A bay dog (or bailer, in

Australian English Australian English (AusE, AusEng, AuE, AuEng, en-AU) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Australia. It is the country's common language and ''de facto'' national language; while Australia has no official language, Eng ...

) is a dog that is specially trained to find, chase, and then

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...

, or howl, at a safe distance from large animals during a hunt, such as during a wild boar hunt. Bay dogs chase and circle the boar, keeping it cornered in one place, while barking intensely. This behavior is known as "baying" or keeping the boar "at bay". In Australia the terms "bay dogs" and "baying" are not in common usage; these are colloquially referred to as "bailers" and "bailing", respectively. The vocalizing of the dogs at bay signals the modern firearms hunter to close the distance with the pack and once caught up, to dispatch the boar with a well-placed gunshot. For the primitive weapons hunter, the bay signals the hunters to release the "

catch dog A catch dog is a specially trained dog that is used to catch large animals in hunting, working livestock, and baiting. As hunters, catch dogs are contrasted with bay dogs who corner prey animals and alert their handler by howling, or baying. ...

s" that are used to then catch and hold the boar, allowing hunters to hog-tie the boar for relocation or kill the boar with a knife, spear or similar instrument. The dogs used for baying are typically curs,

hound A hound is a type of hunting dog used by hunters to track or chase prey. Description Hounds can be contrasted with gun dogs that assist hunters by identifying prey and/or recovering shot quarry. The hound breeds were the first hunting dogs. ...

s, and various purpose-bred

crosses Crosses may refer to: * Cross, the symbol Geography * Crosses, Cher, a French municipality * Crosses, Arkansas, a small community located in the Ozarks of north west Arkansas Language * Crosses, a truce term used in East Anglia and Lincolnshire ...

. Some crossing has occurred between "bay and catch" dogs, due to being raised together for generations, along with purpose-breeding. As a result, some "hog dogs" have shared traits and abilities (i.e., bay dogs capable of holding, or catch dogs hunting by scent). However, they are usually kept separate (no crossing) and used according to their own unique abilities. This technique is also the traditional way to hunt moose in the northern Scandinavian forests using the native spitz hounds, where it allows the hunter to stealthily move close to the animal in the dense forests, only taking a step when the dog barks to cover any sound, sometimes having to move as close as 10 to 30 meters to get a shot through the brush. Very often this is used in conjuncture with a team of hunters using fixed positions to take moose moving away from the baying dog.

Bay dog breeds

In southern Africa: *

Grand Bleu de Gascogne The Grand Bleu de Gascogne is a breed of hounds of the scenthound type, originating in France and used for hunting in packs. Today's breed is the descendant of a very old type of large hunting dog, and is an important breed in the ancestry of ...

Rhodesian Ridgeback The Rhodesian Ridgeback is a large dog breed bred in the Southern Africa region. Its forebears can be traced to the semi-domesticated ridged hunting and guardian dogs of the Khoikhoi. These were interbred with European dogs by the early colon ...

In Scandinavia: * Grå Norsk Elghund (

Norwegian Elkhound The Norwegian Elkhound is one of the Northern Spitz-type breeds of dog and is the National Dog of Norway. The Elkhound has served as a hunter, guardian, herder, and defender. It is known for its courage in tracking and hunting elk and ...

in English) * Jämthund (Swedish Elkhound in English) * Karelian Bear Dog In the United States: *

Black Mouth Cur The Black Mouth Cur, also known as the Southern Cur, Southern Black Mouth Cur and the Yellow Black Mouth Cur, is a medium to large sized breed of cur-type dog from the United States. Originating in the south of the country, the breed is a popular ...

Blue Lacy The Lacy Dog or Blue Lacy Dog is a breed of working dog that originated in the State of Texas in the mid-19th century. The Lacy was first recognized in 2001 by the Texas Senate. In Senate Resolution No. 436, the 77th Legislature honored the Lacy ...

* Mountain Cur *

Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog The Catahoula Leopard Dog is an American dog breed named after Catahoula Parish, Louisiana. It became the state dog of Louisiana in 1979. It is recognized by the United Kennel Club under the name ''Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog'', while the Ame ...

* Plott Hound * Redbone Coonhound

References

{{Domestic dog Boar hunting Working dogs

Bay dog breeds

See also

References