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Animals of the oddest pairings can sometimes come up on your social media feed. Sometimes, a snake and a mouse will seem to become friends, a coyote and a common canine, you name it! However, as cute as you might think these situations are in theory, animals’ lives can be in danger in these scenarios, even if it seems like all is well.
Canines have been used for millennia to weed out rodents and other small animals. Guinea pigs are fast-moving rodent prey animals. You can see how this pairing can be unwise from the start. While dogs and guinea pigs can never be left alone together, that doesn’t mean you can’t have both of them as pets. In this article, we aim to explain some things you can do to keep your guinea pig safe if you also have a dog.
Can Dogs and Guinea Pigs Get Along?
We don’t want to say it’s impossible for dogs and guinea pigs to get along, however, it’s unlikely that they will ever form a strong relationship and in most cases, the guinea pig will be in danger if left with a dog unattended.
It’s important to remember that guinea pigs are prey animals and dogs are predators by nature. Many dogs were bred to hunt and track down small animals such as guinea pigs, so your dog will not see a guinea pig as a pet the way that you do. They will need to be taught to stay away from your guinea pigs and this is easier said than done for some dogs.
Some dogs may have more restraint and less interest in a guinea pig than others, but you still don’t want to risk leaving the two of them alone together. There are ways that you can keep both a dog and a guinea pig together, though.
The 6 Tips for Living with Dogs and Guinea Pigs
If you want to keep both a dog and a guinea pig as a pet, here are some tips for making sure that the two can cohabit successfully, even if they don’t ever get along.
1. Don’t Let Your Dog Around the Guinea Pig’s Cage
Wherever your guinea pig hutch or enclosure is, make sure your dog just doesn’t have free rein and access to this area. You will need to keep them completely separated. Having a potential predator lurking around the guinea pig hutch is a welfare concern.
If your dog feels like they can get to the guinea pig, they might try to break through the enclosure when you’re not home or when you’re not around. If there is any way for your dog and guinea pig to make contact, you may come home to a tragedy. It’s best to keep your guinea pig in a separate room or area of the garden that your dog doesn’t have access to.
2. Don’t Let Your Dog Stress Your Guinea Pig Out
Guinea pigs are very nervous animals. That is because in the wild, guinea pigs are predated from the land and sky with raptors and Andean bears amongst the threats. To survive they need to be in a constant state of high alert.
Domesticated guinea pigs retain these survival instincts, and the presence of a larger mammal stalking or staring at them will be very stressful. Even if you don’t let your guinea pig out of their hutch, but your dog is allowed to roam around them, sniff them, and otherwise intrude on their safe space, it can cause some major anxiety for your guinea pig.
Since Guinea pigs are already naturally pretty anxious, putting them in a situation where they are in a constant state of fight or flight can really impact your guinea pig’s overall health and wellbeing.
3. Do Not Let a Child Supervise
You might think that your dog is calm enough to be in a situation where they can be with one of your children and a guinea pig with no consequence.
Accidents can happen very quickly. A child should not be left in a situation where they need to supervise the safety of two pets, one which can easily kill the other. In addition the child may potentially be caught in the cross fire if they need to intervene and be injured themselves.
Educate your children not to take the guinea pig and dog in a room by themselves, even if it really seems like the cutest scenario.
4. Don’t Buy Similar Toys for Dogs
If you are trying to desensitize your dog to your guinea pig, the last thing you want to do is rile them up with toys that sound just like them! If you buy squeaker toys or toys of a similar size or that look similar to a guinea pig, it can be very confusing for your dog to understand the difference.
They might hear the squeak and want to play! This can be incredibly dangerous, so it’s best if you never get it started in the first place. Trying to get prey animals and predators to coexist can be very difficult, and your dog being stimulated by squeaky toys is just another way to make this situation even more complicated.
If you do choose to use squeaky toys then we recommend that this is coupled with” leave it” and “drop it” commands so that they will reliably release the object. This will be a useful safety backup in case your dog and guinea pig ever accidentally come into contact.
5. Remember That Guinea Pigs Pack a Punch, Too
Don’t think that dogs are the only ones to pose danger in this situation. You might have a well behaved little Shih Tzu that you think wouldn’t hurt a fly. However, that doesn’t mean that when your guinea pig feels threatened, they won’t take a nip at the dog, no matter how harmless it might be.
A guinea pig has very sharp incisors that grow continually over time. They can easily pierce through your dog’s sensitive skin. Some guinea pigs are also more aggressive than others.
6. Use Scent Training
Your dog has an excellent sense of smell and will likely be very aware there is another animal in or near the house. To reduce the level of interest they have in searching out the source of the smell, you can practice scent swapping. Use a piece of material or clean cloth and rub it over the guinea pig. You can then give this to your dog to smell and investigate. Use this to re-enforce the leave it and drop it commands too. You can also attach the rag to a flirt pole to teach engage and disengage. This is another backup in case of accidental introduction of the guinea pig and dog. Better that they have practiced leaving the scent alone than becoming overwhelmed by it in the moment.
Always, Always, Always Supervise
Sure, the images of a dog and guinea pig frolicking around and having a grand old time will get lots of likes and loves from the digital audience. However, is it a good idea? The answer is a solid no. It is never a good idea to put an animal in a predicament where they could be in danger for any reason.
In fact, keeping an animal free from fear and distress is one of the five freedoms of animal welfare, in which animals should be treated safely and kept in safe conditions that keep them free from stress, fear, and mental suffering. The five freedoms of animal welfare are a global standard that describes the conditions in which animals should be kept under human care. If you can’t meet this or other requirements for your guinea pig, it’s best that you don’t keep them as a pet.
If your dog loves your guinea pig, it’s highly unlikely that they would ever hurt it on purpose. But it is very likely that they could hurt it by accident. Even smaller dogs like Chihuahuas and Pomeranians could hurt a guinea pig if they got a hold of it just right. The reality is, our dogs have powerful jaws and guinea pigs are a prime prey animal.
So, it’s best to always supervise the two animals if you ever have the guinea pig out of the cage for any reason. You can’t have too much trust in scenarios like this. No matter how cute you think it is that your guinea pig and dog interact with one another. Your dog might absolutely adore your guinea pig but prey drive and instinct can kick in, in an instant. A sudden snap, bite or picking up of your guinea pig by your dog can easily end in tragedy. So even if your dog doesn’t have bad intentions, they might not be able to understand or differentiate between your pet guinea pig and “prey” and may accidentally harm them by knocking into them, causing them stress, standing on them or picking them up.
Conclusion
Now you understand that guinea pigs and dogs are not the perfect pairing. While your dog might truly seem to love your guinea pig, that doesn’t mean that they can’t accidentally hurt them. However, there are ways to keep both of them as pets, provided that you supervise them closely. An interspecies relationship between a dog and guinea pig will depend heavily on the individuals involved but we do not recommend that they are allowed to interact.
You are the animal guardians, and it’s best that you use your own discretion on how you think the situation should be handled. However, because of the predator-prey relationship, we highly recommend never trusting a situation between a canine and a rodent.
Featured Image Credit: Garna Zarina, Shutterstock
