Labrador Retriever and Guinea Pig?

Question

So, a neighbor of mine has 2 male guinea pigs and she needs to get rid of them. Her husband never wanted them in the first place, and her kids lost interest so she agreed to let them go. She said she had a classified ad for 30 days now and no takers. Now her husband is threatening to drop them off in the park, which I couldn't BELIEVE! They are fighting over this. So I stepped in and suggested I take them. My little munchkins (my kids) were excited. They played with the guinea pigs, held them, the guinea pigs were great! Calm, cuddly, very open to being handled, so I thought, let's do it! But the problem is, I have a 2 year old Labrador. I am just wondering if anyone has had experience with a Lab and guinea pigs. I am not the type to leave the animals in a cage. I would have them free mostly, and also let them play in the backyard. But do you think my dog will want to attack? Is there any hope? When I take in animals it is permanent, so I need help deciding what to do, thanks!!!!!

Ofcourse I would have a cage for them. It's actually a great 2 story cage she is providing, along with a large playpen for outside. I just meant that I find it cruel to keep them confined to a cage more than a few hours a day. Great advice guys. I think I will definitely take this on!

Okay everyone, I brought them home! My dog was curious and a little excited, but we used all the correcting techniques you all suggested. We had them in their cage getting used to their new environment for a few hours, and just kept going in to talk to them. We took them out and just sat them in our laps and petted them, and our dog just sat quietly and watched while we praised and petted her as well. They are great additions to our family. So thank you all for the advice. And don't worry: although I don't want to confine the guinea pigs for the most part of the day, when I do let them have freedom, the dog will be OUT and we will be near them supervising them at all times. I am not going to just let them wander 24-7 as they please. LOL. But we love them, so thanks for the great answers.

Answer 1

You need them in a pen, its not only your dog you have to worry about its cats and even predator bird will eat the pigs. Take them into a pet shop they will take them

Answer 2

First, you shouldn't let the guinea pigs run free unsupervised - ever. They could get in unreachable places, or chew something you don't want gnawed on.

Other than that, labs have very low prey drives. Much unlike cats or akitas, that will attack anything small and fuzzy (Unless trained as a kitten or puppy)

But just because labs are SUPPOSED to have low prey drives, doesn't mean YOURS will.

Have someone responsible hold the dog on the leash, while you or another introduce a guinea pig in your hands. See how the dog reacts. Barking, jumping up and down, attempting to get it - not good signs.

Just test it out, and heavily supervise the animals for the first few meetings, with the dog kept on the leash until you're sure it won't attack.

But just considering the breed of your dog, there's tremendous hope that this will work out. Lab's are the best with other animals.

Answer 3

As far as getting along with your lab, it depends on your dog, really. Labs can be animal aggressive too. My in-laws have a labrador that was a little too rough with their old guinea pig, but my wheaten mix don't even give mine a second glance. It all depends on the personality of your dog, not necessarily the breed.

Regardless, I would never let your pigs out with the dog unsupervised. Try holding a pig in your lap and calling the dog over, see if s/he shows any huge interest in the pig, and study her reactions. If s/he is rough or tries to bite, it would be a good idea to have the pigs out in a seperate room for floortime while the dog gets walked by another family member. Or even keep the pigs in a gated off or closed room for floor time.

Again, it depends on your dog's personality. If it's the type that likes to chase squirrels and rabbits, it might not like seeing a guinea pig scurry around its floor. If it doesn't seem to care either way, it should be safe to have them in the same room, supervised.

Answer 4

You'd better leave the guinea pigs in their cage when the kids are not playing with them.

For one thing, they can't be litter box trained or housebroken. Left to run loose, they will crap everywhere.

For another reason, they will find a quiet dark place and you will rarely see them. Guinea Pigs are naturally nocturnal. They are rodents so they will find something to chew on to keep their teeth worn down. If you don't have them in a cage with chew sticks, they will chew on your furniture, baseboards, or electrical wires.

Yet another reason you need to cage the Guinea Pigs is that they will be frightened you your Lab. They will run, and the Lab will chase, it is in his nature and he couldn't help it if he wanted. Then the Lab will either catch them and give them a big (fatal) munch right in front of your horrified kids, or the dog will overturn furniture and totally disrupt the house in a frantic effort to catch the guinea pigs or rout them out from under whatever piece of furniture they are hiding under.

And if you let the guinea pigs play in the back yard, don't be surprised if you never see them again. They can slip through cracks you would think impossible for them to fit through. We won't even talk about hawks, use your imagination. Guinea Pigs are just too small, and too secretive to be allowed outside without close supervision, and I'd not trust small children with that supervision.

Guinea Pigs are cute, they can be sweet, and even affectionate, but you can't treat them like dogs. They need to be confined for their safety, and sanitation. Doing otherwise is simply irresponsible, and unwise.

Doc

Answer 5

I have 2 bouncy pups, so dogs have always been a problem. When you come to the cage, do not get pet store/commercial cages as they are wayy to small, aquariums are also out of the option. Therefore you should consider a C&C cage (cubes and coroplast), these are easy to make, modify and clean let alone the fact that they are cheap. Plus you can make a dog safe, inclosed cage to keep your piggers safe.
http://www.guineapigcages.com/cubes.htm
http://www.guineapigcages.com/types.htm
http://www.guineapigcages.com/safety.htm
This is the main page:
http://www.guineapigcages.com/index.htm
You will need at least a 10.5sq ft cage, more considering they are boars (males). The cage is not the only thing to consider, money (vet bills, food etc), time and space all need to be thought over carefully. I suggest that you research alot, guinealynx, guineapigcages and cavyspirit are all great sites to start you off:
http://www.guinealynx.com/
http://www.guineapigcages.com/index.htm
http://www.cavyspirit.com/

I have also brought a play pen from a baby store (as it was cheaper), the one I have got means that if I buy extra sections I can make it bigger, this adds extra protection.

When the dogs first saw the cage they growled and commando crawled up to it. After that they just run straight past and the piggers have got used to them barking, so all is good.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

How is your Lab with other small animals? Has he or she ( you didnt say which sex) behave well towards small animals and puppies when introduced to them?

I would suggest you let the Lab watch them in their hutch or night time cage for the first few days and then let the guinea pigs out while the Lab is on a leash.

Watch how the dog responds. Does the dog react if so they're food or an interesting new toy.

Given these are small animals no matter how well behaved your Lab is make sure everytime they're out together the guinea pigs can retreat to their hutch or have a human around to supervise.

From my experience with Labs they should be okay since Labs are retrievers not hounds but be careful .

And dont let any terrier or hound type breeds in the yard.

Our dachshund once surprised us by catching a mouse!

Answer 7

They should be caged when not being played with. Your dog may see them as toy and could hurt them accidentally. If your dog is trained and has manners you could put him/her on a down stay while you're playing with them so your dog learns that they are now a part of the family and not toys. Your dog will naturally be curious and could be able to sniff them while in the cage. Labs are very smart dogs as you know and once the newness is over it should be fine. Just never let them alone together without you. It is very important to keep them in a cage for their safety as well as happiness. They will feel much more secure in their own home. All the best;~)

Answer 8

Have the guinea pigs in a closed room. Introduce your Labrador to them, when the guineas are in a cage.

I wouldn't worry too much, since Labradors aren't really animal aggressive. When I had a guinea pig, I also had an Australian Cattle Dog. She never wanted to harm the guinea pig, but I had to keep a real close eye on her, because she wanted to herd him, and that would've harmed him, unintentionally.

Introduce them properly, and let the dog know that the guinea pigs are NOT to be messed with, and everything should be fine. Never leave them unattended though!

Answer 9

first the guinea pigs are safest in a cage while you can't observe them. letting them run free in the house and backyard is really no safer than dropping them off in the park. they chew. they are rodents and could easily chew on electrical cords when you're not watching them. a lab will on instinct want to chase them. keep your lab on leash and correct any type of chasing or attacking behavior immediatly. and no you should never leave the dog and pigs alone unobserved, unless you want to explain to your kids what happened. research on proper guinea pig care. they require additional vit. c supplementation on top of their normal diets. green veggies high in vit c are the best. i think if you want to let piggies and doggie run free in your home you are asking for a slaughter. it won't be the dog's fault that's for sure. but proper training of the dog can help avoid any problems when it's playtime for the little rodents.



no labs that are well trained and socialized usually aren't aggressive. but they are and were bred to be hunting dogs. they will pick up just about anything in their mouths and can inadvertantly kill a small guinea pig.

labs have a prey drive. they are hunting dogs. they were bred to help hunt fowl. they have a huge prey drive. it's just channeled into not to kill, but just to carry the prey back to the human.

Answer 10

Let you piggies have floor time when the dog is outside. When I hold my pig my large dog puts his head in my lap too to be patted. The dog now sits for carrots whenever the pigs get one. But don't let them together on the floor. One pat of the large foot would kill them....and they do sound like squeeky toys.