I have said this many times, the one thing a lot of young trainers leave out is letting pups/dogs get roughed up in a bay pen before cutting them loose on a live hunt. I promise you alot of pups/dogs don't know what to do or how to handle a wild hog when that first or several times they get on one. The pen if worked properly will keep your dog alive a lot longer!!!!
x2...when I first started back in the early 80's I taught the pups to has a ton of confidence by letting them trail up and overpower the shoats...that was a big mistake when they tried to catch a big boar in the wild...the pen is a great tool when used properly...
you want the pup to learn how to stop and bay a hog in the pen...once the pup likes baying a hog and is displaying lots of confidence then it is time to put a bigger hog in there with him so the pup can learn how to protect himself from the hogs front end...
