• PLEASE NOTE - the TEAS facebook page has been hacked, take extreme care when visiting the page, for further information visit here

What dog breed is best for guinea pigs

HumanWithFurryPotats

HumanWithFurryPotats

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Apr 28, 2019
Messages
139
Reaction score
45
Points
220
Hello

My family is thinking of getting a puppy but we aren’t sure which breed is the best for our guinea pigs’ safety. Anyone have a dog with guinea pigs?
 
Hi! :)
I have two labs and they are super gentle and sweet dogs!
Even if you are looking for a calm dog for the safety of your piggies, do keep in mind that they should never interact. Seeing one another may even cause your piggies immense stress.
I would say that a hunting breed probably isn't the best option. :)
It is good that you are considering a puppy, though, as you can most definitely train him/her not to go near/bark at the piggies. :)
 
I forgot to add that the behavior of a dog is greatly influenced by their owners!
Even if you are considering a dog that is labeled as "aggressive", that doesn't define how sweet they can truly be!
 
Avoid any terriers as they will generally have the instinct for small animals. My mum's Jack Russell chihuahua cross caught and killed a rat in the garden within seconds.
With a puppy you have the chance to train them well (though they should still never meet). We have a cockapoo puppy. He's a big softy and wouldn't intentionally hurt the guinea pigs but he isn't fully aware of his size and strength when he jumps around very energetically. He's very inquisitive too so I don't doubt he could accidentally kill them
 
We are going to put the piggies in a different room or in an area that has a dog gate around it. We are thinking of getting something like a retriever or collie
 
A retriever would possibly be a better fit. I completely agree that its all about training and never allowing full contact but breed characteristics do play some part. Collies are bred to work and can often be quiet herdy. Alot of the ones we get in classes (even the ones with amazing owners) are very distracted by movement, and piggies can be quite flighty being a prey species.
 
I have a labrador and a collie who are never allowed direct contact with any of my small pets. Tass, collie did used to bark and get excited when she first heard the guinea pigs.

I used to call her over to me and give her a treat whenever they whilstled and she soon learned to rush over to me and silently await her treat! She ignores them now and ignores the rabbits.

Jojo, labrador was never reactive to them in any way.
 
Hollie is a yorkie X Jack Russell 10 1/2 yrs has been brought up with piggies, and not much bigger than them, she was trained to watch over them, and will lay with them as they eat,l know if she is out with them they know they are safe as they will eat round her . Muttley is Maltese X yorkie .5 1/2 yrs again been with piggies from a puppy, trained not to chase piggies, which he tried to to, moment he made a move to them he was taken back inside ,he learned fast, now he can be left out with them, only thing is he eats poos if he finds any. Having said all this,every dog is different, every owner as different idea's of training.
 
I think it depends on the owner as much as the breed. We have a terrier/poodle cross and we keep our guinea pigs in one of the upstairs bedrooms. He knows not to go in their room (we shut their door when we’re not in the house to keep an eye) and sits patiently at the doorway when we’re in the pigs room. He’s seen the pigs in our arms when we’ve gotten them out the cage and isn’t at all bothered. I think he knows they’re part of the pack. Although I wouldn’t leave him unattended with them! :xd:
 
My old border collie used to let the guinea pigs crawl all over him and eat his tail. My old old collie used to follow them around licking them, and my current collie/staffy cross hates them but is scared of them!

I think most puppies taught to be gentle with the guinea pigs from a young age would be good as they grow older. But I will say, my old and current collies were both rescues, so don’t count out an adult dog from a rescue who can be assessed with cats and small animals by the rescue centre 🙂
 
HumanWithFurryPotats said:
Hello

My family is thinking of getting a puppy but we aren’t sure which breed is the best for our guinea pigs’ safety. Anyone have a dog with guinea pigs?
Click to expand...

Hey, we have a rescue dog she was 2 when we got her and we already had the piglets. We sit altogether on the sofa in the evenings and she is not bothered at all by them. Perhaps just avoid terriers if possible due to high prey drive but if you are getting a puppy I'm sure it should be fine either way
 
Seconding the labrador suggestions, but would still advise vigilance even when they're kept separate. Definitely avoid terriers and hounds - my dachshund has been an absolute scourge on my small pets :(

A lot will depend on the training you give the pupper, but in my experience most hunting dogs have a switch in their brain that just goes off when they see something small running around, and they forget anything they've learned.
 
Take caution with all dogs as accidents can very easily happen. My Husky has a high prey drive (though I don’t think he would know what to do if he ever actually caught something.....).
I don’t take any risks with my piggies. They have a room of their own behind re-inforced door that’s bolted and locks. I don’t enter there unless the dog is in another room (another 2 doors away). But he has very quickly learnt that that is not an area he can enter and now doesn’t even bother getting anywhere near their room now.
A bit of training and helping a dog to understand helps :)
 
You want a breed without a strong prey drive (some dogs are bred to hunt, catch vermin, etc.- it's hardwired into their makeup and very hard to break. Think terriers, dachshunds, greyhounds.) That said, keeping them separate is important... no dog is guaranteed safe around any small animal and it only takes a second. Having the pigs in a room not accessible to the dog is the best idea!
 
We have a dachsund and she is very good with them, never scares them and we sit with her and the guinea pigs and they are fine together but as other people are saying it depends on the dogs training! Hope you find a lovely puppy:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top