Dogs And Guineas Coexisting?

[hheather71]

I'm thinking about adopting a pair of piggies, but I first need to make sure that I can give them a good home. My main concern right now is where to put the cage, because we have two dogs and I'm worried they might disturb the fragile little piggies. Please note that my dogs are very gentle- we used to have cockatiels who would nibble on one of the dog's whiskers, and he'd just lay there. But anyway, if we put the cage downstairs where most of the family activity is, will it startle and possibly harm the guineas any time there's a loud noise, such as the dogs barking when somebody knocks on the door? Would it be better to put them upstairs, where they will be a bit further from the noise, but less included in the family's daily activities? Even upstairs the dogs barking is easily heard, so is this just a terrible idea? I also have a toddler who can be quite loud. Basically, I need to know, is noise a big problem for piggies?

Any insight on this would be appreciated!

 

[lawz]

i have a border collie and to be honest he's absolutely fine with my 8 and they're not bothered by him.
He's always with me when I'm at hutches and pushes me aside to have a nose at them, and they all come to the front to touch noses with him...so maybe try them downstairs where they will be more included.....get them used to you, and the dogs used to them while your at home and see how it goes.
Barney (my dog) has always been the only animal in the house and i was anxious when we got birds...but he's not fussed by them at all.
If you pay them all equal attention then there will be no reason for dogs to get jealous etc
once piggies have settled in...sit by cage with dogs with you allowing them to get used to them.

Barney is a vocal boy, and his noise doesn't bother my lot at all

 

[7squeakers.]

Dogs and piggies can be fine, when supervised together. But I would never leave them alone for any length of time. You never know what might happen. It does not take much to trigger the "chase" instinct in a dog. It can depend on the nature and breed of the dog. A lot of small breeds were bred to catch and kill rodents, but all dogs love to chase and catch things.

 

[Freela]

I would be more worried about the dogs potentially having the ability to get to the pigs than any loud noises (when we started keeping pigs, there were in our family room and we had three young children. They will adjust to familiar noises in the environment.) I just would not leave a dog unattended with pigs that were not fully enclosed in a cage because some dogs have strong prey drives and it only takes a moment for an unattended dog to hurt or kill a small animal.

 

[1GuineaPig1]

What breed(s) of dogs do you have? If you have large and aggressive dogs-which it does not sound like they are aggressive by your post-I would advise a strong, tall cage stand. If you have smaller dogs, it is more personal preference to have a stand, but I would advise having either a stand or a sturdy lid. I have two dogs, a Chihuahua and a Boston Terrier + Pug mix(Bugg). The Chihuahua doesn't bother with the piggies, other than eating their stray poops off the ground, and the Bugg likes to "play" with them through the bars of their cage(I never let him in the room without me, and I know for a fact that the cage is sturdy enough so that he would not be able to get to them.)

Some dog breeds have prey drives that won't be brought out until you bring small, running animals into the house. My Bugg has Boston Terrier in him, and that breed has a mean prey drive, which is why I would never let him near my piggies unsupervised, and I would never let them out of their cage around him. Just be sure that there is no way your dogs can get to the piggies, and they will be fine. I have a lid, so I feel comfortable leaving my door open occasionally.

As for the loud noises, your guinea pigs will probably be afraid of them at first, but most will get used to it over time. As long as the toddler doesn't let out bloodcurdling screams 24/7, and as long as you don't allow them near the piggies unsupervised, you should have no problem.

 

[hheather71]

Thank you all for your input! I won't allow the dogs around the pigs unsupervised. I was only concerned with the noise. I'm probably going to put the cage in our loft that looks down on the living area, so they can hear the family noises but be inaccessible to the dogs when we leave the house.

 

[hheather71]

Thank you all for your input! I won't allow the dogs around the pigs unsupervised. I was only concerned with the noise. I'm probably going to put the cage in our loft that looks down on the living area, so they can hear the family noises but be inaccessible to the dogs when we leave the house.

 

[madguinealady]

I have a lab/rottweiller cross that constantly bugged my rats.When we have the guinea pigs or rabbits out for lap time she is too interested in them but is controllable.She knows to leave them alone.I have mine in a separate room as I wouldn't trust her alone.My piggies are used to the noise (teenagers screaming at me, loud music, boyfriend singing at top of his voice, diy and doesn't seem to bother them at all.You know your dogs better than anyone else but they will get used to the noise.

 

[Namaah]

I have a dog and she is fine with guinea pigs, she lays up against the side of the cage and the guinea pig lays up against her through the bars. I have a fully enclosed cage though and don't leave the dog in the room when me or my husband aren't in it. It would really depend on your dog though. I used to have cockatiels as well and they used to sit on the dog as she walked around.
As for the noise my guinea pig doesn't care about noises. My dog never barks but I have a very noisy husband and teenager and 3 preschoolers in my house who scream and jump and laugh hysterically in the same room and my piggy doesn't even bat an eyelid. I've even seen him pop corning around in his cage while my 2year old was laughing hysterically up against the bars of the cage.