running catch dog

A typical Pit Bull doesn't have the stamina to keep up with a pack of dogs on the ground. With most, it's even beneficial to get as close to the bay as possible. They are tremendously strong and hit hard, but the power they bring to the hunt is usually a pretty short lived package. Having said that, the benefit to using pitbulls is that they are much more easily obtainable (and therefore usually cheaper) than some other breeds that are used.

My main catch dog could (and has) run for miles. However, I am very particular at what point I send him into the battle. If the hog is medium size or smaller, my dogs will be catching and I can usually tell by the sound / squeal. At that point, he's usually cut loose much further away to seal the deal and I feel pretty certain that he'll be able to control things until I get there. On larger hogs, I like to get as close as possible so that when he catches I'm right behind him to take control and fulfill my part of the deal.

The fun thing about having a leggy type catchdog is that on several occasions, I have been able to let him go by himself to run down and catch hogs in the open. It's very impressive and someday I hope to be able to get some good video of him doing so.