The Large Munsterlander Association of Canada (LMAC)LMAC commits to maintaining the Large Munsterlander (LM) as a dog for hunters, their families and ethical hunting. The Large Munsterlander is a long-haired versatile hunting dog, developed in Germany, which has been bred to performance standards in North America for over 30 years. |
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Table of Contents
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Bear Hill's Atim, photo by Craig Koshyk
The LMAC Spring 2013 Newsletter was emailed to members on February 24, 2013. If you did not receive yours, or cannot open it, please e-mail
This web page was first mounted in October 2011 and last updated on May 19, 2013 by Sheila Schmutz.
A working girl
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Sunnynook's Uli has two jobs. Beginning in August she is the assistant guide at Collingwood Brothers' Guides and Outfitters. The clients might have bagged their sheep, goat, bear, etc., or they might need a break from climbing in the steep Eaglenest Mountains. Then they head for the high plateaus to hunt willow and white-tailed ptarmigan, or beyond the tree-line to alpine tundra for rock ptarmigan. In the photo above, Uli is pointing a willow ptarmigan. In the photo below, Uli is holding a flock while client Roger goes in for the flush and shot. From May to the ptarmigan season, Uli serves as Maitre d' at Spatsizi Lodge. She greets guests tirelessly before and after their fishing trips, nature and photography tours, and horseback rides. She has not found a guest yet who's not worth being petted by and wagging a tail in return. After the season, when the snow flies and the willow and white-tailed ptarmigan trade dwarf birch and stunted willow for leaf buds in the valley, Uli and Ray decide their own time has come. They may be joined on those hunting excursions by former clients who have becoming family friends. Then, Uli might be called upon to work the grouse and partridge of the prairies, or retrieve 8-kg Canada geese on one day and the featherlight desert quail of the U.S. Southwest on another. |
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The region where Uli hosts and guides is steeped in Canadian hunting and conservation tradition. An early guiding operation in the region was established by British immigrant Tommy Walker. By the mid 1900s, Walker and his First Nation guides had gained an international reputation. When Walker saw unregulated development and damming of rivers threaten the spectacular landscape and its wildlife, he enlisted the influential hunters he'd met to protect the region. Protection was not only for hunting and vacationing but also research and education. As Walker had helped create Tweedsmuir Provincial Park in southern British Columbia in 1937, so his leadership brought fruits once more with the creation of Spatsizi Plateau Wilderness Park in 1975. For more detail see "States of Nature" .Uli is not the only Large Munsterlander so employed in northern British Columbia. Across the Cassiar Mountains going west, Sunnynook's Vista works for Bradford & Co. Guide Services Ltd., a three-generation outfitting family that precedes even Tommy Walker's arrival. When Bill & Devlin and Ray travel to sign up suitable clients at trade shows, Vista may join Uli and both are looked after by Beannie. Both Collingwood Brothers' Guides and Outfitters and Bradford & Co. Guide Services Ltd. provide quality hunting and vacation experiences with respectful attention to wildlife and to sharing the region's wealth with aboriginal peoples. This has been recognized via a series of awards, most recently by the Canadian Tourism Commission (Collingwood) and Safari Club International (Bradford). Uli's and Vista's contributions to quality and professionalism has been in the area of ethical hunting. The diversity of demands and smarts expected of these working girls is enormous - luckily both Uli and Vista are up to the task! |  |
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The Large Munsterlander is one of several continental breeds of versatile hunting dogs. It gained breed recognition in the Münsterland of northwestern Germany in 1919. Although this makes the LM the last of the German breeds to gain official representation by a separate breed club, the LM was recognized as a black color variant of the brown German Longhaired Pointer going back to its breed club formation in 1878. Even before that time, the forerunner of the modern LM can be recognized in artists' representations of hunting scenes as far back as the Middle Ages. The LM is a black and white dog with hair of medium length. They weigh 50-75 lbs with males about 60-67 cm and females 58-63 cm at the shoulder. In its German homeland and some other countries, this dog has been bred for over a century for hunting and not show. Hence coat color is highly variable, ranging from predominantly white to predominantly black. Markings occur as solid white patches, or ticked or roan regions. |
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This field dog characteristically is calm, gentle and intelligent, and therefore also valued as a family dog. The versatile and cooperative characteristics of the LM provide for a reliable companion for all facets of hunting. It is well suited for a variety of game, including the tracking of big game as practiced by some owners. On average, LMs search well outside of gun range in open country but are still responsive and not independent. LMs excel as bird finders before and after the shot due to excellent noses and a purposeful searching style with good coverage, rather than speed. Many LMs point with intensity from puppyhood on, and many honor naturally. Given their passion for retrieving, steadiness needs to be encouraged through training, especially in the exuberant youngster. LMs tend to be strong in the water. The LM's long and thick coat protects them against cold and allows them to search dense cover thoroughly. Even so, their coat is a compromise well suited for temperate climates. Short-haired breeds may be better suited for upland hunting in the hot South, while the oily and dense coat of retrieving specialists makes them better suited for prolonged water work in the late-season North. The Large Munsterlander was introduced to North America by Kurt von Kleist of Pennsylvania in 1966. By May, 2007, at least 78 dogs had been imported to North America from Europe. The first LMs were brought to Canada in 1973. There have been 368 pups born in Canada, from 55 litters. SaskElkana's Bones |
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The best method of obtaining a pup of your choice is by reserving from a breeder who plans a litter. Most pups are born in spring or early summer. Occasionally pups are available immediately. Plans for 2013 are still underway, but some are listed below. LM breeders, see below, will place pups only in hunting homes for several reasons. Breeders rely on progeny performance data when planning future breeding - a dog that is not hunted/tested is in that sense lost. Although LMs make good companions, their insatiable hunting instinct can lead to frustration for non-hunters when their dog insists on chasing nearly everything - even the squirrels during a picnic in the park. |
We encourage potential owners to do their homework, including meeting an LM owner and dog where possible. Even "retired" breeders may be willing to show their dogs and answer questions about the breed. Most breeders encourage continued contact with puppy buyers/owners.
All sires and dams have earned at least a Prize III in the NAVHDA Natural Ability test or a Fair in the VHDF HAE test or a Pass in the VJP test. Their total test scores and accompanying ratings are shown below. Some dogs have also run in intermediate level hunt tests, such as NAVHDA UPT or VHDF AHAE, or JGHV HZP. Some have also run in the highest level tests, such NAVHDA UT or the VHDF PE test or the JGHV VGP test. All dogs were judged to be of normal temperament in their test. They have all been certified HD free. Their rating is shown. Some dogs have received Progeny Performance Awards when at least four of their pups from a single litter have passed first level tests.
The early litters born in North America were registered with the Verband Grosse Munsterlander in Germany. For the past 30 years all LMs born in North American have been registered by the Large Munsterlander Club of North America (LMCNA®). Such registration implies that both parents have met breeding eligibility criteria, which include passing a test of hunting performance and certification free of hip dysplasia. ALL litters listed below are bred under the guidance of the Animal Pedigree Act of Canada. The Large Munsterlander Association of Canada has been formed to foster the continued breeding of LMs in Canada and by like-minded U.S. breeders. LMAC registered dogs will have a "C" at the beginning of their individual tattoo in their ear.
Litters Whelped in 2013
Litters Expected for 2013
Litters Planned for 2013
Additional Breeders in Canada
Associated U.S. Breeders
To be associated U.S. Breeders, the kennel owner must be a LMAC associate member.
Retired Breeders in Canada
Performance Requirements for Breeding LMs
All LMs in North America that were eligible for breeding in LMCNA® as of Dec. 31, 2011 will continue to be eligible to breed (see list of eligible sires) in LMAC. LMs approved after January 1, 2012 must meet the requirements listed below at a minimum:
Sire owners are welcome to contact the LMAC Registrar, Kaley Pugh to inquire about females eligible to breed and have pups registered by LMAC. If you have a male or female that you want to have recorded as eligible to breed, please email the TDP Keeper for a form and instructions.
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Performance Requirements for LMs Potentially Exportable to countries where the breed was originally developed, the "Original" Stream
All of the above requirements must be met, but for registration identified as "Original Stream", in addition:
Effective Jan. 1, 2012 the parents of the registered pup must have also passed an upper level hunting test such as AHAE in VHDF or UPT in NAVHDA. As of Jan. 1, 2014 the parents and grandparents must have also passed an upper level hunting test. As of Jan. 1, 2016 the parents, grandparents and greatgrandparents must all have passed an upper level hunting test.
The first official club conformation evaluation for adult LMs in North America was held in 2007. Therefore only those ancestors born after 2005, must have passed specific conformation evaluations available through LMAC. Those conducted in the past by LMCNA® are also accepted.
Please direct general questions about the content of this page to: e-mail sheila.schmutz@usask.ca