Do dogs and pigs make good compainions?

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I have a labrador and 4 piggies. The piggies are in a C&C cage on their own dining table. Oscar (dog) can just reach the bottom of the grids with his nose. He sniffs and tries to lick them but on the whole ignores them. He has met them supervised (me holding piggie on sofa and Oscar on the floor) and all he does is snif and lick then ignores. I still would only let him interact that way if I was holding the pig. If anything he is more scared of the pigs he is a wimp, scared of cats, iron/ironing board (hides if it comes out), hoover, and most other things but not fireworks he loves watching them. He has seen the ocasional mice and rat out on walks etc and does not move (scared of them also!)

We have had Oscar since he was 8 weeks old (now over 2) and the piggies were here before him. Oscar also gets climbed all over, poked & chased etc by our 18 month daughter and all he does is lick her. (he was also born where there was a family with young kids who handled him and his brothers all the time). He is so laid back and gentle. We don't leave them unsupervised though, Oscar with kids or piggies

I guess it depends on the dog and from what age you have the dog. He also goes to dog classes still and has done since he was 8 weeks old, so does leave anything alone that is not his.
 
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jomad1000 said:
I have a labrador and 4 piggies. The piggies are in a C&C cage on their own dining table. Oscar (dog) can just reach the bottom of the grids with his nose. He sniffs and tries to lick them but on the whole ignores them. He has met them supervised (me holding piggie on sofa and Oscar on the floor) and all he does is snif and lick then ignores. I still would only let him interact that way if I was holding the pig. If anything he is more scared of the pigs he is a wimp, scared of cats, iron/ironing board (hides if it comes out), hoover, and most other things but not fireworks he loves watching them. He has seen the ocasional mice and rat out on walks etc and does not move (scared of them also!)

We have had Oscar since he was 8 weeks old (now over 2) and the piggies were here before him. Oscar also gets climbed all over, poked & chased etc by our 18 month daughter and all he does is lick her. (he was also born where there was a family with young kids who handled him and his brothers all the time). He is so laid back and gentle. We don't leave them unsupervised though, Oscar with kids or piggies

I guess it depends on the dog and from what age you have the dog. He also goes to dog classes still and has done since he was 8 weeks old, so does leave anything alone that is not his.
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Just in case any one gets the wrong idea of the fact my daughter pokes and chases Oscar I mean she gets into his bed with him, often lays against or on him, often throws a tennis ball for him which they then both run to get, plays peek a boo with him (or atleast tries), picks up the dogs treats/toys and offers them to him, but I do not let her beat him up or handle him roughly.
 
baby girls said:
hello, I was just wondering if anyone has a dog and a guinea pig and if you would advice against it? We would love to get a dog at some point but I'm just worried how they would be around piggies, and if there barking would scare them or do they get used to it?...obviously the breed of dog would influence our decision...what kind of breeds of dogs would go well with guinea pigs? this may be way out there, but has anyone had problems with husky's and piggy's? or Newfys or mountain dogs? we would like a big teddy bear dog...if anyone has any pictures to share with puppy and guinea pig love, that would be greatly appreciated
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May sound strange because if there reputation but greyhounds rarely ever bark. There friendly cuddly and love to relax!
There are so many greyhounds being put into kennels because they canf run fast. My izzy for instance.... When we went to the kennell were we rescued her from. They told us that the previous owner wanted to race her but she was to slow. One day izz broke her leg. She was in a cast for only two weeks befor he made her race again and now her legs a bit muddled.
Shes sweet wouldnt hurt a fly. But I would put ANY dog you get in another room whilst handling. It maybe best for you to put your piggy in the garden or a room you can always keep shut.
All dogs like to sniff around bit grayhounds rarely EVER bark never bite and are perfect for people who like cuddles!
They don't actually like walks much and are VERY lazy despite the fact there race dogs
 
ive got a staffy and he thinks he is a guinea pig :))

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where as my nans dog is overly curious about them and has to be kept seperate

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it all depends on the individual dogs :)
 
Maddey72 said:
May sound strange because if there reputation but greyhounds rarely ever bark. There friendly cuddly and love to relax!
There are so many greyhounds being put into kennels because they canf run fast. My izzy for instance.... When we went to the kennell were we rescued her from. They told us that the previous owner wanted to race her but she was to slow. One day izz broke her leg. She was in a cast for only two weeks befor he made her race again and now her legs a bit muddled.
Shes sweet wouldnt hurt a fly. But I would put ANY dog you get in another room whilst handling. It maybe best for you to put your piggy in the garden or a room you can always keep shut.
All dogs like to sniff around bit grayhounds rarely EVER bark never bite and are perfect for people who like cuddles!
They don't actually like walks much and are VERY lazy despite the fact there race dogs
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i was going to suggest greyhound or whippet - they are fantastic dogs - energetic when YOU want them to be and the rest of the time they are either sleeping or begging for snuggles - fantastic dogs.
 
Shauna said:
ive got a staffy and he thinks he is a guinea pig :))

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where as my nans dog is overly curious about them and has to be kept seperate

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it all depends on the individual dogs :)
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awww he is beautiful x) thank you
 
Coconut said:
Agreed with Guinea-pigGaga that generally Huskys aren't the best first time dogs and can be quite demanding from what i've heard and seen.

Also wanted to point out that I'm a bit of a liar and don't seem to understand the meaning of the words short and sweet :(|).


Add: in terms of barking, Coco doesn't really bark much so I don't know about barking specifically but I find generally Guinea pigs are fine with a variety of sounds once they realize it isn't anything bad so I'd assume the same would apply here. A breed that doesn't bark as much might be an idea if you are worried though.
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lol thanks for all your advice! I appreciate it
 
piggyfan said:
Sorry but why would you get a dog when you cannot even take your guinea pig to a vet? Dogs can get many illnesses and problems.
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This is a perfectly good point. And just because piggy fan has not been shy about saying it, or "beaten around the bush" does not mean it is in anyway offensive.
 
thank you everyone!

Thanks to everyone on here who gave such great advice and shared some beautiful pictures. I am so happy I found this forum xx
 
2280CLAIRE said:
This is a perfectly good point. And just because piggy fan has not been shy about saying it, or "beaten around the bush" does not mean it is in anyway offensive.
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I found it to be very offensive. before someone makes a claim against a pet owner not being able to take care of there pets...they should get there facts straight. How many times do you leave your kids home from school when they are feeling under the weather, to check on them before rushing them off to the doctor...yet you will fall pregnant again and have another kid. Same principle, different theory.
 
baby girls said:
I found it to be very offensive. before someone makes a claim against a pet owner not being able to take care of there pets...they should get there facts straight. How many times do you leave your kids home from school when they are feeling under the weather, to check on them before rushing them off to the doctor...yet you will fall pregnant again and have another kid. Same principle, different theory.
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I was asking for advice considering my circumstances...I had every intention to take her to the vet, it was a time issue for me...which luckily I have a very understanding boss. Not only did she have me in a complete state thinking her leg was broken (its sprained, I have being to the vet)...she then had the nerve to tell me I cant look after my animals. I'm sorry, that is the most offensive thing Ive ever heard.
 
kay_xx said:
I dont think this comment should be getting hate. Yes they could have worded it better but when it comes to the welfare of animals sometimes it has to be put bluntly to get the point across that its important.

I'm not judging anyone and you may well be a very good caring owner but you have to be well prepared and know that you can afford the costs of any potential vet bills.[/QUO veTE]

I understand that. Its not a financial problem, it was being able to drive 2.5 hours to the nearest small pet vet as I work.
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I have 4 dogs who get on well with other animals.
A Lab x collie shes a softy but can get over fussy sometimes (she wouldnt hurt anything she just wants to lick everything to death rolleyes), and 3 chihuahuas Rolo tends to move away from other animals (but he doesnt react to them) he will go and wag at the hutches though, Lola and Diamond (My girls) will snuggle down with my piggys (lola thinks they are her babys) I'll find the pic of lola and my girly pigs for you.
 
With one of my 4 dogs Lola (she thinks there her babys shhh dont tell her ;))

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Our big dog Molly loves them to bits too :)).

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I get the feeling that Lola is defo not the boss , despite her size in comparrison :)
 
baby girls said:
I was asking for advice considering my circumstances...I had every intention to take her to the vet, it was a time issue for me...which luckily I have a very understanding boss. Not only did she have me in a complete state thinking her leg was broken (its sprained, I have being to the vet)...she then had the nerve to tell me I cant look after my animals. I'm sorry, that is the most offensive thing Ive ever heard.
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Piggy fan has not said that you don't care for your animals, she's just pointing out that if you do have issues with being able to get to a vets and are too far to get an emergency vet, it may not be practical to get anymore pets. There is no implication that you dont care for them-clearly you were not deliberately withholding care, but if there are practical issues getting pets to a vet in good time, perhaps it would be an idea to reconsider. I don't mean to offend you, just as I am sure piggy fan didn't mean to-but this forum is full of people passionate about animals, and we simply want to ensure that your pets-present and future, would be able to receive prompt vet care when needed.
 
2280CLAIRE said:
Piggy fan has not said that you don't care for your animals, she's just pointing out that if you do have issues with being able to get to a vets and are too far to get an emergency vet, it may not be practical to get anymore pets. There is no implication that you dont care for them-clearly you were not deliberately withholding care, but if there are practical issues getting pets to a vet in good time, perhaps it would be an idea to reconsider. I don't mean to offend you, just as I am sure piggy fan didn't mean to-but this forum is full of people passionate about animals, and we simply want to ensure that your pets-present and future, would be able to receive prompt vet care when needed.[/QUOTE

thanks for your opinion.
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We used to have a jack russel when I was a kid, one day she managed to open the hutch (can't remember if it was our bun or piggy as we had both) next thing we know she's laid in the hutch snuggled up to it :)
 
Bailey said:
We used to have a jack russel when I was a kid, one day she managed to open the hutch (can't remember if it was our bun or piggy as we had both) next thing we know she's laid in the hutch snuggled up to it :)
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awwww lol thats gorgeous! :))
 
Bailey said:
She was such a "mothering" kind of dog, she probably thought it was a puppy :) I had (still got actually) a little soft toy dog she used to carry around like a pup x
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Oh wow, that conjures up a lovely image :))
Jack Russell's are a hunting dog aren't they ? You must have had a little diamond there - I can always remember my dad's Jack Russell chasing my bunny :( The bun was huge and quite vicious, used to nip the dog and run ?/
 
Jacks are bred to rid the place of "little furries" but some are easily trained to leave them.

My last jack, Penny (RIP x) ) was not bothered about anything that smelt of me or mine (or ours!). She would sit on my lap with a guinea or a bunny and not touch or lick or look even, but wouldn't stop at the wild ones.

My present jack is a rescue who has been in the barns "ratting" and is soooo prey driven it's almost impossible to stop it.

All dogs are different. Hounds (including the greys and whippets) are lazy to some degree, but they do need a run every day and will need some training for recall. I love the ex-racers, but they are all bred to "chase" so some careful handling is required from the start and heed any warnings from a rescue, they know their dogs ;)

Jo x
 
For a first time dog owner I would not suggest a working breed of any sort, they need mental stimulation and lots of it as well as lots of exercise. Books that I have read suggest you get a dog to suit your character, example, if you are a energetic outdoorsy person then get a dog that loves long energetic walks. People often get a small dog, Chihuahua or similar thinking that it does not need daily exercise, but believe me they love walking. If you research the dogs needs etc. you should find one that fits into your lifestyle. I hate thinking of all the poor dogs in rescue just because the owner didn't think about the commitment having a dog entails. I am only saying this as I adore dogs, in my opinion they are far better than humans.:)
 
piggyme234 said:
Even if that is your opinion you could have worded it better.
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Unfortunately this is not the first time I have seen very tactless posts from this member.

I appreciate you have a concern for animal welfare - I think everyone does on here but please consider how your posts come across to others

x
 
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