Dog is an omnivorous mammal from the canine family. Wolves were the first domesticated animal species, which later became dogs. At first, they served as assistants in hunting, and later they also performed watchdog functions. The first evidence of the «cooperation» of a man and a dog (a dog's paw print) dates back to the 22nd millennium BC. The first to appear were hunting and guard dogs, later decorative dogs.

Hunting with hunting dogs is the most productive, emotional, spectacular and sportive. Dogs look for game, indicate its location or detain it until the hunter approaches, find wounded animals, serve a beaten bird or animal. For a hunter, a dog is not just a creature that helps to get more game, it is his devoted friend, who understands his master from a half-word, half-look. A good hunting dog should have the same passion for hunting as its owner. Hunting with a dog is much more interesting and exciting, besides, you can enjoy a successful hunt with it, and it is easier to endure a failure. How nice it is to see undisguised joy in the eyes of your assistant when he brings the prey found in his teeth.

There are a lot of breeds of hunting dogs and each of them is intended for a certain type of hunting. There are no universal breeds, each breed has its own character, specific physique, endurance, and its own passions. Depending on these characteristics, hunting dogs are divided into breed groups: greyhounds, hounds, huskies, pointers, spaniels and burrows.

On the territory of Belarus, only purebred hunting dogs can be used when hunting, foreign hunters must have relevant documents for the dog - registration documents issued by in the state of their habitual residence, a veterinary certificate issued by the state veterinary service. The same requirements apply to hunting birds of prey.

Groups and breeds of hunting dogs allowed for use in hunting grounds on the territory of the Republic of Belarus

	Breed groups / Their purpose	Subgroups	Dog breeds	Federation Canine Internationale (FCI) classification number
	Greyhounds Catching hares, foxes, small ungulates and sometimes wolves in a relatively open and level area. Catching up with the beast, the greyhound makes a throw and grabs it. Catches only «sighted»; hardly uses his flair.	longhaired	Russian Borzoi	193
		shorthair	Greyhound	158
			Whippet	162
			Shorty	-
			Basins	-
			South Russian (Steppe) Greyhound	-
	Hounds and related breeds They are used in the forest zone for rifle hunting for hare, fox, wolf, as well as for driven hunting for ungulates. They look for the beast and follow it with a voice, giving the hunter the opportunity to stand in the way of the beast and shoot him.	large hounds	Russian Hound	-
			Anglo-Russian (piebald) Hound	-
			Belarusian Hound	-
		medium hounds	Swiss Hound	59
			Bavarian Tracker	217
			Lithuanian Hound	-
			Latvian Hound	-
			Estonian Hound	-
		small hounds	Basset Hound	163
			Beagle	161
	Pointers, spaniels, retrievers, water dogs Used for hunting game birds. They explore the area, working as a «shuttle», find the bird with the help of their instincts and stop in front of it in a tense (standing) position until the owner approaches. After the command, the dog vigorously moves forward and raises the bird, which the hunter shoots in flight.		all breeds
	Laika, Spitz and primitive breeds Laika is a versatile dog that is suitable for hunting upland game, fur-bearing animals, ungulates, as well as duck and other birds. Laika searches for her, using her sense of smell, hearing and sight. Silently pursues the game, and when it sits on a tree or stops, it barks loudly. This dog can also find wounded animals, bring them to the owner or bark.	northern hunting dogs	East Siberian Laika	305
			West Siberian Laika	306
			Karelian-Finnish Laika	-
	Earth dogs Bred to work in a hole, mainly on a fox, a raccoon dog. They are allowed into the hole where the beast is hiding, and they drive it out under the hunter's shot or strangle it in the hole and pull it to the surface. Burrows are very vicious and persistent dogs in pursuit of the beast. Due to their small stature, they easily penetrate burrows and navigate well in the dark, using their sense of smell and hearing.	large and medium terriers	German Jagd Terrier	103
			Border Terrier	10
			Smooth Fox Terrier	12
			Wirehaired Fox Terrier	169
			Jack Russell Terrier	345
			Parson Russell Terrier	339
			Welsh terrier	78
		standard rates	all breeds	148