POed Piglet

Question
Helen,

Pig screams and gets very mad when you pick up or restrain. I have read if you put your pig down while he is squealing, you are reinforcing the squealing behavior and I've also read put the pig down and try again when he is calm.  Very conflicting information.  Which is correct?

Thanks,

Silena

Answer
In nature, Momma pigs never lift or restrain their piglets. The only time a piglet is lifted is when a predator is grabbing them to eat! So piglets instinctively do not like to be held or restrained.

Pigs learn quickly, and if the piggy is released when he screams he learns that screaming gets him set free. But ideally, you can teach piggy to be held and lifted without too much screaming.

Start by feeding all food from your hands. No food in the dish. Sit on the floor, and let piggy come to you. As piggy approaches, talk to him and tell him what you're going to do before you do it, for example, "Touch piggy ears". After a couple of meals, you'll probably be able to pet and touch piggy all over as he eats.

The next step is to coax piggy into your lap and hug him while he eats. This step may take a little longer, but pretty soon, piggy will be ok with being hugged as he eats. Next, sit in a chair or stand on your knees, holding piggy while he eats. Be sure to support the whole spine when holding or lifting piggy. Pigs are pretty "stiff", their spines are not flexible. It hurts when they are lifted the wrong way, and of course if it hurts, piggy will scream and struggle.

Finally, stand up holding piggy while piggy eats. When piggy feels comfortable with this, you can return to feeding piggy in a dish.

I highly suggest the book Pot-Bellied Pig Behavior and Training by Priscilla Valentine. Pris really understands how pigs think and why they do the things they do. She goes into socializing and conditioning in much more detail than I can here. Her book is available from Amazon.com