.:: Where did the Small Munsterlander originate? ::.

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New Mexico Gambel's Quail Hunting.
(L to R) Mark Koffler, Guntr, Oz, Dan Julson, Axel, Muda.

Julson's Candy (Dee) on point

Texas Bobwhite Quail Hunting
(L to R) Vernon Austin, Dan Julson, Aaron Holcombe, Gene Addington, Muda, Axel, Oz

Oz on point

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History

The beginnings of the Small Munsterlander dated back to the 13th or 14th century and they are depicted in tapestries and paintings hunting in conjunction with falcons. The breed further developed over the next several centuries for the market hunters. They demanded a dog that could do everything, from hunting the bogs, thickets, open fields, lakes, and streams to the forest and be capable of tackling any game up to deer and boar. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the changing social and economic conditions almost caused the breeds extinction.

The dog is named for the area that the breed was rediscovered in, Munster, by Edmond Lons around 1905. He and his brother, Rudolf, found two separate lines that were unknown each other but lived only a short distance apart. In an almost unheard of act of devotion both the Heitmann and the Dorsten lines of the Small Munsterlander were kept intact by “line breeding” with no mixing of similar breeds. Families who were devoted to this little dog and wanted to continue the breed did this back breeding. Mr. Lons realized that these two lines were the same breed and tracked down owners and breeding records and the intermixing of the lines was done on a limited basis. In 1912, a group of 68 owners began the “Verband für Kleine Münsterländer Vorstehhunde”, the German Breed Association for the Small Munsterlander that is still active today.

In 1987, the Small Munsterlander Club of North America began and now has over 1200 dogs in its registry. The club's mission is to promote responsible ownership of Small Münsterländer Pointers. To that end, the SMCNA will encourage training, testing, and hunting. Additionally, the SMCNA will encourage and support breeding that conforms to accepted standards as developed by the SMCNA. Conformation standards will mirror those as set forth by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) and the German Verband for Kleine Münsterländer Vorstehhunde e.v. The SMCNA will also serve as a clearinghouse of information for members and other interested parties to learn more about the dogs, availability, breeders, calendar of events, and officers. Our Breed Council manages the SMCNA's breeding program.