Discipline is extremely important when it comes to raising pets especially ones like mini pigs. It can be challenging even for experienced pet owners to discipline an animal. No worries, this article can serve as your complete guide to properly discipline a mini pig!
How to discipline a mini pig? The most effect way to discipline mini pigs is by vocal communication. Disciplining a mini pig is not so different from other house pets, it may sound difficult but it only requires patience.
Depending on your tone of voice together with small physical gestures, your mini pig can get the message. A sharp tone of voice saying “NO” or “BAD” will be remembered by your mini pig.
They are intelligent animals and can comprehend emotions the same level as a two year old child.
Physical disciplining methods are deeply discouraged as it usually leaves a negative impact instead. Think of it as a certain type of child, the more you become strict the more they become rebellious.
This can be applied to mini pigs which is why verbal disciplining is proven to be the most recommended and effective way for mini pigs.
For first time owners, it’s natural to be scared or uncertain of what to do to discipline your mini pig. However, now that you have the idea, you must show firm resolve and confidence when reinforcing the disciplining.
Even when you use a sharp tone, show an angry facial expression and warning gestures, it may not be effective if you go easy on them afterwards or turn it into a laughing matter.
Similar to children, mini pigs may perceive laughing during a disciplining session as a joke and thus may reverse the purpose of disciplining.
Mini pigs will think that they are doing something pleasing that makes you and other people laugh which is why they will keep doing it.
As a pet owner, I understand it can be hard to show anger or be hard on your animal friends. However, disciplining them is not just for us but for their own sake too.
What causes bad behavior in pigs? What are other ways we can do to correct it? There’s no need to look anywhere else for the answers because everything will be here for you.
Why mini pigs can have bad behavior that require disciplining
Naturally, pigs are kind and gentle animals but they can still be bad.
There are many reasons why mini pigs can develop negative behavior. As wonderful as they may be, even mini pigs have their bad sides and we must help correct them.
So again, what causes bad behavior in pigs? Below is a list to give you a good idea and help you understand their nature before raising one.
Naturally mischievous — now, they are rarely violent but pigs especially young ones tend to naturally get into mischief. They are curious animals and may stumble upon things they shouldn’t be playing with or eating.
Being mischievous in mini pigs means they are just being plain naughty and can be a hint of healthiness in your pig. Although it is indeed nice to be young and energetic, bad behavior must be corrected no matter what.
Mistreatment, Abuse or Trauma — pigs have great memory and can remember even the little things. They can be grateful towards good people but can also hold grudges.
Mistreatment is all about improper care such as isolation and neglect while abuse and trauma are usually about physical abuse and mental torture.
A mistreated pig may behave negatively and will be a lot more difficult to fix. This type of scenario requires patience and commitment from owners.
Please do not give up on your mini pig. They are naturally kind creatures that can become “bad” because of bad treatment towards them.
Most of the times, we are also the ones to blame and therefore we should be the one to help fix the problems we created. Let us be responsible pet owners.
Dominant personality — certain breeds especially male ones may develop a dominant personality (includes being manipulative, territorial and aggressiveness).
For mini pigs however, they are usually easy to tame and even when they do exhibit a dominant or manipulative behavior, it is easier to correct because of their size.
Pigs are smart and know when it is time to “back off”. They may try to dominate young children or smaller pigs and animals in their area which is why considering the environment you will put them in could contribute to their behavior.
Why you should not immediately use physical disciplining for mini pigs
In this article, we do encourage verbal disciplining more than physical but there might be instances when it becomes necessary to use physical methods if your mini pig is not being tamed by verbal communication.
Once again, mini pigs are smart animals and may find ways to go behind your back and do the things they ALREADY KNOW they should not do.
If they know they can control or manipulate you, they will develop a dominant behavior that you may not notice immediately.
When to use physical disciplining for Mini Pigs
- If your mini pig is still exhibiting bad behavior after a month of verbal disciplining
- If your mini pig is starting to show alarming aggression
- If your mini pig is becoming manipulative
- If your mini pig is intentionally doing bad things when they know no one is looking
- If your mini pig bites you
How to reinforce physical disciplining with your mini pig
Now that you know what the cases are when you might need to become stricter in disciplining and resort to physical methods, you might not know how to start it right.
Most of the time, most pigs do not have to get to a physical disciplining stage as they usually get stopped by verbal disciplining alone.
There is no need to deeply worry because our recommended method of physical disciplining should be safe for both you and your pig and you will not feel “guilty” about it.
Many owners tend to feel guilty right away and compensate their pets which will create an opposite effect from what we want to accomplish.
Read this guide carefully to put your mind at ease.
- When caught in the act, you can raise their front legs up for a minute or a few seconds while directly telling them “NO”. Some pigs do not like being picked up and you can use that to your advantage.
- If they are biting, gently approach them first and close their mouths with mild force for a few seconds to let them know there are things they should not bite or chew.
- If they are being destructive, you can punish them by confining them close to the object they broke for a few minutes while scolding them. If they do not touch the object again or anything similar, you can let them go.
- Hitting is discouraged but one acceptable thing you can do is by pushing them off by their shoulders with mild force enough to alarm them (almost like shaking them). This is how pigs confront each other in fights and your strength might make them realize who they are dealing with.
- Increase duration of punishments for every time the pig does the unwanted act.
Just always remember that you are doing this for their sake and there is nothing to be guilty about as long as you are not being too harsh.
However, after giving them the punishment you must move on and proceed normally in your daily life.
The reason behind it is because if you keep ignoring or acting cold towards your mini pig, they will possibly perceive it as a total rejection which may end up making things worse.
After disciplining them, treat them normally to let them know you are just addressing their bad behavior and you are not punishing them because you dislike them.
Mini pigs will tend to listen more when you forgive them after by treating them normally but if you keep treating them as if they are always under punishment, it can leave a bad impact on your pig.
How to tell if you successfully disciplined your mini pig
When you have tried and tested all the possible methods to discipline your mini pig, it’s time for you to evaluate if they worked or not.
For every time you give them a punishment, you should be able to notice a change in their mood or behavior.
Pigs wag their tails as a sign of happiness so if their tails are not moving during a punishment, you can tell it is working.
You can also notice the change in their energy. If they were active a while ago before punishing, they will become more careful with their movements after a punishment.
Another way to test your pig’s reaction to disciplining is by calmly speaking to them with a flat expression on your face.
Mini pigs can possibly recognize human facial expressions and differentiate happy from angry. Show them you are unhappy with their bad behavior.
Check if they are feeling guilty or remorseful for what they’ve done by leaving them alone and pretend to mind your business.
When you do this, secretly check if they no longer go near the place where they were caught or if they stop misbehaving.
One way for mini pigs to show they are sorry is by becoming extra sweet and cuddly towards you. They will give you more attention and may nudge you often until you warm up to them the same way again.
There are many factors that can help you confirm if your tested methods are effective but the most dependable reference that you can rely on is your trust and bond with your mini pig.
As long as you sense that they are accepting the discipline and you trust they will stop misbehaving, then that’s enough proof for you.
Even if you still have doubts, just give your mini pig time and patience and they will surely become wonderful pets.
Why some mini pigs won’t be disciplined
It is true that mini pigs can become really stubborn. However, if you have done everything our guide recommends you to do and even tried others that may possibly be not included in this list and it still doesn’t work…
There could be a deeper reason behind bad behavior.
Animals cannot speak our language and can only communicate through their actions. Sometimes, they might be suffering from a hidden pain or illness that is not visible to our naked eyes.
It is similar to how human babies cry nonstop because they cannot tell us where they are hurting or what they want or need.
If you suspect that something is wrong with your mini pig, it should be best for you to visit a veterinarian or any pig health expert to help you determine what the problem is and what can you do to fix it.
There are cases with other animals or pets that behave negatively and owners have done everything they can but it still did not fix anything until they discovered the animal was sick or in pain.
After treatment, the animal is back to normal and can become happier than they used to be now that they are free from what was causing their bad behavior.
Don’t give up!
Personally, I understand the struggle of disciplining animals to the point that it can truly get frustrating and test our patience.
However, animals are innocent creatures and we are way more advanced than them. We have the ability and intelligence to help them which is why we should not lose our patience.
It is us who must understand if an animal is having difficulties adjusting to our lifestyle because it IS OUR lifestyle after all.
They are normally wild animals that become domesticated for our own sake. Although humans are part of nature itself, we obviously stand at the top when it comes to intelligence.
We already take a LOT from our nature and we should give back even through simple ways of properly raising our pets such as mini pigs and other animals.
Abandoned Pigs
The number of abandoned pet pigs continues to rise as time passes because there are owners whose expectations were not met.
This is why it’s important to become educated first before getting an animal to take in as pets.
Mini pigs and other pets come with a huge responsibility and require great commitment in order to continue raising them.
IF in any case you are reading this article because you are about to give up on your pig, please don’t. They are wonderful pets as soon as you get past their difficult stage. They are worth your time, your love and effort!
IF you have other reasons why you can no longer keep your pig, our best advice is to seek a proper shelter that can take them in or look for a new permanent home for your mini pig.
We do not want more abandoned animals, therefore let us help educate each other by raising awareness and reading facts including guidelines.
By simply becoming responsible, we are contributing to the world in a healthy way!
Related Questions
- Are pigs dangerous?
Normally, domestic pigs are NOT dangerous. A wild pig can pose a threat but domesticated pigs are rarely violent to the point of being dangerous.
Pigs are naturally kind, gentle and peaceful animals that would rather avoid conflict than stir them up. Most of the time, they are only “dangerous” when provoked or deeply threatened and cornered.
Their only way of offense is biting and charging with their tusks, if it hasn’t been cut off. Pigs can be dangerous if they are not used to social interaction or human contact.
In all honesty, the “threat level” of a domestic pig depends on how a person raises them. A pig that was raised properly will never exhibit dangerous or violent behavior.
The only clear reason why a pig CAN be dangerous is if they are carrying zoonotic diseases or sicknesses that are transmittable to humans and could cause a wide-scale virus outbreak.
- Do pigs like cuddling?
Most of the time, pigs do not enjoy close physical contact especially with humans. However, there are certain breeds but it is not limited to those breeds alone that can be sweet and cuddly.
Naturally, they are prey animals and are not used to being held, picked up or such. They may struggle just to get away from you.
Still, it is not the same for every pig out there and your pig can still enjoy cuddling if it’s part of their personality and if they happen to become fond of it.
There is no harm in trying to get your pig used to physical contact because there is a chance for them to actually like it. It’s just that they have never experienced it as it is not a natural part of their behavior.
New things being introduced to anyone can take time and that includes cuddling for pigs.
Just be patient and eventually, the pig may come to you for lap visits and cuddles on their own without being forced.
The most important thing is that you never force them to keep them comfortable around you.
