Pigs are much more intelligent than most people give them credit for. Because of their intelligence, pigs NEED to be trained in order to teach them respect and manners. Below are examples we have collected or videos that have been sent to us. We are in the process of redesigning and rewriting some of our pages, this page included, so please excuse the "mess" as we complete the process. The purpose of training your pig is not only so your pig learns to sit or spin, but also to teach your mini pig respect and how leadership works in your home.
Clicker Training
Clicker training is a great way to reinforce desired behaviors. The clicker needs to be associated with a positive experience, so using the clicker as the sound and immediately rewarding your pig with a treat helps your pig to understand that the clicker sound is a good thing. To begin, you will need to use the clicker for simple things your pig already knows how to do, such as come when the name is called. Click the clicker and give a treat. Repeat this several times so the sound doesn't startle your pig. Below is Oscar with his mama who shows us how to clicker train a pig. The best part of this is that she is not a professional animal trainer, she and Oscar have become YouTube sensations in pig world though by her creative methods and documenting her experiences with demonstration videos. You can follow them at http://lifewithaminipig.com.
In my experience, clicker training is the best way to train a pig. Since they are so very food motivated, clicker training rewards with a sound versus a treat and can prevent food aggression issues when training. Many people "over-reward", not on purpose, but everyones definition of moderation is different. So knowing a pig will do the same command for 1/4 of a single Cheerio that they'd do for a handful of Cheerio's needs to be the first lesson for YOU. Use treats sparingly.
In my experience, clicker training is the best way to train a pig. Since they are so very food motivated, clicker training rewards with a sound versus a treat and can prevent food aggression issues when training. Many people "over-reward", not on purpose, but everyones definition of moderation is different. So knowing a pig will do the same command for 1/4 of a single Cheerio that they'd do for a handful of Cheerio's needs to be the first lesson for YOU. Use treats sparingly.
How do you train a pig?
Pigs are not domestic animals like dogs or horses, they are wild animals and that must be factored into our understanding of their psychology. Unlike domestic animals, humans are not viewed by the pig as a playmate or like a dog views us, but as a potentially deadly predator. Keeping it foremost in the mind helps you to understand many things that you may not have thought about. Pigs are playful and social; they enjoy running, socializing, relaxing, and playing in the mud. Like dogs, they recognize their names and come when called (if they like you). Some will act like they don't hear you, while others will come running as soon as they hear a door open in anticipation that you are there to see or play with them. Besides training them to do tricks, you may want to consider the following activities as well.
In order to get your pig to sit, do NOT push their butt down, instead, hold a treat (like one cheerio or air popped unbuttered and unsalted popcorn) above the head. Since pigs cant lift their heads up to see the sky, this forces them to sit and lift their head up. By doing this and saying the word "sit", you are teaching them that this is the sitting position and reinforcing it by giving them a small treat. Ive always given a small sample treat when they first do it, then I wait until they're in the sitting position for 10 seconds before giving a 2nd treat. You can do it whichever way works best for you though.
When your pig has mastered the "sit" command and does so without you having a treat above the head, your pig is likely ready to move on to something a little more difficult....shake hooves. While your pig is in the seated position, gently lift one if the front legs and say the word "wave" or "shake hooves/paws" or whatever you want the command to be. Remember, as your pig gets older and bigger, this task is little harder for them to do. The front legs don't usually go very far up once your pig gets some weight on them. Again, give a small treat when you do this to show your pig this is what needs to happen in order for them to get another treat. You may have to do this a couple of times before your pig catches on.
The next easiest trick for your pig to learn is spin. To make them spin, you simply put a treat in front of them and slowly move it around them forcing them to walk in a circle to follow it. That's it. You can reward them the first time for doing this correctly and say the word spin as you're doing it so they know the command you will be using in order to get them to do it on command. Once they spin without you having to use a treat for incentive, that's when they've master this command.
In my opinion, stay is the hardest of all tricks to teach and also for them to learn. Pig like to do what pigs like to do and when treats are involved, they tend to follow you regardless. I do not use treats during this part. I teach stay during meals. I will use the command stay and I also add back up (I say this 3 times because I want mine to back up 3 steps before I put the food down) and then as I am walking to the area where they're fed, I use the command "stay". If one moves up towards the food, we start over. Eventually, the pigs stay because they want to eat. I do not suggest doing this with 2 pigs at once because they both get punished for the actions of one pig usually. So if you have more than one pig, do this with only one at a time to keep things fair. (BUT, there is a great video and instructions on how to teach this trick below courtesy of Amber White)
There are several other tricks you can teach your pig, and working with them is encouraged. You can work on obstacle courses that you make, you can work on harder tricks, there are all kinds of treats toys that your pig can master and get a treat when they open up or push certain buttons. We don't suggest teaching your pig any tricks that require them to walk on their back legs, again, as your pig gets older and bigger, it's very easy for them to come back down on the front feet and get hurt, spraining a leg or even fracturing one. So, although its cute to see a pig walk behind a little shopping cart full of food, its not recommended that you have your pig do tricks that can hurt them. Also, do not train your pig to stand up on the back legs for treats in general, pigs are like dogs, they cant walk on their back legs and this also encourages aggressive behavior in pigs. Same thing with having them jump from couches or sofa's, they're little legs are tough, but having all that weight landing on them isn't good for their legs and has caused some fractures in many pigs recently.
Have fun with your pig, thats what its all about. Your pig will enjoy the 1:1 time with you and obviously will enjoy the treats. Just remember to reward only when your pig does the trick as you want them too. doing a trick 1/2 way and being rewarded for that only encourages them to continue doing it partially. If your pig starts to display any food aggression or head swipes or bites your hand/fingers, stop training and quit hand feeding treats in general. You can use a bowl or place them on the floor for rewards. Some pigs associate the hand with treats and once you're done with training, they still want more food and can get rather pushy about it. Do not let them act like that, say no biting and stop training immediately. If you give in and gave them a treat anyways, you've just reinforced this type of behavior and remember, it may be cute at 8 weeks old and 10 lbs, but it won't be cute at 80 lbs.
Look around you at how pet pigs are kept. (Not necessarily your pigs, but others as well) Is it any wonder they become aggressive, depressed or simply lie in a bed and vegetate? Pigs succumb to depression very quickly when their youthful years are over and adulthood holds nothing to stimulate them. Humans don't speak their language so unless they are in a situation with another pig they are essentially forced to live without communication forever. Keep in mind bored pigs after turn into destructive pigs. Pigs mature mentally and develop intelligence far greater than other animals. What playfulness was so enjoyable when he was a 3 month old piglet will be gone and forgotten when he is 4 years old and entering the mature pig years. He will no longer be willing to be entertained in such silly ways. He will become an adult pig with adult PIG needs.. not human needs or dog needs.. he will need the society of pigs, an environment that is challenging and interesting, relationships that have social and emotional content suitable for his species. A single pig is one of the saddest things on the planet. He knows, somehow, that he will never in his lifetime get to speak to someone who understands his language, or share his needs and his fears. Many, when they reach this point of awareness and the desperation that comes with it, simply give up and die. If you expect that your companionship is enough to sustain him, you are simply not thinking about what he needs. Think long and hard about life, and imagine that you are raised by groundhogs and will never in your life see or speak or touch another human, living in an environment that is unhealthy to your genetic type and mentally incompatible to your needs... it's not a life we would choose. And he does not choose it. Those who point to the social nature of wild pigs to indicate how willing pigs are to live with humans forget the simple basis of the interaction, the pigs are free to come and go.
Source: http://www.9sites.org/pigcare/behavior.htm
- Train your pig to walk on leash and go for walks. Pigs love all the fascinating new smells.
- Hide their food to encourage rooting. You can hide their meals or just scatter it throughout your yard. We hang small troughs along the fencing here, and put a little food in each one. The pigs run all over because they are convinced the next trough has something better.
- Just like with dogs, food puzzles are another great activity. Your pig will love trying to figure out how to move the pieces and get the food out.
In order to get your pig to sit, do NOT push their butt down, instead, hold a treat (like one cheerio or air popped unbuttered and unsalted popcorn) above the head. Since pigs cant lift their heads up to see the sky, this forces them to sit and lift their head up. By doing this and saying the word "sit", you are teaching them that this is the sitting position and reinforcing it by giving them a small treat. Ive always given a small sample treat when they first do it, then I wait until they're in the sitting position for 10 seconds before giving a 2nd treat. You can do it whichever way works best for you though.
When your pig has mastered the "sit" command and does so without you having a treat above the head, your pig is likely ready to move on to something a little more difficult....shake hooves. While your pig is in the seated position, gently lift one if the front legs and say the word "wave" or "shake hooves/paws" or whatever you want the command to be. Remember, as your pig gets older and bigger, this task is little harder for them to do. The front legs don't usually go very far up once your pig gets some weight on them. Again, give a small treat when you do this to show your pig this is what needs to happen in order for them to get another treat. You may have to do this a couple of times before your pig catches on.
The next easiest trick for your pig to learn is spin. To make them spin, you simply put a treat in front of them and slowly move it around them forcing them to walk in a circle to follow it. That's it. You can reward them the first time for doing this correctly and say the word spin as you're doing it so they know the command you will be using in order to get them to do it on command. Once they spin without you having to use a treat for incentive, that's when they've master this command.
In my opinion, stay is the hardest of all tricks to teach and also for them to learn. Pig like to do what pigs like to do and when treats are involved, they tend to follow you regardless. I do not use treats during this part. I teach stay during meals. I will use the command stay and I also add back up (I say this 3 times because I want mine to back up 3 steps before I put the food down) and then as I am walking to the area where they're fed, I use the command "stay". If one moves up towards the food, we start over. Eventually, the pigs stay because they want to eat. I do not suggest doing this with 2 pigs at once because they both get punished for the actions of one pig usually. So if you have more than one pig, do this with only one at a time to keep things fair. (BUT, there is a great video and instructions on how to teach this trick below courtesy of Amber White)
There are several other tricks you can teach your pig, and working with them is encouraged. You can work on obstacle courses that you make, you can work on harder tricks, there are all kinds of treats toys that your pig can master and get a treat when they open up or push certain buttons. We don't suggest teaching your pig any tricks that require them to walk on their back legs, again, as your pig gets older and bigger, it's very easy for them to come back down on the front feet and get hurt, spraining a leg or even fracturing one. So, although its cute to see a pig walk behind a little shopping cart full of food, its not recommended that you have your pig do tricks that can hurt them. Also, do not train your pig to stand up on the back legs for treats in general, pigs are like dogs, they cant walk on their back legs and this also encourages aggressive behavior in pigs. Same thing with having them jump from couches or sofa's, they're little legs are tough, but having all that weight landing on them isn't good for their legs and has caused some fractures in many pigs recently.
Have fun with your pig, thats what its all about. Your pig will enjoy the 1:1 time with you and obviously will enjoy the treats. Just remember to reward only when your pig does the trick as you want them too. doing a trick 1/2 way and being rewarded for that only encourages them to continue doing it partially. If your pig starts to display any food aggression or head swipes or bites your hand/fingers, stop training and quit hand feeding treats in general. You can use a bowl or place them on the floor for rewards. Some pigs associate the hand with treats and once you're done with training, they still want more food and can get rather pushy about it. Do not let them act like that, say no biting and stop training immediately. If you give in and gave them a treat anyways, you've just reinforced this type of behavior and remember, it may be cute at 8 weeks old and 10 lbs, but it won't be cute at 80 lbs.
Look around you at how pet pigs are kept. (Not necessarily your pigs, but others as well) Is it any wonder they become aggressive, depressed or simply lie in a bed and vegetate? Pigs succumb to depression very quickly when their youthful years are over and adulthood holds nothing to stimulate them. Humans don't speak their language so unless they are in a situation with another pig they are essentially forced to live without communication forever. Keep in mind bored pigs after turn into destructive pigs. Pigs mature mentally and develop intelligence far greater than other animals. What playfulness was so enjoyable when he was a 3 month old piglet will be gone and forgotten when he is 4 years old and entering the mature pig years. He will no longer be willing to be entertained in such silly ways. He will become an adult pig with adult PIG needs.. not human needs or dog needs.. he will need the society of pigs, an environment that is challenging and interesting, relationships that have social and emotional content suitable for his species. A single pig is one of the saddest things on the planet. He knows, somehow, that he will never in his lifetime get to speak to someone who understands his language, or share his needs and his fears. Many, when they reach this point of awareness and the desperation that comes with it, simply give up and die. If you expect that your companionship is enough to sustain him, you are simply not thinking about what he needs. Think long and hard about life, and imagine that you are raised by groundhogs and will never in your life see or speak or touch another human, living in an environment that is unhealthy to your genetic type and mentally incompatible to your needs... it's not a life we would choose. And he does not choose it. Those who point to the social nature of wild pigs to indicate how willing pigs are to live with humans forget the simple basis of the interaction, the pigs are free to come and go.
Source: http://www.9sites.org/pigcare/behavior.htm
Sit, spin, stay, jump, kneel, wave
Oscar's mom has put a lot of time and effort into helping other pig parents with training. You can follow her blog by clicking here.
Oscar's other mini pig training videos:
How to Hold a Mini Pig: https://youtu.be/D7ZDV1gE25A
How to Put a Harness on a Mini Pig: https://youtu.be/Z78WshnhsbE
How to Sit: https://youtu.be/3lcJEsp4sP8
How to Stay: https://youtu.be/757ZNQUp6Xs
How to Shake: https://youtu.be/uih-CXPij5A
How to Jump: https://youtu.be/WYKeNXPMMcg
How to Kneel Down: https://youtu.be/oKAJqClqnWI
How to Wave: https://youtu.be/V8HModzjT0k
Several other pig parents have been kind enough to share their training videos below. Watch their movements, read or listen to their instructions and start working with your pig on mastering these skills.
Oscar's other mini pig training videos:
How to Hold a Mini Pig: https://youtu.be/D7ZDV1gE25A
How to Put a Harness on a Mini Pig: https://youtu.be/Z78WshnhsbE
How to Sit: https://youtu.be/3lcJEsp4sP8
How to Stay: https://youtu.be/757ZNQUp6Xs
How to Shake: https://youtu.be/uih-CXPij5A
How to Jump: https://youtu.be/WYKeNXPMMcg
How to Kneel Down: https://youtu.be/oKAJqClqnWI
How to Wave: https://youtu.be/V8HModzjT0k
Several other pig parents have been kind enough to share their training videos below. Watch their movements, read or listen to their instructions and start working with your pig on mastering these skills.
How to "wave" By echo the pig
Teaching a pig to count
This piggy mom taught her pig how to count by giving him a treat when he jumped up the appropriate amount of times.
When trying to teach specific tricks, like this, you must be consistent with your words and tone. Once a number has been accomplished, a reward can be given to reinforce the desired behavior. Pigs are smart, so it doesn't take long for them to catch on. You MUST be consistent with your rewards though. If you reward a behavior or action that is undesired or not what you want, then your pig will continue to attempt to "cheat" just to get a treat.
When trying to teach specific tricks, like this, you must be consistent with your words and tone. Once a number has been accomplished, a reward can be given to reinforce the desired behavior. Pigs are smart, so it doesn't take long for them to catch on. You MUST be consistent with your rewards though. If you reward a behavior or action that is undesired or not what you want, then your pig will continue to attempt to "cheat" just to get a treat.
Video courtesy of Jessica Cheek Lisenby
Teaching your pig colors
eOne of our followers was gracious enough to send us a video of her pig showing us she could determine one color from another. She was also kind enough to type up the instructions on how she was able to accomplish this. A special thank you to Jahaira Zamora for allowing us to use this information for the website. (Her pig can be followed @BlueThePigOfficial on Instagram.)
Pigs are incredibly intelligent animals. They do not get nearly as much credit as they should. My fiancée and I brought Blue, our mini potbelly pig, home when she was 6 weeks old. She was so scared and timid the first few days. I would lay in her pen with her and let her come to me, but I remember crying because I did not think I would ever fully gain her trust. I thought I had made a mistake and that she would never love me back like I already loved her. After a few days of hand feeding her and her coming to me on her own I decided to try teaching her her first trick, "Sit". She got the trick down within the first 15 minutes! I was shocked, she learned it much quicker than any of my dogs I have ever taught in the past. Once we started practicing tricks everyday, we began to bond and it was; and still is, the favorite part of our day.
Pigs get bored very easily and mental stimulation is very important for them, so learning new tricks is a great way to stimulate them, show them whose boss, and keep their brain sharp! By the way, Blue has never chewed up or destroyed anything in my house. At first I thought how lucky we were that Blue was such a good, housebroken piggy, but the truth is, she she is mentally stimulated everyday with tricks so she does not find herself bored and wanting to rip things apart. Learning new things helps to keep her happy. By 6 months, Blue already knew how to sit, stay, jump, spin, bow, give kisses, and shut doors. Then, one day, I thought, she is so smart and has learned everything so quickly, I wonder if I can teach her to recognize a color? So, I started with the color red, I took a little red mat and said "show me red" then I put the mat up to her nose and gave her a treat. Positive reinforcement works great with pigs! I did this many times and then said "show me red" but I didn't put the mat so close to her nose this time, instead I placed it a little further and waited for her to touch the mat on her own and immediately praised her and gave her a treat when she did. I kept moving the mat further and further away little by little and eventually she started to go up to the mat on her own when I asked "show me red". We practiced red for several days before I introduced green. This took a little longer because she was guessing and going up to each mat until she would receive a treat, however I would not reward her until she pointed to the correct color and after several weeks of practicing she began to realize that the command was point to red and point to green, she began to think after each command and then go to the specified color, not just point to the first mat she looked at. She finally began to nail it every time, regardless of the order the colors were called in. Eventually we will add more colors but I like to take it slowly and make it fun for her to learn.
Pigs are incredibly intelligent animals. They do not get nearly as much credit as they should. My fiancée and I brought Blue, our mini potbelly pig, home when she was 6 weeks old. She was so scared and timid the first few days. I would lay in her pen with her and let her come to me, but I remember crying because I did not think I would ever fully gain her trust. I thought I had made a mistake and that she would never love me back like I already loved her. After a few days of hand feeding her and her coming to me on her own I decided to try teaching her her first trick, "Sit". She got the trick down within the first 15 minutes! I was shocked, she learned it much quicker than any of my dogs I have ever taught in the past. Once we started practicing tricks everyday, we began to bond and it was; and still is, the favorite part of our day.
Pigs get bored very easily and mental stimulation is very important for them, so learning new tricks is a great way to stimulate them, show them whose boss, and keep their brain sharp! By the way, Blue has never chewed up or destroyed anything in my house. At first I thought how lucky we were that Blue was such a good, housebroken piggy, but the truth is, she she is mentally stimulated everyday with tricks so she does not find herself bored and wanting to rip things apart. Learning new things helps to keep her happy. By 6 months, Blue already knew how to sit, stay, jump, spin, bow, give kisses, and shut doors. Then, one day, I thought, she is so smart and has learned everything so quickly, I wonder if I can teach her to recognize a color? So, I started with the color red, I took a little red mat and said "show me red" then I put the mat up to her nose and gave her a treat. Positive reinforcement works great with pigs! I did this many times and then said "show me red" but I didn't put the mat so close to her nose this time, instead I placed it a little further and waited for her to touch the mat on her own and immediately praised her and gave her a treat when she did. I kept moving the mat further and further away little by little and eventually she started to go up to the mat on her own when I asked "show me red". We practiced red for several days before I introduced green. This took a little longer because she was guessing and going up to each mat until she would receive a treat, however I would not reward her until she pointed to the correct color and after several weeks of practicing she began to realize that the command was point to red and point to green, she began to think after each command and then go to the specified color, not just point to the first mat she looked at. She finally began to nail it every time, regardless of the order the colors were called in. Eventually we will add more colors but I like to take it slowly and make it fun for her to learn.
Pigs are awesome pets but they do require time and patience, more so than a dog. Although Blue is naturally such a sweet piggy, she would not be nearly as obedient and well behaved as she is now if I did not spend time with her everyday and provided her with a stimulating environment. ~written by Jahaira Zamora. Below is Blue the pig playing basketball, a skill that her human mama worked with her to teach her to take the ball and put it in the net. Pigs care about the end result (which is usually a treat) so they'll rush through a training exercise so they can receive their reward.
Teaching your pig the "figure 8" |
Teaching your pig other tricks |
Teaching your pig to follow direction, such as the figure 8 can be a useful tool. Using treats or the clicker method as a reward system has proven to be effective with training. Teaching your pig how to work a preschool level puzzle can be mentally stimulating but also reveals how smart pigs really are.
Teaching your pig to open a door.
There are MANY different things you can teach your pig to do. Dave Millroy taught his pig, Esther-Rose, to be a little more independent. Watch his pig in action. Not only does she let herself in, but also her pig brother Axl.
Excuse our "construction" as we redesign this page!!