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OUCH!
HE BIT ME!
BY KATHY SPERDUTO |
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"But why" do you ask? You give him everything he could want and then some. This could be partly some of your problem. Keeping your pig from biting could mean more training and discipline for you than your pig. Your pig can quickly learn, "I want it and I want it now or else" and if he teaches you what it means just as quick, all the better for him. In most situations, when a pig is a biter, it is the fault of the human not the pig. Piglets are not born with fanged teeth, chomping at the bit. They do mouth things, but this is part of their exploratory behavior. As they get older, biting each other in order to establish dominance is perfectly natural, however it should stay within the pig group and not cross over to humans. It is our job to teach them the difference between pig to pig relations and pig to human relations. Offering food constantly, for no good reason will not teach them this important difference. It can, however, lead to a demanding pig whenever food is in sight. A demanding pig can become a biting pig. Therefore from the very beginning, offer treats only when training and only in small amounts, and, maintain this philosophy throughout your life with your pig. You cannot become lax with this idea no matter how tempting it may be, you can only treat when your pig performs. To teach your pig that fingers are not part of his diet, place a small piece of food between your ring and index finger holding your fingers together and your palm flat. Now keeping your hand low to the ground offer the treat to your pig. In order for him to get the treat, he will have to open his mouth a little and use his lips to receive the goody. By keeping your hand near the ground he is less likely to jump up and lunge for the food. It will also teach him that he doesn't need a wide-open mouth to receive the treat. This is how you would begin with a young pig. Now, if you already have a problem biter, it's going to be a lot harder for you than your pig. You need to handle it like a smoker quitting cold turkey. From this point forward your pig should learn in black and white and not in shades of gray. Shades of gray means that sometimes it is all right to be aggressive for food and other times it isn't. Black and white simply means that there is never a situation where it is acceptable to take food aggressively. This idea is often more difficult for you because owners have a tendency to spoil their pets and make excuses for the occasional bad behavior. Remember that your pig will figure out black and white fairly quickly if you stick with it. To begin, immediately stop feeding all treats that do not pertain to a wanted behavior and then cut out most of the ones that do. Your pig will probably have a temper tantrum and this is where your will power comes in. Dealing with a tantrum is easier if your pig understands the meaning of "NO". When the tantrum starts, for example: lunging and snapping at you when you put your hand anywhere near him, tell him NO! If his tantrum persists, a quick backhand on the nose, with a cupped hand so as to reduce the risk of the pig biting your fingers, and another stern NO should make him back off and think about what he is doing. However, he may continue in trying to "bite the hand that feeds him", in which case stand your ground and repeat the backhand reprimand until he backs off. When he does give in, don't treat him with food, treat him with kindness. Use a soft higher pitch voice and tell him "good boy" and give him a gentle pat. Only treat him with a small piece of food, using the flat-palm method mentioned earlier, when you are able to approach him several times without a tantrum occurring. If you are concerned that the pig may bite your hand, you might want to wear a think leather glove. If he keeps up the aggression, don't give in, some pigs depending upon how bad the situation can be very "pig-headed". As his behavior improves you can treat him more with food, but keep it only to one out of every three to four times The other times you should be praising him with your words and voice. Remember as fast as you may have helped him kick his biting habit, he could fall off the wagon just as fast. Stick to your guns and good luck. |
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