Come When Called
Come when called is a popular and super adorable trick that pretty much anyone would love to teach their guinea pig. Coming when called is one of the best "dog" tricks you can teach your piggy. This trick is just so cute, it's hard not to have a smile on your face when your guinea pig comes running over to you. :) This trick is also pretty easy to teach, and helps to build up your bond with your piggy.
How to Teach a Guinea Pig to Come When Called (Video Tutorial)
For this trick, you will need....
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Step 1
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Start with the guinea pig right in front of you, close enough that you can get their attention easily. Get their attention by calling their name and holding a treat out towards them if needed. Reward when they turn towards you. Repeat this a couple times. |
Step 2
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Increase the distance just a little bit and call the guinea pig to you again, in the same way as above. Repeat a few times, until the guinea pig confidently comes when called from a close distance. |
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Step 3
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Keep practicing, gradually increasing the distance. If the guinea pig stops responding to you at any point, go back to working at a closer distance and progress at a slower pace. Set the guinea pig up for success by increasing the distance slowly and only calling them when you're pretty sure they will come. |
Step 4
Keep going with this process until you are happy with the distance your guinea pig is coming to you from. After the guinea pig understands the basics of this trick, you can also work on teaching your piggy to come to you outside the training environment, in bigger areas, from around a corner (with you out of sight), and with little distractions set up in the guinea pig's path (like small piles of hay and toys). These can be taught in the same way as above, by starting close and gradually stretching out the distance.
Additional Tips For Teaching This Trick
- The key to teaching this trick is to start out close and gradually increase the distance as the guinea pig learns. If your piggy isn't catching on, try working at a closer distance for a bit longer until the guinea pig is more confident with what you are asking.
- Make sure you use the same word or cue every time you call your guinea pig. Mixing up the cues is confusing for the guinea pig for any trick.
- Practice feeding your guinea pig their favorite veggies from your hand before trying this trick. If your guinea pig is comfortable taking food from your hand, teaching them to come when called will be much easier.
