Large Munsterlander Breed Origins and Caracteristics
In the Low Saxony and in Holland, long-haired dogs were raised as herd guardians and hunting dogs. At the beginning of the 20th century, these dogs gave birth to three breeds very closed to each other.
The Large Munsterlander is undoubtedly the one that has propagated the least. Despite its great qualities, it has been replaced by other hunting dogs and nowadays it is rarely found, except as a pet dog because of its good character and tranquility.
The Small Munsterlander is a smaller pointer. It is versatile and it joins the qualities of a tracker dog and those of a pointer. If it is necessary that it marks well the sample, it should be trained before to allow it to act by it self and direct the prey towards the fusil. Due to its small size, it is much appreciated by the urban hunters, and its tranquil temperament makes it a good companion to live with in an apartment. In the past years, its popularity has increased a lot and it has been appreciated especially in France, Sweden and Norway.
The Drentsche Patrijshond has the same ancestors as the two previous breeds, but it comes from the Netherlands where the farmers used it to hunt partridges (patrijs). This breed may be the oldest one of the three since there are similar dogs in paintings that are several centuries old. It has great qualities of a hunter and it is an affectionate and nice partner with children.
Large Munsterlander. Size: 58-62 cm. Weight: 20 kg approximately. Colors: white with patches (1) or with black coat, or roan coat. In most of these cases, two or three last vertebrae of the tail are cut.
Small Munsterlander. Size: male 48-56 cm; female 44-52 cm. Weight: 16 kg approximately. Colors: white with patches (2) or with brown coat, or roan dark brown coat. The head is brown and sometimes it has a white star. The tuft of the tail must be white, at least in the last third or white with patches (roan). When they are born, the puppies are white with brown plates and only after 6 weeks on the white background some typical brown patches appear.
Drentsche Patrijshond (3). Size: 55-63 cm. Weight: 20 kg approximately. Color: white with patches or brown or orange small patches, sometimes it has yellowish brown patches and a brown coat, but this is not desirable.
