Do not allow an untrained puppy around your rabbit. If you do, youll be putting your rabbit into an unsafe situation where the rabbit could end up severely hurt.

While youre away, put Xernes in a larger playpen and put the dog in a large crate. It will keep them both safe, especially while the dog is untrained.

I would also make sure not to adopt a puppy from a breed that’s specifically tuned to hunt small prey animals. Also, is the bun used to barking/loud noises?

Generally, it’s possible to have them get along, but you need to keep the bun secured to one room where the dog has no access until the dog is trained and can be gradually introduced to the bun.

We have a member called Niamian who got a german shepherd-mix puppy when she already had two buns. She’s been inactive for a while, but she just recently returned. You could try PM-ing her and ask her to this thread, she might have some tips for you.

I have a dog and a bun, but the dog was 3 years old when the bun came, so my situation was very different.

In any event, always make sure there are safe hiding-places for the bun. If sth happens, if they accidentally come loose together, the bun MUST have a place to run to where the dog can’t reach it. Under a dresser or sofa or something, where the dog absolutely can’t get in under even if it were to try. A bun can still be scared to death by a dog, but some rabbits are quite resilient to scares, so ensuring that the bun can get out of the dog’s physical reach is really important.

What type of dog are you thinking about getting? Some breeds are more difficult to train than others.