Labrador And Piggies

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Dawn's guineas

Dawn's guineas

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Hi I just wondered if anyone had a labrador and how it gets on with the piggies etc?
 
It's a dog.
I would never, ever, assume that it is ok with the piggies.
We have a dog here once a week.
He was introduced under controlled circumstances to the pigs.
He has never shown even a passing interest in them.
But I still never ever leave them alone together.
 
Thank you, we are getting a puppy in July, so it will probably grow up with a passion for kale and carrot peelings!
 
Yes I will when we get it, it will be July, what can go wrong with 2 rabbits and 2 guineas! I have done a bit research and labs are generally good if trained correctly
 
Dawn's guineas said:
Yes I will when we get it, it will be July, what can go wrong with 2 rabbits and 2 guineas! I have done a bit research and labs are generally good if trained correctly
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I looked after a 9 year old lab for a few hours a while ago , she was brilliant with the Syrian hamster - she ignored the hamster - but she'd was more bothered by the Guinea pigs.
She had never met hamsters and Guinea pigs before.
 
You will have to be very careful with your piggy and new puppy.
Make sure before you introduce them that the puppy is washed well with soap!
Prey animals can smell predator from a mile away!
Even if they do grow up together and nothing happens, never leave them alone.
People assume because nothing happens that it will never happen, BIG mistake any dog owner can make... Or any animal owner for that matter. But it really depends.
Dogs are predatory animals by heart, if that light flicks on in their head they might end up running catching and killing!
That is their instinct!
Unless that trait has been wrongfully bred out of them, then you won't have a problem...
 
I would be cautious about the term 'introduce', surely it is intended as caged pigs? Even if the dog doesn't want to eat pigs, a pup (or dog of any age) may think they are a fun squeak toy.
I would also not bath the pup - it will smell of dog whatever you do and soap will strip the fur of it's natural and water proofing oils and unbalance the ph of it's skin. I knew someone who started bathing their puppy young (with proper dog shampoo) and now they have to bath it every month otherwise it stinks to high heaven because it over produces oil to compensate for the baths! I only ever bathed my dog when they rolled in something unmentionable.
When I had pigs and pups, they were 'introduced' v informally - the pigs were in their run and the pups in the garden. The pups were allowed to go sniff, but we didn't draw any attention to the pigs or encourage the dogs to 'say hello' so the dogs grew up thinking pigs were just part of the furniture and not really very interesting. One of the pigs used to play with my dog when he was older and they would touch noses through the bars, but they were never allowed in the same room indoors, even if the pigs were caged.
 
Guineapigfeet said:
I knew someone who started bathing their puppy young (with proper dog shampoo) and now they have to bath it every month otherwise it stinks to high heaven because it over produces oil to compensate for the baths!
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I actually had no idea about that.
But then what about the random dog smell that comes about? I hate HATE that smell. One of the worst smells on this planet.
Honestly it's worse than a skunks smell...
 
0ryanna0 said:
I actually had no idea about that.
But then what about the random dog smell that comes about? I hate HATE that smell. One of the worst smells on this planet.
Honestly it's worse than a skunks smell...
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Tbh, none of my dogs ever had that smell, except when they were wet! Most of the 'dog' smell, I believe, comes from poor diet. All my dogs were fed on a raw diet. Of course some dogs a will smell more than others and some naturally produce more oils than others. Our long haired dog got a bit niffy towards the end of winter as she wasn't swimming so much, but always smelt lovey in the summer!
 
My lab had this smell a couple of years ago, I liken it to rotten cheese. He was given malaseb shampoo and its sorted. Think its allergies that cause it. My lab isn't bothered by my pigs but I wouldn't leave him when they're having free time on the floor just because I think he might stand on them by accident:0
 
We had a dog and small animals at the same time when I was growing up. We just let the dog sniff the little animals in a very controlled setting to get used to them, and then didn't ever leave them unsupervised or let the small animal run in a space where the dog was. The good thing with labs is that, as they are retrievers, they don't have as strong a prey drive as some dogs that were bred to hunt small animals. It can be very hard to train dogs to suppress that prey drive sometimes. One of my cousins had a hedgehog that had a very unfortunate run-in with their dachshund when her brother mistakenly left a door open and let the hedgehog out... the hedgehog survived, but ended up needing surgery to pin a broken bone and a whole lot of stitches. Dachshunds are bred to hunt small prey so the dog was only doing what came naturally... while the dog had been introduced to the hedgehog while it was on someone's lap and had been accustomed to it there, seeing a small animal running across a floor must have activated that prey drive even though it was a familiar animal. I think supervision is key here... dogs are natural predators and guinea pigs are natural prey, so even if the dog is accustomed to the guinea pigs I wouldn't put them in a situation where the dog could get to the pigs unsupervised.
 
Just be careful about letting them out around the puppy. Puppies are curious and playful and while their intentions are the best, they don't know their own strength in comparison to a piggy! I've come to be informed that piggies have a delicate bone structure and we wouldn't want to see anyone get squished because the poppy was having fun.

Other than that, my friend who stays with me has a small dog (half Chihuahua, half poodle) who is 8 years old. He is the most well-behaved dog I've ever met, strangely enough for a combination of two small and typically yappy breeds. He is so gentle with the piggies. He will just sit there and stare, quietly wagging his tail, sometimes goes in for a sniff. I've never seen him try to pounce or start to act aggressively with them. The piggies do not seem offended by him in any way. They'll stare and sniff back, and then go about their business. I guess my point is this: know your piggies and know your dog.
 
Any breed can be great with piggies aslong as they are introduced properly! I have three dogs; a Bichon and two Irish water spaniels, that met my piggies at a ripe old age and are great with them. I would just say that puppy lab maybe v. Energetic and whilst he might not try to bite/grab the guineas he might get overally excited and bash/paw them so I would just say watch out for that. In general a puppy won't have major preditorial instincts but just keep a good eye on them for the first few months but once he is used to them and has grown with them I wouldn't worry. A lot of people say that can't co exist without supervision but I can leave mine alone and know they would never hurt them because they are part of the pack! They just give them kisses and are very gentle! Good luck training your pup.

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Please do not use leads and/or harnesses on guinea pigs.They don't have a flexible back and it can seriously injure or even kill them.I have a lab/Rottweiler cross and she is way too interested in the piggies.My piggies have their own room with a gate on.I don't trust her at all.The only time they are in the same room is if the piggies are on our knees
 
Please do not use harnesses or leads on piggies @JennaAnysse. There is a real risk of serious spinal injury to any piggy by using one of these. You strike me as a caring owner so please do not use a harness on your piggies.

Any dog has the potential to cause injury to piggies. Please never leave any dog unattended with piggies. Even here on the forum a member has recently lost her piggy as a result of an unexpected incident involving their pet dog.
 
Totally agree with the lead thing... very dangerous for pigs. It angers me that they are sold in pet shops intended for guinea pigs, this is so misleading. A guinea pig should not be on a lead, they do not need to be walked and if they were to zoom off quickly they could break their spine.
 
Yes I only used it this once! Just took the pictures and took it off. It's bloody useless anyway because they hated it haha! As far as the dogs go, I work in a kennels with dogs everyday and probably understand dogs more then the average owner. I know my dogs personalitys and wouldn't leave the Irish waters alone with the piggies, however I can leave Charlie ( the bichon ) in the room with them loose whilst I'm popping in and out ( never leave them for an extended period of time alone ) because he's not bothered by them he loves them really. Toy breeds have very little prey drive, where as, for example, a terrier type I wouldn't be quite as trusting. But I guess this is just difference in opinion. But yes that harness is now collecting dust in the bottom of my storage bin, thanks for the advice though I never knew they where so dangerous! Seems so stupid to sell them in pets at home considering the risks! :td:
 
Guineapigfeet said:
Tbh, none of my dogs ever had that smell, except when they were wet! Most of the 'dog' smell, I believe, comes from poor diet. All my dogs were fed on a raw diet. Of course some dogs a will smell more than others and some naturally produce more oils than others. Our long haired dog got a bit niffy towards the end of winter as she wasn't swimming so much, but always smelt lovey in the summer!
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Thanks for letting me know! Now I'll know what to do with my new puppy Pomeranian. xD
 
JennaAnysse said:
Yes I only used it this once! Just took the pictures and took it off. It's bloody useless anyway because they hated it haha! As far as the dogs go, I work in a kennels with dogs everyday and probably understand dogs more then the average owner. I know my dogs personalitys and wouldn't leave the Irish waters alone with the piggies, however I can leave Charlie ( the bichon ) in the room with them loose whilst I'm popping in and out ( never leave them for an extended period of time alone ) because he's not bothered by them he loves them really. Toy breeds have very little prey drive, where as, for example, a terrier type I wouldn't be quite as trusting. But I guess this is just difference in opinion. But yes that harness is now collecting dust in the bottom of my storage bin, thanks for the advice though I never knew they where so dangerous! Seems so stupid to sell them in pets at home considering the risks! :td:
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Oh if only I had a penny for every time some says this :( Sadly dogs are predators & piggies are prey :( Unfortunately there's been a few times on here I've read people happily saying how much their dogs love their piggies & they would never harm them & then a few months later there is a very sad thread about how their piggies died after being attacked "Out of the blue" by their dogs. I can't understand why anyone would let a prey animal be with a predator even for a minute, just think of how stressed you are making your little ones feel when there is such a big animal with them :( ALL animals are unpredictable; piggies. horses, dogs & cats etc. No way would I stress my piggies letting any other animal have access to them, sorry :(
 
I have a 9 month old shih tzu and he literally doesn't care less about the pigs.. But instead frantically sniffs around trying to eat their poo! Regardless of the lack of interest to the actual pigs, I would still never leave them together unsupervised - the pigs are in their own room with a baby gate. I would never let my pigs have floor time with the dog around either. I know my dog and I know he has no aggressive or hunting tendencies but there's still a risk that the pigs can get hurt.. Dogs may decide they want to play with the guinea pig or could stand on them accidentally.
 
Poppy'sMum said:
Oh if only I had a penny for every time some says this :( Sadly dogs are predators & piggies are prey :( Unfortunately there's been a few times on here I've read people happily saying how much their dogs love their piggies & they would never harm them & then a few months later there is a very sad thread about how their piggies died after being attacked "Out of the blue" by their dogs. I can't understand why anyone would let a prey animal be with a predator even for a minute, just think of how stressed you are making your little ones feel when there is such a big animal with them :( ALL animals are unpredictable; piggies. horses, dogs & cats etc. No way would I stress my piggies letting any other animal have access to them, sorry :(
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To be fair, both of my piggies aren't phased at all by the dog. He only goes into their room occasionally with me and Milan runs over to the side of the cage, stands up at the bars and has also popcorned in the past. Regardless I would still never let the dog have access to their room and is has a safety gate, pigs have cuddle time in bed with us of a night (obviously not over night haha) and the dog stays downstairs for this. My point was that not all piggies feel threatened but maybe my 2 are just exceptions haha

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:agr: with @Poppy'sMum
No matter how much your dog and piggies may love each other or seem to get on I personally think it's irresponsible as a pet owner to leave a dog unsupervised with guinea pigs.
Dogs, no matter how timid or friendly they may be, are predators and piggies are prey... I understand that people feel they know their animals and I would a agree to a certain extent, but every animal could be unpredictable, friendly family dogs have been known to bite children out of the blue. I just would not risk it, no matter how friendly the dog, there's always that chance they may attack and by then it's too late..
 
I have a lab crossed with a golden retriever when we bought the pigs home we let her have a good sniff then told her no and leave, she hasn't bothered with them since, she lies by their cages and gets her nose bit poor thing! She is brilliant around them if we have them on our laps etc but I'd never let her near them if they were out running on the floor as I'd be worried a running guinea pig would be just to enticing for her I wouldn't forgive myself if she did harm them. We also leave the cage lids open a lot and she's never once tried getting to them.
 
Thanks @7squeakers. & @Beans&Toast :hug:Sadly it only takes that "Once" to turn your back, leave a door open, etc. For me that risk is far too great & the threads on here that I have read have been people who thought they knew their dogs so well too........ :( I've witnessed a fox torn apart by hounds as a kid, the hounds were so friendly, wagging tails etc before hand. Sorry but the tiniest risk is far too great in my opinion. Reading the threads on here where the piggies'owners were so shocked by what happened upset me so much I cried at the thought of how horrible a death they suffered :(
 
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