This group includes various breeds of the terriers and rates of low growth. Their basic purpose is hunting for fox and badger.

These small, but very strong and brave dogs search the animals in the holes and expel them from there to the shots of the hunters or drive them in the impasse and bark out as long as the man comes to the aid. However, frequently there is no need in it: many dogs strangle an animal and pull it outside.

Terriers and dachshund can be the good assistants and on the other hunts. At appropriate training they search and dtive the feathered game out to the shots of the hunters, and find and submit the fallen birds. On drive hunts they help the driver - hunters to drive an animal on a line of the shooters, pursue the wounded animals on the blood trace. Well drived holers bark out and stop by clutchs a large animal, for example boar and so help to hunter to come nearer for a correct shot. All terriers are excellent fighters with rats, polecat and others fine small animals.

Fox terrier.

Fox terriers are the most widespread with our hunters hole dogs. Their basic purpose is taking foxes and badgers out from their holes. There are two breeds of fox terriers - the smooth and the wire ones. In the past they were considered as versions of one breed, then they began to plant them separately. Smooth and wire fox terriers are rather similar by build and internal qualities.

The supporters of the smooth terriers appreciate their pupils for sculptural grace of the athletic forms, smooth dense wool, which is not bad protect for a dog from cold and it almost does not soak and soil at work in a hole and does not demand a special care. And the amateurs of the wire dogs consider that rigid wool of their pupils have by the same advantages but does not fade, does not litter an apartment and gives a dog rather original attractive shape. For the sake of it the amateurs of the dogs conduct the directed selection of cultivation of dogs with probably the more rigid wool and twice, or three times a year they subject their wool to special processing - the tweak or trimming.

Sympathy of the majority of the hunters are declined to wire fox terriers in last years and the number of them prevails.

German hunting terrier.

German hunting terrier is a young breed the cultivation of which was begun by german amateurs of dogs in the beginning of the 30 th years of our century by complex crossing of several breeds of the english terriers. The literary items of information about the initial breeds are rather inconsistent.

The founders of the breed aspired to cultivate the national "hunter" dog, not exacting to the conditions of the living, with a wool which is not demanding the special care, suitable for versatile use in the conditions of the West - European hunting economy.

Smooth and wire versions are cultivated in this breed. They are frequently mixed with each other, in attempts to receive the posterity with probably richer, rigid, skintight wool.

The exhibition rings of german hunting terriers, numerous in Moscow and Прибалтике, till now remain rather "motley" speaking about the dogs of this breed.

Dachshunds.

Dachshunds are also concerned to the hunting dogs. Dachshunds were known in ancient Egypt and Greece. Presently the smooth, longhaired and wire dachshunds are distributed worldwide.

The silky wool of longhaired dachshunds forms elegant curls on the bottom part of a neck, breast, stomach and on a tail.

Wire dachshunds are covered by rich, lengthened, but skintight wool, and they have sticking up eyebrows "beard" and "moustache".

The dachshunds of all three versions are farmed mainly "in itself", that is without crossing.

Wire and smooth dogs are the most convenient for a hunt in our conditions. Longhaired dogs more soak and soil at work. These dachshunds are more often than others hold as room favourites for their original and elegant shape, but many of them show excellent fight quality when turn out to be in hands of the hunters.