Guinea pigs are cute and playful pets. They are cuddly and affectionate and can learn tricks just as well as dogs or cats.

 

Regularity is important for guinea pig training. Set a specific time of day to exercise with the animal and do this every day. The training sessions should not be longer than five minutes at the beginning. Later on, they can be extended to 15 minutes. It is good if you combine the guinea pig's training times with its routine, i.e. immediately before or after feeding, stroking or sleeping.

You can house-train a guinea pig by placing a toilet box in its cage, in the corner where it usually does its business. Whenever the guinea pig uses the crate for its intended purpose, you should reward it with a small treat. After a few weeks, you can let the guinea pig run around the room freely and place its litter box in a corner. Don't forget to show the animal the box. Even now, it should be rewarded every time it uses the crate as a toilet. If something goes wrong, you must not punish the guinea pig.

Nibbling is part of your guinea pig's instinct. To prevent it from nibbling on your furniture, give it something it can nibble and gnaw on to its heart's content, for example a piece of wood, a nibbling toy or some newspaper to shred.

A nice trick is begging on command. Simply hold a favourite treat over the guinea pig's nose, high enough that it has to stretch to reach it. Let the guinea pig stand on its hind legs before it gets its treat. Say a command word (for example "beg" or "up"). Later, when the animal hears the command, it will automatically stand on its hind legs to get its treat. You will also notice that it learns to stand on just two legs for longer and longer periods of time.

Playing dead is also a favourite, easy trick for guinea pigs. When the guinea pig is sitting, gently push it backwards until it is lying on its back. Say "dead" as you do this. Practise this again and again until the guinea pig learns to lie on its back until you signal to it that it can get up again.

Teach the guinea pig to climb stairs. Place the animal at the bottom of the stairs and gently push it forwards. You can place its front paws on the next step. Once it has climbed a step, give it a reward. The better the guinea pig learns to climb stairs, the more you should limit the rewards so that it later only gets one treat for the whole flight of stairs.

You need to be patient when training a guinea pig. Be consistent but gentle and remember that it should be fun for both of you.