There's a lot of info on Russian forums about this. In the panic following the German invasion, State breeding facilities that had turned out dogs for sled-hauling, mine detection and general security/police work were ordered to produce "anti-tank" animals instead. Even hobby breeders channelled their efforts to this end. Various types of explosive "delivery" systems and trigger mechanisms were tested, but the first attempt at using "Anti-Tank" Dogs in the defense of Moscow was a total disaster. The dogs were released much too soon, for one thing, and the Germans captured an entire "Tank Destroyer" Batallion along with their surviving animals.

In 1942 the number of specialized “Anti-Tank Dog” Squads reached 40 representing some 15,000 animals. Most reliable post-war (and post Soviet) estimates place the total number of Anti-Tank Dogs actually employed at around 60,000, in some 168 individual units. The program was officially abolished in October of 1943; by then the Germans had printed and circulated detailed instructions on how to deal with "Tank Dogs". Few actually reached their targets, and thus the effort and time spent training and equipping them was essentially wasted. Breeding kennels returned to pursuing their original mandates, and surviving dogs were left for adoption by roving Partisan bands.

(Post-Soviet commentators also agree that evidence about the effectiveness of "Anti Tank Dogs" is more anecdotal than factual and "exagerations" were the official order of the day. Still, records indicate that the Dogs can be creditted with destroying at least 200 German Tanks. An additional 100 tanks usually attributed to them were most likely destroyed by Partisans. )

[] Apparently the Germans also found similarly "noble" uses for Dogs: one veteran of a Forced Labor Batallion recalled tethering dogs to posts set up at varying distances from explosives which were then set off by German personnel seeking data on their "effective ranges"..... []