The SMCA created the Cooperating Breeders Group to help insure the health of the Small (Kleine) Munsterlander and to encourage those who may have had medical problems in their SMs to report the incident. The Cooperating Breeders have agreed to report health problems in their own dogs and to request the owners of dogs that they have produced to report as well. Breeders must follow and adhere to the SMCA Breeders Guidelines and Regulations Manual when selecting breed stock. Both sire and dame selected for breeding must demonstrate versatile hunting ability. Breeders activities are monitored by the SMCA Breed Council and breeders who violate club guidelines will be removed as Cooperative Breeders. We encourage those seeking to buy pups to give their utmost consideration to the following Cooperating Breeders, for with these kennels, any health problems they have encountered are visible and one can inquire about the steps that have been taken to deal with them. Otherwise, health problems in a line are presumed hidden and not freely disclosed. If you talk to a breeder who is not a member of the Cooperating Breeders Group, ask WHY? You should wonder, why are they not helping to defeat inheritable disease in the breed or are they breeding dogs that do not meet the breed standard and may be lacking hunting abilities.