Can pigs live with dogs?

[Zinnypig]

Hi all,

Does anyone have experience of their guinea pigs living with dogs? In particular a British bulldog?
If so what is/ was the experience?

Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Lady Kelly]

I have a dog and piggies but my dog is a cockapoo and the pigs live outdoors. Occasionally the dog is allowed into the piggies garden with me but not often. He is very interested but they are secure in their hutch and he's never out of my sight. As long as you train your dog properly, keep your piggies secure and only have them in the same room (piggies still need to be secure in a cage) then they should be fine.

 

[Mo & Stubbins & Vani]

Hi!
I have two labs who live in the same house as my piggies. I have a gate in my doorway so that they do not interact.
Just make sure to avoid any contact between the animals -- this could lead to a highly stressful situation.
You can also purchase a lid for your enclosure (if you have a c and c cage). You can also use an elevated enclosure (secured on top of some sort of desk, table, etc.).
Overall, I have never had any problems whatsoever.

 

[flowerfairy]

I have a collie and a labrador and 5 guinea pigs. The dogs are not allowed in the guinea pig room. Tass (collie) was very intrigued when she first heard their noises but calm words and distractions helped her to just ignore them.

 

[mochalily2020]

Hi all,

Does anyone have experience of their guinea pigs living with dogs? In particular a British bulldog?
If so what is/ was the experience?

Any advice would be hugely appreciated.

Thank you

Hi, I have a small rescue dog (corgi size) and 2 guinea pigs. The dog is not interested at all in the guinea pigs and does not enter their room but when I hold the piglets I let the dog lie down with us on the sofa and she just lays down next to us it is very chilled out. 1 guinea pig is quite curious about her and occasionally sniffs her but there has never been any problem. From the start we set clear boundaries regarding their room so I think she understands that their are off limits.

 

[Freela]

They can live in the same household, but it's important to protect the guinea pigs from the dog and not let them interact unsupervised. Guinea pigs are natural prey and dogs are natural predators and it only takes a minute for things to go wrong. I had a dog and small animals for my childhood years and although the dogs weren't that interested (one was actually more afraid of the smaller animals than they were of her and would actively avoid them) we had the small animals behind a shut door and kept them separate.

 

[Pigwhisperer]

We raised our c&c cage out of reach as soon as we thought we might get a dog. We made a stand 2 grids high as our dog is a small one, cavalier king charles, and that's well out of reach for him.

He is very interested when we get them out as cavaliers are incredibly sociable and he's even tried to lick them - but from the piggies' point of view, as others have pointed out, he's a predator and so we don't want to (a) stress them out by letting him get too close and (b) risk injury by him being overenthusiastic!

Much as we love the idea of them all snuggling up together, especially with his gentle and friendly breed characteristics, the risks are too high and to quote Macbeth "what's done cannot be undone".

 

[JourneyGabrielle'sPiggies]

I wouldn't let them interact unless you are supervising, plus it might help to close off the piggies room when you are away. However all piggies and dogs will react differently so that would decide if they can be in the same room more or less. Some dogs will just want to sniff them others might lick them some might bark, just make sure your dog and piggies are BOTH comfty! I have heard of some dogs being more stressed out then the piggies LOL.

 

[Piggiefriend]

I have a sausage dog and she is very happy with them! She sleeps in a cage nearby my piggies and doesn’t mind them and the piggies don’t mind her, however if they are outside and she is barking the piggies get scared and run into their home. Just make sure the piggies aren’t very close to your dog if they aren’t happy with your dog!

 

[Bradshaw Piggies]

I have a Husky (High prey drive) so I don’t take the risk. My piggies have their own room behind a re-inforced door that can be bolted and padlocked. I go in there when the dog is in a separate part of the house (behind another 2 doors). He was intrigued by that room at first but now he doesn’t even bother walking by the door. Even when he can hear guinea pigs wheeking, he doesn’t react anymore as he knows that’s not his place to go. I think it’s just excitement toward small furries, rather than aggression. But they won’t ever meet as it’s too high risk for me.

I’m sure people will disagree with me, and have dogs that get along with pigs. But for me, the dog and the pigs live very separate lives! Just in case

 

[Roselina]

I have a Labrador and two piggies. My lab was with me first. I don’t let them interact. My guinea pigs are in a separate room and the door is closed and he’s never allowed in. My thinking is that guinea pigs have such a heightened sense of smell that it would be very stressful for the piggies if he was nearby. If I go out I lock the door to the piggies room. If I’m home it’s just closed. Their home is very secure anyway.

 

[GuineaPigGrandma]

Growing up my dog treated the guinea pigs like her puppies, she used to let them snuggle up in her fur (she was exceptionally long haired) and protect them. The guineas used to like to snuggle. However, we never left them alone.

 

[Hath]

It would be best if you can rehome, that way you can ask the rescue if the dog is OK around small animals. If you buy from a breeder it'll be nurture/nature and can go either way, so you must be prepared to make arrangements (piggies securely away from a dog in a room dog can't get to).
You can do "scent swaps" before bringing new dog in, to give everyone chance to prepare before the new addition arrives.

I have multi pet household and my dog is a terrier and fostered many others. My piggies are good around other animals and don't get stressed. My dog is good with them when I am around and leaves them alone if they're in the run on the garden. My dog just wants to take their veg away I can't count how many times I was cleaning the cage and when I turned around my dog was running away with pepper in her mouth!
I had a foster dog who I had since pup and she was amazing with the pigs. They would popcorn when she would play bow and would lick their faces (they would push their faces towards bars!). Especially one of my boys LOVED her! She was then rehomed to live with indoor rabbit.
But I wouldn't leave them unattended. Make sure they cannot escape. Only one time my cats and dog reacted to a piggie was when I had a stunted young piggie, he looked and moved like a rat. Once he grew up, they all lost interest.

I have c&c which is raised off the floor and has a lid on it.
Don't give the dog a chance, make sure doors are closed (put baby gate/Pet gate on the stairs) and never leave them unattended. It takes a second for disaster to happen...

 

[hrsrdr]

I don't know much about your breed of dog, but I think in general, it depends on the personality of the dog. I have a ginormous dog, so big that I've only seen about two other dogs that were bigger than her. But she's a sweetheart, and is very calm around the pigs, and doesn't pay them much attention. She has free access to the room their cage is in, and I've never had any problems with current or past piggies. All I can suggest is that you give new piggies some time to adjust before introducing said dog, and take it from there. As others have said, if there are problems, or if your dog is more aggressive, it may be worth looking into pet gates.

 

[Roselina]

I don’t feel you should ever feel relaxed when a dog or cat is in the same vicinity as guinea pigs. Dogs and cats are predators and it only takes a split second for disaster. Guinea pigs are sensitive creatures and can suffer stress from many sources. They have a very sensitive sense of smell. It is within their biological nature to be fearful.There are always exceptions .... but how many times do we hear that a good natured animal has ‘ turned’ and bitten or attacked. Animals react to changing moments and any predator has the ability to do this.

 

[Ximer]

I had a guinea pig and a bulldog for a couple of years. They became quite friendly, but I didn't risk letting the guinea pig out of the cage in the presence of the dog.

 

[Ximer]

I had a guinea pig and a bulldog for a couple of years. They became quite friendly, but I didn't risk letting the guinea pig out of the cage in the presence of the dog.

Btw, If you are interested in learning more about bulldogs, as well as their habits, then I advise you to visit BullDogPapa.com - All about bulldogs!. Thanks to this site, I learned a huge amount of useful information about my dog. I think you will also be very interested in reading some of the articles on this site. Are you just planning to buy a dog or do you already have one? If you have an adult dog, then I do not advise you to leave it unattended with your guinea pig. Dogs that live with guinea pigs from birth are treated differently.

 

[Siikibam]

Btw, If you are interested in learning more about bulldogs, as well as their habits, then I advise you to visit BullDogPapa.com - All about bulldogs!. Thanks to this site, I learned a huge amount of useful information about my dog. I think you will also be very interested in reading some of the articles on this site. Are you just planning to buy a dog or do you already have one? If you have an adult dog, then I do not advise you to leave it unattended with your guinea pig. Dogs that live with guinea pigs from birth are treated differently.

I still wouldn’t trust a dog that’s grown up with them to be alone with them.