A modern pointer is a thoroughbred dog for a sport hunt on the game. It is required from the dog to search the game by flair to rack to specify a place of its finding, according to an order to lift a bird on a wing or to shift it out of its place, after a hunter`s shot on his order to bring the killed bird, also to find and bring a wounded game. At a hunt without a pointer the biggest part of the hit game, especially feathered, is lost and perishes. A correctly put pointer will not allow these losses: it will find and will bring the hunter a wounded or killed bird which has fallen down in the hardly accessible for a man places. Therefore the popularity of a hunt with a pointer is continuously growing up. In a row of foreign countries the hunt on the feathered game without a pointer is forbidden. A hunt with a pointer also is called "a correct hunt".

Irish setter.

Irish setters are very popular with our hunters. The ease and elegance are combined with an athletic fortress and endurance in this breed even in the heaviest soil and climatic conditions.

In the old hunting literature Irish setters are spoken about as the hottest, late starting for the work and difficult to be trained dogs. Apparently in the period of growth of breed it was so. But it is not more difficult to train modern Irish setters, than the other pointers, and they start working in the first season.

At the hunt Irish setter is very hazardous, but at the same time it is manageable. At correct training these dogs also are tireless, as well as English setters. However it matches not so much the investigation of places, as the hunt in the beforehand investigated places.

This breed is most widespread among all kinds setters in Republic Mari El. Unfortunately many dogs are kept not by the hunters due to their colour and manner of behaviour so they have lost the field qualities. But despite of it there are a lot of dogs with excellent field qualities in Republic. It is used for the hunt "on feather".

Scottish setter.

Scottish setter carries this name only in Russia. In England from the time of creation of Kennel-club in 1873 the breed was called black with scorched spat setter, and since 1924 - Gordon setter.

These beautiful and powerful dogs stand out by most counterbalanced character among English pointers. Search is not so fast and wide, as of their temperamental relatives. But they are more convenient for the hunt in underbrush and hillock places, they do not run away far from the hunter and are extremely diligent in work.

During last years quantity and exterior level of Scottish setters have grown considerably.

In Republic Mari El they actively hunt with these dogs on marsh, field, pine forest and swimming game.

German shorthaired pointer.

This is the best conducting breed of continental shorthaired pointers. The sources of breed occur from the blood of old german and old spanish breeds of shorthaired pointers. After the Berlin dog exhibition in 1878 the all German - Austrian congress of kinologic experts and amateurs of dogs developed and ratified the standard for the attributes of german continental pointers and basic rules of their estimation. At the international dog exhibition in 1879 in Ganover the commission of the representatives of german hunting societies ratified german shorthaired pointer as the basic type of national breed of shorthaired pointers.

German shorthaired pointer is vigorous at heart, he is always interested in field work, always ready to search or prosecut game. It has the versatile hunting qualities: correct, moderately wide and vigorous search, correct and distant flair with inclination to use it by top sure, inherent proof both on a bird and small animal and inherent propensity to aport from a land or water excluding loss of hit game. The bottom and trace flair is used by a dog more often at search of a wounded game or at work on the blood trace. High productivity of search of german shorthaired pointer is the consequence of highly developed flair, that is harmonious combination of sense of smell, sight and hearing.

Recently the hunt with german shorthaired pointer on marsh and swimming game has the increasing popularity in Mari El. The abundance of flooded meadows and peat bogs promotes this. The large interest to the dogs of Republic is shown by the representatives of the neighbouring regions.

German wirehaired pointer.

The enthusiasm of German kinologic experts and amateurs of dogs to the creation of new breeds of national wirehaired pointers, suitable for versatile hunting use in a field, in a wood and on water, at any time of year was extremely great by the end of the last century. Despite of activity of three clubs engaged in cultivation german roughaired pointers, wirehaired pointing griffons and the poodle - pointers in the country. On may 11 1902 a society of the amateurs of german wirehaired pointer was founded, it put a task of creation of a new breed of german wirehaired pointer, having versatile field quality and all - weather wool.

Within first two decades of cultivation of breed the exterior of german wirehaired pointer and his field qualities was stabilized so, that already in 1924 the standard of breed was officially authorized. German wirehaired pointer is endowed by such working qualities, as endurance, correct and average on range flair, firm rack, aporting, search of wounded game, working on a trace with a voice, maliciousness to an animal. The dogs of this breed require some more efforts at training than german shorthaired pointer. However these additional expenses of work and time are paid off by the subsequent field work of dogs, and their wool allows to use them in the european countries in any weather conditions.

In Republic Mari El german wirehaired pointer are the most widespread breed pointers of dogs. Thanks to the more spiteful character, they are used at a hunt not only "on feather", but also on hoofed animal.

Russian hunting spaniel.

Spaniel has remarkable hunting qualities. Spaniels attract the special attention of the amateurs of a hunt "on feather". Nothing can stop these dogs: neither richest thorny overgrown nor bog or as reservoir. They have excellent flair, are persevering in search, are physically enduring and firm, are able not only to search a bird, but also to present a shot game.

The origin of the spaniels, undoubtedly, is very ancient. Today it is abundantly clear, that this breed occurs from Spain and its name in particular testifies this fact.

It is necessary to tell, that the Englishmen more than the others paid attention to the hunting qualities of spaniels and kept working whit their improving.

At first spaniels were applied for driving out woodcocks and blackcocks and later pheasants. Sometimes spaniels played the role of the search dogs at a hunt with hounds. Their task was to find hares and to turn them out from a thicket to the hounds.

Russian hunting spaniel is the youngest breed among all known spaniel breeds. This breed was officially in USSR in 1951.

In Republic Mari El spaniels are used only for a hunt on swimming game. The number of them in relation to other breeds of pointers is high enough.