Large Munsterlander Information & Dog Breed Facts

Although a registered breed in its own right, the Large Munsterlander has only existed since 1922, the history of the breed goes back to the Middle Ages.

The Large Munsterland has evolved from the ancient longhaired hawking and retrieving dogs found across Europe, where they can be seen depicted in paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries.

Up to the middle of the 19th century, the breeding of hunting dogs in Germany was quite well regulated, and then breeders decided that improvement was required.

In most areas in Germany, crosses with English Setters and Pointers were very popular until 1879 when the German breeders wanted to take control and establish a popular breed.

Up until this time, what is known today as Large Munsterlanders, were registered as German Longhaired Pointers, which included both brown and black variations.

However, the new breed standard only allowed for brown or brown and white dogs to be included.

One reason for this was that the German breeders wanted to distance themselves from the English crosses and the colour black was supposed to have been introduced in this manner.

This was also a forbidden colour in both German Shorthaired and Wirehaired Pointers. The reasoning was unsound as the colour black had always been present in German breeds.

This was especially true of the Large Munsterlander, which was popular in Westphalia and Lower Saxony, where crosses with English breeds were not common, if at all.

20th century

The most significant event in the history of the breed occurred in 1919. At Haltern in Munsterland Westphalia, supporters of the black and white dogs gathered.

The breed name, Grosser Munsterlander, Large Munsterlander was fixed at this meeting, with registration limited to black and white dogs.

The hunters who owned them were passionate about breeding the black and white dogs and they decided to organize their own society to protect the breed’s survival.

A list of these dogs was compiled, and there were 83 Large Munsterlanders in total. The breed register, which began in 1922, created a foundation list for the breed.

Moreover, after the breed appeared to be secure at last, experimental matings with German Longhaired Pointers were conducted in the 1930s to expand the gene pool. The number of Large Munsterlanders added to the list increased, and they all appeared to be in good shape.

However, unfortunately, life took a turn for the worse for the Large Munsterlander as with all the German breeds with the onset of World War II. Many Munsterlanders found themselves in the hands of military personnel, one litter even being whelped by Benno Fisher at the home of Adolf Hitler.

Two unfortunate pets were sent to Auschwitz. Life had once again attempted to extinguish the Large Munsterlander. Records of the breed, matings and kennels during that time were very sketchy but it is believed that only six kennels survived the war.

They would not have survived if it hadn't been for the efforts of breed enthusiasts led by breed warden Herr Egon Vornholt.

Furthermore, to expand the gene pool, the German longhair was crossed with the Large Munsterlander again in 1973. Even now, every now and again, a litter of Large Munsterlanders with black and white parents will produce a liver and white puppy.

Importation

In 1971, the first Munsterlander was imported into the United Kingdom from Germany, and by the end of 1972, six bitches (five in whelp) and one dog had established their home in the United Kingdom.

The next year, in 1973, the Large Munsterlander Club was founded in the United Kingdom. Although the breed was recognized in the United Kingdom, the Large Munsterlanders did not get Kennel Club Challenge Certificates until 1980 at Crufts. Moreover, Mr. Dawson imported Datroy Briarvanter, the first Large Munsterlander in whelp, into New Zealand in 1982.

Soon after, Mr. W. Newport of Ivydale imported a second bitch in whelp, Foxbrae Jean at Datroy, and these bitches and their progeny formed the foundation of the breed in New Zealand, with many bloodlines making their way to Australia.

Eventually, Dawsons Munster Aktiva was the first Munsterlander to arrive in Australia in April 1983, she was imported by Mark Nielsen of Victoria.

She went on to become Australia's first champion and give birth to Aust & NZ Ch Everard of Ivydale, the first homebred litter. Over 3000 Large Munsterlanders are thought to exist worldwide, with approximately 400 in Australia.