The club was established in 1993, and is the original Small Munsterlander Breed Club in North America and was known as the SMCNA. In February of 2020 the SMCNA changed it's name to the Small Munsterlander Club of America (SMCA) when it became the AKC parent club for the breed. The original twenty three charter members along with Paul Jensen, the first SMCNA Registrar, had the foresight to create a breed Club that was performance based and required prior approval for any dog to be used for breeding. This ensured that both the dam and sire had demonstrated their hunting abilities through approved hunting tests, and they meet health, temperament, and conformation standard. The SMCA is dedicated to preserving the versatility of our breed true to the F.C.I. Small Munsterlander (Kleiner Munsterlander) Standard of the breed as set forth by the German Verband for Kleine Munsterlander and adopted by the FCI (Fédération Cynologique Internationale). The SMCA Club has over 450 members who are dedicated to the hunting abilities, health, welfare and promotion of our breed in the United States and with our foreign members in Canada.
The Small (Kleine) Munsterlander is a long haired versatile hunting dog that uses both air scent for pointing and ground scent for tracking. It has a great love for retrieving and enthusiasm for water work, tenacity and voice (bark or bay when chasing furred game) on the track. In Europe the SM is bred to find, point, track, and retrieve upland birds, waterfowl, and fur-bearing animals such as hare, boar, blood-tracking and varmint dispatching. In the U.S. they are mainly used for upland and waterfowl hunting for the foot hunter. The Small (Kleine) Munsterlanders elegance, intelligence, desire and devotion make them a wonderful hunting partner and home companion. The SM is for the most part easy to train and makes a great family companion. However this is a very active hunter and intelligent breed so it will require adequate exercise and mental stimulation "every day".
Males/sires stand 20 1/2 - 22 inches at the withers; females/dams 19 3/4- 21 1/4 inches and the weight ranges between 40-55 lbs. The color of the breed is brown/white, brown/white with ticking or roan. The coat is smooth and the dog should have moderate feathering on the ears, tail, underbody, back of legs, and inside of thighs. They use their tail as an instrument of expression and this signaling ability is highly useful when searching. Hair too thick, long or curly is a disadvantage during the hunt and considered a fault. Regular grooming is necessary to remove dead hair but the task is elementary and can be done once a week.
We are now the AKC Parent Club for the Small Munsterlander.