Guest rhapsodical78 Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 For a while now, I've been considering the prospect of buying a miniature pig. I'm just wondering if anyone has had any experience with porcine with regards to training and if so, how you've found they compare to dogs. Which methods have you found work best? How do miniature pigs differ in behaviour from dogs? Do they have a similar pack structure? Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arya Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 For a while now, I've been considering the prospect of buying a miniature pig. I'm just wondering if anyone has had any experience with porcine with regards to training and if so, how you've found they compare to dogs. Which methods have you found work best? How do miniature pigs differ in behaviour from dogs? Do they have a similar pack structure?Cheers. Okay, I have had experience watching a circus trainer train regular sized pigs, if that helps LOL ;) The pigs seemed to be just as easy to teach as a dog. This lady had a whole 'three little pigs' routine with her giant pigs and a tiny grey poodle. It was hilarious. They are pretty smart, I can tell you that much! I never actually trained them myself, just watched how she did it. She used rewards and everything just like dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rhapsodical78 Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 For a while now, I've been considering the prospect of buying a miniature pig. I'm just wondering if anyone has had any experience with porcine with regards to training and if so, how you've found they compare to dogs. Which methods have you found work best? How do miniature pigs differ in behaviour from dogs? Do they have a similar pack structure? Cheers. Okay, I have had experience watching a circus trainer train regular sized pigs, if that helps LOL ;) The pigs seemed to be just as easy to teach as a dog. This lady had a whole 'three little pigs' routine with her giant pigs and a tiny grey poodle. It was hilarious. They are pretty smart, I can tell you that much! I never actually trained them myself, just watched how she did it. She used rewards and everything just like dogs. Awwww. I wish I'd seen that performance. Thanks for your input. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 (edited) My pig..definitely NOT a mini...was bought up with the dogs and his constant companion, a kitten...and until he was too big, wore a chain collar and lead sometimes. he was trained with food , mostly. He would sit, and kiss, and fetch, was housetrained ( did it himself after 2 days!! ) and did food refusal. he would ring a bell on the porch when he wanted to come inside, and knew that the 'ting' of the microwave meant food! When small , he travelled well in the car, too. do some reading of piggy society..and enjoy :D they are very similar to dogs, yet SO very different!! Much more human in their reactions to things.... If I thought about them too much I would never enjoy my bacon again . My boy got red icypoles when he was sick...he lay there and cried with a tummy upset... he used to throw up when badly scared by something....then come for a cuddle... BUt...he defended himself just like a pig..with head-tossing, shoulder bumping, and teeth When he grew up I couldn't have him around the dogs..he was a couple hundred kilo of piggy!! he was a feral, too, 'rescued' after his mother was shot.,which made his trainability and wonderful temperament all the sweeter ;) I miss him a lot...it is about 7 years since he died.... with a young fan waiting to eat his first birthday chocolate cake !! Grunt,With his friend, Frank ( they were on Funniest Home Videos once..we didn't win anything, but it was fun :D Edited June 13, 2007 by persephone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rhapsodical78 Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 My pig..definitely NOT a mini...was bought up with the dogs and his constant companion, a kitten...and until he was too big, wore a chain collar and lead sometimes. he was trained with food , mostly. He would sit, and kiss, and fetch, was housetrained ( did it himself after 2 days!! ) and did food refusal. he would ring a bell on the porch when he wanted to come inside, and knew that the 'ting' of the microwave meant food! When small , he travelled well in the car, too.do some reading of piggy society..and enjoy :D they are very similar to dogs, yet SO very different!! Much more human in their reactions to things.... If I thought about them too much I would never enjoy my bacon again . My boy got red icypoles when he was sick...he lay there and cried with a tummy upset... he used to throw up when badly scared by something....then come for a cuddle... BUt...he defended himself just like a pig..with head-tossing, shoulder bumping, and teeth When he grew up I couldn't have him around the dogs..he was a couple hundred kilo of piggy!! he was a feral, too, 'rescued' after his mother was shot.,which made his trainability and wonderful temperament all the sweeter ;) I miss him a lot...it is about 7 years since he died.... with a young fan waiting to eat his first birthday chocolate cake !! Grunt,With his friend, Frank ( they were on Funniest Home Videos once..we didn't win anything, but it was fun :D WOW! Thank-you so much for your reply. What a beautiful animal. I'm sorry for your loss, even though it was seven years ago, it sounds like he's still fresh in your memory. Would you recommend a pig to anyone? What do you think are the drawbacks? How did you go with the digging thing? Everywhere I've read seems to suggest that you need a minimim of one acre to keep one. I have a good sized yard and devote much of my spare time to my animals. Do you think this would be enough or do they really require the roaming room? (keeping in mind the minis are much smaller). Did you have any problems with electrical cord chewing? What sort of toys did he enjoy? How much do they sleep? How long did he live? Sorry about the influx of questions, you wouldn't believe how scant the online information is about pigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelpie-i Posted June 13, 2007 Share Posted June 13, 2007 (edited) Yes I have trained a pig before. It was a miniature pig (I forget the breed now...sorry). I used a clicker and lots of food to get him to recall and sit and also taught him to jump through a low hoop. Watch your fingers though, they don't exactly have the softest mouths!! Best to keep your hand wide open when offering treats as they tend to grab hold of your fingers. They are different to dogs in that they generally don't have any inclination to want to please you so you must always give them something in return for their efforts. Food reinforcements must be used continuously. I say go for it and have fun. It will certainly be a great learning experience for you. You don't have a nice garden do you???? LOL! Edited June 13, 2007 by Kelpie-i Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now