Thursday, January 30, 2014

More On Potty Training....

Since help with potty training is one of the most requested e-mails I get here I'm going to share what I have done and do here with my house pig(s). 

Get your pig on a schedule! A routine makes all the difference in the world. When Oshay was little he didn't have much of a routine he was just put outside to run the yard and go potty. He had no idea that there is a difference between play time and potty time and sometimes there were accidents. Once this was pointed out to me I made sure he was on a schedule and watched his routine. I noticed that he would pee pretty much right away after being put outside and with watching him I realized that he would pee again in another 20-30 minutes. Get to know your pigs routine so that there aren't accidents.

He was normally taken out every 2-4 hours with the last potty time being around 10-11 at night. It was when he was a little over a year old that he let me know that he no longer needed to go out that late in the evening...7-8p.m. was fine.
Even now at 7 there are days that I have to make sure that my little guy goes potty when put out for potty time. He is fed in the morning then taken outside to potty while I feed the other pigs. Now depending on the weather he might graze a little, go potty and graze more as he will be out for several hours.

It took more than once for me to figure out that when the weather is bad I need to close the screen door to the patio or he will turn around and go back in while I am feeding the other pigs. This forces him to stay out and gives me time to get the others fed. I then have to lead him back into the yard where we now walk around a bit until he goes potty...the whole time I am telling him go potty. Once he has pooped and peed he is free to wander the yard or come back inside.

Because he has to go down a ramp to get outside I do take him out morning and afternoon/evening. I DO NOT assume that he will do this on his own even now. So please do not assume that just because you put your pig outside to potty that he knows that is what he is supposed to do. Walk him/her around until they go potty.

Now to anyone that is new to having a pet pig. Yes they can be litter box trained, but I can't stress enough to forget the litter box and take your baby outside. We have found over the years that even pigs that were litter box trained grow out of using the litter and want to go outside.

As a rule our pigs do not like rain, snow or cold weather...the same as most of us. This means that on those days we need to put on our rain or winter coat and go out with them. They will be fine in the wet & cold as they are only outside long enough to go potty. Though you may have to be creative getting them out the door.

I can't stress enough that litter boxes don't work in the long run and training never ends...meaning you need to stay on top of them and make sure that they are going potty when put outside. I am also a firm believer that ALL of our pet pigs should be going outside to potty.

Good luck!!

21 comments:

  1. I understand about the potty training for outside, but unfortunetly I live in up state NY and we have snow now and my pig is not harness trained yet I don't want him outside until he is . he is kept In a back bedroom for now and I feel bad leaving him there. but he is having accidents. he is about 4-5 months old. he gets it for the most part. but it will be a process. I am very willing to work with him. I will keep you updated about my progress if that is ok

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1st thanks for taking the time to help us new piggy family's. I rescued a 3 year old male that I was told had been nutered. Well being a new pig mom I had no clue and had to learn the hard way .I am happy to say he is a way better boy after his visit to Doc Pols office..my question is I now have a 10 week old .I'm doing everything you have said and it's going well .I was wondering if.oliver my 1st will be any.help showing her the way . Thank you for your time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That's a good question. In my opinion it will be more of the new pig watching and learning - rather than the older pig teaching. When we had a younger pig in the house with older pigs they were separated and on different schedules.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have the baby in a caged area with her bed and toy and her litter box for now .how old should she be to start taking her out With Oliver ? Ps thank you for your quick response.

      Delete
  4. I have a question on potty training my Wilbur, we have had him for about 2-3 weeks now and we had him potty trained well my dog got upset with us and showed him how to go behind the couch and we can't get him back to going on the pee pads when not outside, he only stays in the living room too? One more thing, we are getting him spayed soon but a horrible smell comes out of his area and now there is red bumps that look like hives on his stomach near his downstairs what is that? Also you say to keep them moisturizers from the inside out but what do I use to do that? Tia sincerely a proud piggy parent(newbie)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I would the clean the area behind the couch and then block it off so that neither the pig or dog can get back there to potty. I'm not a fan of the pee pads as you are training him to go potty in the house instead of outside. Make sure you keep him on a routine and remember that he is a baby and accidents will happen.

    I would check with the vet to see what the red bumps are...it could be a simple rash to something else.

    ReplyDelete
  6. We have a 4 month old mini pop belly that we have been litter box training. He does VERY well. I let him outside as much as possible so he can get in the soil and so he can use the potty. He has one place in the house that if he has an accident it is usually there. My question is if anyone has a best practice with the litter. We use the cedar pellets. The Greenwise does pretty good and the odor is not bad. However, they were out of this the other day and I had to get and alternate brand and the pee smell is horrific!! Any suggestions?

    ReplyDelete
  7. I have a 4 month old female that we have been trying to potty trail for 2 months. She will do well for a couple days and then is back to peeing in the house. I have brand new carpet and it is getting really frustrating. My husband wants to get rid of her because she is ruining it. Do they ever get truly potty trained....like the dog? Or will it always need to be a schedule and treats? Please help.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is your girl spayed? All learned potty habits can go out the window when they are in heat. Are you being consistent with your training and is she being confined to just one room or area of the house? They need a schedule and if we don't stick to it, then it is our fault not theirs. At her age I would be taking her out to potty about every 4 hours. She is still a baby and does not have full control over her bladder.

      Not sure what you mean by truly potty trained. All the house pigs that we have had here have been potty trained...meaning that they eventually went out morning and evening, but were still on a schedule. Even the dog that is here now and in the house, he is 8+ years old, is on a schedule and yes he is potty trained. We go out twice in the morning and twice in the evening.

      Delete
    2. I guess I mean ask to go out..vs just going where ever they feel the urge...

      Delete
    3. She was just spayed last week. I feel like she does good for a day or two then she is a peeing machine for a couple days...she peed on me on the couch the other day...never even bothered to get up. Is this normal? She was just vet checked last week and everything looked good. I take her out everytime the dogs go out...which is often. I reward her with cheerios...which she loves. I just don't feel like she is getting it and I am not sure what I am doing wrong. Maybe it's her age?

      Delete
    4. It sounds like your girl might have the run of the house or too much room to roam at this age. Limit her area to just one room...a couple at the most for now. A schedule makes all the difference in the world with training them. Watch as she may be giving you signs that she needs to potty and you aren't seeing them right now.

      Glad to hear that your girl has been spayed. It is not normal for them to just pee on us. Is she going potty when you take her outside to potty? I have found that we just can't let them out and assume that they will go. And potty time needs to be different from play time. Did the vet check for an infection? It is possible that she has UTI or bladder infection and why she is having the accidents.

      Delete
    5. She had a UTI... She is almost done with a 10 day course of antibiotics and doing much better. :)

      Delete
    6. Glad to hear that there was a reason for her accidents...sorry it was a UTI. Glad she is doing better.

      Delete
  8. Also what is the best way to get the urine out if the carpet?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The product that we like best is called Odormute...though there are several good products on the market. Please make sure that you read the label first as some do not guarantee results if you have treated with something else first.

      Delete
  9. HI Dottie! I am a proud new owner of a piggie. I just love him so much but he is having a terribly hard time with the training. He is in a pen when we are not holding him or with him. All he has space for is a litter box and him to lay down. The woman I got him from said he was trained, always went in one corner of the box. I know there is a period of adjustment for a new pig in a new home. He seems to be happy, we are keeping him contained, clean box but not too clean, tried a big box, a smaller box, no box just pine shavings... he urinates right next to them. The woman who owned him first 4 1/2 months said he used pine shavings so the litter is the same. He is not harnessed trained. Should I just forgo the inside training and start to outside train him? How can I do this with out him being harness trained? I really want to help him, please help me:) He also seems to be urinating as soon as someone that is holding him is putting him down, it could be 15 minutes could be 45... could he be acting out?
    Any help would be greatly appreciated.
    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  10. It sounds like your pen is a bit small as he needs room to walk around also...maybe he does, but it doesn't read that way.

    Was he ever neutered?

    As a rule pigs do not like change so changing the boxes can be confusing.

    I would harness train him no matter what.

    Is the yard not fenced? For me fenced yards are a must and potty training is made that much easier. I take them out using a container of food. I shake it to get them to come to me and they get a reward most, but not all of the time. Some of mine do better with the treat container then my calling their name.

    I can't stress enough that they need and like a routine so get him on a schedule of going potty. It does make life easier. :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi, we are considering taking in a 4 month potbelly indoor pig from friends of friends who have decided it's more work than they thought.
    Very little training has been done. Firm believer in consistent watching your pets & a schedule is a required. My question is we have 3 large indoor dogs that are on electric collars for an electric fence. Has anyone ever used an electric collar on a pig.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sadly most people don't do any research before getting a pig for a pet. It is very different than having a dog and they need to be trained differently. Hopefully this pig is spayed/neutered. The electric collars do not work on the pigs and you really need a fenced yard for them to keep them in and other neighborhood animals out. Please know that pigs and dogs do not make a good mix and ALWAYS need supervision. Hope this helps.

    ReplyDelete