There are a lot of people who think that their dog is a great companion for their mini pig. The truth is, they are not. To start dogs and pigs do not speak the same language so companionship will never be there. They may cuddle and become best friends but it is never the same as having another pig to communicate with that speaks the same language.
The truth is, dogs and pigs should never be left unsupervised. A dog is a predator and a pig is prey, and though they may appear to become best friends something can happen in the blink of an eye. Usually it is the pig who starts it and the dog who finishes it.
Why does this happen? Because a pig is a herd animal, constantly battling and testing the hierarchy for top hog position. In a household where there is a dog, that dog is part of the pig's herd and they will challenge over and over again for top hog position. This looks like chomping, hair up, charging, and biting at the dog. And they will never stop doing this. They might do it one time then never again for a year but they will do it again, because that is a pig's instinct to challenge for top hog position. Unfortunately since a dog is not a pig, a dog does not understand that the pig is challenging for top hog position when it goes biting for the dog, and the dog reacts with a snap, bite, or worse. It only takes one bite from a dog to take a pig's ear off.
So it really is a very straight forward thing. Don't ever leave dogs and pigs unsupervised and never let your guard down when they are together. Pigs are pushy, dominant creatures and the dog will get fed up with it one day. Even if you think your dog is best friends with your pig, we have heard countless stories where one day the dog just snapped. That is because the dog is only acting out on it's nature and defending itself when the pig goes to bite the dog.
A dog is not a friend for your mini pig. Truthfully the only real companion you can get your mini pig is another pig. Cats are great friends for pigs but once again they speak a different language. Getting another pig is the only companion who will truly mix with your pig and we highly recommend getting two or more!
Here is our dog Carl with his three pigs. Though Carl loves his pigs we do not trust him to not defend himself and therefore we are always watching.
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