I know the perfect bay dog is one that does all it can to stop a hog when it breaks...once the hog turns back to the bunched up hogs then this dog will windmill or set back and bay...it doesn't matter if it is one dog or 5 dogs...
I also have seen dogs that get close enough to the hog and talk to him...it seems that the hog understands that if he runs he will be hammered so he figures not moving is the safest thing to do...at least that is how I interpret the bay...this is my second choice of dogs...
I like grit and plenty of stopping power...one dog alone might bay and hold the bay and in rare cases 2 will hold a bay...but 3 dogs will put teeth on a big boar and 4 or 5 will hold a 3 hundred pound hog...with this style of dogs thick cover works in favor of the hog because he will out run the dogs...so busted bays do happen...these dogs work best in open woods or in the winter from about end of December and on until early April when the weeds are still down due to winter...these dogs do not get cut as bad because they catch a little while and let go but the hog will be exhausted by the time I get there...I have a choice with this type of dog...do I give the command to catch or do I tell them to get back...at the beginning I liked for them to catch and in that minute it took to get in and stick the hog I could have a dog cut and/or crippled or killed...so I started carrying a gun and always chose to shoot the boar...The only way the dogs caught recklessly was when they were just let out of the box and they would catch one close up when the dogs were fresh and chomping at the bit to get gone...sows and shoats were just caught...that is the style of dog I like...a little more grit will be OK as well...so eventually a running vest will be needed...that is the plan...
I once hunted with a good looking reddish gold colored bmc out of South Texas. This dog was culled because he busted up bays...he was a good hunting dog and he could stop a hog...he was the best stop dog I have seen...he and another dog had a big boar sitting on his jewelry because he couldn't run...
On the next hunt he winded and trailed a bunch of hogs and he busted the bay...but within and hour we caught 5 sows from the same herd with him relaying...caught them with him and an Airedale...they were all about 175 to 200 pound sows...he barked 3 times when starting a track and he could move one...the next time you heard the dog he was bayed solid nose to nose and the hog was backed up to a stump or tree taking care of her behind...he wasn't a long range hunting dog but he had a good nose for winding and trailing and he could find, bay, and catch hogs...Nugget was his name and was not a Ben bred dog...
bottom line...I like bay busters that catch hogs...
