One of the four original versatile hunting breeds, the Small Munsterlander is a wonderful all-around gun dog and household companion. The Munster (pronunciation: ‘mün-st r)(loosely: ‘moon-stur) can efficiently carry out the duties of a pointer and retriever of both fur and feathered game from land or water.

With an increase in the number of hunters and hunting enthusiasts, and the systematic cultivation of game stock resulting from a change in the German hunting laws during the middle of the 19th century, the breeding of new German pointing dogs began. There are reports saying that around 1870 long-coated Wachtelhunds (German Spaniels) were well known in the Munsterland region. These dogs were firm in pointing; had enormous scenting abilities; and were also able to retrieve. In 1906, the well-known poet, Hermann Löns, made a public appeal in the magazine Unser Wachtelhund to give him a report on the still existing specimens of the red Hanovarian Heath Hound. As a result, he and his brothers discovered a pointing Wachtelhund they called Heidewachtel.

The Löns brothers and other well-known dog breeders, like the Baron of Bevervörde-Lohburg, put efforts into getting Heidewachtel breeding stock into other regions in Germany as well. Mr. Heitmann, a teacher from Burgsteinfurt, achieved first success with his line breeding. Several other lines, known as the so-called ‘Dorsten type’, appeared during the following years in Westphalia. On March 17, 1912, the Verband für Kleine Münsterländer Vorstehhunde (Club for Small Munsterlander Pointing Dogs) was finally founded. At that time, the Club expressed its aims as follows: “The Club pursues the purpose to promote the purity and the true breeding of the long-coated small pointing dog that has been bred in the Munsterland for many decades.” A lack of fixed breed characteristics at that time inhibited breeding activities as well as Club activities. Starting in 1921, breeders finally began to follow the breed standard drawn up by Mr. Friedrich Jungklaus.

Nevertheless, the true origin of the Small Munsterlander Pointing Dogs has not been proven.

In addition to being a tireless hunter and tracker, the Munster was developed to double as the family pet and watchdog. The Munsters of today do far more than just hunt. Because of their superior scenting and tracking abilities, Munsters are being used for Search and Rescue (finding lost people). Because of their high intelligence, cooperative nature, and calm demeanor, Munsters are being used as Service (Assistance) Dogs.

The Munster is an amazing dog, both in the home and in the field. The Munster is a versatile breed – a pointing dog who will hunt and retrieve both furred and feathered game on land or in water. They are known for their exceptional tracking ability. Most Munsters retrieve game naturally and love the water. Females of this breed average 35-50 pounds and males average 45-60 pounds. We try to produce dogs at the middle-lower end of the FCI Standard, so our females typically weigh 35-40 pounds and our males typically weigh 45-50 pounds. Munsters have a soft, dense, medium length coat with feathering on the ears and legs and a well-flagged tail. They minimally require 20-30 minutes of off-lead exercise four times per week. Ideally they should get off-lead exercise daily.

We prefer to place our puppies in hunting homes and will only consider a non-hunting home if the puppy will regularly participate in activities that utilize his/her natural talents, such as off leash hiking,  tracking, retrieving, or search and rescue. Although Munsters are probably the best house dogs of all the versatile breeds, they were bred to work and need a “job” for good health and happiness. Most importantly, Munsters require regular, off-lead exercise. If you cannot take your Munster somewhere to run off-lead for at least 20 minutes, 4 days per week (approximately every other day) – at a minimum, this is not the breed for you.

We also prefer our puppies to go to homes where they will spend daily, quality time with their owners. Munsters require a lot of human interaction and will become depressed if regularly left alone for long periods of time. If your Munster will be left alone for several hours a day, such as while you are at work, we would like you to utilize an outdoor kennel for her.

We require that your Small Munsterlander is trained on an e collar. This ensures they will be safe while they are off leash. If you have any concerns with this requirement feel free to reach out and let's talk.

Even if your Munster will be in the house with another dog, spending 8-12 hours per day, 5 days a week inside does not provide enough mental and sensual stimulation for an intelligent hunting dog. Outside, your dog will be able to see and smell the many things going on around him and you will come home to a much calmer and happier dog.

We charge the same price for either sex, as they are equally good hunters and family companions. It is absolutely untrue that females are better hunters, are easier to train, or are better with children. Actually, Munster males tend to do better with young children and are often easier to train than are females. Males are easy-going, openly affectionate, patient, wanting to please, sensitive, and loyal. Since they are a little bigger than females, they tend to handle a youngster’s rough housing in stride. Therefore, if you have young children, we recommend you select a male puppy. Munster males have a temperament similar to Lab and Golden Retriever females. Female Munsters are also very affectionate and love people of all ages, but they tend to be more aloof and more difficult to train due to stubbornness.

If you have other dogs who will be sharing your home with your new Munster, you should give serious consideration to which sex is likely to get along the best with your current canine family member(s). If you have a neutered male, regardless of breed or size, it makes no difference what sex your new puppy is. They will get along fine. If you have an intact male, he will get along equally well with a neutered male or spayed female Munster. Two intact males can get along fine sharing a home/kennel, unless/until an intact female comes along. Then they may fight. It generally is best if the intact males are not close in age. An intact male and an intact female will, of course, get along well. However, the intact male may experience medical problems if not bred.

Therefore, if you do not plan to frequently breed your male, you should have him neutered if he will be in constant contact with an intact female. Even spayed females can be very dominant. If you already have a dominant female ‘ruling the roost’ at home, she will get along best with a male (intact or neutered). Two females (spayed or intact) can get along fine sharing a home/kennel, but you need to prepare yourself for the possibility that one of them may some day challenge for dominance.

All Small Munsterlander puppies are born brown & white. The Roan coloring develops over time in select pups which is usually identifiable a few days after birth.

No matter how much we’d like there to be some scientific method of choosing the best puppy from a litter, there really isn’t one. What constitutes the “best” puppy is extremely subjective and what becomes of a puppy is very much in the hands of its owner. So long as you are buying a properly socialized, healthy puppy from a sound breeding by a reputable breeder, it won’t matter which puppy you choose. You could close your eyes, reach in and take home whichever puppy you happened to grab and you’d have the raw material for a great hunting and family companion.

It is possible to predict a bit about a puppy’s future personality based on the puppy’s size relative to his siblings. The biggest puppy will most likely be laid back and easy-going. This is because he never had to scrap with his siblings for anything. He will normally be very patient with young children. You should take the introduction of new things, such as gunfire, slowly and carefully when training this puppy. This puppy will also need frequent off-lead outings in order to build the boldness needed to become an excellent hunter.

If you do not have the time to take your puppy on frequent off-lead adventures, do not choose the biggest puppy in the litter. On the flip-side, the smallest puppy will most likely be outgoing, fearless and energetic. This is because she always had to scrap with her siblings for everything. You should be firm, consistent and patient when training this puppy, as it may be difficult to hold her attention.

Because we are human and are programmed to prefer things we find attractive, you should pick a puppy you like the looks of. If you really like how your dog looks, it will make your bond much stronger than if you dislike or are indifferent to how he looks. If you think your dog is gorgeous, you will be proud to show him off. You might even overlook some of his bad behaviors. If you think your dog is ugly, he will never become your “once in a lifetime” dog, no matter how intelligent, talented and well-behaved he is. This is not to say you should choose your favorite-colored puppy from a breeder and/or litter that is other than your first choice. Choose your breeder, then your pairing from that breeder and then choose your puppy. All Small Munsterlander puppies are born brown/white. The roan coloring develops over time, but it is possible to tell if a puppy will be brown/white or roan shortly after birth.

We encourage you to prepare your puppy to take the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association’s (NAVHDA) Natural Ability Test, even if you do not plan to breed him/her. This test is designed to evaluate the success of a breeding and to provide information for making future breeding decisions. It is an important evaluation of a dog’s natural hunting ability, especially if taken before twelve months of age. Most importantly, preparing for the test helps develop a puppy into a good hunting companion. Puppies who are well-prepared to take this test are generally capable of doing a good job hunting for their owners during the following hunting season.

Your dogs “Call Name” can be anything you desire. The Call Name is what you call her, what you use for her vet records, etc. Often, the Registered Name and Call Name have nothing in common. When choosing a Call Name for your puppy, think of names with one or two syllables that are easy to yell and don’t sound too much like any command you will be using. For instance, if you use “Here” as your recall command, you would not want to call your puppy, “Hero.” Names to also avoid are words with NO like Nona or Winona, or Nonie, or Nova. This will send mixed messages to your pup. Be creative and unique!