Can you clicker train pigs?

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PiggiePal

PiggiePal

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Just been reading about it on a dog forum and wondered if you could train pigs in this way too...
 
My guinea Archie understands the words 'get in Archie', he comes out from where ever he has been sitting, usually my table and gets back into his cage. Expects a treat though, a piece of cucumber.:))
 
I suspect you could to a certain extent with a bit of patience. They can certainly learn (hence the cacophony when I open the fridge door), and it's possible to give then a small treat such as a small piece of favourite greenstuff after the click. They will also hold attention fairly well, unlike chinchillas who are very difficult to train as they have the attention span of a gnat. :)

The question is what it is you want them to learn to do? It has to be something straightforwards and reasonably natural for them to do.

Paula
 
I bet you could if you tried, since they are sensitive to noises and can learn to associate a noise with a reward (mine go nuts when they hear me open the fridge door, and step it up a notch when they hear me open the veggie crisper drawer in the fridge!)

One of my pigs does know her name and the words "No" and "Treat" so they can learn simple directions.
 
Freela said:
I bet you could if you tried, since they are sensitive to noises and can learn to associate a noise with a reward (mine go nuts when they hear me open the fridge door, and step it up a notch when they hear me open the veggie crisper drawer in the fridge!)
Click to expand...

LOL my boys are exactly the same, trying to teach them bed time so they know they hafta come out of the run and into their cage.
 
One of my boys responds to me clicking my fingers, when ever i want him to come to me or go to a certain area i click my fingers and he comes running into the area where I'm clicking my hands. They both respond to 'Come on' and of course the sound of rustling bags :))
 
I've heard about people clicker training birds and also some zoo animals (like hippos or something) so I dont see why not.

I clicker trained one of my dogs. It could be handy for things like .... well to pick some of mine up I use a snuggly hut .... so you could click and treat when they go in .... saves chasing them about to get them back in the cage... mine already know the pick up routine (those that dont like being picked up as much) but I'm sure there are other things they could learn that could be useful ....and natural

Good luck

xx
 
After only 7 weeks Roy will run to the front of the cage wheeking if I shout "do you want some veggies?"
 
There's a lot of guineas on youtube which have been taught 'tricks' (most commonly to walk in a circle) but it follows the same principle. [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LrTtWjOSwI[/ame]
You planning on doing it?
 
lol aww it all sounds sooo cute :)
If I tap the hutch door or clap when stood near the hutch door (in the shed) my girls go running in, but I think that's more willow does it and they all follow lol.
I like how one of my girls inside stands on her back legs for her veg when she sees/hears me coming with the veg.
 
When Bob was off his food I'd call his name over and over again until he came and joined the others for breakfast, now when ever I say his name they think it means food!
I agree they certainly learn to associate noises with actions so to some extent you could train them to do somethings but definitely only things that led to food! Bribery all the way!
 
hmm, not planned on it, but I could give it a go - Roland and Ethel are still only 4 months old so I think I could get them trained by tempting them with grapes :))
Just need to work out what I want them to do hahah. The idea of getting back in their cage when I ask them is a nice one!x
 
I know of a lady who clicker trained a chicken, just to show that you can clicker train ANY animal (well, mabe not your goldfish).
She trained him to recognise certain colours. Verry cute!
So, yes you will most defenitely be able to clicker train your piggies.

I would train my piggies to popcorn on demand if I could....:))
 
If I say 'how much do you want your dinner' and rustle the bag then they run round and round in circles xx>>>

If I lay my hand in front of them they know they are about to be picked up and walk onto my without me having grab and lift them.

When they have been in the run outside in the summer I just put in their carry box and say 'time to go home' and they walk into the box in an orderly queue.

I have another who will 'beg' when asked (as long as i have the appropriate treat). She learnt this herself and I just applied the word 'beg' when she did it and so now she begs on command.

I think they are a lot brighter than we give them credit! x>>
 
A couple of mine do that too - the walking onto my hands to get picked up. The others know to hop into a snuggle to get picked up - really is amazing how they pick things up really
x
 
I know, its cute is'nt it?

I find mine copy each other too. The hands thing for sure they copy from the top sow and then I have one who kicks with her back legs and low and behold another now copies her. They are funny!
 
This video she's teaching her pigs to do weave poles like in dog agility, you can hear the clicker she uses to signify when they do well.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b88Rhz-zVsM[/ame]
 
Guinea Slave said:
I know, its cute is'nt it?

I find mine copy each other too. The hands thing for sure they copy from the top sow and then I have one who kicks with her back legs and low and behold another now copies her. They are funny!
Click to expand...

lol....some of mine do that kicking too - usually to get another one away from them....lol
x
 
I havent managed to get my boys to walk in a circle however they know if i tap twice on the floor it means 'come here', although Artie has selective hearing and will only come if the tapping is followed by the rustle of a salad bag!
 
can I train mine to cook MY dinner and do the ironing?
 
Just to bring a coffee or tea to bed in the morning would be nice.....ah dream on!rolleyes
 
I taught Frankie to do 'circle', and Benny does the begging pose when I say "up".

Give it a try and let us know how you get on.
 
My Guinea pigs start squeaking a little when they hear me walking up the stairs. When I walk into their room I say "Who's hungry? Who's a hungry piggy?" Then they all start squeaking like mad. XD

I think they recognise my voice as well, because when my other half says it they don't do anything. LOL
 
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Guinea Slave said:
I know, its cute is'nt it?

I find mine copy each other too. The hands thing for sure they copy from the top sow and then I have one who kicks with her back legs and low and behold another now copies her. They are funny!
Click to expand...

My 'subordinate pigs' have copied the dominant sow too... she has always been the smart one! When we introduced a baby pig last summer, it was very neat to see the baby watch Linney to learn how to do things and what the routine was. You could really see her watching and copying to learn things like getting in and out of the cage, when it was snack time, when it was playtime, etc.
 
A couple other things that my pigs have learned that I find really interesting: they know that I put up baby gates when it's playtime. This keeps them out of rooms that aren't piggy-proofed. So whenever they see the baby gates come out, they get very excited! And if I'm just moving the gate or otherwise not letting them out, they will get very annoyed and wheek at me for not following through with playtime. They also can tell footsteps apart as we come down the stairs... they will wheek for me and the kids, who regularly feed them, and will ignore my hubby, who isn't an animal guy and never really interacts with them. It's like they know he isn't going to give them anything, so they save the wheeking for someone who is more likely to bring a treat!
 
squeeksmom said:
I know of a lady who clicker trained a chicken, just to show that you can clicker train ANY animal (well, mabe not your goldfish).
She trained him to recognise certain colours. Verry cute!
So, yes you will most defenitely be able to clicker train your piggies.

I would train my piggies to popcorn on demand if I could....:))
Click to expand...

In 'Reaching the Animal Mind' Karen Pyror did just that - clicker trained a fish (using splashes of the water in its tank rather than a click). With patience you should be able to clicker train piggies - it's a case of waiting for them to do the thing you want them to do and clicking at the right time.

My guinea-pigs as a child learnt to put themselves to bed in their hutch at night, so I'm sure it's possible to clicker train them.

I have clicker trained my greyhound to recall and honestly think it's the best thing I've learnt dog-training wise. She enjoys the training as well, because for her it becomes a 'how can I get that clicker to click' exercise. I wish I'd known about clicker training with my old dog - dog training classes 20-years-ago were more about coercing the dog into doing what you wanted.
 
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