A Russian hunter was shot dead by his own dog when the excited pooch hopped up on his lap and tapped his shotgun — which discharged into his gut.

The freak accident struck while Sergei Terekhov, 64, and his brother were hunting rabbits in the remote Saratov region, according to reports Monday.

Terekhov’s double-barrelled shotgun was resting on his knee when his Estonian Hound bounded towards him and bumped the weapon with his paw, causing it to go off, according to the local news site Region 64 and other outlets.

“The weapon rested on his knee, with the butt facing down and the barrel pointing towards his stomach,” investigator Alexander Galanin told the site.

The investigative committee later told Newsweek Terekhov was holding the Soviet Toz-3, which discharged after the pooch darted from a car and hopped up onto him.

Terekhov’s brother called an ambulance but he died on the way to a hospital.

Terekhov was experienced hunter with a license, Galanin said. “Everything was in order. It was an accident.”

Terekhov’s was a sportsman who loved hunting rabbits and other game, the UK Telegraph reported.

Investigators had found no sign of foul play on Monday.