Base colour
White with black patches and spots, blue roan or pure black
- The head is always black, possibly with a white snip or blaze
About the Large Munsterlander
Origin: Germany
- Typical life span
- 11-13 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 25-32 kg
- Height
- Male
- 60-65 cm
- Female
- 58-63 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Pointing Dogs
- Origin
- Germany
- Also called
- Gran Munsterlander
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Large Munsterlander?
Versatile medium to large German pointing and retrieving dog with distinctive black and white coat and feathering, known for its noble appearance and athletic build
Large Munsterlander history and origins
Originated in the Münster region of Germany in the early 1900s, developed from the black and white offspring of German Longhaired Pointers and continental pointers and spaniels. When the German Longhaired Pointer standard was set to only allow liver and white, dedicated breeders preserved and developed the black and white variety into today's versatile hunting dog.
Large Munsterlander appearance and size
Males typically stand 60-65 cm at the shoulder and females 58-63 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- In accordance with his hunting requirements as a versatile gundog the Large Munsterlander has to meet all the necessary challenges and has to be able to work in the field, in the forest and in the water before and after the shot
- Behaviour and temperament
“The most important qualities are: to be tractable and easily taught, dependable for use as a gundog, in particular after the shot. Lively temperament without being nervous”
Quoted from FCI standard n°118. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “In accordance with his hunting requirements as a versatile gundog the Large Munsterlander has to meet all the necessary challenges and has to be able to work in the field, in the forest and in the water before and after the shot” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Large Munsterlander
What you get with the Large Munsterlander
- Purpose stated in the standard: “In accordance with his hunting requirements as a versatile gundog the Large Munsterlander has to meet all the necessary challenges and has to be able…”
- The standard describes the breed as: “The most important qualities are: to be tractable and easily taught, dependable for use as a gundog, in particular…”
- Longer-lived than a crossbred dog — median 14.1 years across 137 animals, against 12
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Hair on ears should be long (good fringes) and reach clearly and evenly over the tip of…”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; McMillan et al. 2024, median age at death. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Large Munsterlander
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Long and dense, yet sleek and not curly or stand off as this hinders hunting ability.
Typical long-hair.
The coat must be specially long and dense on backs of front and hind legs (well feathered) in both dogs and bitches.
Also on the tail the hair must be particularly long.
The strongest tail feathering should be in the medium part of its length.
Hair on ears should be long (good fringes) and reach clearly and evenly over the tip of the ears (leather ends of ears not desirable).
Hair on head is short and smooth
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°118 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Height at the withers (average): Males 60–65 cms Females 58–63 cms 2 cms over specified size tolerated. Weight: Approx. 30 kgs”
- FCI distinguishes an ideal from what is permitted.
Quoted from FCI standard n°118. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Large Munsterlander down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Pale nose leather.
- Entropion, ectropion.
- Overshot or undershot mouth, wry mouth; missing incisors or canines, missing molars and premolars (except 2 PM1 or 1 M3).
- Colours which do not conform to the breed standard.
- Dogs over- or under-sized.
- Gun shy or gun-sensitive in any degree. Shyness of living game, fear biter, fears of strangers
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Large Munsterlander in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Large Munsterlander
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Large Munsterlander on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Large Munsterlander owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Large Munsterlander breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.