bitting pig

Question
QUESTION: we have a 7 year old potbelly and she is great with the kids and other people most of the time. We have had her since a baby. If I am in the backyard with someone new and they raise there hand she charges them. But my husband is the biggest mystery..he lets her in and feeds her stuff while making his lunch..but when that is done and whenever she gets the chance she trys to bite his leg. Even if she is laying down and he is talking to me all of a sudden she will turn and go after him. He thinks she is vicious and now hates her, but we get along fine and the kids get along fine.."what up" and how do we fix this without hitting her or getting rid of her...Help my husband is thinking BACON....I really like her and she is in the house alot but she seems to hate him for some reason...

ANSWER: Sometimes it can be difficult to figure out what a pig is thinking. Usually, small problems eventually escalate into big problems, and then it turns into a pattern. Pigs are creatures of habit, and are reluctant to break old patterns and learn new ones. It can be done, but it will take the pig quite awhile of consistent behavior to unlearn the old patterns.

I am assuming your pig is spayed, and that she behaves this way on a daily basis. If she is not spayed and the behavior comes and goes with her heat cycles, then the best solution is to get her spayed. Intact older pigs are prone to uterine tumors, and surgery on an older, sick pig can be very dangerous.

Pigs reach emotional adulthood at about age 2. That's usually the age when aggressive behavior begins to appear. Your pig is already age 7, so I'm guessing this problem started with mildly aggressive behavior a few years ago, and has gotten worse and worse.

Your pig doesn't hate your husband, she just doesn't respect him. Pigs see the world as a ladder, and every person, pig and house pet has their own rung. Your pig wants to be on a rung above your husband. Your husband needs to teach your pig that won't happen, by doing things your pig will perceive as dominant.

First, if she doesn't already have a safe "time out" space, like a laundry room or bed in a corner, give her one now. Put a few things she can shred, like old blankets, in her space. Pigs often get frustrated when learning new house rules, and she might want to take her frustration out by destroying something.

Next start a Move-The-Pig program. When pigs are together in a group, the dominant pigs make the subordinate pigs get up and move, for no particular reason, at random times, just because they can. When your husband makes your pig get up and move, he's sending a message that your pig can understand - he is the boss! If the pig is sleeping someplace like a door way, he must never step over the pig. Instead, he must wake the pig up and make the pig move out of his way. At random times, for example when piggy is sleeping or busy rooting, he needs to wake the pig up and make her get up and walk away, or push her away from the rooting spot and make her walk away.

You mention "even if she is laying down and he is talking to me all of a sudden she will turn and go after him". The trick here is for your husband to make the pig get up and move BEFORE she gets the chance to go after him.

Also, if she does go after him, he needs to be assertive and push her back. Make her take a few steps back. Chances are, she'll try again. This is a pattern that she's learned - be aggressive and he retreats. So, it's only natural for her to continue to try and try even harder. If the situation starts to get out of control, your husband can make her retreat all the way to her "safe" area. Don't keep her locked in, an extensive "time out" won't really work. She may choose to stay in her area and shred something. Or she may quickly come back out and try her old behavior again. Or she might come out and behave.

Your husband could also try keeping a sorting board handy when expecting a confrontation. This is any flat object that can be used as a shield, like a tray or garbage can lid. I normally don't recommend using squirt bottles for behavior modification, because pigs are smart enough to quickly learn they get squirted only if the bottle is nearby!

Your husband should also do a little trick training with the pig. This isn't about the pig doing tricks, it's really about the pig learning to respect and obey your husband, and your husband and the pig learning to communicate with each other.

No treats except during training sessions or as rewards for specific behaviors (ie, potty on command). Your husband should be the only person to feed the pig, and feed her only at meals.

At first, piggy will probably be confused and angry about the new rules, and she may try redirecting her aggression at other family members, so be prepared to have them also start moving-the-pig and trick training.

I highly recommend 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 covers aggression problems in more detail than I can here. Her book is available on amazon.com.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you..I will have him try this..now the pig is an outside pig...she is out most of the time, but she does come in when he is making his lunch or to sit with me. She does have a pen area in the backyard..would I make this her time out place or when she is inside make it in the house. .So my husband should push her back and make her move and be the boss..right..we will try this..and will let you know..Oh and yes she is spayed..tks

Answer
Hi, usually outdoor piggies are not aggressive or territorial when they visit in the house. Each pig has his or her own unique personality. It sounds like you enjoy having the pig visit in the house, so I'd set up the safe space inside the house. The pen sounds like it might be a bit far away to work. If her safe space is inside, it will be easier to let her come back into the room with you on her own and behave herself. Give her a chance to get used to her safe space first, maybe scatter a few treats in there, so she associates it with more than just being pushed. Consistency over time is the key, it took her awhile to learn how to be bad, it will take a while to learn how to be good.