Just last week I had a super long race the dogs lost it at a conservation lake after trailing this hog over 4 miles and having it bayed several differnt times it was just to thick for us to ever catch up to em.
You think they lost it because it swam a section of the lake?
I have seen a dog loose a track when hogs have crossed a big river and refuse to swim it. I have also seen older dogs run a track to the river, search up and down the bank trying to figure it out and then swim the river and find the hog or at least pick up the track again.
I have also seen dog follow a track to the river and never slow down. Run and jump strait in, pick up the track on the other side, and go and find the hog without seeing the hog cross.
Young dogs will see that river as a barrier and not even consider that the hog crossed it if they have never seen a hog swim a river before.
I ain't getting at anything here. Just sharing some of my observations.