Many decades ago, men had few organized recreational opportunities. Since most men were employed in outdoor pursuits, they thought of recreation in terms of outdoor events. One such activity was a sport known as the "coon-on-a-log" contest. It pitted a full grown racoon against a mature dog.
The contest went like this: A raccoon was chained to a log floating in a pond or small lake. It had enough chain to walk the length of the log and a bit more. The dog was suppose to swim out to the log and fight the coon until one of them "gave up" or was killed. You never heard such barking, howling, screaming, and shouting put up by the dog, coon, and men.
Each dog had his own winning strategy. Most of them tried these tactics: 1. Get up on the log (a dog in the water is at a disadvantage) 2. Meet the opponent head on 3. Bite his nose first if possible 4. Take it from there.
The raccoon had his winning game plan to: 1. Meet the dog before he gets on the log
(a dog in the water is at a disadvantage) 2. Jump off the log on to the dogs head and push him underwater 3. Claw at his eyes and nose while he is underwater 4. Use your weight to hold the dog underwater until he gives up or dies.
The outcome was always up for grabs. Many a good dog was lost in these contests. They were occasions for men to bet on the dogs, share some "hard cider", and poke fun at the losing dogs owner.
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