Don’t forget that miniature pigs are still a PIG! They will try to eat everything in sight and if they can smell something, they will try to get at it to eat that too. All pigs live to eat and if they ever feel full, they certainly don’t seem to tell you about it. If you give into a pig with snacks, they will want a snack every time and can get aggressive if not presented with their snack immediately.
This is essentially the key – always be consistent with your feeding and always show that you’re the one in control when it comes to dispensing food. If you’re giving your piglet snacks whenever he asks, then he is the one in control of dispensing the food and you’re just there to be his personal vending machine. Once this happens, he will start to lose respect for you and you will potentially fall down the pecking order and at that point, he becomes boss hog and things will spiral out of control from there.
A decision needs to be made and applied consistently. No snacks! Tell all family members and make sure they are following the rules, sticking to the plan 100% otherwise you will be teaching the piglet that he just has to beg for a little bit longer to get his snack.
When you commence stopping the flow of food, the best way to handle your pig is to ignore him. Pretend he’s not even there and he will soon get the message. Make sure not to spill any food on the floor because he may mistake it for you feeding him.
When it is his feeding time, feed him in a special area away from your table before you eat your meals. Continue to ignore him when you start eating yourself and if you must feed him outside of normal meal times, make him perform a trick to earn it.
Some larger pigs can get quite rough when it comes to food and while you’re training your pig, it’s probably best to not let small children hand feed your piglet as they can easily get knocked down in the rush to get food down his throat. If this happens often enough, the pig may establish a dominant position over the child and may become aggressive in the future if he thinks he can get away with it.
If you never feed your pig when you’re eating, he will never beg for food.
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