A mini pig is a herd animal which means no matter what, your indoor mini pig has a herd mentality. When you are living with a herd animal you must understand that there is a hierarchy in a pig's mind and they always want to be on top. It is your responsibility to make sure your pig understands where she falls on the ladder of leadership roles and there are many techniques we will discuss to do this. You do not want your pig thinking they are the boss of everyone. This will result in a bossy, rude, even aggressive pig that will leave you very unhappy. It can be dangerous if your pig thinks she is top hog and in charge of everyone else. The goal is to make sure your pig understands ALL humans are above her and that YOU are the boss. Below we will go over a couple of techniques to use to ensure you are the leader of your herd.
Move The Pig
When we say a pig is a herd animal, we mean a lot of things but the most important aspect of a herd is that pigs have a respect for space and especially their personal space.
Imagine walking around with a bubble around you and not wanting it to be popped. That is how a pig thinks all the time. But we are going to pop their bubble again and again. That is because we need to establish our role as leader, boss, whatever you want to call it. In the wild pigs respect for space is how they maintain a hierarchy, and the top hog invades personal space often making the pigs below him move. This is how pigs teach respect for space and how they establish who is on top. If the top hog is coming towards you then you better move. So what this means is that not only does your pig have a bubble around her that she wants you to respect but you also have a bubble around you that NEEDS to be respected. If your pig respects your space than you are now above your pig. The way this is done is using a technique called Move The Pig. And it is just that, you make your pig move. But it goes deeper than just randomly making your pig move throughout the day, though that is part of it. Make sure you walk around your house confidently and do not move for your pig, your pig needs to move for you! As far as move the pig there are a couple of videos on YouTube you can watch but the idea is that you make your pig move. Whether your pig is sleeping in a bed, standing there, walking, you make your pig move. You do this by stomping your feet, saying something such as "lets go", then walking straight at your pig until they move out of your way. If they are sleeping in bed stomp your feet, say "lets go", and make your pig get up and move. It might sound mean but remember, the top hog in a herd of pigs does not care if someone is sleeping, if he wants them to move they move. Pigs claim territory so make sure your pig understands they do not get to claim the nice warm spot where they are sleeping, that is still your spot if wanted. Partake in Move The Pig periodically throughout the day with your pig. Also remember EVERY family member needs to do Move The Pig with your pig not just you. Your pig has a hierarchy mentality so if they do not do this with your pig she will start trying to challenge them for the spot above them. She needs to realize every human is above her.
If you have guests over they also need to make your pig move periodically so your pig understands they are above her. And please make sure no one moves for your pig. This will help a lot in raising a pig that does not become aggressive towards guests.
So that is the gist of Move The Pig. You need to do this with your pig to establish hierarchy which is crucial if you want to live a happy life with your pig.
Training
Training is the second most important step to becoming the herd leader. The most important point to remember is that your pig gets nothing for free, every piece of food is earned! That means meals, snacks, any hand outs, make sure your pig earns it and it is not just given to them. Teach your pig as many tricks as you want! Winnie can come, sit, stay, back, leave it, spin, play piano, push a ball, high five, and more. The American Mini Pig Association website has a lot of factual information to teaching tricks. Once your pig knows the basics, come, sit, back, stay, etc, start building it into your daily routine. Make your pig sit for every meal and spin or any other trick. Make your pig back out of the kitchen, stay and wait to be asked to enter the kitchen, ask your pig to come randomly if she isn't right under your feet. Right now with Winnie being so young she probably gets more treats than she should but I am trying to build in good behavior. So I randomly ask her come throughout the day, I make her sit and do other tricks throughout the day. You don't have to set aside 30 minutes to train your pig everyday if you build it into your daily routine. I make Winnie back out of the kitchen anytime she is getting vocal. Use the training to your advantage and help it mold your pig into the well-behaved pig you want. Training is an important way to not only bond but show you are above your pig in the ladder for hierarchy. You are making your pig work for the food she is getting.
Cannot stress this enough but once again, the entire household needs to train with your pig. My husband is very busy but I ask him a couple times a week to do MTP with Winnie and ask her a couple commands. This is so Winnie sees him as above her so in the future as she grows she doesn't try to challenge him. My daughter is too young to give Winnie any commands but the minute she is able to she will be doing so. Right now since she is walking she does MTP with Winnie naturally because she doesn't move for Winnie and she just walks her path and Winnie needs to move. So I am hoping this will help Winnie have more respect for her as Winnie grows up.
Also a part of training is rewarding good behavior. If Winnie does something I want her to do then she gets a treat for it. Even if she wasn't asked, especially if she wasn't asked, I reward her because that is good behavior. So reward good behavior when you see it, your pig will remember that reward and keep repeating that good behavior.
Training is so fun and you will be amazed at how smart your pig is. Just remember it takes a lot of patience and repetition. Don't expect your pig to learn sit right away, keep practicing and rewarding for any sit and eventually your pig will sit right when asked because they know a treat is coming.
Establishing Rules for the House
Do not, and I say that again, do not let your pig do whatever it wants in your home. Set rules and regulations with everyone in the family so everyone knows how to hold your pig accountable. For example Winnie is not allowed on the couch or bed, if Winnie is getting vocal in the kitchen she needs to be asked to leave or moved out of the kitchen until she is quiet, no chewing on anything she is not allowed to, since she is so young Winnie is not allowed out of our sight. There are a lot more but setting boundaries and rules for your pig right from the start is how you raise an obedient pig who is a joy to have around the house. Also make sure you set your house up to set your pig up for success. For example put your trash out of reach from your pig so she can never get into it or even try. Now, your pig is going to test every inch of you that it can but you have to remain consistent and stern. Make sure your pig knows what "no" means so you can correct and stop her from doing anything she is not allowed to do. Stay very consistent and don't let your pig get away with anything she is not allowed to do even once. If she gets away with it one time then she will do that behavior over and over again. This is why I always recommend having your pig in the same room as you because out of sight everything is free game and you cannot hold your pig accountable or stop bad behavior.
Discipling Your Pig
Make sure you know how to discipline your pig for bad behavior so you can set these rules. I was lost in the beginning on how to discipline Winnie but here is what I do. The first warning, I stomp my feed and sternly say "Winnie No." This alarms her and gets her attention so 7/10 she stops doing whatever she shouldn't be doing and most likely walks off to get into something else. The second warning if she does not stop is, I stomp my feet, clap my hands, walk towards her and sternly say "no." This is even more alarming because I am approaching her space. The third warning is that I repeat everything I was doing before but this time I make her move. If she still does not stop what I have found works is stomping my feet, pinching her on the back of the neck behind her ears, and making her move. Now this isn't a forceful pinch just slight pressure and I have found it works really well, usually she stops.
Now biting is a completely different correction. Winnie has not tried to bite me but she has been trying to challenge the dogs and will jump and nip at them. For biting the correction you use is this: you grab their snout and push them backwards. They do not like having their snout grabbed and you are making them move. Then you put her in time out, her kennel or a time out area, away from the rest of the family. Pigs do not like to be alone so time out for any bad behavior is very effective. Stay consistent with this, you do not want a biting pig. I watch Winnie very closely around the dogs and usually interrupt her before she gets to biting. I sternly and with a louder voice say Winnie No, stomp my feet and make her move away from the dogs. But if that does not stop her and she goes in for a bite I grab her snout and push her back. This usually stops her and she walks away. I do not want a big pig trying to challenge my dogs because that could end horribly for Winnie. It is very typical piglet behavior but you need to make your pig knows it is unacceptable before it becomes an issue.
Stay consistent in your corrections and your pig will start understanding right from wrong and what they are allowed and not allowed to do.
Outside Time
Make sure your pig is getting an adequate amount of outside time. This will limit the destructive and sometimes aggressive behavior exhibited from your pig. A bored pig is a destructive pig so keep your pig busy and let them go outside to get out their natural instincts and root. This will help tremendously with your pig's behavior. We are building a house on 40 acres so soon Winnie will have a large area outside and will spend as much time outside that she can as long as the weather permits. Winnie loves the cold so really the only time she won't be outside during the day is when it is raining or she is inside just to hang out. Right now Winnie has a small outside pen and whenever I have the chance she is outside in her pen. And she loves it. It is Winnie's favorite thing to do. If you are unable to give your pig adequate outside time then you need to have enrichment activities for your pig such as a Bob-A-Lot Toy or Rooting Box. Your pig has to get out her natural instincts and if you don't give her a way to do that she will find a way, which could result in flooring or carpet ripped up, drywall eaten, and more.
I hope this article helps you. I am not an expert or vet, this is all from my knowledge in raising Winnie. If you are having extreme issues with your pig please consult an expert.
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