A good number of year ago , when my wife and I got the first four chickens of then - suburban plenty , a farmer friend of ours monish us in a ill-humored drawl , “ follow that dog of yours . You do n’t want him taking notice of those crybaby . ”
My married woman snickered and I bite the insides of my cheek to keep from smiling . “ That dog ” was a ten - year - old Labrador Retriever who ’d lose the drive to dog ( or even notice ) a living matter that did n’t approach him bearing intellectual nourishment long before this moment . But the warning , of grade , was actual — if unfounded in the case of Charlie , who , even after moving with us to a farm take with hundreds of free - swan chickens , give out to acknowledge one of them until his dying twenty-four hour period — and it was one we also heard when we brought home Blue the Australian Shepherd ( who wish to herd the chickens ) and , subsequent to Charlie ’s passing game , Roscoe the Schnoxie ( who ’s nipped at a bird or two ) . We lucked out with our fellow , but some bounder just ca n’t contend the instinctual impulse to hunt a turgid , ground - dwelling bird , and if that ’s the case with one of your dogs , you really should see that dog . Rodney Wilson
But what I never heard was an admonishment to watch our pawl around the pig . And that really is a shame , because if chickens cause a primal tickling in a Canis familiaris ’s Einstein , then pigs are like a full - blown siren .
A piece of writing assignment year ago led me to a handful of story about pig enkindle as pets being attacked by firedog . In a few of these tarradiddle , the pigs and dogs lived in the same mansion and flirt together , then one day , the dog just “ tear , ” round his sidekick . So I brought my wariness of the interaction of these two species with me into my foray into husbandry : I follow my dog get really weird around pigs , but they never got the chance to cost me a sloven .
What’s the Deal?
Pigs unleash aprimal instinct in dogs . Though years of careful breeding have brought a once - wild species safely into our homes , there ’s no getting around the fact that , buried somewhere in Fido ’s DNA , an ancient beast lurks . Some dog with food payoff can become wolf - alike when stress and a perceived scourge to their bowling ball trust , for example . And some dogs — more than many people understand — exploit into that inner skirt chaser when a slovenly person displays its “ pigness . ”Rodney Wilson
Beyond predatory temptation ( which is the same problem some wienerwurst have with chickens ; again , watch that dog-iron ) , there are two chief mutual exclusiveness progeny that can lead a dog to attack a pig .
The first is that these two fauna are very different mintage . Dogs recognize highly formalized social structures , or “ packs , ” and expect a pig to watch these roles , which is something pigs simply do n’t grasp . So when a slovenly person has something a dog desire , and the hotdog sees itself as the alpha with a right wing to that thing , the pig will have no understanding of the dog ’s stance on issuance of the affair — and an attack is potential . This situation is often compounded by a slovenly person ’s rarity and friendliness , which can hinder the beast ’s power to realize close at hand danger and a want to scat . Ergo , cataclysm .
Rodney Wilson
The second is what I ’ve observed the most on our farm : grunter force dogs crazy . More specifically , a pig ’s high - pitched squeal is like a initiation for the dog ’s primal instincts . We learned speedily to lock the doorway behind us when we brought shote in for expurgation , as the strait made our dogs throw themselves against the door attempt to get in . We also learned to lock the doors to the farrow shed , where our dog would urge their noses between the barn boards in reaction to piglets fight for a nipple . There are potential some enchanting neurological processes going on in a dog ’s head when a pig squeals , but what I can narrate you is that it ’s inadvisable to allow for that racket to occur when a weenie has accession to the pig . Because , as I already remark : calamity .
But Why?
Maybe you , like me , are a pig farmer with no notion of ever raise a pig inside the house as a pet . Your dogs respect the hog fence , and you would n’t dream of allowing them into the farrow barn . Why would I take to watch the hot dog around the pigs ?
Many , if not most , pig stock breeder end up with a stigma - new piglet in their home at some point . It ’s certainly happened to me . And if that moment arrive for you , please recall to never leave your dog unsupervised with the piglet . ascertain that dog of yours .
Rodney Wilson
