For me, I much prefer a dog y'all would consider very large. 29 to 30 inches tall, fairly long and around 100 to 110 pounds. The height and structure mean more to me than the weight, just using weight to help give visual to the size dogs I use.
Why I like such a dog can easily be seen on my Facebook videos. When comparing the videos of Macey the pit corso bitch to my wolfhound based dogs you will notice in the video's of the dogs holding the big boars, the wolfhounds center of gravity is more over there front shoulders when controlling a boar. This allows for many benefits to the dogs. You see how they hold and never get hit and make a big boar look like a joke. Macey on the other is a typical 60 pound pit looking dog. She is fun to watch in the video's because the pigs are able to lift her up, throw her around, etc and notice do to her lack of size where her center of gravity is put when attached to the big boars. You can plainly see the need for her vest because her structural difference prevents her from being able to pull a big boar around the way the other big dogs can. They periodically get her In some rather awkward situations and off her feet and out of controle and sometimes even In the air as can be seen In some pics and videos lol.
In the water my big dogs can stand and hold big pigs in the water just fine but a shorter dog like Macey will constantly be struggling for controle because her feet wouldn't touch in the same places the bigger pigs can thus giving them the ability to hit the swimming dog and keep it off them and or inflict harm on them. The pig rests and the dog is working out in that situation and the CD has little controle if any in this situation. I believe in the last video I posted you can see one of the big dogs holding a pig in the water. He had things well under controle, it was actually the pig that was using the energy to keep from sucking in a bunch of water. In other videos you can see the big dogs walking with big pigs and others especially when a good pig is against a fence and trying to get through, you can see the same dogs anchor a pig and not allow it to go forward where it wants to go. You can see boars try to come at me and the big dogs turn around. You can see pigs come at me when Macey has one one outed and I have to dodge the pigs. If your on my Facebook, pay attention to the dog and particularly analyze them and how the two different style of dogs are capable or incapable of imposing their will. After comparing the videos of each style of dog, can you really say the 60 plus pound Macey is an anchor? In any of the numorous videos can you ever see one of the big wolfhound based dogs in a situation where the pig is controlling it like Macey finds herself in now and then?
I'm not a bay dog guy. Those pigs are caught under different circumstances and since those pigs are so often allowed to run to the place of their choosing to defend themselves the average catch often happens in a different type environment than where my catchs are. I think pits are more suited for lead in work than my preferred type dog. My dogs are willing but their ability to move and avoid taken hits is stripped from them in stuff like briar thickets. A good pit will usually take far more punishment and continue to hold than what a lot of my type dogs will. For this reason I consider pits the kings of catch and the most appropriate style cd when used as lead ins by bay doggers
That's a great explanation of the differences in the two different styles of catch dogs Dean and something probably 95% of hog hunters, especially bay dog hunters, never take into consideration, and one of the reasons I've pondered the thought here lately about trying to cross a dog of your style onto one of our game bred pits, to add the height and frame without getting to bulky and sacrificing lung capacity, and maintaining overall athleticism,to add to the control factor, nothing more than an idea at the moment, what's your input, they'd be used as lead in CDs...
