The term “Pig Dogs in New Zealand” has acquired more than 1,000 monthly searches on Google. These numbers show the interest of the enthusiasts in pig hunting games across New Zealand.
The best pig-hunting dog breeds are American Pitbull Terrier, Labrador Retriever, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
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There are other famous dog breeds in the country, but these are not preferred, selected, and owned for pig hunting expenditures.
According to The Department of Conservation, New Zealand, pig hunting with dogs is the most common practice across the country compared to other hunting methods. The most wild boar-populated areas are the North, South, Great Barrier, and Chatham Islands.
There is no precise pig-hunting dog breed in New Zealand. The game lovers use and prefer different pure or crossbred dogs for hunting, especially for Pig hunting. The selection of any dog species as a pig dog may vary according to your interests and locality.
Advice
It is advised by all hunting game experts that you should first consider the local rules and regulations about a species before selecting and finalizing a specific pup breed for pig hunting sports.
In the following headings, you will have a detailed overview of each pig-hunting dog breed.
For More Information, Visit: Famous Pig Hunting Dog Breeds
Labrador Retriever
| Size | Medium to Large |
| Category | Catch Dog |
| Weight | 55–80 lb |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Color | Chocolate or Black |
The most popular dog breed in New Zealand. People around the globe love and adore this breed. Owners love these dogs for a variety of purposes. This dog can be your companion, hunting, therapy, or assistance dog.
A person can see several varieties in this breed of pups. These dogs are highly trainable, which makes them a perfect choice in hunting games. In wild boar hunting coordination and understanding between you and your canine partner is an essential requirement.
In size, Labrador dogs range from medium to large. They have a muscular build. This physical attribute adds another positive to their preference to be used as pig dogs.
Labrador breed bears all the physical strengths required to deal with pigs. Their robust build and a different instinctual drive are the basic requirements for this task.
American Pitbull Terrier
| Size | Medium |
| Category | Catch Dog |
| Weight | 30 to 60lb |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Color | Buckskin, Red, and Black |
American Pitbull Terrier is a well-known breed for pig hunting, and they are most popular in New Zealand for hunting recreation.
This breed belongs to the category of catch dogs. They hold a prey- pig till the arrival of the hunters to kill wild boars. They work best with a bay dog if used in pairs.
Their impressive strength, remarkable agility, and unwavering tenacity make these dogs an exceptional choice to match the speed and endurance of feral hogs. This species can easily manage to navigate through all fields and bushes chasing a feral hog.
They possess a remarkable physical prowess and mental toughness. These abilities enable them to keep up with these wild animals and face the challenges of the terrain. They have the strength, agility, and tenacity to go with the feral hogs in fields and bushes.
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
| Size | Medium to Large |
| Category | Catch Dog |
| Weight | 23 to 37lb |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Color | White, Black, Blue, or Red |
Historically used in blood sports like bull-baiting and bear-baiting, this breed is one of the recommended choices if you seek bold and outstanding puppy companions for feral hog-chasing fun.
This dog has a muscular and well-boned body, making it a competent fighter for wild boar hunting. Their strong shoulders, broad chests, and strong legs help them hold wild boars for prolonged intervals.
This breed is agile and quite active. The hunting games demand all these characteristics for a pig dog. In New Zealand, it sounds tough to chase and hold prey in the wild terrains, so for this purpose, a tougher pup is required. Staffordshire Bull Terrier is the perfect preference for this pursuit.
Staffordshire Bull Terriers’ intelligence and eagerness make them trainable effectively. They can learn gestures, commands, and indications efficiently, which are essential for the best companionship in hunting.
Catch Vs. Bay Hunting Dogs
Catch dogs are trained dogs used to catch, grip, or hold large animals in hunting or baiting activities. They usually grip these animals by their ears.
These dogs mostly have well-built body structures with good weight. The hunter uses the chest and body armor to protect them from expected boar tusk spearing.
On the other hand, a bay dog is a trained dog used to find and chase wild animals. After locating a feral pig, they yelp at the prey from a safer distance.
Their main task is to keep boars at a concerned place and engage these animals till the arrival of the hunters with arms or the catch dogs.
The hunters can use both dogs in pairs as well as separately at the same time. It depends on the technique they adopt to get better hunting results from the hunt.
For pig dog related points, you may visit: Pig Dogs
