attacking pig

Question
QUESTION: Just a BIG question i need an answer to if possible. My sister comes over and my one year old piggy wants to attack her and her son all the time. They love her to death but now my nephew is terrified of her and don't want to come over. She never use to do it and then one day they came over and she would charge at my sister and bite at her legs. We hold her face and make her look at us and me and my husband tell her no and that it is being bad. I think it is more my nephew she wants to get but he is on the back of the couch so piggy goes after my sister. I don't want people to be scared of her when she is so awesome to me. Can you please give me any suggestions. I would so appreciate it. Thank you so much for your time.

ANSWER: Pigs raised indoors with people away from other pigs often don't understand that they are not human and the humans are not pigs. Your pig is treating your sister and nephew the way she would treat pigs visiting her territory. Pigs see the world as a ladder, and every pig (or person) has their proper place on the ladder. New people are a threat to her position on the ladder, so she's trying to show them that she is above them on the ladder. She does not attack you, because she understands that you are in charge.

Your pig already respects you & your husband, now she must learn to respect visitors. The problem is, only the visitors can teach her that. So, arm your sister with a squirt bottle. Let piggy approach her, sniff her, etc. Your sister should NOT offer treats, or piggy might think all visitors are treat dispensers. If piggy noses or roots at your sisters feet, or lunges or charges, she needs to squirt piggy in the face with the squirt bottle. Or she could push piggys shoulder hard enough to make piggy take a few steps back. Most people don't feel comfortable pushing an angry, snapping pig, so I recommend the squirt bottle.

Do not let piggy lunge more than three or four times. At that point, piggy is out of control and needs a brief time out in her safe space. Not long, just a minute or two. The idea is not punishment, but to distract piggy while you and your visitor catch your breath. Then try again.

Aggression like this seems to come out of nowhere, but often there's small signs and signals that people miss, because they don't understand piggy body language. Most people think it's cute when a pig roots at people's feet, and it is sort of cute, but it's also a sign of aggression.

I highly recommend Priscilla Valentines book Pot-Bellied Pig Behavior and Training. She has several chapters devoted to aggression and covers the subject in much more detail than I can here. Her book is available from her website valentinesperformingpigs.com or Amazon.com

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QUESTION: Thank you so much for your information about my attacking piggy. I actually have Pricilla's book. I will have to get it back out and read it again. More on the aggression behavior. One more question, if you don't mind. My piggys hooves, one in front one in back, are spitting and I need to know what to do. We have got her the hoof conditioner for horses, is that good enough? Or is there something else I need to do? And should we put it on daily or weekly? Thank you so much for all your help. You made me feel better knowing I had a way to deal with it.  

Answer
Are the cracks vertical up and down, or horizontal across the hoof?

Pigs with white hooves and longer hooves may develop horizontal cracks in the hoof. These are no big deal, just keep them clean and moisturize the hoof with any good moisturizer.

Vertical cracks running up and down the hoof could be more serious. Hoof conditioners will work, but make sure the crack itself is super clean. Any bit of dirt or germ down inside could be sealed in by the moisturizer, causing an infection.

Deep cracks or cracks that ooze are serious issues and in that case the pig will need to see a vet.

If the cracks get worse, or the pig starts to limp on the cracked hooves, or more cracks develop, piggy will need to see a vet. Hoof problems can be due to dryness, stress, infection or diet. Each pig is different, some pigs need more nutrition than others.