Best luck we have had is loose dogs that are only gritty when they see a hogs back side. If it turns they should grab some a$$ till he stops then get back and bay!! Thats in a perfect world though. We have runners 90% of the time here where I hunt so if ur dogs are too loose the hog will jus slow run for miles and miles! Literally!! It's always good to have a suited up(vest and collar) running catch dog that loves to catch 200# hogs and down but will get rough with the big one till it stops. I am a firm believer in catch dogs as well, a jam up strike dog is a lot harder to find then a suicidal catchdog that can seal the deal. Plus the catch dog is suited up for getting cut. A lot depends on the dog, every dog is different even every breed. I've seen loose and rough curs as well as hounds. I have a redtick that will catch 200# or less but he is smart about it. Best dog I ever had was mid range and only rough if the hog turned, she bayed loose as ever. This dog would NOT bay in a pen for her life, she was 100% woods dog. I've seen to many people ruin great dogs from putting them in a pen and showing the dog that all it has to do is bay.
Putting a dog in a pen DOES NOT show it all it has to do is bay!! Come on man!! A dog will either put his mouth on a hog or he won't...a pen has nothing to do with it. You think competition dogs don't put their mouths on hogs?! Think again.
A woods dog has no reason to be worked in a pen. I really think working a dog in a pen affects it's hunting. I have a female that would not touch a 50 pig in the woods. Put her in a pen and she turns into a catch dog. I had her in a pen to help get a pup to bay. I used her because she is my loosest dog. Forget a pen. The last thing I would judge a hunting dog on is how they do in a bay pen.
Seems I havent lost my mind...
