Tame sows and boars are easier to handle and have better productivity. The amount of contact with people that will produce a calm, easy to drive market pig is going to vary. Genetic factors will interact with previous experiences. Pigs which are very excitable would require more contact with people in the pens than calm pigs. Most confinement reared finishing pigs would probably benefit from toys and a radio.
Pigs differentiate between people in the aisle and people in the pen.
For maximum effect the person must enter the pen. Welfare Implications Environmental enrichment procedures improve welfare. Many experiments have been conducted on the effect of sensory restriction on animal behavior and physiology. Dogs, rats, and other animals reared in a barren environment will become hyper-excitable. They will react strongly to small stimuli which would hardly be noticed by animals reared in a more enriched environment.