A good help dog can be a great benefit. But a help dog is not just any ole dog that will go to a bay and bark at a hog, or mob in on a catch. They cannot just simply be "present", they have to be HELPING the situation. I have always said just barking at a hog is not baying. Yeah the dog is there, yeah he is barking, but is he really contributing to the bay. They have to actually contribute something for me to call one a help dog. Sometimes dogs can even get in the way of the other dogs at a bay, or worse, push the hog, bust bays, ect. Then in that case you have an anti-help dog, a "hinder" dog if you will.
What really defines a strike dog to me is what will they do when hunted by them selves. Sure they might not usually strike hogs first because another dog in the pack is faster or smarter on track. But can you take that dog and turn them into reasonably fresh hog sign (6-10 hours old) and depend on them to find the hog(s)? If the answer is yes then you have a strike dog. If the answer is no, or only if the track is super fresh (1-3 hours old) and they don't have to carry the track very far, then you don't have a strike dog in my opinion. However, if the dog has no bad habits, and actually contributes to getting the hog bayed after the strike, then that is a help dog. And I do believe they have their place.
Here is a hypothetical, Just say for instance you turn two dogs loose into some hog sign both are jam up strike dogs. You used to have three dogs but you culled one because he did not strike hogs. Both strike dogs take a separate track by random chance and each end up on two separate rank, spoilt boar hogs. These are the type of boar hogs that you need at least two dogs working together to get bayed without a long chase. But since they are by them selves on the rank and spoilt boar hogs, a long chase ensues. Now you are stuck having the make the decision of which dog to follow first. You flip a coin, he tries hard to get the hog bayed and does after a long chase and you get the hog. But.....your dog is cut down and you tend to him and put him up. You then turn your attention to the other chase. You get close, but too much time has passed and the other strike dog is worn out and she too gets cut down and the hog give you the slip because you were not able to get to her fast enough. Next week you get some great hunting weather and you really want to hunt but both of your dogs (strike dogs) are cut down. So you swallow your pride and call your "buddy" to bring his help dogs they don't find any hogs for you. You are number 2 out of luck until your dogs heal.
Now say you owned three dogs. One of them was a help dog and you are ok with that. Today you turned one strike dog and a help dog into that hog sign. They go and bay the first boar, they work together and the hog bays close. You get that hog and the strike dog rolls out. The help dog stays there because after all he is just a help dog. The strike dog strikes on the other boar, and the help dog goes to the bay but the hog breaks. This hog is alerted because he heard the commotion from the first bay. He gives a good race but comes bayed and you get him also but your strike dog got cut down. The help dog got a few nicks but nothing serious.... Next week comes around and you take your other strike dog and your help dog and you are still in the hunt.
Many times it pays to have a help dog that you know will be there to help the strike dog when he opens.
Waylon
