Training a minipig

Question
Hi.  My husband and I are rescuing a 4 month old mini pot bellied pig. We  have fourteen year old Siberian husky whose senses are definitely no longer strong.  The dog is not interested in eating the pig (5 years ago he would have been) the problem is that the pig nips at the dog's legs and harasses the dog.  The dog does not need the hassles of a piglet so we are looking for helpful ways to train the pig not to harass the dog.

Answer
Pigs and dogs are a tricky combination. They don't speak the same "language". Pigs are prey, dogs are predators. Often, something the pig does naturally will trigger a hunting instinct in the dog. It isn't the dog's fault or the pig's fault, it's just the way their brains are wired.

Pigs see the world as a ladder with each pig, person, or pet having his own "rung". Piggie naturally wants to be as high up the ladder as possible. One way that piglets try to demonstrate dominance is by rooting at feet.

Your piglet will probably learn quickly to not bother the dog when you are present. But, as it often happens in pig/dog families, they may never be Ok to leave them alone together unsupervised.

When the piglet starts to approach the dog, watch carefully. At the first sign of rooting or nudging at the feet, tell him No and push him away if necessary. I normally do not recommend squirt bottle training, because pigs can learn that the squirt only comes when people are actually holding the squirt bottle. But, in this situation, it might help to give a little squirt along with the No.

Also, do not let your piglet root at your feet, either. Piglets under 6 months often have a strong nursing instinct, so they root or nudge hard at hands and pillows. That's ok and will probably stop for good at about the age where they are naturally weaned. But rooting at feet is a different issue entirely, and needs to be discouraged.