This is really simple to me. If the hogs are aware the dogs are on them from a distance then they run and takes longer to stop. The unaware hog is easly over taken. The running type hog will have to be persuaded to stop if that with gritty or bottom or catch. I have some very catchy dogs two or 3 of them together will catch any hog that turns to fight. And I will say this a running hog is easier caught while running then if it is being bayed
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Good points. Crop dogs need to be really fast because they have a lot of distance to make up in a limited amount of space. If I sight hunt the head start the pig had is usually close to 300. Don't matter to me, I'm sending the dog anyway if it's 600 yards cause they will catch in the woods pretty easy if the race gets in there. Scent hunting the dogs and the head starts are usually around 100 yards. If the moon is bright it might be a bigger jump for the pig but the race is shorter because the dogs catch quicker. On a dark dark night, when they get to pig, it's a running fight for a little distance before they start swinging. In mature crops, the dogs make a lot of noise running to pigs they have scented. They know the pigs are there, just can't see them when they get close cause of the tall crops. They pick up the spooked pigs with there ears. I catch smaller pigs often during this time of crop hunting do to the dog zeroing in on the sound of the pig running through the crop rather than being able to see what it's now on or any of the others.
I've said many times on here that a running pig is a caught pig for my dogs too. Easier for them to grab a hold of a runner than it is to get the ear of one that's standing and fiercely defending itself.
