Sunnynook Large Munsterlanders

The N2 Litter

Joe & Sheila Schmutz, R.R. 2 Site 202 Box 123, Saskatoon, SK Canada S7K 3J5

last updated August 31, 2026 by Sheila Schmutz

The Sunnynook N2 litter was born on August 30, 2026.

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Sunnynook's Joli, dam of the Sunnynook N2 Litter

Photo December 2024

Joli was born 2 June 2022, here at Sunnynook Kennel. Her mother Krokus von Kleinenkneten is from Germany, as is her father, Aiko von Sundorph. Joli lives some hours each day in the house and also in the outdoor kennel. She takes turns with our other LMs, spending nights in the house.

She is 62 cm at withers (standard = 58-63) and 32.3 kg (71 lbs). She is ticked and her head is all black. She was scored Very Good for Body and Coat in the LMAC Conformation Evaluation in September 2025.

Photo October 2024

Joli is a cooperative, even devoted, dog in daily life and in the field. Joli has never needed an e-collar or an ear pinch to bring a bird to hand. She is soft in temperament and would not do well with the oft-employed training pressure. She comes from a long line of performance-bred and intelligent hunting dogs (see pedigree). This working-dog heritage is the basis for a productive hunter-dog relationship. She does wear a bark collar occasionally, when she wants to serenade the coyotes at night.

On the flip-side, this cooperation leads her to search the field but also to come back too frequently, as though saying “How am I doing?” It’s best not to respond to her then and simply walk on. Her search can be interrupted in this way, which is reflected in the Search score of 9 in HAE.

Even with a sensitive temperament, Joli applies herself when the chips are down: two examples. 1. When tracking 400 m and about to grasp a wing clipped rooster, Joli got entangled in a grass covered page-wire fence. She did a summersault and tore her skin suffering permanent damage to her ulna. She limped yet kept on tracking. 2. Returning home from a late October grouse hunt, a winged, flightless Shoveler was in a large pond with only 100 m2 open water surrounded by 3 mm thick ice. When we shot the doomed duck and showed it to Joli with a thrown stone, she swam 20 m breaking ice and brought it back. She was then allowed to shake liberally and run for about 1 km to warm up and shed more cold water before riding the rest of the way home in the car.

This illustrates the utility of a functional long-haired coat that goes a considerable way to protecting the dog from cold water, as well as thorns and cold air in a Canadian climate. The crucial insulative features are the protective outer guard hairs to shed water and a thin and wavy-haired undercoat creating insulating air spaces. These features are maintained in the breed via conformation evaluations prior to breeding – see pedigree.

However, unlike the oily coat and thick skin of Labrador or Chesapeake Bay retrievers, the LM’s coat is a compromise. It allows the dogs to deliver an enduring search on a warm September day without overheating and yet fetch a duck out of cold water as long as the dog is given time to dry off and warm up by keeping moving.

Joli scored 65 (Very Good) in Hunting Aptitude Evaluation (HAE) at 8.5 months. She ran the Advanced Hunting Aptitude Evaluation in September 2024 and scored 170 points (Very Good). Details are shown below. These tests are a breeder's tool for confirming the all-around versatile hunting qualities all LMAC LMs have. See another webpage for more information about these tests.

Hunting Aptitude Evaluation (HAE) Scores

Advanced Hunting Aptitude Evaluation (AHAE) Scores

Asio von der Fienen Biye, sire of the Sunnynook N2 Litter

Asio was born on 29 Jan 2024, in the Münsterland of Germany. He came to live at Sunnynook when he was 16 weeks old. His kennel name is written in a local Münsterland dialect.

Asio stands 60 cm at withers and weighs 29.1 kg (64 lbs). He is ticked and his head is all black. He was scored Very Good for Body and Coat in the LMAC Conformation Evaluation in August 2025. The three conformation judges described Asio as friendly and exuberant. His gait was described as bouncy at times, yet with smooth and comfortable movement. Asio is a happy even playful male, who hunts well with other dogs and is tolerant of even pesky puppies.

Asio has a great coat for our Canadian climate. His hair, 7 cm at the longest, has a tiny waves that form insulative air spaces. His hair lies close to the body and does not catch burrs excessively. Joli’s coat has stiff guard hairs. They adhere to one another when wet and form a protective layer. Both hair structures contribute to Asio and Joli keeping their upper bodies dry at least for a few cold-water entries.

Asio’s hips were normal, with a good fit of between ball and socket and no arthritis. On x-rays of elbows, Asio’s coronoid process, medial and humeral condyles were normal, though he showed extra bone formation on an otherwise normal anconeal process and a shadow in the joint. Despite his bouncy demeanor, Asio has never shown lameness. When dogs with abnormal elbows typically show lameness at 4-12 months of age. We are looking for diligent hunter-owners who are willing to x-ray their dog’s elbows so we can confirm elbow health in the LMAC gene pool.

Asio and Joli’s accompanying field test scores show significant performances throughout all the typical versatile dog subjects. Asio has a great nose and knows how to use it. He pointed grouse cooperatively and then switched to tracking recovering cripples from deep in thickets. He loves to work ducks and has tracked their scent trail swimming in open water or cattails for 100 m or more.

In our breeding program, we don’t believe our LMs should need to be force-trained to retrieve. Most retrieve naturally, thanks to selecting for field performance, intelligence and cooperation. Asio is prone to skip the finer points of retrieving and drops the bird at our feet instead of holding and sitting until urged to let go. For this reason, he was scored 8/10 in retrieve of shot bird and obedience. Joli is exceptionally polite in those regards and we trust that the puppies will not only retrieve with determination, but also participate in our taking spectacular pictures of their excellent work in the field.

Aio with a Gray Partridge, October 2025

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Please call us if you have any specific questions (306)382-8964. e-mail josefkschmutz@gmail.com or e-mail sheila.schmutz@usask.ca