The Large Münsterländer (or Großer Münsterländer) is a

breed A breed is a specific group of domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist several slig ...

gun dog Gun dogs, or bird dogs, are types of hunting dogs developed to assist hunters in finding and retrieving game, usually quail, dove, or duck. Gun dogs are divided into three primary types: retrievers, flushing dogs, and pointing breeds. Types ...

originally from the

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state distr ...

region in Germany. The first breed club was founded in Germany in 1919 and the breed was recognised by the

Kennel Club (UK) The Kennel Club ("KC") is the official kennel club of the United Kingdom. It is the oldest recognised kennel club in the world. Its role is to oversee various canine activities including dog shows, dog agility and working trials. It also operat ...

in 1971. The breed is an offshoot of the

German Longhaired Pointer The German Longhaired Pointer (GLP) is a dog breed, breed of dog. Developed in Germany, it is used as a multipurpose gundog. It is closely related to its cousins, the German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP), the German Wirehaired Pointer (GWP) and the L ...

, and was officially recognized as a separate breed when the German Longhaired Pointer club chose to deny recognition to the black and white color variation. The breed can also be a great family dog/pet. They are very Loyal.

Appearance

Th
standard
is set b
FCI
and the translation was done by Mrs. Peggy Davis from the original German. The Large Munsterlander should be athletic, intelligent, noble, and elegant in appearance. Its body should be the same length as its height at the

withers The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of an animal, typically a quadruped. In many species, it is the tallest point of the body. In horses and dogs, it is the standard place to measure the animal's height. In contrast, cattle ar ...

. The dog should be muscular without being bulky. Its gait should be fluid and elastic.

Size

Large Munsterlanders should be at the withers for males, for females. It should weigh approximately .

Coat and colour

The coat is black and white with hair of medium length. Due to the nature of the

piebald A piebald or pied animal is one that has a pattern of unpigmented spots (white) on a pigmented background of hair, feathers or scales. Thus a piebald black and white dog is a black dog with white spots. The animal's skin under the white backgro ...

gene, the amount of black in an individual's coat pattern is highly variable, ranging from predominantly white to predominantly black. Markings occur as solid black patches, with black

ticking Ticking is a type of cloth, traditionally a tightly-woven cotton or linen textile. It is traditionally used to cover tick mattresses and bed pillows. The tight weave makes it more durable and hinders the stuffing (straw, chaff, hair, down feathers, ...

or roan filling in the white fur in varying degrees of concentration. Usually, the head is predominantly black and the tip of the tail is white, regardless of the distribution of black and white, and roan and ticking on the rest of the body. The Large Munsterlander was included in a genetic research study and all were homozygous for the sp allele in the MITF gene that causes piebald spotting. It was also included in several other coat color studies and the data summarized on a webpage entitled "Large Munsterlander Coat Color Genetics". The coat is dense, but should be firm and sleek.

History

Grote Münsterländer - world dog show 2010

The Large Munsterlander is one of several continental breeds of versatile hunting dogs. They are also a HPR (Hunt, Point and Retrieve) Gundog. Although the breed is one of the last of the German breeds to gain official representation by a separate breed club, the Large Munsterlander was recognised as a colour variant of the German Longhaired Pointer prior to that time. The breed first gained official recognition in the Munsterland of northwestern Germany in the early 1900s. However, the forerunner of the modern Large Munsterlander can be recognised in artist's representations of hunting scenes as far back as the Middle Ages. The Large Munsterlander was introduced to North America by Kurt von Kleist in 1966. The Large Munsterlander Club of North America® was founded in 1977.

Field ability

This field dog characteristically is calm and gentle with children and well adjusted to living in the master's dwelling. The versatile characteristics of the breed provide for a reliable companion for all facets of hunting. A recent comparison of the scores of 82 Large Munsterlanders with 104 other versatile breeds entered in the

North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) is one of the oldest, largest, and most successful dog training and testing organizations in North America.

(NAVHDA) tests showed that the Large Munsterlander is a versatile dog with a difference. On average, Large Munsterlanders work closer and are more responsive to the handler than other breeds, although the Large Munsterlander's pointing instinct matures later. The breed displayed greater cooperation than other breeds and an excellent concentration in the tracking and recovery of crippled game birds. During search for game, most dogs range , depending on cover.Pointing Dogs. Volume One: The Continentals. Craig Koshyk. Dog Willing Publications. 2011. P. 282 Their long and thick coat protects them against cold and allows them to search dense cover thoroughly, but as a result leaves them more susceptible to burrs.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Large Munsterlander Dog breeds originating in Germany FCI breeds Rare dog breeds Gundogs Pointers