Small Munsterlander

		Small Munsterlander
		FCI standard Nº 102

Origin		Germany
Translation		Elke Peper Revised by Ken Bremer Official language (DE)
Group		Group 7 Pointing Dogs
Section		Section 1.2 Continental Pointing Dogs. Spaniel Type
Working		With Working Trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI		Monday 14 February 1955
Publication of the official valid standard		Wednesday 04 September 2019
Last update		Thursday 14 November 2019
En français, cette race se dit		Petit Epagneul de Münster
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar		Kleiner Münsterländer
En español, esta raza se dice		Pequeño Münsterländer
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd		Kleine Munsterlander

Usage

Versatile working gundog.

Brief historical summary

The breeding of the Kleiner Münsterländer in the north German Münsterland has been documented since around 1870. The blood of hundreds of years of old flushing and pointing dogs flowed in the Kleiner Münsterländer. In 1912, the "Association for Kleine Münsterländer Poining Dogs (Heidewachtelhunde)" was founded in the parent country Germany to preserve and promote these dogs as an independent hunting breed. Hunters were to be provided with a medium-sized, passionate, intelligent and affectionate, fully versatile hunting dog in the field, forest and water. In 1921, Dr. Friedrich Jungklaus created the first breed standard, which has been regularly enhanced since then. Today, the Kleiner Münsterländer is a versatile hunting dog that is very popular with hunters worldwide because of its performance capabilities.

General appearance

Strong and harmonious build of medium size, showing balanced proportions with a lot of quality and elegance. Distinguished head. In upright posture the dog displays flowing outlines with horizontally carried tail. Its front legs are well feathered, the hind legs with breeches, the tail has a distinct flag.
Its glossy coat should be straight or slightly wavy, dense and not too long. Its movement is harmonious and far reaching. The overall appearance of the breed must always show its utility as a hunting dog.

Important proportions

The length of the body, measured from the prosternum to the point of the buttock, should exceed the height at the withers. The goal is a ratio 1 to 1.1.
The length of the skull from the occiput to the stop is equal to the length of the muzzle from the stop to the nose.

Behaviour / temperament

The Kleiner Münsterländeris intelligent and capable of learning, full of temperament but even, with steady character; its attitude towards people is alert and friendly (suitable for family life), with good social behaviour and keeps close contact with his master (team spirit); with passionate, persevering predatory instinct, versatile hunting aptitudes and strong nerves and keenness for game. The dog must have the natural abilities required to hunt in close cooperation with its handler in the field, forest and water (versability), and to retrieve game to the hunter.

Head
Cranial region
Head		The expression of the head is part of the type.
Skull		Distinguished, lean, flat to slightly arched.
Stop		Only slightly pronounced but distinctly recognizable.

Facial region
Nose		Whole coloured brown.
Muzzle		Powerful, long, straight.
Lips		Short, tight closing, well pigmented – whole coloured brown.
Jaws and teeth		Large white teeth. Powerful jaws with regular and complete scissor bite with the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. 42 teeth according to the dentition formula.
Cheeks		Strong, well-muscled.
Eyes		Of medium size, neither protruding nor deep set. As dark brown as possible. Eyelids tight fitting to the eyeballs, covering the haws.
Ears		Broad, set on high, lying close to the head, tapering towards the tips, ear leather should not reach beyond the corner of the mouth.

Neck

Its length in balance with the general appearance; gradually widening towards the body. Napeline slightly arched, very muscular. Tight fitting throat skin.

Body
Topline		Slightly sloping in a straight line.
Withers		Pronounced.
Back		Firm, well-muscled. The spinal processes should be covered by the musculature.
Loin		Short, broad, muscular.
Croup		Long and broad, not short slanting, only slightly sloping towards the tail; well-muscled. Broad pelvis.
Chest		Rather deep than broad, breastbone reaching as far backwards as possible. Ribs well arched.
Underline and belly		Slight tuck-up towards the rear in an elegant curve; lean.

Tail

Set on high, with long flag following the topline, strong at the base, then tapering. Of medium length. Carried downwards in repose, horizontally and not too high above the level of the topline with a slight sweep when in action. In the lower third it may be curved slightly upwards.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality		Viewed from the front straight and rather parallel, viewed from the side legs set well under the body. The distance from the ground to the elbows should be approximately equal to the distance from the elbows to the withers.
Shoulders		Shoulder blades lying close to the body, strongly muscled. Shoulder and upper arm forming a good angle of approximately 110°.
Upper arm		As long as possible, well-muscled.
Elbows		Close to the body, neither turning in nor out. The upper arm forming a good angle with the forearm.
Forearm		Strong bones, perpendicular to the ground.
Carpal		Strong.
Pastern		Very slightly sloping.
Forefeet		Round and arched with well-knit toes and sufficiently thick, tough, robust pads. Not too heavy coat. Parallel in stance or in movement, neither turning in nor out.

Hindquarters
Generality		Viewed from the rear straight and parallel. Correct angulation in stifles and hocks. Strong bones.
Upper thigh		Long, broad, muscular; forming a good angle with the pelvis.
Lower thigh		Long, muscular and sinewy.
Stifle		Strong, upper and lower thigh forming a good angle.
Metatarsus		Short, perpendicular to the ground.
Hock		Strong.
Hind feet		Round and arched with well-knit toes and sufficiently thick, tough, robust pads; not too heavy coat. Parallel in stance or in movement, neither turning in nor out.

Gait and movement

Ground covering, with good drive and appropriate reach, straight forward and parallel coming and going, with well upstanding posture. Pacing gait is undesirable.

Skin

Tight fitting, without folds.

Coat
Hair		Dense, of medium length, not or only slightly wavy, close lying, water-repellent. The outlines of the body may not be hidden by too long coat. By its density it should provide as good a protection against weather, unfavourable terrain conditions and injuries as possible. Short smooth coat on the ears is faulty. Forelegs feathered, hindlegs with breeching down to the hocks, tail with a long flag and white tip, abundant coat on the fore chest is undesirable.
Colour		Brown-white or brown roan with brown patches, brown mantle or brown ticking; blaze permitted. Tan coloured markings on the muzzle, the eyes and around the anus, and on the ears, tail and legs are permissible („Jungklaus markings“).

Size and weight
Height at withers		Dogs : 54 cm. Bitches: 52 cm. A deviation of +/- 2 cm is within the standard.

Faults

• Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

Serious faults

Clumsy, big-boned conformation.

Serious deviations from the correct proportions of body, neck and height and withers.

More than 50 % of the nose flesh-coloured or spotted.

Pointed muzzle.

Dished nose bridge.

Eyes too light.

Light yellow hawk eyes.

Serious lack of depth of chest or too flat sided brisket.

Barrel shaped brisket.

Elbows heavily turning out or in.

Steep pasterns.

Strongly cow hocked or barrel legged, in stance as well as in movement.

Splayed toes; flat feet.

Clumsy movement.

Smooth hairless ears or too long and curled fringes on the ears.

Coat too curled.

Deviation of the size limits between +/-2cm and +/- 4cm.

Disqualifying faults

Aggressive or overly shy dogs.

Fearfulness, aggressiveness, game or gun shyness.

Gross deviations.

From the gender type, sexual malformations.

Completely depigmented nose.

All deviations from the correct scissor bite except the lack or excess of two P1.

Split jaw or split lip.

Bird’s eye.

Ectropion, entropion, distichiasis, (double eyelash line).

Pronounced dewlap.

Distinct roach back.

Pronounced swayback; crooked spine.

Malformation of the ribcage, eg sternum cut off.

Kinky tail, ring tail, other tail abnormalities eg too short or too long tail.

Whole coloured dogs.

Deviation in height of more than +/-4 cm.

Lack of hunting suitability due to the absence of the required natural abilities for use in versatile hunting activities before and after the shot.

Silent or voiceless and/or Waidlaut (barking when no game is present).

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography

https://www.fci.be/

Detailed history

When German peddlers are spoken, we think first of Braques, German, of Weimar, with a hard coat (Drahthaar). It should not be forgotten that there are beautiful and good Spaniels in Germany.

Between the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, it is true, most of the hunters from across the Rhine turned to the Braques and somewhat abandoned their ancestral Spaniels.

The Great or Small Spaniels of Mûnster undeniably evoke the French Spaniel or the Breton Spaniel, but it should not be inferred that they came from it. Indeed, German hunters have never hunt. Also, for centuries, they have devoted themselves exclusively to hunting shooting, nets or panels; their Spaniels, first known as "Oysel dogs" and "wearing dogs", are therefore undeniably very old. As in France, there was a great variety, small and tall, whose dresses were of various colors. Several crosses, especially with English Setters or German Pointers, had made these dogs quite heterogeneous.

In Westphalia, a very game-rich and very dog-friendly region, two local types were selected.

By 1870, however, Germanic cynophiles were concerned with specifying the characteristics of the various German pointers, and so in 1878 it was recommended to avoid dresses variegated with black for the reproduction of Langhaar; they were even banned in 1908. This exclusion is at the origin of the birth of the Grand Mûnsterländer.

Indeed, some breeders of Münster and its surroundings decided to breed this type of Spaniel as a separate breed. In 1919, to promote and select it, they created an association called "Verein für die Reinzucht des langhaarigen grossen Schwarzweissen Münsterländer", and in 1922 the Grand Mûnsterländer began to be officially registered in Germany.

As for the Petit Mûnsterlânder, it was a typical dog from the region of Münster, but at the beginning of this century, it was found that it was about to disappear: a few examples at most could be enumerated. Several breeders endeavored to revive it, among which we must mention mainly Edmond Lons. Between 1925 and 1935, this stubborn cynophile managed to stabilize the characteristics of the Petit Münsterlânder, not without some contributions from other races. It is often said that this dog was created from Breton Spaniels settled in the region as early as 1910. However, this assertion suffers from a serious defect, because, at that time, the Breton Spaniel had just begun to leave his native Brittany and therefore could not have already crossed the Rhine.

Small and Great Mûnsterländer undeniably have Langhaar blood in their veins, and this is quite explicable: both are from local selections of the German Spaniel, which, it, enjoyed a national diffusion, and it is understandable that breeders have used it to regenerate and perfect their favorite dogs. In any case, it should not be believed that the Greater Münsterländer is an avatar of the selection of the Small, appeared during mating between Breton Spaniel and Langhaar, and could, because of its large size, be registered as Small Münsterländer. Its existence is attested before the period 1925 - 1935.

The two breeds were finally recognized by the International Cynological Federation in 1936. Since then, they have spread to many parts of Germany, but also to Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Alsace. The Petit, especially, begins to be known throughout France, where amateurs discover its qualities.

The French hunters have excellent races of Spaniels: would the choice of a Miillerlandcr be only snobbery, or at least a manifestation of originality?

Admittedly, these two races benefit from the quality reputation of everything that is made in Germany, and it must be said that, as far as they are concerned, this reputation is perfectly justified. German hunters, who are relatively few in number, are highly motivated, passionate and demanding. Their dogs can not be mediocre.

First, they must know how to do everything: the stop on the feather or the hair, obviously, but also the report in plain, the tracking of the hare. They are highly regarded bushmen, but their users are still particularly interested in their services in the aquatic environment, particularly research and reporting, including in deep water. Swimming is for these dogs a second nature.

The Little can lead the hare, the Big is used for the quest of big game. Admittedly, these last two specialties are of little interest to French hunters; they allow, however, to affirm that the Mûnsterländer are really perfectly versatile hunting dogs. With a subtle sense of smell, conducting a very active and methodical search without getting too far from the hunter or imposing a train of hell, specialists in the search for wounded game, these dogs are potentially excellent retrievers.

In short, they are "serious" dogs, shaped by a very varied environment (Westphalia offers very diverse landscapes where crops alternate, meadows, woods, marshes) and a rigorous selection, which can only be appreciated in France. The Petit Mûnsterländer, in particular, who hunts under the gun, has become in a few years, in the south of France, a specialist in the hunting of rabbits, where he shows the qualities of a Spaniel, stopping moreover.

Miinsterlanders have temperament; that is, they need a master without weakness. Not that they are hard; the "hardness" of the German races is a legend, and in any case a Spaniel can not be a difficult dog; but their sharp intelligence makes them quickly discover the slightest fault in the education which is dispensed to them.

Extremely resistant to the weather and to fatigue, they have no less class and elegance: we will admire, for example, their elongated bevel head, without heaviness, finely chiseled.

Le Grand is reputed to be a very devoted, kind, brave, even cheerful dog. The Petit is also endowed with a good naturalness, but its temperament is often more incisive. Some make very safe guardians. Both are excellent house dogs, affectionate and attached to their family. If, wrongly, it has been claimed that they lacked passion, it is because they are above all two wise and naturally submissive dogs.

In France, currently, the Petit Mûnsterlânder, who is present in the exhibitions and who participates in some competitions of work, is already favorably welcomed by the amateurs. The Grand, meanwhile, although still discreet, should also find its place. This growing success is not due to a passing fad, but to strong practical qualities. even if the style of these dogs is very different from that of the French breeds.

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Small Munsterlander