Hi there. Keeping the dog separate and upstairs from your bunnies is a good idea. Small dogs aren’t always even tempered, that’s more to do with upbringing than anything else but I understand what you mean as opposed to something boisterous like a staffy or pitty type which have boundless zest for life and can be rough by accident.

Your buns may or may not be upset. It’s tough to predict how they may react. They will certainly be able to hear and smell the dog, the smell may be an issue for them at first but they may get used to it. When I first got Apollo and Luna, if I came home from my friend’s house with the smell of their dog on me, he would thump, run and hide from me because the smell scared him. Now not having interacted with a dog or having any other experience with that smell than on me, they don’t care anymore. So just be prepared that buns may be scared, or even aggressive towards you if you have the smell of dog on your hands or clothes.

I think it’s quite subjective. Some bunnies freak out very easily while some generally don’t really care. When I took Kurotta to a vet that also sees cats and dogs, he was just happily munching on his hay in the carrier with super loud barking going on in the background. Meanwhile a stranger’s bunny beside me was freaking out. So it really depends.

definitely get an adult dog so you have a better idea of its temperament, barking habits, and other behaviors that may disturb your bunnies. if you adopt from a shelter, you will always be able to return the dog if it’s stressing your rabbits out too much, but also keep in mind that rabbits can adjust over time so if they are more nervous in the beginning, they could calm down after realizing that there is no real threat to them.

Extreme caution needs to be taken with dogs. We’ve heard several times here on BB (and I’ve seen it quite often on FB) that the dog gets loose and frightens or kills the bunny.

Not trying to scare you, just want to make sure you know the risks.

My Mom’s westie comes over sometimes and Elara and her will sniff each other through the gate. Elara is not afraid of her unless she barks. That’s a pretty scary noise for a bunny.