Mermilmar Large Münsterländers
We also highly recommend gundog training for your LM. This is not just for people who intend to shoot or go on to do Working Tests or Field Trials, but to enable you to understand how it works and thinks - what makes it tick - so that you can channel its instincts in a way that not only is it fulfilled but can also help you to manage your pup. It is important that we, as owners, need to be trained too, as we quickly found out!
There are also ‘fun gundog’ training classes. This is still teaching you and your dog the principles of gundog work and behaviours, but generally in a more relaxed manner at a pace that might suit you better. Gundog training is built on a platform of obedience and steadiness.
It is one thing training your pup in a village hall with other pups in perhaps a sterile environment, but quite another when you first take it to a field, and it has all those intoxicating wildlife smells that it can smell with its nose on the ground or by ‘air scenting' in wide open spaces; you will train your gundog in this environment, but it will be in a safe space. It’s of huge benefit. If this is your first gundog, I would probably recommend starting gundog training once your pup has completed a 6-week puppy course or in parallel if you can manage it.
The LM Club also runs a couple of Natural Aptitude tests per year that you can enter which will assess your dog’s potential as a working dog.
If you intend to show your LM, enrol in a ‘Ringcraft’ class. Hopefully there will be one near where you live, generally organised by a dog club. If you have not shown before, this will show you how to present (show) your dog, and will also get the dog used to showing amongst other dogs, get it used to indoor arenas and being handled by various people/judges.
Arrange to go walking with friends and their dogs. Walk them in towns, markets, take them into Pets at Home etc. If you don’t have ready access to children, walk near a children’s play park or go to the next village and walk your pup to and from school with the young children, keeping a little distance at first perhaps, but be positive and confident – your dog will take its lead from you.
We need to be mindful of a pup’s development re exercise levels/activities and to take care of its joints (more of this in our puppy packs) but they do need exercise to help develop their muscles too, so do let them have short runs off lead and exercise as
appropriate to their age.
Don’t be afraid to go back to your breeder for help, advice and support.
Activities
LMs are very versatile and will enjoy and benefit from you finding an activity to stimulate its intelligence, ability and willingness to learn, particularly if it is not going to be a working gundog.
Aside from gundog training and showing as mentioned above, the following is a list of activities that you can enjoy with your LMs:
Rally
In Rally, a dog and their handler move together through a course made up of 10-20 signs. Each sign displays a skill to perform such as turns or behaviours like sit, down or stay. The dog and handler work together and should show a sense of teamwork and enthusiasm throughout the course. It also includes heelwork, perhaps a pre-cursor to heelwork to music.
www.thekennelclub.org.uk (events and activities)
Hoopers
This is a fun, fast, low impact sport of flowing courses of obstacles eg hoops, barrels and tunnels. It is accessible for all levels, size of dogs and also to handlers with limited mobility.
www.caninehoopersuk.co.uk
KC Good Citizen Training
This scheme teaches owners to train their dogs for everyday life situations. There are four award levels: Puppy Foundation, Bronze, Silver and Gold. It is obviously good to have an obedient dog, which also helps to form a bond, an understanding and a respect for each other.
www.thekennelclub.org.uk
Mantrailing
Mantrailing is training a dog to follow an individual human’s scent trail without being distracted. This skill is utilised by search and rescue teams to find missing people but is also an established sport in some countries and is now growing in popularity in the UK. Munsters love it.
www.mantrailingscentdogs.co.uk
Tracking (Deer track and recovery)
Generally practised widely in Germany by LMs, Deer (and recovery) Tracking Service and Specialist Deer Tracking Training is available in the UK too.
https://ukdtr.co.uk
Scent work
This is based on detection-style nose work practised daily by customs & excise dogs, bomb explosive dogs, search and rescue dogs and medical detection dogs. It has been developed as a dog sport and training activity. Easy to do around the home and garden. Dogs having to use their brains can tire them out too!
https://scentworkuk.com
Search and Rescue
Search dogs are used to search for the many different types of missing persons such as hill walkers, climbers, the elderly and confused persons that may be suffering Alzheimer’s and Dementia, those that are despondent, children and sometimes victims of crime.
https://www.nsarda.org.uk
Canicross
This is off road running with your dog. Your dog wears a harness specifically designed to allow them to pull. You wear a belt/harness which allows hands-free running, and you are attached to your dog with a bungee line. Open to all abilities and fitness levels.
https://www.thebssf.org.uk/canicross
Tri dog – Triathlon
Dogs and owners compete a course together of swimming, biking and running attached by a bungee cord. A great way of both dog and its human becoming fit! This should only be undertaken appropriate to their age/developmental stage.
http://www.tri-dog.com
Agility
Fast and exciting activity; running, weaving through poles and tunnels, jumping and scaling obstacles. There are Munsters who participate in agility. Please wait though until their growth plates have closed (around 16 months) to help protect their joints.
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk (events and activities)
Pets As Therapy (PAT) and Canine Concern
Volunteers are dedicated pet owners who give up their spare time to help others. Along with their dog (or cat) volunteers visit all types of establishments including residential care homes, hospitals, hospices and both special needs and mainstream schools. (nb PAT does not accept dogs who are raw fed or who are not annually vaccinated)
https://petsastherapy.org
Paddle Boarding
Given a Munster’s liking for water, this might be an enjoyable activity! Google various sites such as 'Paddle Boarding with your dog: The Ultimate Guide' (standuppaddleboardworld.com) or
How to Paddle Board with your dog: The complete SUP guide (cruisersup.com)
Lots of options – this list is not exhaustive but should provide at least one activity any one of us can do with our LM.
Training and Activities
LMs can be strong willed and have a mind of their own, but they can also be very sensitive. Highly intelligent and willing, they can be very trainable and biddable. Training, consistency and understanding therefore is essential. We believe they especially respond to ‘force free’ reward-based training (whether this is just vocal, touch or treat based).
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Training should start from the minute you get your puppy home. Be consistent from the start. You will need to set boundaries and be the pack leader. The pup needs not only to adore you, but to understand and respect you as well - and this needs to be reciprocated.
Get a good puppy training book and read it from cover to cover. We like Gwen Bailey’s “the perfect puppy”.
In parallel with house training, recall training is equally important for any dog and perhaps especially a gundog. Both the pup and you will be happier if it can enjoy regular off lead exercise. The younger the pup the quicker it will learn. As per the ‘mother duck’ syndrome a pup will not want to wander far from your side, so off-lead, take it into the garden and when it is a few yards away, recall it to your side and reward very positively. Do this anywhere you can find a ‘safe’ space and do it very often. If you don't do this at a young age it will become much more difficult as pup finds its feet!
Get a gundog whistle. Whistles are used for gundogs in particular as they generally work a fair distance from their handlers
in all winds and weathers, so it needs to be able to hear commands.
The LM's working instinct is to range 100-200 metres away from its handler; you should be prepared for this. Most people use ‘Acme’ whistles either 210.5 (very high pitch best suited to spaniel breeds) or 211.5 (slightly lower pitch best suited to retriever breeds). I blow a long peep on the whistle as the STOP, 2 peeps on the whistle for the TURN and several peeps to RECALL. Even if you only learn these three, it will stand you in good stead. The turn whistle is really useful. If you get a puppy from us, I will try and demonstrate some of these things to you.
Enrol in puppy classes as soon as you know you are going to get a puppy. We start classes at 12 weeks if possible, and if available, a further class at the next level.
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