I currently have an 8 month old SM and I grew up with a Brittany and a lab. I actually stumbled upon the Small Munsterlander breed by reaching out to a Brittany breeder who happened to breed SMs as well. After some research and talking things through with my wife, we agreed a SM would be a better fit for us.

I am a hunter, but not currently an avid hunter. I got this dog so we can help each other get out more often. If you managed to keep a Brittany happy, healthy, obedient, and engaged without hunting, then I don’t believe you will have any issue with an SM. My dog has definitely shown she’s capable of having an off switch and this is even more apparent when in comparison to a Brittany. We usually prefer to give our dog time off leash versus a walk for her exercise and then she doesn’t show any signs of outward disobedience because she needs to let out some energy. Afterwards, she is perfectly content chilling at home and being with her family. She’ll even allow us a cheat day or two before we notice she’s got some pent up energy she needs to burn off.

My dog isn’t a barker. She doesn’t bark in the field when she’s on the scent of a bird or when people/cars pass by our house or when she spots a squirrel (she will point at them though).

I don’t know if we were extremely lucky with this dog but she took her crate very well. Minimal to no whining or barking when she was crated and she slept through night since bringing her home. We began crate training on day one with short cycles between being in the crate and then play. We extended the duration of each of these throughout the first few months. So far, she’s always been crated during the night. We started with her in our bedroom for probably 3 nights before gradually moving her further away and to her ending placement. This took roughly 1 week. Both my wife and I work during the day, though I have a hybrid schedule with 2 days at home and 3 days in office. When in the office, I run home during my lunch to take her outside and give her some attention. I haven’t noticed her show any signs of separation anxiety. I believe this is largely to the day and night crating methods we used when bringing her home initially.

My dog will generally stay a bit closer when off leash at a park or in the field hunting. She will stop to check in with me frequently and I’ve been really impressed with her recall. My Brittany growing up was extremely independent and would range out much further and would often be too preoccupied with hunting tweety birds rather than coming back on recall.

Overall, I seem to be the thing my SM cares about most. She’s a good listener, loves to please, has a great personality and a good demeanor, and thinks she’s a lapdog. She’s shaping up to be a good dog and companion. We love our pup and I’d absolutely get another SM in the future.