How to Train a Pet Pig to Do Tricks

While a pet pig may not be as eager to learn tricks as your average family dog, you may be surprised at how intelligent this animal can be when properly motivated. Pigs are known for being stubborn, so you'll need to be patient, attentive and affectionate in order to train your pet.

Things You'll Need

  • Pig treats, such as ice cream, grapes and breakfast cereal
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Instructions

    • 1

      Establish a strong bond with your pet pig before you train it to do tricks. Your pig will need to trust you before it will respond to your commands, and that can only come with time, kindness and frequent contact. The first step in creating this bond should be calling the pig by name whenever you approach it and waiting for it respond before you try to train the animal to do tricks.

    • 2

      Wait for your pig to be interested and attentive before you train it to do tricks. Pigs are stubborn and focused on their own activities by nature, and you will need to wait for one of its playful moods for the best results. You may be able to create this mood by throwing the pig a ball or a chew toy, or by throwing it a treat or two in advance.

    • 3

      Select a treat to reward your pet pig's behavior when you train it to do tricks. Choose one of its favorites, whether it be a grape, a handful of breakfast cereal or even a spoonful of ice cream.

    • 4

      Choose a one word command to initiate the trick and say it in a relatively high voice to catch the pig's attention. By saying the command every time you prompt the pig to do the trick, the pig will then link the two behaviors and perform the trick.

    • 5

      Pick specific tricks for your pig to perform, keeping within the realm of the animal's physical abilities. A good beginning is to have your pig come when you call it. Once you are successful at this trick, you can move on to more complex tricks such as rolling over, calming down and chasing its tail.

    • 6

      Offer the pig plenty of praise and affection as it moves closer to completing the trick. Prompt the animal to complete the trick by gently showing the correct behavior until it does it on its own. Soon you will be able to get your pet pig to perform tricks simply by praise, as opposed to the treats.