pointer is a great pleasure under one important condition. The dog must be properly trained (that is, specially trained). It is difficult for a novice hunter to do this. This requires, in addition to knowledge, many years of experience. Take care of a professional trainer in advance. From literature I recommend old Soviet and pre-revolutionary authors.

The cops, in turn, are divided into insular and continental. The main difference between island cops and continental cops is a higher level of specialization of the former. If you decide not just to hunt with your dog, but also to win competitions in certain types of game, then it is better to choose a pointer or setter. In turn, continental cops are distinguished by German pedantry and versatility.

Pointer is considered perhaps the best gunpowder pointer. Temperamental, with energetic movements, the Pointer is always tense and, despite the short coat, hardy and resistant. Breed for true connoisseurs of gun hunting with a cop.

The English Setter is also an indispensable hunting companion. Having an elegant shirt (color) and an accommodating disposition, combined with excellent working qualities, this dog will give you pleasure both on the hunt and at home.

The Irish Setter is hot and impulsive. It is more difficult to train, but, being properly brought up, will give you a lot of pleasant minutes. In everyday life, it requires more thorough training due to its temperamental nature.

The Scottish Setter closes the top three most common cops in our country. It is characterized by the most balanced character of all island cops.

The group of continental cops includes the shorthaired pointer (German smooth-haired pointing dog), drathaar (German wire-haired pointing dog), Weimar pointing dog, Czech Fousek, Hungarian Vizsla and a number of others. Continental cops, unlike island ones, have a much more balanced character. At the same time, their hunting qualities are not much inferior to the island cops. Therefore, they have become very popular in recent years.

The shorthaired pointer is a dog of moderate temperament, hardy and unpretentious, with an innate tendency to feed a dead bird. On the hunt in terms of marsh game, it is still inferior to island cops.

Drathaar is similar to shorthaired pointer, differing mainly only in longer and harsher hair. Some hunters, having read that the continental pointers are more versatile, try to use them in hunting wild boar. I would like to warn them. Drathaar does not have the reaction speed of a husky. A wild boar is a beast with colossal strength and, despite its apparent clumsiness, is very maneuverable. Defending himself, he can cripple an insufficiently agile dog. Still, it is better to go to a boar and a bear with a husky. It is more reliable.

All cops differ among themselves in style and speed of search, preference for one or another type of game. Therefore, having firmly decided to take up gun hunting with a cop, you should carefully study all breeds and choose the one that suits your temperament and preference in the form of game.

It should also be remembered that if in our country, until recently, most dogs were used for hunting and tested for working qualities, then with the active importation of Western dogs during the perestroika period, as a rule, related to show lines, and the departure of some dogs to decorative and exhibition breeding, working qualities have decreased somewhat. So if you want a good working dog, first get to know a respected hunter and breeder at the same time.

In everyday life, all cops are comfortable: they are obedient, unpretentious, with a kind, complaisant disposition. Is that the island rocks a little more nervous.

Laikas are subdivided according to their functional purpose into reindeer (herding), riding and hunting. They are used both in hunting for such large and dangerous animals as bear, wild boar and elk, and in hunting for squirrel, upland game, marten, sable, lynx and small ungulates. They универсальны, обладают превосходным обонянием, зрением и слухом, ярко выраженной охотничьей страстью, выносливостью, злобой к зверю. Such a wide range makes Laika one of the most numerous hunting breeds in our country. There are four breeds of Laikas: West Siberian, East Siberian, Russian-European, Karelian-Finnish. Of these, the Karelian-Finnish Laika, distinguished by its small size, is mainly used for upland game and small fur-bearing animals. The West Siberian Laika is the most numerous of all Laika breeds. They are more often used in the production of fur-bearing animals. It is quite difficult for a beginner to train a good working like. This requires a lot of experience and knowledge. The dog is strong in character, independent and rather stubborn. Modern trends in dog breeding have not affected the huskies. They по-прежнему остаются прекрасными охотничьими собаками. But there is one important note: never buy a like in the bird market or from strangers. They can slip you an ordinary mongrel. Only professionals can distinguish a husky puppy from her. It is necessary to buy a purebred husky in hunting societies. There they will help you to drag it. Having an independent disposition, the husky can bring some troubles in everyday life when grown in the city. The innate hunting instinct makes the husky go for a walk quite far from the owner. In an urban environment, this is not very good.

Relatively recently, riding huskies began to appear in large cities. In our north, these are very common dogs used for their intended purpose. In cities, they are usually bred as an exotic dog. Dog sledding is popular in the West. There are even competitions. The most famous breeds in our country are Samoyed, Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute. Interestingly, the first two breeds are domestic, undeservedly forgotten in our country. At the beginning of the century, Samoyed dogs were taken to the West and began to be actively bred there. With elegant white coat and docile nature, they have won the love of many dog ​​breeders. The second name of this breed is the Nenets Laika. The Nenets reindeer herders initially used them not as sled dogs, but as reindeer herders.

The next group of hunting dogs are hounds. Hounds are the largest and most diverse group. It has been used since ancient times. A distinctive feature of the hounds is the pursuit of the beast with a continuous return of the voice. Greyhounds catch an animal in silence, huskies give a voice when they find an animal, and hounds become silent only if they lose (challenge) the trail. The essence of hunting with a hound is to whip the beast under the hunter's shot. One of the main qualities of the hound is the extraordinary perseverance in the pursuit of the beast, which has its own specific name - viscosity. The hound can follow the beast all day long. Another essential quality of the hound is the extraordinary subtly developed instinct, because she pursues the beast on the trail. The hound, unlike other dogs, takes the trail of a long-gone beast and follows it with a continuous return of the voice until it exposes it to the hunter. A good hound, taking the track of one animal, will follow only on it, not paying attention to other traces encountered. In our country, the most numerous are the Russian Hound and the Anglo-Russian Hound. Perfectly adapted to local conditions, they leave all other breeds far behind. Except них у нас используют эстонскую гончую , которую удобно содержать в квартире. In terms of working qualities, it is inferior to the first two, but if you live in the city, then it is better to start it. Russians and Anglo-Russians are usually kept in enclosures in rural areas. In the 19th century, hounds were used mainly to drive the beast from the forests to hunters with greyhounds. The Russian nobility had the so-called complete hunts, numbering hundreds of greyhounds from one owner. Now they hunt separately with hounds. Hound lovers appreciate dogs with beautiful sonorous voices.

If you decide to keep a hound in the city, remember that, being true hunters, they are easily lost. And when hunting, the owner is often forced to wait for days for a dog that has gone after the beast.

All other breeds of hounds of Western origin are not customary for us to use. Bred for much milder climatic conditions, they are of little use with us, and they are kept as decorative. The most famous western hounds in our country are the Bloodhound and the Basset. Despite the fact that they have not been used for hunting for a long time, even in the West, they have retained the habit of going for a walk far from the owner, not listening to his commands. As you understand, it's not about the ability to train. This speaks to the ancient hunting instinct, which is very difficult to remove from their character. As a consequence, they are quite stubborn, but by no means vicious. In the West, there are a great many breeds of hounds. France was especially "distinguished". There, almost every village has its own breed, which differs from the other in just one subtle feature. We don't actually have these dogs. Their unsuitability for our conditions is obvious, and hunters prefer domestic breeds, and as decorative ones they are not in demand due to the specific character.

And the last group hunting dogs is a group of so-called search dogs. It includes spaniels and retrievers. Hunting with these dogs is characterized by an intermediate type between cops and hounds. The dog finds and picks up the bird in hard-to-reach places for humans. Spaniels, which are small in size, freely pass through dense thickets of shrubs and reeds.