About the Breed

Why a Small Munsterlander?

When you ask this question to a Small Munsterlander fan, you cannot expect an easy answer. You will have to, before deciding to purchase a Small Munsterlander, ask yourself the question if you can really offer the dog everything necessary.
The Small Munsterlander belongs to the few hunting breeds of which the breeders select dogs based on properties. It is a medium multilateral dog. You can keep him for example as a all-round gundog, but also as a house comrade. The Small Munsterlander has the natural  quality to comply with his owners will and needs.
The Small Munsterlander is very intelligent, which results in a quick understanding of instructions and what is forbidden. You should notice that the dog likes to go on the road with you. And to work together with his owner, despite numerous ups and down, to gain a certificate. This will strengthen the bond/relationship between you and your dog.
The conditions to correctly keep a Small Munsterlander are also willingness for calm, patience and consistent upbringing and training. This training and upbringing will have to start the first day your dog arrives at your house.
Last but not least, your Small Munsterlander likes to go with you on vacation.

The Small Munsterlander and Children

The Small Munsterlander really loves children, but this does not mean he will allow little ones to tease him. As a puppy or a young dog your Munsterlander will love to play with children, but adult dogs can sometimes get irritated by all the activity and noise and they will let you know this. You will have to teach your children the appropriate way to interact with the dog. The Small Munsterlander has naturally a happy and sweet disposition and with the right guidance he will be very positive toward children until a old age.

Character

The Small Munsterlander is a multilateral gun- and working dog that is not difficult to train and really enjoys performing its tasks. The breed is intelligent, eager to learn and it will not easily forget the things it has learned (also the wrong things). At the same time, the dog will easily exploit the weaknesses of its owner, created by not so consistent upbringing. To get your dog well in hand it is advisable to take gundog training lessons, ideally starting from the age of 8 weeks. The Small Munsterlander hears and sees everything and he is very active; even on a very high age, the dog will challenge you to play with him. The cheerful character of the Small Munsterlander is expressed by many facial expressions. The breed is very sensitive to words of praise and cannot stand inconsistent handling. The Small Munsterlander likes to be part of family life, is very affectionate and has a big adaptability. His excellent will to follow tracks and his innate quality to follow, find and bring in wounded game, makes the Small Munsterlander a nice hunting dog. These qualities are a must to every hunter. By strict breeding selection, pointing has become a fix quality of the breed. The Munsterlander does not only work, with full ardour and passion, towards the shot , but is also a trustworthy dog for finding plumy, hair and rough wild. A passion for water is another quality of the Small Munsterlander. The breed has no problem with cold and wet conditions, thanks to the protection of an efficient double-layer coat.

Accommodation

When housing a dog, there are 2 possibilities. If you keep your dog at home, you must ensure that the dog has his own spot, where he can lay down. This must be a strategic, not to warm, quiet, draught free location, where the dog can overlook everything and he is not disturbed (also not through children), so he can rest. It's very important that you never sent the dog to this spot for a punishment or with a angry voice. This location should be, at all times, safe and pleasant. Your dogs spot can be a bench, a basket, or cloth, big enough for the dog to lay completely stretched-out. At this moment, a bench is very popular. This has the advantage that the dog can keep an eye on everything around him. Of course keeping your dog indoors will entail extra cleaning, but when the dog lives in an outdoor kennel he will also lose hair and take dirt inside. When you keep your dog in a kennel, you first must arrange an efficient indoor space, in which the dog will keep cool in summer and warm in winter. It also has to be draught free. The height of this space must be ca. 2 meters. The floor space must be minimum 1 meter wide and minimum 2 times so long as the dog without the tail. Every indoor location needs to have a side corridor to shut out the draught and wind. To every indoor location belongs a covered outside location and an adequate large outside-run that can never be too big. Lack of a proper outside location can lead to kennel psychosis and other problems. You should exercise your dog at least a few times a day, by going for a walk or letting him play in a field. This excercise it's not only necessary for your dogs physical well-being, but also for his spiritual development.

Breed standard

The Small Munsterlander belongs to the German middle long-haired pointer dogs. The breed has a harmonious, power, efficient build, that makes that he can function as a all-round gundog. Because of its height, dogs 52 cm till 56 cm and bitches 48 cm till 54 cm shoulder height, he belongs to the medium pointer hunting dogs. The Small Munsterlander is very elegant and light-footed in his movement. All these qualities are judged at dog shows. The Small Munsterlander is brown - white or brown-grey with a flexible, close, middle long and light wave, adjacent smooth coat. The breed often has small or long asymmetric flats and point in the color brown spread all over the body. On the head the coat is short, on the ears it is middle long with waves and on the body the coat is middle long and adjacent smooth. The back of the front paws are feathered and the hindquarter has a trouser feathering. The long flag on his tail is a typical and appealing characteristic.