Do Dogs Get Along with Guinea Pigs? Introducing & Safety Tips

Dogs really are mans best friend and can make a great addition to the family. They are loyal, friendly, and are always eager to please. The issue that some people have however is introducing dogs to a home that already has pets. Dogs often get along with other dogs and even cats, but do dogs get along with guinea pigs?

I grew up in a house of dogs and guinea pigs and have seen firsthand that they can get along just fine. Although it wasn’t always without issue. One of our dogs took a lot more training and a great deal of patience before they could be trusted. In this article, I will cover some useful tips for introducing a dog to guinea pigs in a safe way.

Introductions & Safety

When introducing your guinea pig and dog it is important to prepare some rules and precautions. How you do this depends on whether the new pet you are bringing into your home is the dog or the guinea pig.

The main thing to remember here though is to take things slowly and cautiously at all times. You also need to have your guinea pigs safety as your main concern, as they are the ones at risk of injury or worse.

Monitoring

You will always need to be in the same room as your pets to monitor their behavior and to prevent any incidents. It doesn’t matter how much you trust your dog or if you think your guinea pig cage is safe and secure, you will need to monitor them at all times.

Leaving your pets alone for even a few minutes may allow enough time for your dog to misbehave, or even attack your guinea pigs. The risk isn’t worth it. If you need to leave the room, take your dog with you or to another room and close the door.

Never assume that because a dog is behaving now that they always will. When I was young my family had a German Shephard that we completely trusted around our cats and guinea pigs. But almost as if out of nowhere she suddenly turned vicious, nearly killing one of the cats and suddenly showed interest in the guinea pigs.

Don’t worry, the cat fully recovered and the guinea pigs were kept safe.

Scent Sharing

Before even considering allowing your guinea pig and dog to be in the same room, you should first get them used to each other’s smell. Both dogs and guinea pigs have an especially good sense of smell, so they will both be very aware of eath other being in the same house.

Guinea pigs use smell to find food mostly, but most notably they use smell to sniff out potential predators. The smell of a strange animal such as a dog will cause their prey instincts to kick in at first, so don’t be surprised if they hide away more than usual.

Dogs, on the other hand, use their sense of smell to hunt and track things down rather than to warn them of danger. They will be very curious about the scent of guinea pigs and will want to track them down. This tracking instinct is even more prominent in hunting dog breeds such as Beagles and Terriers.

They will eventually get used to each other’s scent just by being in the same house. At this stage, it is most important that your dog slowly gets used to guinea pig smell. Do not try to rush this part by giving your dog something that smells of guinea pig, as this will only make them more likely to want to hunt them out.

Punishment and Reward

Any dog owner knows that proper training and discipline is important for having a well-behaved dog. When it comes to integrating a dog into a home with guinea pigs, you should implement rewards and punishments to reinforce good behavior and discourage bad behavior.

Treats and praise should be given to your dog if they are behaving well around your guinea pigs. For example; if you call your dog away from the cage and they listen straight away, you should give them a dog treat to reward and encourage this behavior. However, if bad behavior such as growling is displayed, you should scold your dog with a firm “no” and take them further away from the cage or out of the room entirely.

Your main goal here is to make it so that your dog shows no interest in your guinea pigs. You can start by having your dog on a leash in the same room as your guinea pigs, and have them perform tricks such as sitting, lying down or shaking paws. Reward them with a treat if they obey whilst keeping their full attention on you. You can then gradually bring them nearer the guinea pig cage and repeat this process.

Cage Safety

The most important thing you can do to ensure your guinea pig doesn’t get hurt by your dog is to “dog-proof” their cage. There are several ways in which you can make a guinea pigs cage dog-proof, and I strongly advise that you don’t cut corners here.

The first and most crucial way to make a guinea pig cage safe is to ensure that it can’t be broken into. The bars to the cage should be solid and secure, and if you’re using a C&C cage you should cable tie every panel together.

The second security issue is if you have a cage with an exposed top, so you may be worried your dog will jump into it. There are several things you can do to rectify this, and I recommend you do all of them. Firstly you should raise the cage from the floor as high as possible. This can be easily done by using a cage stand or table.

The second thing you can do is to buy or build a roof for your guinea pig cage. Chicken wire is a reasonable roof option, but it won’t stop a particularly determined dog from getting into the cage.

The final thing you can do if the above options are not possible is to simply buy a new enclosure that is solid and has a roof. For this option, I recommend a wooden indoor hutch like this one on amazon. This hutch meets all the size requirements for your guinea pigs, whilst also being very secure and sturdy.

Leash Your Dog

Dogs should be kept on a leash at first when in the same room as guinea pigs. Having your dog on a leash is a safe way to judge how they will act around your guinea pigs. It is also a good way to allow your dog to get used to the smell and sounds coming from the cage. If they start to show good behavior, are calm and show little or no interest in your guinea pigs, you can remove the leash to see how they behave.

At this point, you should be extra cautious in case your dog starts displaying warning signs. Be ready to react immediately if they attempt to go for the cage. If you find that once the leash is removed that your dog starts misbehaving, remove them from the room for a while and then reintroduce the leash.

Repeat this process as many times as necessary until your dog behaves without a leash. It is worth noting that some dogs may never get used to guinea pigs. In which case you will, unfortunately, need to keep them separated at all times.

Dog Breeds and Temperament

How well a dog behaves around guinea pigs will largely depend on their breed and temperament. Dog breeds that have been bred for hunting small animals are generally not suitable to have around guinea pigs for obvious reasons. Whereas, dog breeds that have no hunting instincts such as Labradors, are considered to be a lot more suitable around guinea pigs.

However, the problem here is that every dog is different and their temperaments can vary greatly. In fact, some pet owners have reported owning hunting dogs that have got on perfectly well guinea pigs. Not every Jack Russel will want to attack your guinea pigs, and not every Labrador will behave around them.

The breed of dog certainly will make a difference though, and it is still recommended to avoid hunting breeds. But ultimately what it mainly comes down to is good training, what age the dog is, and a bit of luck.

Warning Signs

You should always keep a careful eye on your dog when they are around your guinea pigs. But you’re not only there to stop or prevent any incidents, you are also there to spot any warning signs. Being able to spot these warning signs and take action quickly can prevent anything bad happening before it’s too late.

You should be on the lookout for certain body language and noises such as:

• Crouching
• Hyperactive
• Stalking
• Raised ears
• Intent staring
• Growling
• Whining

If your dog displays any of these behaviors you should use a command word such as “no” and have them come to you. If they won’t listen it is time to get more affirmative and then send them out of the room.

Puppies and Guinea Pigs

Although older dogs are generally better behaved, it is usually easier to introduce a puppy to guinea pigs and other pets. All dogs have a pack mentality that helps define their social order amongst other dogs. But this pack mentality can often extend to include humans and other animals, particularly with puppies.

Introducing a puppy into a home that already has other pets is likely to make them consider the other pets to be part of their pack. Their pack mentality is also likely to tell them that they are not the alpha, as they are the newest addition to the pack. The older the dog is, the less likely this is to happen.

A new puppy is probably going to be very energetic however. They may not see your guinea pigs as something to hunt, but they may want to play with them. You should never allow this as they may well injure or kill your guinea pigs, even if they didn’t intend to.

Dog Breeds To Avoid

Although training your dog to behave and get along with guinea pigs is the most important factor, there are certain dog breeds that are best avoided altogether. Dogs that were originally bred for hunting naturally have a high prey drive. These breeds will have a higher chance of wanting to attack your guinea pigs. This isn’t to say that these are bad dog breeds, it is just in their nature to hunt.

Popular breeds that have strong hunting instincts are include:

• Beagle
• American Foxhound
• Spaniels
• Terriers
• Greyhound

Dog Breeds That Are Good With Guinea Pigs

If you want an easier time training a dog to be around guinea pigs, you will want to go for any breed that has a low prey drive. For example; certain herding breeds have a low prey drive as they have been bred to protect other animals rather than hunt them. Some popular choices include:

• Golden Retriever
• Border Collie
• Boxer
• Great Pyrenees
• Old English Sheepdog