Dog owners - I need help!

[Freyja]

Dear dog owners, or those of you who know a lot about dogs, I really need some help here.
We have a 4 year old dog, who is a Border Collie / Lab mix. He is sweet as can be and very well trained. We´ve never had any problems with him, except maybe for the fact that he craves A LOT of attention (probably because he´s always had a lot of attention, since either DH or I + some kids, are almost always at home).

So now, on to our problem. My DD´s got 2 guinea pigs for Christmas

Well, the guinea pigs are wonderful, cuddly, little sweeties and my DD´s already love them to bits. BUT......you guess it, the dog seems to think they´re...well....uhm....food!

The dog has been very interested in them, to say the least. Wanting to get into their room, jumping up on DD when she holds them etc. For the past couple of days we´ve let the dog sniff their cage and today while I was holding one the guinea pigs, we decided it might be smart to let the dog sniff them, while DH held him, since the dog seemed to be very interested. However, that didn´t go over very well. Our dog was very stiff, hackles raised, blank stare and he was shivering. At first I couldn´t really figure out whether it was out of excitement or aggression. I let him sniff the backside of the guinea pigs first and he was o.k. with that. Then I turned the guinea pig around and the dog tried to bite her!!! Luckily DH had a firm hold on the dog and I quickly pulled the guinea pig back so nothing happened. The guinea pig didn´t even seem to notice what had happened, but I was very shaken.

We discussed before we got the guinea pigs that the dog and the piglets should never be left alone unattended. But now I´m even afraid something might happen while one of us is around. We live in a 7 person household, and inevitably someone might forget to close a door, or accidentally let the dog in while someone is holding the guinea pigs, etc. What can we do????

Does anyone have any experience of introducing their dog to guinea pigs or other rodent animals?

 

[WDWBarb]

The only advice I have is to keep them apart. I would have suggested everything that you've already done, but your dog seems especially fearful of them. The nipping suggests that the dog is also being territorial and perhaps that will change with time (when he realizes that his place in the hierarchy isn't being threatened).

Maybe some other dog people can give some better advice!

 

[Magic Mom]

Our border collie mix was very interested in our rats when we first got them. He would sit by the cage and stare at them all day. And when we let them out of the cage he would watch them where ever they went, drooling a little. He even put his mouth on one. He didn't actually bite, he just sort of tasted it. But we kept bringing them out and eventually her learned to ignore them. One of the rats likes to climb on him and even chews on hs nails sometimes ( I know, gross).

 

[MomofKatie]

Some dogs just have a strong "prey" drive and can't be around small animals without trying to hunt and/or eat them. When we looked into adopting a retired racing greyhound, we learned that some of the dogs had an unbreakable prey instinct- they would go after any small animals around.

I'd keep them seperated.

 

[jjarman]

Having had dogs all my life, bred them, trained them, etc. I think I know a lot about dogs. If it was me I would just not let the dog be in the room with the guinea pigs. You can't trust him. Sorry but it would take one incident for your kids to have to live with the memory of Skippy eating ****oo. Not a nice picture. Sometimes you have to do these things. It would be nice if they could all get along but it is in the dog's natural instinct to kill the little creatures. I would not chance it.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Having had dogs all my life, bred them, trained them, etc. I think I know a lot about dogs. If it was me I would just not let the dog be in the room with the guinea pigs. You can't trust him. Sorry but it would take one incident for your kids to have to live with the memory of Skippy eating ****oo. Not a nice picture. Sometimes you have to do these things. It would be nice if they could all get along but it is in the dog's natural instinct to kill the little creatures. I would not chance it.

I second this. Your dog is a dog, not a person, no matter how smart the dog is.

 

[Freyja]

Thanks everyone for your answers. We will definately try to keep the dog from the guinea pigs. I do hope though, that he will loose interest in them sometime soon.

 

[simba928]

Like others said, some dogs just have a natural prey drive, especially if they have never been around other animals. If you have had the dog since he was a puppy and never had any cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc., the dog does not know what these things are. Part of it may be territorial as well. "My person is paying attention to something that should NOT be here." You know?

Keep them seperated AT ALL times when you cannot supervise them. I wouldn't even put them in the same room (whether piggy is in cage or not) when just the kids are there. You could try turning the guinea pigs into a positive for the dog. It would take a lot of time and patience and may never get the dog to be ok with them, but it may be worth a try to atleast get the dog to tolerate them. Sit in the room with the guinea pig in the cage, visible to dog, but out of dog's reach (a leash on the dog may be a good idea). Give dog lots of praise, treats, "Good boy!!!" Then gradually move closer (remember LOTS of praise and treats). End up with the dog right next to the cage. That way, in the dog's mind, guinea pig = good stuff. Don't even pay attention to the guinea pig when you're doing this. Make it all about doggie. And make sure different people do it, too. You do it, your kids do it (with help from you, I wouldn't let them do it alone), everybody in the house works with the dog. Otherwise the dog may think "If mom's in the room guinea pig is good but if dad's in the room I don't get anything out of it" And do it in different rooms ("In the kitchen, I get good stuff with guinea pig, in the living room I don't get anything with guinea pig") Generalize it in the dog's mind so that no matter where you are or who's there guinea pig = good. Do real short intervals, too. 5 minutes 10 feet away from piggies a couple times a day, then after 2 days move a little bit closer. Go at the dog's pace. If 2 feet away is too much, but 3 is ok, take a step back and work from there for a bit longer. If dog is ok at 10 feet on the first day, take a step forward the next day. If not, stay there for a couple days. Like I said, the dog may never be ok with the guinea pigs or he may end up tolerate them, which is really the best you can expect since (I'm assuming) the dog has never been around other animals.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Well if you are not exercising the border mix, they are going to get into mischief. They don't "crave attention"....they want to WORK and be at your beckon call to do your bidding. As I am sure you know.

Now we have introduced our 2 dogs, lab mix & border mix to the hamster. The border mix could care less. A few corrections and she was fine.

The lab mix has a super high prey drive. We had the dog leashed and muzzled at first introduction. It has been a few months and they sort have lost interest in the cage. The hamster will run around in the ball and my 18yodd keeps them under close watch.

However I would never leave a dog and a pig alone without adult supervision. That is just asking for trouble.