anyone got pig training tips?

[oneeyedfrog]

Hi,

A couple of weeks ago my wonderfully romantic hubby got me a piglet for our aniversary!! :lol:

I had mentioned that I missed our boar "Ginger" who recently went to live up the road with some sows. So it wasn't just a random thing.

She has been living outside around the house- we did have a couple of ponies in there and she bonded to one of them . Sleeping snuggled up to him when he lay down etc. so sweet.

Now we have moved the ponies and she is interested in us . She comes inside and is getting used to being handled. She is just like a puppy.

We would like her to get used to us and learn some things then she can live in a couple of acre paddock next to the house where she can root to her hearts content. The plan is to eventually have piglets for the freezer.

We would like to teach her some manners so that she respects our space when she is huge! Ginger would sit before we fed him which was good.

We have had differing advice on whether to get her a companion.

We would like her to be happy and easy to manage so any advice would be appreciated.

[darkfur]

I had a friend with a kunekune and she could pretty much do any tricks a dog can. She loved playing with balls. I bet you could use a book from the library about dog training and clicker train her

[livingart]

same as a dog, maybe smarter

do anything for food so reward system works well

[oneeyedfrog]

Yeah perhaps a little too motivated with food. :lol: She tends to go a little mental - pushing shoving nipping and jumping when food is around.

She's calming down abit and realising that i won't give the food when she acts like that.

This afternoon she has been following me around constantly and is twigging what No means- she's into everything!!

They are really intelligent - they must go mad on " those" pig farms.

[Jennifer]

Google Dr. Sophia Yin. She's a veterinarian, teaches at the prestigious UC Davis school of vet med, is one of the world's foremost behaviourists and is an expert at training all species of animal. She has lots of videos on You Tube, mostly dogs and cats but there are horses and chickens too, among others. You use the same principles with all animals. Motivation + reinforcement give the best results (over punishment) every time. But you will see what I mean. Couldn't recommend her more, for any animal owner.

[smidey]

when i was a kid my parents bought a middle aged sow that had lived with people closely. what a mistake, she would get out of her pen & seek us out. if we weren't there she would push doors open & in the first week or so mum was woken one night to crashing in the kitchen, this pig had got inside, opened the fridge & was trying to eat what ever it could.

she was very good when she had piglets, would let us handle them & my sister would sit with them & she was only about 3 at the time.

i am sure most training of animals involves a relationship with good behaviour & rewards, namely food so make sure you feed it away from your house

[moonwitch]

Ive raised a few inside, and I trained mine like a puppy, and they even slept in their own crates at night like the dogs, and had toys etc. They now live outside, as they are way to big to come inside. My blue boar was untrustworthy with strangers, and at 300 lb was a force to be recond with.