[aqh88]

I'm not gonna touch cesar millan because he isn't even worth it. His techniques should not be applied to any normal dog but only last chance cases that would otherwise be given up by their owners and likely PTS. However shock collars are a very useful training tool when used properly. They should not be used to provide pain but on a low enough setting to only get the dog's attention so that you can then give a command. Some dogs with high prey drives (like mine) get so set on something that no amount of yelling, screaming, jumping up and down, banging things, whistling, etc... will get their attention but the lightest physical sensation can break their concentration so they will again hear your commands. Problem is you can't always be close enough to touch them. That's where a shock collar comes in handy. It should never be used as punishment or for pain but only as a training aid to break their concentration off something and provide a reminder that they need to pay attention to you.

You should be fine having a dog around pigs if you are always able to see them. That I have no problem with. The problem is if you cannot pay attention to the pigs, are leaving the room, or are not home the dog needs to be in another room or with you. Best solution while your home is to just tie the dog to you. Hook a leash to the dog, and tie it to your waist, loop it over your arm, leg, whatever so you always know where the dog is and what it's doing. It has to go with you when you leave the room and you can stop it instantly before it can even reach the pigs. When cleaning the cage the dog either needs to be out of the room or properly restrained by tying to a sturdy object or putting them in a crate or pen. This is all just basic dog handling and training that should be done with any dog around any animal at least until they settle in and get to know each other. Training, supervision, and knowing when to confine my dog (such as for cage cleaning) is why I can have a 70+ lb high prey driven hunting dog, who will most definitely kill anything she can catch, around cats and small animals without really worrying about it. That and even the interior doors on my house have bolt locks so if I'm gone for 8 hours or more she is locked in one room, the pigs are locked in another, the cats are locked downstairs, and everyone has to go through at least 2 bolted doors to get to each other. Generally while I'm here though all doors are open and my guinea pig cage is open top but my dog can't set foot in the guinea pig room without me knowing and through training she wouldn't without permission. You need to work on more obediance training and especially "leave it" and "no" commands and you need to figure out a way to properly confine your dog when you are not around, sleeping, and cleaning the cage. Just making the cage sturdier is not enough. Surprisingly small dogs have broken very sturdy cages and guinea pigs have been killed through cages. Dogs have also broken out of crates and then into cages. Relying on the cage is not a good idea no matter how sturdy you think it is.