Sugardale

Question
Sugs, our potbelly, is five months old. She was the runt, and we nursed her from being a week old up until now (we didn't realize she was so young until after the fact).

About a week ago we adopted our aunt's chihuahua. Now, Sugs met the Chihuahua when she was smaller, and she got along fine with him; only two months ago, she was licking his nose at our aunt's house. The Chihuahua was abused prior to our aunt adopting him, but she found she didn't have the time.

Now, she started biting him. Cornering him and attacking. We have had her spayed only two days ago, but we dont know what to do if the biting behavior continues.

Is there anyway to curtail this behavior?  How do we go about socializing them safely?

Answer
Dogs and pigs are a tricky mix. They don't speak the same "language". In the wild, dogs eat pigs, and both dogs and pigs still have a bit of that predator-prey instinct in them.

When the pig and dog met before, it was at your Aunts house, on the dogs home territory. The pig was the intruder, and knew it. Now, the dog is in the pigs home territory. Your pig feels the dog is the intruder now.

Your pig sees the world as a long ladder, and every person and animal has a place on that ladder. People are at the top. Your pig wants to make sure she's above the dog on the ladder. This is how pigs react to a new pig in the herd, and your pig sees the dog as a new member of her "herd"

Still another factor could be the dogs behavior. Something in the way she moves or acts might be triggering a predator-prey instinct in your pig.

Make sure both dog and pig have their own private "safe space" that the other animal can not get into. Keep them separate unless you or another responsible person is present to supervise their interaction. Do not let the dog antagonize the pig, or vice versa. If the pig starts after the dog, push the pig at the shoulder and say NO firmly. The pig may try a few more times, if so, put BOTH dog AND pig into a short Time Out. Eventually, they will probably get used to each other again, but it may take a week or so.

Be sure to give your pig quite a bit of extra attention. She may feel hurt if she thinks the dog is getting all the attention.