Large Munsterlander (Grosser Münsterländer Vorstehhund)

The Large Munsterlander is great German hunting dog that can equally successfully perform tracking, pointing and retrieving task. It’s extremely vigorous in the field but remains calm and well-mannered in a family environment. The breed’s exceptional versatility also earned it an enviable reputation among canine lovers from other countries.

The Large Munsterlander was invented in Münster, Germany, in the latter part of the XIX century. It’s believed that its predecessor was the German Long-Haired Pointer (Deutsche Langhaar), which was a popular choice of German hunters in the XVIII century. Initially it was famed for a supreme hunting prowess and the exterior had only secondary significance.

Once the standard for the Deutsche Langhaar was developed, exclusively liver and white coat colour became admissible. All black and white puppies were rejected as mismatching the breed’s standard. As a rule these pups with such a minor defect were granted to farmers who utilized them as all-around gun dogs. This practice resulted into appearance of a completely new breed with irreproachable work ethic and universality. It could hunt both land and water game in an extremely rough terrain. Additionally its harsh coat allowed it to find the wounded game even in the densest thicket.

The Large Munsterlander got the official status of a unique breed in 1919 when several breed’s fanciers organized its club. Unluckily the Second World War affected its population in such a way that its extinction seemed almost inevitable. This outstanding hunter was saved through the efforts of a single man. Herr Egor Vornholt carried out his breeding program with the involvement of the Deutsche Langaar. It helped to widen the breed’s gene pool and refine its hunting instincts.

The vast majority of modern Large Munsterlander still serve as all-purpose gun dogs although the breed is continuously gaining popularity in the role of a companion animal. Hunters from England, Canada, Australia and New Zealand also appreciated working qualities of this dog. It was granted recognition of the United Kennel Club (UKC) in the 2006.

The merry, devoted, docile and playful Large Munsterlander has great potential as a family pet. Thanks to its inherently tranquil and friendly nature it requires just minimal amount of socialization. It’s also very gentle with kids although its relatively impressive size won’t let it to become a good playmate for a too young child. This dog hates being alone and may get into mischief if left unattended for a long time. It retains puppy-like exuberance well into maturity so exercise indulgence to such behavioural patterns of your pet.

The Large Munsterlander isn’t prone to human aggressiveness but it still treats new people with initial suspiciousness. Train your pet to the presence of unfamiliar people in the house and it will be always polite with them. It copes well with the duties of a watcher although some of its specimens lack interest to this kind of tasks. This dog is usually ready to defend its territory and masters so it becomes a fairly reasonable guardian.

The Large Munsterlander enjoys the company of its congeners and suites ideally for keeping in multi-canine households. Of course, its stature and strength makes it a very dangerous enemy for almost any dog so the master should closely supervise the interaction of his pet with its counterparts. The dog manifests surly attitude towards other animals, especially street cats. Nonetheless the breed’s puppy usually makes friends with separate non-canine pets and never pesters them subsequently.

The most common problems for the breed include:

· cataracts;

· hip dysplasia;

· osteochondrosis.

The Large Munsterlander doesn’t have extensive maintenance requirements. Its shiny semi-long coat should be combed several times a week to remove dead hair and distribute skin oils. Make sure to carefully brush your pet after it has been hunting since lots of debris is prone to stick to its fur during a hunting trip.

The breed sheds pretty heavily in spring and fall and much more moderately during the remaining part of the year. More frequent brushing during these shedding periods will help to reduce amount of loose hair. Other grooming procedures that this dog needs include monthly nail trimming, weekly ear cleaning and periodic teeth brushing.

The Large Munsterlander is a very bright dog whose training usually becomes an easy task. In fact it’s capable of learning all basic commands by the age of 6 months. This breed also likes having a job to do and with proper training approach can manage very advanced tricks.

Unlike other sporting dogs it prefers to always stay beside its master and therefore retains focus on the learning process. Remember that the Large Munsterlander is responsive only to rewards in the forms of its favourite treats or praise. Physical punishments only have a boomerang effect on this canine and it turns into a totally unruly creature.

The exercise session of the Large Munsterlander should consist of at least an hour of playing and roaming in a well-fenced territory, so this dog needs lots of physical stimulation on a regular basis. It’s advisable to keep it in the house with a roomy yard. The dog is keen on swimming so make sure to occasionally take your pet to a local pond.

This breed is also notable for exceptional playfulness and welcomes any type of pastime with its masters. If it doesn’t have a chance to run off-leash every day it will become restless and hyper active indoors.