Lambert being aggressive or trying to rough house?

FORUM

What are we about? Please read about our Forum Culture and check out the Rules.

BUNNY 911 – If your rabbit hasn’t eaten or pooped in 12-24 hours, call a vet immediately! Don’t have a vet? Check out VET RESOURCES

The subject of intentional breeding or meat rabbits is prohibited. The answers provided on this board are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. It is your responsibility to assess the information being given and seek professional advice/second opinion from your veterinarian and/or qualified behaviorist.

BINKYBUNNY FORUMS

This topic has 7sd replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 9 years, 9 months ago by Bam.

Viewing 7 reply threads

Author

Messages
- 07/05/2016 at 5:07 PM
  Doomzies
  Participant
  25 posts
  Just wondering if anyone has any experience with rabbits and small dogs together? I’m not sure if Lambert is trying to play with one of my dogs, or attack her? They’re both exactly the same weight right now (about 6 1/2 lbs) and he leaves my larger dog alone (the larger dog is about 23 lbs), but any time Lambert sees my small dog (Josephine) he runs up to her and starts following her around and nipping her, when he nips her she yelps and bites him and tries to walk away from him but she’s a very gentle dog and her bites have never left so much as a red mark on anything in the entire time I’ve owned her, so I don’t think she gets her point across as he’ll keep doing it until I run over and separate them. I don’t think he’s drawn any blood when nipping her (she has a lot of hair) so I don’t know for certain, is he trying to get her to play with him and is being too rough or is he being aggressive? He’s about 13 weeks old now, is a flemish giant so he’ll get bigger eventually, and he has only been neutered for a week now, he was starting to show some territorial issues such as peeing on the couch and nipping my husband and I for no reason before the neuter, are there any suggestions as to what I can do to teach him to leave her alone? Is this something he may grow out of? She’s afraid of him now where before she really liked him and would lick him and try to get him to play with her, and they don’t interact often because normally she’s on the couch and he isn’t allowed on the furniture but I just worry about when he’s bigger what he could potentially do to her if I can’t separate them in time!!
  
  Any advice would help!!!
- 07/06/2016 at 5:36 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17032 posts
  I am pretty sure Lambert is courting your dog. It happened with my Bam and my German Shepherd dog. She was not able to get her point across, a bunny in love is persistent to say the least.
  
  Just after a neuter, many bunnies get waht’s called a post-neuter craze, when the hormones still in their systems run wild. This means they show even more sexually driven behavior than before they were neutered. This generally subsides after 2-4 weeks, in rare cases even longer. There’s not a lot you can do until it does subside exept keep dog and rabbit apart (rabbit will most likely NOT like being separated from his chosen one, but the dog will probably be relieved.)
- 07/06/2016 at 7:51 PM
  Doomzies
  Participant
  25 posts
  At least it’s something that may go away! That makes me relieved!!! He doesn’t bother her unless he actually sees her, so keeping them separate is easy to do, and when he pesters her I reprimand him until he eventually gives up and leaves her alone! Thanks for the information!! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that he’ll calm down in a month or two!!!!!!!
- 07/07/2016 at 2:32 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17032 posts
  Hopefully you won’t have to wait that long. My Bam stopped courting my dog two weeks after his neuter, and he was perfectly obsessed with her before that. She’s a very patient dog, but she wasn’t amused.
- 07/12/2016 at 5:34 PM
  Doomzies
  Participant
  25 posts
  Update with Lambert (the naughty flemish) and Josie (the small dog): he seems to be less persistent when it comes to pestering her but is still doing it when he gets excited, I’m still telling him no and nudging him away or flicking him lightly on the ears and that seems to annoy him as he’s started grunting at me now when I try to separate him from her, she has started moving towards my husband or I when he gets close and will shriek and nip him when he hurts her so I’m hoping he’ll get the hint soon, but at least for now he’s less persistent so I guess that’s progress?
- 07/12/2016 at 5:42 PM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17032 posts
  It sounds like progress. It can take a while for the hormones to die down, it’s very individual. Hopefully he’ll soon lose romantic interested in the dog. He might still want her for a friend, but not obsessively so.
- 07/13/2016 at 11:21 PM
  Doomzies
  Participant
  25 posts
  I’m keeping my fingers crossed but even if they can’t get along completely, it at least isn’t so bad to where it would be impossible for them to exist together, so we can always make it work, and he has definitely improved! I’m happy to say he at least hasn’t peed on the couch since getting neutered, though now he likes to pee in the bathtub, but I guess I prefer that over anywhere else!!
- 07/14/2016 at 5:10 AM
  Bam
  Moderator
  17032 posts
  My bun nipped my dog too, it’s part of the courting-ritual. She yelped, it was pitiful. She was unhappy and came to me for protection (imagine 60 lb dog pursued by 4 lb rabbit). But it did stop. It was sexually motivated.
  
  The buns still want to hang out with Effi, but they do it with lots of caution these days. They can sometimes dare snuggle up to her backside, and they look so ridiculously proud when they do, but they are wary and will hop away if she moves.
Author

Messages

Viewing 7 reply threads

You must be logged in to reply to this topic.