts but as there is no known genetic mode they can occur out of the blue but for example a dog who failed his eye test at the age of 2 is now 9 and can still spot a rabbit at the other side of the field.

 I only breed from clear eye tested parents. 
2) Hip Dysplasia (both parents should be hip scored, the breed mean average is 14 so anything below that is good. the more even the score the better.) HD is a painful problem which can affect the quality of life for a dog, this has proven genetic modes of transfer so always ask for the scores of the parents.

Don't be afraid to ask the breeder if their line has problems with other conditions, such as OCD and Elbow dysplasia, any honest breeder will openly discuss their objectives in breeding for the future.

  All our dogs are bred to be family members - they all enjoy life - living indoors with us as part of the family

Just remember though before you think about a life long commitment to a Munsterlander they love life and cuddles and sitting on you but they also love mud and water they will find a water and mud source anywhere!!!!!!!

Maddison having her daily swim and yes it is a muddy dirty water trough!

        

If you decide a Munsterlander is the right dog for you, enjoy being owned by one as you can be sure they enjoy life, love, attention and fun!

 

 
 
Always Alert they never miss a thing!!
 
They are very agile!!!
They love to roll in anything!!!!


They love their home comforts!!!!
They are very energetic!!!!
                                               

This site was last updated 07/25/09

They use their 'hands for lots of things!!!!