All of my pups start in a bay pen and when they get to were there to gritty then its time to graduate them into a bigger pen were the hog is not seen, were they have to track the hog then bay. I graduate mine into a 40 acre pen. After they meet my standards then its time to take them hunting. When you are working them you need to command them over and over on what you want them to do. Never had a problem with my dogs getting cut worse in the woods just because they were started in a bay pen.
I too start my dogs in a pen just to see if they are interested. A 40 acre area that is fenced off to hold hogs in is not considered a bay pen to me.
