The Large Munsterlander Association of Canada (LMAC) Former Feature Dogs

This web page was first mounted on May 19, 2014 and last updated on May 3, 2024 by Sheila Schmutz.

Former Feature Dogs

Retrieving Commitment (Bringtreue)

While I was busy filling the bird feeder, Sunnynook's Gannet had found this White-tailed Deer antler in the woods around the house and proudly delivered it. In the versatile hunting dog tradition, there has been a long-standing test, called "Bringtreue" in Germany and Austria, translating to committed or faithful retrieving. The key is that a dog finds game, and of its own volition, out of sight and without being commanded to do so, picks it up and brings it to the owner.

In tests of this retrieving commitment, a rabbit or duck is laid out 200 yds from the handler in the woods. The dog shows its strongest commitment when a fox is used. Unlike bird game or rabbits, most dogs dislike foxes. A dog that can be encouraged to deliver a fox from out of sight of the handler and without prior commands, has shown ultimate commitment.

Truly committed and reliable retrieving can be encouraged by training but it has to come "from the heart". It comes from generations of performance testing when retrieving in various forms is expected (scroll down to see a former Feature Story "The Independent Search Is a Versatile Dog's Secret Weapon" ). It can also be encouraged with strategic exposure and ample praise from puppyhood on. In the end, a dog knows very well that the owner will never know it if it finds a dead game animal in the field that others have missed. Bringtreue is like moral behaviour, something one does even when no one is looking.

Joe Schmutz, 26 Feb 2023

Large Munsterlander History and Origins of Long-haired Pointing Dogs

At the 100th Anniversary celebration on 29 June 20219, in Haltern, Germany, the then President of the Verband Grosse Münsterländer e.V., Franz Loderer, presented an overview of the Large Munsterlander's history. This included information recorded two Centuries ago about dogs that were by all accounts forerunners of the Large Munsterlander and other black-and-white or brown-and-white, long-haired pointing breeds. The presentation was summarized in the 100th Anniversary publication:

Loderer, Franz (2019), "Zur frühen Vorgeschichte. Pp 8-9 in Egon Vornholt, Bruno Oelmann and Karl Wichmann (2019). "100 Jahre Grosse Münsterländer: Chronik des Verbandes Grosse Münsterländer e.V." 46325 Borken, Germany, 135 pp.

Loderer's survey of available literature is novel and interesting on several fronts:

• The existence of a strong bond between dogs and humans so many centuries ago is remarkable.
• The description of the Celts' Silk Dog, over 2000 years ago is fascinating.
• The review shows that pointing existed as a behavior among hunting dogs very long ago.
• At least two breeding / breed development strategies have been fruitful. The LM and other long-haired pointing dogs appear to have seen a rather linear development. Hunters relied on performance-based breeding of one ancestral lineage, from the Celt's Silk Dog, via the Hühnerhund to the LM and German long-haired Pointer today. Other breeders mixed ancestral lineages, such as the Leithund and the Wachtelhund, with more or less pronounced pointing specialists from Spain, France and the UK.
• It is also noteworthy how various scientific analyses today can inform, expand upon or revise notions of the past.

Franz Loderer's presentation invites us to think over a longer than usual time horizon. He provides thoughts that can inspire our imagination as we walk gun in hand behind a cooperative, long-haired versatile dog. Today's valued dog-hunter partnership may include shinier guns and GPS collars on dogs, but the find-point-shoot-retrieve sequence has remained essentially unchanged.

The graphic presents a snapshot of the Loderer compilation. Information sources and explanatory notes are given below the graphic.

Literature Cited

• Arrianus, Flavius, ~95-175, was born in Greece but was based for much of his life in Rome. He's known for several works on philosophy, geography, military matters and hunting. He is sometimes called the second Xenophon, because he considered Xenophon the authority on hunting and dogs. Arrianus expanded on Xenophon's Cynegeticus (Kynegetikos) with his own observations.
• Corneli, R. 1884. Die Jagd und ihre Wandlungen in Wort und Bild. Ellerman and Harms, Amsterdam, 383 pp.
• Cynegeticus (or Kynegetikos) Katechismus der Jagd, 18th/19th Century. (This book series had a long tradition of being published annually. It provided guidelines and reports for hunters. An editor, Franz Krichler, was only listed for one of the final volumes in 1902.)

Notes

• 1 From Valla, R.F. et al. Eynan (Ain Mallaha), 2017, In Quaternary of the Levant, Cambridge Univ. Press, 337-346 pp.

• 2 The Celts are well known for their industrious nature, trading amber, iron, zinc, salt and other resources from the land, and breeding a variety of livestock. The Celts travelled long distances to far away markets. In a recent study using DNA and isotopic analyses, a woman born in her Celt homeland in today's southern France had been buried in a grave near today's Dover, UK. She was buried 2900 years ago with two lambs in her lap and chalk in her hand. A copper-tipped cow horn lay nearby. Given the Celts mercantile culture, it is plausible that the Celts' dogs also became part of far-away cultures in Europe. Gibbons, Ann (2021). "Early migration from France may have brought Celtic languages to Britain. Science (News) 374(6575): 1549.

• 3 Molecular-genetic studies by Jörg T. Epplen and colleagues at Ruhr University in Germany, showed promising DNA variants on chromosome 22 in six of seven pointing breeds. These variants were absent in herding breeds and hence assumed to be related to pointing. However, the authors also suggest additional avenues of study to confirm the connections to pointing behavior. The genes for pointing have not yet been identified to our knowledge. Nonetheless, the results are consistent with the interpretation that even within versatile breeds, there were two routes through which the pointing behavior was advanced, a long-haired and short-haired branch of hunting dogs. The short-haired branch includes the German Shorthaired Pointer, possibly derived from the Leithund, a hound-like dog initially used for tracking. The long-haired branch included the Weimaraner which can be long- or short-haired, Large Munsterlander, German Long-haired Pointer and English-, Irish- and Gordon setters. The results of Epplen et al. are reminiscent of R. Corneli's suggestion. The black-and-white or brown-and-white, long-haired pointing dog of the Celts may well have become part of hunting dog populations in the various European countries where they were then given different breed names. The DNA study could not provide insight as to how long ago pointing dogs diverged. Epplen et al. also included the German Wachtelhund in their studies. The Wachtelhund, as can be expected, did not share the presumed pointing variants of the pointing breeds. The Wachtelhund is a flushing breed that excels in work after the shot. The Epplen study appeared not to include Small Munsterlander. The historic accounts within the German hunting fraternity indicate that the Small Munsterlander was first derived from the Wachtelhund, hence the SM's early name Heidewachtel. Pointing was later strengthened in the Small Munsterlander by introducing French pointing breeds. Akkad, D. A., Wanda M. Gerding, Robin B. Gasser and Jörg T. Epplen (2015). "Homozygosity mapping and sequencing identify two genes that might contribute to pointing behavior in hunting dogs." Canine Genetics and Epidemiology DOI 0.11816/s40575-015-0018-5.

• 4 Koshyk, C. (2011). "Pointing dogs, Volume One: The continentals." Dog Willing Publications, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; 365 pp.

• 5 Uhde, H. (2020). "Das Jagdgebrauchshundwesen: 120 Jahre Jagdgebrauchshundverband e.V. (JGHV)." Verlag J. Neumann-Neudamm GmbH, Melsungen, Germany.

• 6 Franz Loderer's literature review showed that in the Medieval period, the names of long-haired pointing dogs changed repeatedly. In what is now Bavaria, the name Canis acceptorius seu or Habichthunt (Goshawk-dog) was common. In Frisian legal statutes simply Canis acceptorius. Vogelhunt (Bird-dog) was used from 900 to 1300. After 1300, Hühnerhund (Chicken/grouse/partridge-dog) prevailed until pure-breeding began in earnest and the dogs were given different names in different ountries or regions.

• 7 Vornholt, E. (1994). "75 Jahre 1919 - 1994." Verband Grosse Münsterländer e.V., Borken, Germany, 108 pp.

by Joe Schmutz, 2022

Training Videos - a Covid Response?

As the Sunnynook I2 pups left, Joe demonstrated "Wing-on-a-String", as shown here with Inca. Patricia Oderkirk shot a short video of Joe doing this with Iltis, their pup. Patricia and Derek Oderkirk owned the sire, Sunnynook's Fergus.

Patricia Oderkirk also shot a short video of Joe demonstrating retrieving with Sunnynook's Gannet (2+ yrs old) and then Sunnynook's Iltis (15 weeks old). Additional information and references are available in you click on SHOW MORE below the description of this YouTube video.

John Staley showed a video he prepared as part of his August 29 Zoom on Honoring/Backing. It's 9 minutes, and well worth it! The adjacent photo shows Eagle Rock's Alpine backing Bear Hill's Ember.

by Joe Schmutz, March 2021

Form and Function in the Field

Sunnynnook's Fergus recently added Conformation to his previously established qualifications in Field and Health earning him an approval for breeding by the Registrar of the Large Munsterlander Association of Canada (LMAC). Fergus lives with Derek, Patricia and Dawson Oderkirk in Viscount, Saskatchewan. Derek is a new member of the LMAC Board of Directors.

On the importance of conformation for a hunting dog, Robert G. Wehle writes: You may say "Well, I want a dog for shooting and I’m not particularly concerned about his looks". My answer to that is, number one, your dog should conform to a good standard to be physically capable of doing the many things you are going to ask of him. For instance, you will probably expect your dog to have endurance and hunt several hours a day, maybe several days in a row. In order to do this, his body must be constructed correctly. You will want him to have a fast, smooth, graceful gait. Again, he has to be made right. You will expect to get many years of hunting from him. If his feet, legs and body are properly formed, he should fulfill this expectation. A second reason why the dog should be good looking is for the sheer pride and joy of ownership. Most sportsmen I know have a pretty good idea what a bird dog should look like and they are quick to recognize one when they see one.

Reference: "Wing and shot gun dog training." 1964. Country Press, Scottsville, New York.

by Joe Schmutz, 24 March 2020

100 Years of the Large Munsterlander

1919 - 2019

At the 2019 VHDF-Canada test near Alvena, Saskatchewan, participants commemorated the 100-year Anniversary of the Large Munsterlander as a separate breed. Prompted by a picture of LMs and their owners a Century ago, participants reflected on what life was like then, and on the events through time that gave us the dogs we love today. How did this happen?

1919:

At an 11 February 1919 meeting of owners of black & white long-haired versatile dogs in Haltern, in the Münsterland of northwestern Germany, the assembly agreed on a breed standard for one of the last breeds of versatile dogs to emerge in Germany, the Large Munsterlander. This newly written standard for what was actually a very old breed, was recorded in the corporate registry and is protected to today.

• The original name was Grosser Schwarz-weisser Münsterländer. Hunters simply nicknamed the dogs "the Black & Whites", as this colour had not been adopted for any of the versatile breeds at the time.
• Two separate clubs formed to begin promoting the Large Munsterlander. One club was registered in Essen and one in Haltern, merely 50 km apart from one another. Both clubs merged in 1969 to form the Verband Grosse Münsterländer (VGM) that we know today.

To see the rest of this article, please go to History of the Large Munsterlander .

Feature Story on LMAC homepage by Joe Schmutz, November 2019

The Independent Search Is a Versatile Dog's Secret Weapon

Sheri Hallwyler (Muddy Waters Kennel) reported on an early morning waterfowl hunt in Oregon. The picture shows Muddy Waters' Daphne "Fi" at 9 months with a Snow Goose she had just retrieved. That same day a fellow hunter hit a Canada Goose that appeared to land out of sight in another field. When Fi was encouraged to search on her own, she found scent of the goose. Fi tracked it to a thicket of blackberry brambles where she went deep to retrieve the goose that was still alive. Without Fi, the goose would not have been recovered. The hunter who injured the goose was thrilled and will never forget this great piece of dog work. It was Fi's independent search that saved the day. The hunters felt helpless. All they could do is follow Fi in the general direction of the crippled goose's disappearance. Sheri concludes: "Once the Large Munsterlander is exposed to use of nose and tracking, intelligent desire takes over and they recover the bird, and this at 9 months - what a natural instinct!" Retrieving by a versatile dog takes many different forms. For a dog to get to a dead or crippled bird in the first place takes more than retrieving per se. 'Hunting dead' is a phrase that includes the independent search, alluding to the concentration and persistence required to make a retrieve possible. Taken together, retrieving is a complex of interconnected behaviors whose subtlety is not always recognized. Just consider the words people use, what do they mean for the dog and what does the dog bring to the task?

There is play retrieving by pups and adolescents. Wild and domestic canines play in their youth. Actually, play is widespread in nature. One of the outcomes of dog domestication was that the motivation to play persisted into adulthood, often called a neotenic behavior (1). For hunting it might be useful to distinguish play from retrieving. Chasing sticks and balls in the park satisfies a dog's inner motivation. Yet, it is different from a functional retrieve of something a dog or wolf would prefer to eat or cache for later. In retrieving, hunter and dog are serious about the common goal. They put aside all other distractions and concentrate on the scent at hand.

The chart shows six components of retrieving that overlap but are also different: The marked retrieve works best if a dog can remember not only direction but also the distance of the fall. For escape-artist species like pheasants, a good mark and quickly getting to the spot, can make or break the day. The blind retrieve is the forté of retrievers and spectacular to watch. It requires a dog to 'take lines' and to strictly obey the voice and hand signals of the hunter. It works well if the hunter knows the hidden location of a bird no longer moving. A friend once entered his German Short-haired Pointer in a retriever competition out of pure interest. The GSP did a good job on blind retrieves but the owner felt that the difference between diligent adherence to lines and commands vs. independent work is so deeply rooted in a dog that it should not to be trivialized. It goes to "what a dog is" and not simply to "what a dog does". My friend felt his well-bred shorthair needed more training to be successful than should be required of most well-bred retrievers. It's an open question as to whether a dog exposed to both, contradictory methods is less effective in both.

The independent search, and its intended outcome, the retrieve, lie on opposite ends of the spectrum from marked or blind retrieves. In an independent search a dog may have cooperatively searched a field or sat obediently near a blind. Then, at an instant, it is asked to reverse its approach. The dog will take the cue and then make its own decisions, temporarily suspending the normal invisible bond between dog and hunter. The dog will work out of range and change direction as required. As Sheri put it, this is the forté of the fully versatile breed, and a versatile dog's secret weapon.

In retrieve by track a dog encounters an exceptionally long escape by a winged but otherwise vigorous rooster, or a rabbit, for example. Here the dog displays excellent use of nose and enough confidence and concentration to see the job through. In Fi's retrieve, she showed enough gumption to press deep into a thorny thicket to get the live goose. In the homeland of many of our versatile breeds, this complex retrieve is officially noted by judges when they see it in every day hunting. Such a dog is awarded the designation Verlorenbringer, abbreviated Vbr.

Retrieving commitment refers to a dog's willingness to pick up and carry a game animal that may lie outside its comfort zone. Not every dog will pick up a merganser (fish duck) or even a woodcock. When retrieving commitment is tested in Germany, a dog is expected to find and retrieve a dead fox. Such a dog shows commitment, it is trustworthy. It displays Bringtreue or Btr. I have personally been forced to leave a crane to its hapless fate after other hunters had winged it. When I encouraged my dogs to chase and retrieve it, we failed in retrieving commitment. Three of my dogs pursued it across the marsh but eventually backed away when the crane stood its ground. When a wounded animal resists, as in the case of the Sandhill Crane, or when cold water or thorns cause temporary discomfort, retrieving-gumption is called for. This gumption is described as Härte in German. The crane was not only unusual quarry outside the dogs' comfort zone, it also put up a fight.

Sheri and her hunting partners acknowledged many of the retrieving components in Fi's story told above. They recognized the enormous value of these components when Sheri writes: "intelligent desire takes over"

The above may not resonate equally with every hunter afield with a pointing dog because of different bird-dog cultures. At one extreme retrieving is thought to hinder pointing style and intensity. In the middle, many pointing dogs and versatile dogs are trained to retrieve (2). The full versatile dog is one where the breeding program pays attention not once but throughout generations to the full complement of the retrieving complex, including deliberate and persistent hunting dead. The trained retrieve or force fetch is an important training tool. However, many agree that it will help only with delivery style and obedience. Executing a complex and difficult retrieve touches upon 'what a dog is' beyond simply 'what a dog has been force-trained to do'. Fi has shown several of the features of a complex retrieve, and this at 9 months of age. Way to go Fi!

by Joe Schmutz, Feature-Dog Editor

December 2016

• 1. Bekoff, M. (1995). Play signals as punctuation: The structure of social play in canids. Behaviour 132(5-6): 419-429.
• 2. Brown, L. (2007). Force-fetch or natural retrieve. Pointing Dog Journal 15(4): 58-60.

Conformation Testing

From left to right: Bear Hill's Ember, Body: Very Good, Coat: Good; Sunnynook's Bobwhite, Body: Very Good, Coat: Very Good; Sunnynook's Cue, Body: Good, Coat: Very Good.

At a test on 15 September 2016 near Saskatoon, LMAC judges evaluated the conformation of three LMs against the breed’s international standard for form and function. All three dogs conformed to the standard in body form, coat and temperament and thus satisfied the requirements expected for eligibility to breed. The judges highlighted positive aspects in these dogs such as a calm temperament when measured, handled and mouths opened by strangers, smooth movement and appropriate placement of paws in a trot, gently rising-toward-front topline. Aspects that detracted somewhat and would benefit from balancing via a strategic choice of mates included slight cowhock and a tight scissors bite leading to early signs of premature tooth wear.

By having obtained an independent evaluation of their dogs’ conformation from trained judges, the owners are able to select mates accordingly and make continual and gradual progress in maintaining the essential character of a breed. The purpose of such conformation testing is twofold, according to Bob Wehle: “…your dog should conform to a good standard to be physically capable of doing the many things you are going to ask of him. [and] …. the dog should be good looking for the sheer pride and joy of ownership. Most sportsmen I know have a pretty good idea what a bird dog should look like and they are quick to recognize one when they see one.”

• Wehle, R. G. (1964). "Wing and shot gun dog training" Country Press, Scottsville, New York.

October 2016

Backing

Not all versatile dog breeds work the same. This difference is rooted in their very breed design. The type of test or trial in common use for selection helps shape the dogs. Craik Koshyk was very astute in alluding to this in his book Pointing Dogs, Volume 1 The Continentals. He made a distinction between dogs roughly west and east of the river Rhine. He attributes the distinction to differences in the way hunting rights are allocated, via a Revier system in Germany and Austria, compared to a license system more like we have it, in France and Spain. While German dogs are expected to work all game in a leased township or Revier, many breeders in France concentrate more on upland work.

While most European dog enthusiasts test or trial within their own country, the international kennel club FCI holds championships throughout Europe. In trials designed for field work, dogs often work in a brace for 20 minutes, birds are shot and retrieved. Only two shells are allowed per bird and two birds are judged. Even the handler's ability and marksmanship enter into judgement. Points are given but only to allocate first, second and third prize in the end. Winners are highlighted and as is typical of field trials, many other good performances are mostly forgotten. Dogs that fail in certain aspects are eliminated from further participation. German hunters are prone to writing this off as mere sport.

Results of a 2007 championship in Belgium showed 55 English and 48 Continental pointing dogs participating with owners from 20 nations. Winning dogs were 4 English Setters, 1 English Pointer, 1 German Longhair, 2 German Shorthairs and 1 German Wirehair. In addition to dog-handler teams, the championship is extended to competitions by country and one by gender of handler.

Our LMs come from a hunting and testing culture east of the Rhine, where field work is only one of many aspects tested. There, a 24- or 48-hr blood track will turn more heads than snappy and speedy coverage of a field. Even so, our LMs have done remarkably well under expanded field expectations. Consider backing, for example, which is typically furthest from the German hunter's mind. Our test result here are commendable. Although dogs too will search a field and hunt for a single hunter in Germany, more often, the hunts there are party hunts with a mix of drivers and hunters. In that situation the dog's main job is to retrieve hares and upland birds and, especially, to recover cripples.

Testing backing in NAVHDA is a relatively recent addition, and is only part of the Invitational Test. Backing and a 1-hr brace is a regular aspect in VHDF's Performance Evaluation. Since we founded VHDF in 2007, 10 LMs were evaluated in the Performance Evaluation. These came from 6 different kennels including 2 German imports (see chart at the left). VHDF evaluates backing and honouring as linked ends of a continuum. A dog B backs when it assumes a pointing stance or at least respectful attention merely from seeing dog A on point, without dog B being in the scent cone. If dog B does not back, but after a command stands and watches the other dog complete its pointing and retrieving it still shows respect for the other dog's work and can earn partial score. The scores in the graph show that two dogs performed this task flawlessly, and 6 more needed only a bit of help.

I have personally either trained or participated in training six of these LMs. I have been most impressed, by how quickly the dogs backed. We've never had to bother with the remote popup pointing dog cut-outs one can purchase. The training for backing consisted of at most a few reminders as in Stop or Whoa. Naturally most of the time was spent ensuring the dog will honour another dog's retrieve.

Backing is sometimes treated as a trained subject. Training may be required if a dog's intelligent pointing instinct does not prompt it to back. I've been impressed with the manner in which these dogs backed, similar to actual pointing. This coupled with observing a natural, sudden and intense back of a 12-week-old LM puppy convinces me that we have significant natural backing in our LMs.

The dogs in the photo are backing the dog who pointed initially (it is standing front-right and facing to the right). The dogs are not pointing scent because, their orientation is to the other dog that they are apparently taking their cue from, and not always the dog that pointed originally. Others are too far back to have scent, and scent would have been weak as the Huns had left the spot beforehand. Backing is a very useful trait in North America, where unlike Germany, dogs mostly search independently under the gun, often in the company of other hunters and their dogs. It's also a sophisticated and gentlemanly way to hunt and quite a sight to behold in the field.

Joe Schmutz, January 2016

Capturing the moments!

John called it the picture of a lifetime, and that it is! The Rocky Mountains in the background are stunning. The detailed fence divides pasture in this northern Utah intermountain valley. And the dogs, they look like Pheasant Philosophers, calmly contemplating just where the next rooster might be hiding.

From left to right, Bear Hill's Ember, Herz & Seele's Ebony and Sunnynook's Tessa have hunted 11 of the 19 upland birds North America has to offer, including Blue, Ruffed, Sharp-tailed and Sage grouse, Scaled, Valley, Gambel's and Mearns' quail, and Chukar, Hungarian Partridge and Pheasants. Those hunts took them to them to five states and one province.

When not out hunting, these three dogs are valued companions to John and Janice. And, thanks to top-notch photography technology, John and Janice Staley can enjoy the pictures and reflect again on the great days they had together.

John Staley, April 2015

Happy 95th!

(January - March 2015)

The phrase "We're standing on the shoulders of the ancients greats" resonates in science and in human cultures, giving credit to the ideas, hard work and successes of the past. This is equally true for working dogs. Our own feelings of success and bravado aside, we breeders today only dot the i's and cross the t's. Others before us have built a foundation for us to add to, and add to we should do with know-how and respect.

Photo by Sheri Hallwyler Sunnynook's Yarrow, and many, many LMs like her, is the result of countless breeders and hunters putting the breed first and their own interest second. Yarrow is part of a thread that goes back to the Large Munsterlander breed that is celebrating its 95th birthday this year, 1919 - 2014. Yarrow goes back further yet to 1879 when the German Long-haired Pointer club was founded, which included the black-and-white as well as brown longhairs. This two-color breed standard continued for the first decades before the breeds were given separate breed identities. Actually, Yarrow's thread goes back to 1582, the date of a painting of a Hühnerhund (bird dog), the acknowledged ancestor of all German versatile longhairs including the Large Munsterlander. In addition to the dog connection, there is a people connection in this photo. Beside Bridgette Kordosky, Yarrow's owner, and flanked by Sheila & Joe Schmutz and Rick Hallwyler, stands Sigbot (Bodo) Winterhelt. Bodo is connected to the thread as the primary originator of a much needed versatile dog culture in North America, some 50 years ago. It was Bodo and the early leadership in the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association whose know-how and commitment to the dogs and their breed club members gave us the courage to pursue this historic breed maintenance goal for the LM. This was a time when service to breeders was writ large and dog sport was secondary.

Before Bodo emigrated to Canada, he had family connections to Edmund Löns, a renowned Small Munsterlander enthusiast. Through Löns, Bodo came to know A.E. Westmark. As a teacher, Westmark was well versed with the pen and became the editor of the newly formed Verband Grosse Münsterländer in 1919. Westmark was a successful LM breeder for decades thereafter. Yarrow traces directly back to the Westmark line, through Sunnynook's original dam, Amsel vom Siegerland (387/72). On Amsel's pedigree are four Westmark dogs, Karlo, Peter, Quelle and Zella, the Six-Times-Great Grandparents of Yarrow. The photo shows Edmund Löns 3rd from left, and A.E. Westmark, 2nd from right. The occasion was a field test in 1925. Although none of the people cited here qualify as ancient, they are "great". They are our Elders and some are recently departed. They've shaped the identity of our dogs and are thereby part of our identity too. They deserve to be remembered every time our dogs brighten our day in the field.

Photo reprinted with permission from Vornholt, Egon (1994). "Verband Grosse Münsterländer e.V.: 75 Jahre 1919 - 1994." Verband Grosse Münsterländer e.V., Borken, Germany.

Profile of a Large Munsterlander

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. The hunt of the geriatrics! (November 2014) With several younger dogs eager to be taken hunting, Sunnynook's Pika at 13 years and Sunnynook's Sora at 10 years tend to be left at home. But at least once a year we make an effort to get them into birds. Here they are shown with the drake mallard they each retrieved on October 26. Sunnynook's Pika comes from a long-lived line. Pika's dam Egret and Egret's siblings tended to live to advanced ages. Similarly Pika's sibs, Purdey and Picard, also still hunt at 13. They are shown with pheasants (Purdey) and a snow goose (Picard). All these dogs are members of families where hunting is a big part of life. Given this level of wear and tear, Pika and Picard had their cruciate ligament repaired late in life and this has given them more hunting years. In a survey about dog lifespan and health conducted by Wild und Hand Magazine in Germany, 164 hunters reported on versatile dogs (53%) plus dogs of 6 other breeds. The oldest dog was 17 years old. By far the most common cause of death was cancer. The most common illnesses were bone related. Professionals and experienced dog people give several pieces of advice. These include feeding high quality food, keeping a dog in sound physical condition year-round, and using a warm-up and cool-down period after intense physical activity. Our dogs work like athletes, they deserve the same care athletes give themselves. How many Feature Dogs can one fit on 1 rock?(June-Oct., 2014) Bridgette Kordosky (far right), Sheri Hallwyler (middle) and Joe Schmutz (far left) are holding: Muddy Waters' Atomic Bomb "Sage" Sunnynook's Yarrow Muddy Waters' Borealis "Junebug" Muddy Waters' Athena "Buffy" Muddy Waters' Calyppso "Roxy" Sunnynook's Zenaida "Zeni" Sunnynook's Ulna For this portion of a Bandon, Oregon, beach outcrop the answer is 7! Avoiding Inbreeding(March-May, 2014) Successful dog breeders strive to keep the level of inbreeding low. Inbred litters run the risk of doubling up on rare deleterious genes, and traits such as fertility and stamina suffer too. The classical geneticist Sewall Wright left us with a tool to calculate genetic relatedness on pedigrees, the so-called Wight's F coefficient. Maintaining a dog breed requires a collaborative effort among a large number of breeders. Individual breeders cannot own enough dogs to make a viable population, nor can they maintain a breed through time. Maintaining a sufficiently large pool of dogs can be a challenge. The Large Munsterlander is a breed "owned" by the Verband Grosse Münsterländer e.V. (VGM) in Germany where the breed originated. The VGM counts breeders in a few other countries as allies in maintaining the breed-specific working, conformation and temperament characteristics of the breed through dedicated performance-based breeding. The bar graph shows Wright's F values for 38 litters born in Germany in 2012, calculated from their 4-generation pedigrees. The graph also shows 12 litters from a much smaller, but no less dedicated group of breeders of the Large Munsterlander Association of Canada (LMAC) from 2011-14. The data show that both groups of breeders achieved a low level of inbreeding through strategic selection. This achievement is a credit to breeders and owners who not only knew the qualities of their dogs first hand, but who went the extra mile to have their dogs evaluated by trained and independent field- and conformation judges. The F coefficient was 0.2% in the German dogs and 0.25% in the LMAC bred dogs. This is equivalent to the sire and dam having one common great-great-grandparent. A small breed club such as LMAC will need to rely on periodic imports from the performance-oriented breed clubs in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. In return LMAC breeders can contribute to the breed's diversity and viability, and thereby to a successful companionship involving hunters and the Large Munsterlander world-wide. Otus vom Ahler Esch is the most recent addition to the LMAC gene pool, as a new eligible sire. He came from Germany. Not even 6 months old, Otus passed the Versatile Hunting Dog Federation's Hunting Aptitude Evaluation (HAE), and a year later the Advanced Hunting Aptitude Evaluation (AHAE). He received a conformation rating of Good in Body/Gait and Very Good in Coat. Family Dogs As is no doubt true of most hunting dogs, Large Munsterlanders thrive as hunting and family dogs, and are much valued for it. Our first photo shows Sunnynook's Samwise with Duncan on a goose hunt, where they used a haybale for a blind. Photo two shows Bear Hills Arrow with Maya, Dad Rob and Arden, at the very end of a great day. Photo three, below, shows the final day of gun-safety training at a youth camp last August. Sunnynook's Ursus was pleased to participate in the youths' final test of shotgun proficiency on an end-of-the-week pigeon hunt. There were many smiling faces and Ursus' pointing and retrieving wowed the newly minted hunters. At a time when hunter age is increasing through declining recruitment, young people are needed to keep the hunting craft alive. Furthermore, study after study shows the benefits of a pet, including dogs, in adolescent development. Growing up with dogs boosts children's emotional development through additional explorations of love, compassion and responsibility. Psychological studies show that adolescents find the forgiving nature and unconditional acceptance provided by a dog particularly comforting. When minor failures must happen, it's all within the family; they become an important teaching moment. Thus, hunting dogs that are also family companions provide huge benefits. Apart from their indispensible role in the field, they foster personal growth among adolescents AND create young hunters. Dogs will be dogs, and youths will be youths - that's where precious learning and growth occurs, on both sides of the canine-human boundary. A working girl 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. 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! Deep Roots in History Featured March 2013 "Gracie", the goshawk and Alan live far from LMAC dogs, but the teamwork shown touches Large Munsterlanders world-wide. Before guns were small enough to be swung, the Book of St. Albans (1486) described breeding, training and use of several types of hounds for hunting in packs along horseback. It also describes the important role of a 'leading' type of tracking dog for smaller drives or stalking with crossbows. The other common way to hunt was with trained falcons. Here a spaniel was used for flushing. The Large Munsterlander, and some other long-haired versatile breeds have spaniel origins and were called the Hühnerhund in older German literature. Several North American Large Munsterlanders have been used in falconry. The three dogs now in Prairie Sky Kennel hunt more often under a falcon than under the gun. Falconry was declared a living cultural heritage at the 2003 Nairobi meeting of UNESCO. Raycris Jewele "Gracie" lives in Scotland. "Gracie" and Otus vom Ahler Esch, who is now part of Sunnynook Kennel, have the same sire. Smart enought to adapt! Featured Feb 2013 This picture will surprise those who know Sunnynook's Waldo. When life in Waldo's first family changed, he needed to find a new home. There, Waldo was primarily an outdoor dog. His attitude toward the family cats, in and outside of the house, was decidedly unfriendly. When Waldo moved to Benny's house, the cat there was confident and used to a Large Munsterlander before Waldo. It took some careful introduction on Benny's part, but the positive result is obvious from this picture. What saved Waldo from having much less freedom around the house by living in a kennel, was clearly his intelligence and trainability. German, Austrian & Czech versatile breeds, insofar as they are true to their breeding heritage, tend to be less friendly toward cats, than French or British breeds. This stems from the Central European system where hunters are also gamekeepers. Their dogs, likewise, are drawn into service year-round, and in the full game management spectrum. How can a breeder or breed club foster intelligence in the dogs they promote? When a dog is used for so many tasks, the intellectual giants shine. A clean bill of health/conformation! Featured Jan 2013 Fauna vom Algäuer Tor (left) and Otus vom Ahler Esch (right) Four Large Munsterlanders have had DNA tests done and genotypes determined by HealthGene for being possible carriers of recessive brown and for Black Hair Follicular Dysplasia . The results were negative for both genes in all four dogs. This means that all four will breed true with regard to their colour as defined in the breed standard, and give rise to healthy hair and skin in their offspring. SaskElkana's Bones (left) and Sunnynook's Veery (right) Being a carrier of an allele for brown means that on average 25% of the puppies of two such carriers would be brown & white instead of their parents' black and white hair colour. Brown & white puppies are perfectly healthy and equally capable hunting dogs. They are indistinguishable from the German Longhaired Pointer sister breed. The brown genes still flow in the Large Munsterlander's gene pool because the two breeds were one up until a century ago. Since 20 of 1877 LM pups born in North America were brown, the allele frequency of "b" is 10.3% and approximately 18.5% of LMs carry this allele. Unlike brown colour, Black Hair Follicular Dysplasia (BHFD) poses a health risk. The black hair comes in gray instead, and soon breaks off. The allele frequency of "d" the allele that causes BHFD when homozygous is 5.6% and therefore about 10.6% of North American LMs carry this "d" allele. The Large Munsterlander Association of Canada provides clear guidance on how to manage both brown and Black Hair Follicular Dysplasia alleles in the population using a science based approach. Featured spring 2012 In 2002, a cornerstone-person in the development of the Large Munsterlander in Germany, Egon Vornholt, published an article in the German magazine "Wild und Hund" (Game and Dog) entitled "The Large Munsterlander: Black & White and Cooperative". This describes the reputation the breed has among German hunters: an intelligent dog eager to please in the field and yet easy to live with year-round. The picture shown here is testament of this cooperation and soundness in temperament, not just between owner and dog, but also toward canine house mates. Here Hickory Hollow's Fritz "Paxil" sits on top of Ironmaster's Eddie. "Paxil" is a neutered male, and Eddie is intact and has sired several litters. Both are mature males. Both Paxil and Eddie are approved therapy dogs and go back and forth between their hospital duties with Patty Kaplan, and hunting in whatever game bird areas Alan Kaplan takes them. Although "relaxing" in the photo here, Eddie and Paxil are no slouches. They take their job of keeping the backyard raccoon-free very seriously. Kudos to Eddie and Paxil, and to generations of LM breeders with "an eye for balance!" Signed, sealed and delivered - now what!? Featured summer 2012 It was not what he was asked to do, but Muddy Waters' Buteo did it anyway. In the field search portion of his VHDF Advanced Hunting Aptitude Evaluation (AHAE) he encountered a skunk. He briefly pointed it, moved in and dispatched it. True to his obedience training, he held it waiting for his owner to take it. Fortunately, a test participant had a container of "skunk-off" in his vehicle! Buteo responded to an instinct that had been part of his heritage for centuries. He is part of a (versatile) breed of dogs from "east of the river Rhine", where hunters operate in a Revier system, a municipal lease in which they are expected to be wildlife managers as well as hunters of all species of game. In Germany, where Buteo's ancestors came from, hunters assume the population-control role toward medium- and small predators, which was formerly assumed by large predators. In sparsely populated or wildlland areas of North America, this self-perpetuating predator-population control is still functioning, often referred to as a "predator cascade". In densely populated areas, or in highly altered agricultural areas, the game departments are counting on hunters to control game numbers, and deer-car collisions, through season and bag limits. Although Buteo is not normally expected to control predators, LMAC breeders are interested in how their dogs respond to predators, and more importantly to the potentially damaging porcupines. Buteo has shown, after one serious porcupine encounter, that he can tell the difference. He does not only have gumption, but more importantly he has the smarts we want to perpetuate in the bred. LMAC has recently implemented a mechanism where this evidence of "smarts" in relation to predators is recorded for the benefit breeders. (see more in the article in the March 2012 LMAC newsletter). A full bag of Saskatchewan roosters, thanks to Sunnynook's Veery! Featured November 2012 Please direct general questions about the content of this page to: e-mail sheila.schmutz@usask.ca < < < Large Munsterlander Association of Canada