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cavysqueak

Guineas & dogs

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My husband & I recently tried to rehome two greyhounds, who had supposedly been vetted by the rehoming charity for our circumstanses. However one of them tried to bite one of our guinea pigs and we were unhappy about the safety of those particular dogs with our guinea pigs (& to a lesser extent our chickens - although I think they would've been chicken trainable). We had to return the dogs to the charity, which was a very traumatic expericnce. As my husband has never owned a dog before he is understandably reluctant to think about getting another dog. Its really frustrating for me as my family had a whippet cross when I was a child & we always had a house full of other animals - birds, rats, guineas - sometimes all at once, and they all got along brilliantly.

 

For future reference & to try to persuade my husband that having dogs & other animals can work I was wondering how many of you have dogs & guineas or other animals. If you have a dog(s) did you get dog or other animals first? What breed of dog have you got? How much training did you have to do to get the dog(s) & other animals to live together? Also any other information you can think of!

 

Thank you, Claire

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That's such a shame, I don't know much about greyhounds but have three dogs, a cat and my chicken girlies and all get along fine. The cat is 11 and the dogs 8, 5 and 2 but the cat grew up with my previous dog. It's funny to see the cat sat with her face screwed up while one of the dogs give her a wash and they sleep together too. To reassure your hubby our previous dog was a cocker spaniel called Amber and the kids had the usual array of guinea pigs, rabbits and hampsters and we never had a problem. It's a case of training and also the temperament of the dog itself.

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That's a shame that things didn't work out with the dogs.

We have lots of guinea pigs, lots of rats and two african pygmy hedgehogs, all in the house, along with a Westie.

We had rats before we got the dog (as a 7 week old puppy) and have had the piggies for much of her life too. We've also had several hamsters.

She's never bothered much about any of them. But we didn't teach her that there's any difference between them all. We watch her with the rats in case she gets her nose nipped, and Westies are natural ratters, but she thinks the piggies are puppies and knows to leave the hedgehogs alone!

I'd never trust her 100% and never free-range the rats when she's around, but I can safely say that we don't have any issues with her. But then, as I said, we've had her since she was 7 weeks old.

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I presume they are ex racing greyhounds? The urge to chase small furry animals is huge in greyhounds especially ex-racers. You are lucky you still have any guineas, ex racers will kill anything, including cats. I despair of rehoming places sometimes and I am so sorry for you having to go through all that.

 

My advice would be steer away from any hounds and terriers. I know sometimes it works, but best not to risk it. Gundogs are a good bet, although they will still show a lot of interest. Rescue dogs come with baggage, thats the down side.

 

To be safe I would never let a dog near your guineas, not without caging between them anyway.

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Sorry to hear they didn't get on. We have had rabbits and guineas for years, our last dog was a collie cross and he got on well with them. The rabbit used to do figure of eight runs around his legs. Last September, after the collie was PTS, we adopted a retired racer greyhound from Perry Barr. He had "cat tested" OK, but was initially quite excitable around the small furries. The guineas, he pretty much ignores now, although he likes to clean up after them if they have been out in the run on the grass. The run is open topped - he will stick his nose in to see what they have left for him. We have had a couple of dog/rabbit incidents - the last accident resulted in the rabbit going up the garden in the dogs mouth! The rabbit did what comes naturally - he just played dead, and the dog dropped him on the lawn, completely unhurt. Since then, they have been OK together, the rabbit comes into the house and the dog ignores him, although we do still have to be careful to supervise things. The funniest thing has been the chickens, which we got in May. Again, dog was initially excited, but soon calmed down. However, since the chickens started stealing the dogs food and treats, he's been avoiding them like the plague!

 

So, maybe we have been lucky, maybe it's because we only have the one greyhound rather than two. We have spent a lot of time trying to train him - not the easiest job as they must have been at the back of the queue when the brains were handed out. We can walk him off the lead, which I'm told is unusual.

 

Incidentally, don't ever let anyone tell you that Greyhounds need a lot of exercise. They are the laziest dogs imaginable and have raised the art of relaxation into a zen-like state of (un)consciousness!

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Incidentally, don't ever let anyone tell you that Greyhounds need a lot of exercise. They are the laziest dogs imaginable and have raised the art of relaxation into a zen-like state of (un)consciousness!

 

This is the main reason we went for greyhounds. I think that we were unlucky with the dogs themselves, they both had a mad interest in the animals. I know that they have been trained with an instinct to chase little furries, but you can get some who don't show much interest (which could also be why they haven't been able to race).

 

Thank you for your replies. Its probably going to be some time before we think of going down this path again, but your thoughts have given me food for thought. Thanks again.

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I am not the slightest bit surprised that the 2 greyhounds were interested in your guinea pigs. It is unusual for ex racers (assuming that this is what they were) to be re homed with any small furries. Homes with cats and other furries are usually not an option because of their training. Many many dogs live with a variety of other creatures but many grow up with them or are carefully introduced over a period of time. If you are rescuing a dog it is best to try and ensure that the dog has come from a home with a cat at the very least.

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Greyhounds, Guineapigs and Chickens most definately do not mix. Our greyhounds have killed 2 of our chickens and one of our guineapigs (all 3 times when the piggies or chickens have escaped unexpectedly). Greyhounds are pretty gentle dogs but their prey drive is so high they cannot ever be trusted but small furries. Even those brought up as pets (not ex racers) can never be certified 100% safe with anything smaller than a labrador!

 

Suffice to say our other pets are now all kept well out of the way of my beloved couch-potatos!

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I have a desperate need for a whippet. My husband is using my guinea pigs as a reason why not :?

 

We have 6 dogs - 1 is a Whippet x Bedlington, 2 are Wire Vizslas and the rest are all terriers.

 

The guinea pigs live out all spring/summer/autumn and live in a large hutch in the hen WIR all winter. The dogs can see the guineas in their outside run but cannot reach them as they have their own section in the garden.

 

The Whippet x Bedlington is not true to his mix and loves the guineas - the terriers however I wouldn't trust with them and the Wires don't bother.

 

The Guineas are totally chilled about the dogs and often just sit and watch one of the terriers in particular who gets a bit excited by their presence!

 

If you got the Whippet as a puppy it would be easier :wink: Tell your husband that :D

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