Bunnies and Dogs

[Beka27]

do you have bunnies and dogs?  if so, i wonder if you’d answer a few questions…

do they get along (always with supervision, of course)?

what breed(s) is the dog?

what size is the dog?

who came first, the bunny or the dog?

what general age was the dog (puppy/ adult/ senior) when introduced to the bunny?

any special precautions you took to ensure that the home was suitable for both the bunny and dog?

has having a dog affected the care, routine, exercise of your bunny?

how do they interact, ignore each other, actively play, cuddle, groom?

 

Mike and i have been talking about dogs the past couple days.  this would not happen for probably about 3 years… but i wanted to ask some questions while it was on my mind.  i feel that bunnies will always be an important part of my life, but i also love dogs and i know we will want one when Michael gets older.  i am particularly interested in breeds… i know some breeds are instinctually better and worse when it comes to small animals.  any dog we got would *probably* be a mix of some sort and definitely not a puppy.  as you know, we are firm believers in adoption so that is the route we would take.

please share your thoughts.

[BunnyMuffin]

Well, I took my bunny home with me this summer to visit at my Mom’s house for 2 weeks, and my Mom has a dog.  So although it wasn’t a full time arrangement, I have 2 weeks experience with dogs and bunnies.

Noelle (bunny) and Nikki (dog) got along just fine for the whole visit.  When I first got home Nikki was really excited to see me because it’d been awhile, and she was quite curious to see what this new creature was that I had brought home.  Noelle was a little nervous from the trip home (2 car rides and a flight), plus being in all new dog smelling surroundings, so we didn’t let Nikki go visit until she had calmed down and we had Noelle’s area sectioned off so she had a place of her own to retreat too if she got overwhelmed.  Once Nikki calmed down we let them investigate eachother.  There was mostly a whole lot of sniffing, and then Noelle would hop off to sit in her corner beside the couch.  By the last few days of the 2 weeks, Nikki was pretty neutral on the whole situation, and it was mostly Noelle who would hop over to sniff the dog and then go about her business.  The only real “incident” we had, if you want to call it that, was Noelle was eating her salad one morning and Nikki came over to check it out and Noelle gave her a grunt and hopped out of her litter box towards Nikki in a “back off, get your own salad” kind of way.  Which I thought was hilarious.  Nikki kinda gave me this “the hell was that?” look, so I told her she had to let the bunny eat her salad and distracted her with a treat of her own.  Nikki also decided that she liked the bunny’s water dish better, so we’d catch her drinking out of Noelle’s bowl, but Noelle didn’t seem to mind.

So in this case, the dog came first.  She’s a 14 year old Bichon Shih-Tzu cross and weighs about 14 pounds (she’s a bit chubby…).  I’ve been told Noelle is a holland lop, and she weighs 3lbs 12ozs as of last week.   We didn’t do anything special to make the home suitable for both the bunny and the dog.  I wrapped up some cords that were laying around, even though Noelle never chews on anything.  Noelle also refuses to go on any floor that isn’t carpet  – she has never set foot in our kitchen or bathroom here, and if you put her down on it, she is NOT happy.  So that gave Nikki her own space in the kitchen which is where her food and bed are set up anyway – also kept the bunny away from the dog food and that type of thing.

While we were there I also took Noelle outside to play in the backyard, since she’d never been outside before because we live in an apartment and she wasn’t used to her harness yet, and they could both play out there together (although not with each other) without a problem.  And yeah, like I said already, the only interaction was really sniffing eachother.  Maybe if we stayed a bit longer they’d eventually cuddle up or something, but who knows.

But I would definitely recommend a calm dog, and probably not a very young dog that still has tons of energy.  Nikki is pretty old and doesn’t have much interest in playing like she used to.  However, my Gramma’s dog is even older, but he’s an old snarly fellow about the same size as Nikki but a different breed (some type of pomeranian mix – unlike any other dog I’ve ever seen – he’s quite ugly…) – and I would absolutely never consider letting him be anywhere near my rabbit.  So I think more important than the age or the breed is just the general energy level and disposition of the dog involved.  Even if you got a younger or adult dog that isn’t quite as senior as my pup, as long as they get good walks and individual play time to drain their energy before any interactions with the bun, it’d probably be okay.

So that was a bit long, but oh well, there you have it.  Hope it helps some!

 

 

[Moonlight_Wolf]

Well I have two dogs and one is very interested in Fern, (he wants to play with her) he is maybe even a little too eager, the precautions I take with him is he gets very exited when around Fern, he always wants to paw at her, so I just make him lye down, but they are not together that often at all. To tell you the truth he is afraid of Fern but too curious to stay away. He was introduced as a puppy and I had him before Fern. He also often wants to play with her, he does little play bows to let her know he wants to play, he also likes to sniff her butt, he sniffs it so eagerly that his nose lifts her hind off the ground, she does not seem to mind though. He also really likes to eat her poop. once I was looking at Fern while her was in Fern’s pen and I heard munching and he was eating straight from her litter box! That one is a miniature poodle + Cairn terrier mix. He is about 8 pounds.

The other dog is not good with Fern at all! In fact he really would like to eat her… it is a good thing I have my dogs confined to the kitchen or else this one would try to eat Fern… and both dogs would pee everywhere (we did not train them as well as we should have, they love peeing on carpets.) The one that is determined in hunting Fern down is a Pure Cairn terrier, about 14 pounds. Terriers are bread for hunting rats and other critters so that is why he is so driven to get Fern. I did not even risk introducing him to Fern, Carrying him past the room was enough to know it would not go well…

Fern is confined to my bedroom so the most contact the cairn terrier and her have ever had was when we bathed my dog and as he was running downstairs he smelt her and got very exited and waited at the gate barking at Fern, Fern of course was unaffected but I almost had a heart attack because I thought she would have a heart attack! Luckily she is used to the dogs barking downstairs and she was exposed to dogs before I got her.

The breeder of fern had two dogs. A big dog and a small dog. The big dog would get very exited when seeing the rabbits and try to lick them all over, so would the little Chiwawaw (Bad speller) they had.

Overall it depends on the dog whether the dog and bunny will get along. But I do NOT recommend getting a terrier if you want the two to get along.

Hope I helped!

[Beka27]

yes, i have heard terriers are not good with small animals, and then i’m thinking retrievers/sport/hunt dogs would not be a good mix either.

we both like larger dogs, so anything we got would probably be about 40-50 pounds or larger.

our buns are allowed free roam of the house when we’re home and awake, and i would hate for them to get more limited out-time so i know i’d have a hard time really keeping them separate… at least at this point.

keep ’em coming.

[Moonlight_Wolf]

well you could always give your bunnies half the house and the dogs the other half… just an idea.

[JK]

Yes we had a dog and a bunny until about 6 weeks ago.  Maddie was a golden retriever and 12 years old when Edson came into the house.  The dog was very curious and would go into Edson’s room to check him out.  She was very sweet around him and he was absolutely terrified of her! As you know Edson does not come out of his room so there was never any issue at all except if Maddie strolled in his room. She wouldn’t have hurt a fly.  Everyone was her friend.  If you get a puppy be prepared for some scared buns as puppies are so rambunctious!  I would think it would be a long process to introduce them.  Now my cat did not mind when Maddie was a puppy at all.  They were best friends.

[JK]

I just saw your other post.  Goldens and labs are wonderful dogs, the best in my opinion!  Don’t let the hunting aspect worry you. It really depends on the personality of the dog but they have an excellent reputation as family dogs.

[Beka27]

i grew up with retrievers so i know they’re awesome dogs, but it’s the aspect of them together that concerns me. it really would be a lengthy process for me to make a final decision.

[BinkyBunny]

I don’t know much about dogs, and I won’t be able to answer your questions, but I wanted to pipe in and just say something regarding breeds – though some breeds you would have to be cautious of because of obvious reasons, but there are also exceptions:

There was a dog of the hunting breed at the Rabbit shelter I volunteered for. (Can’t remember the breed name, but he was a bird hunter type) Anyway, he was the most gentle sweet dog I’ve ever seen around the rabbits. He never showed anything but a gentle nature around them. One time he even ran and got a squeeky toy and placed it in front of a rabbit when that rabbit showed interest in him. (The dog was trying to get SOMEONE to throw his squeeky toy, and when finally a rabbit showed interest, I think he thought the rabbit would do it).

He was a rescue dog, so who knows how he got to be that way. I guess it really does depend on the individual dog.

My neighbor adopted a dog from a local shelter, and he is the sweetest young dog (under a year), and though he’s energetic, I think as he ages he could be good with smaller animals, but right now he just wants to play, though he has learned that cats will give him a nasty nose scratch if he begs them too much to play. So he usually just gives them one invitation and then walks away.

I look forward to hearing what other members with dogs have to say. I know there was one member who had a dog named bogart who liked to steal paper away the bunny. (but he did it in a gentle sweet way!)

I many times too will see rabbits and dogs on youtube interacting in an amazing way. You could also ask the owners there too.

EDITED:  FOUND the funny video I was referring too where the dog took paper away from the bunny.

 

[Alicia Conklin]

In our case the dogs came first. 

We have two.  A norwegian elkhound (about 50lbs) and a pug (about 12lbs).  The pug and the rabbit are OK together, though I don’t normally let them loose together because Elphie (pug) is too hyper around Tucker and Tucker usually gets scared.  I am planning on doing some more “bonding” type sessions with the two of them though because Elphie is glued to my hip so if I could get those two to get along Tucker could have ALOT more freedom. 

Sammi (elkhound) gets realllllly hyper when Tucker is out or even if she’s being really active in her penned off area.  She gets antsy and paces the gated off area and sometimes will even whine.   I don’t trust her around Tucker because she’s so much bigger and I know she could really do damage.  I’m not quite sure what her intentions are with Tucker..and so I just keep them apart.  I would like to do some sessions with her too though because really Tucker’s not much different from the cats and Sammi doesn’t bother them at all. 

I’d imagine that it’d have alot to do with the actual dog and the actual bun too.  Tucker will hop over to the animal (cat, dog) and then if the animal moves in a way that spooks Tucker she flicks her back feet at them and runs away.  The cats seem to understand this and just sit there, or occasionally swat after her as she runs off.  The dogs though jump back and then want to chase.   Tucker also seems to like to rile them up.  I don’t know if it’s all in my head or what (I tend to try to humanize my animals in their thought and actions lol) but when the dogs are over by her penned area and are sniffing around she goes nuts.  Like happy bunny nuts!  She starts binkying and running in and out of her house and doing bunny laps.  It’s like “haha look at me you can’t get me nana nana nana”.  Which is bad enough when they’re outside the area because then Sammi starts jumping and then Elphie starts biting at Sammi because she thinks ‘oh play time!” and Sammi then can’t be bothered with Elphie because she’s too busy watching the rabbit and it’s just a big loud mess LOL.  Tucker however seems to find it hilarious!

When Tucker is just being normal though and when the dogs aren’t being crazy hyper they get along well through the penned off areas.  Sammi will often lay on the floor over by Tucker’s area.  She lays with her back touching it sometimes and Tucker will come along and lick and pick at her fur through the grids.  Then Tucker will flop right against the other side of the grid fence and lounge.  So they seem to enjoy each other’s company..but they’re both just a little too hyper for me to trust them together.  With Elphie she’ll sometimes do this but like I said Elphie is glued to my hip and she’s jealous of the time that Tucker gets.  Tucker comes up to work with me alot which means that Elphie can’t.  Tucker gets alone time with me in the pen and Elphie can’t come.  She doesn’t take to this all that well.,…and that’s why I really want her and Tucker to get along.  I’d like to be able to be with both at the same time. 

I’d in general avoid terrier breeds..although I am sure there are exceptions to the rule.  Maybe a herding type dog rather then a hunting type?   And I’d think that if at a shelter they say the dog doesn’t get along with cats it probably won’t get along with buns either.   Maybe you could have a meet n’ greet session before actually adopting the dog?  Like maybe bring the dog home to meet the rabbit and see how they do on first impressions?  At first I was going to say bring the rabbit to the shelter but that just seems like a lot of noise and hassle for the buns!!

[bigsis7]

BB: That was so funny!!!

[BunMumTiff]

I have both a rabbit and a dog. Oreo (rabbit) came first then Hunter (dog) came after almost a year actually after Oreo if not longer. I was very nervous lettin them get together Hunter is a 3/4 chihuahua and 1/4 jack russell.  Hunter was about 6 or 7 months when they met and he could of cared less for Oreo. Still doesnt care much just wants her toys all the time and cries until he gets one They share the basement as there home when no one is home Hunter in an X-pen or running around anf Oreo in her cage. I have had them out together and again it is a toy thing they dont bother each other.

I am always on the floor when they are out just in case as it is easier to pick up Oreo but I have had no issues

As for time doesnt affect Oreo’s time as when we are home Hunter is out of the X-Pen and Oreo in it, or when Hunter is in a crate Oreo is out all day in th X Pen So it all works well.

 

[Beka27]

i was also thinking that if a dog got along with cats, that would be a good sign, and i did actually consider bringing the bunny(ies) to the shelter…. but nah. too much excitement i think. i def. think talking with the rescue will be a big help to get a good feel for the individual dog’s personality. i know there are many rescues that are breed specific, so i could narrow down on a breed that might be good, i could look into those rescues. the Cleveland area has several specific ones (golden retrievers, pit bulls, and others). i appreciate everyone’s input. like i said, this is a long ways off… but it’s been on my mind trying to come up with ways i could swing it. my ideal would be to have a dog that could care less with the bunnies. where they could all be in the same room and just doing their thing.

and of course i remember Bogart! that’s babybunsmum’s dog! that would be pretty much exactly what i want. he’s so gentle with both the bunnies. where on earth has she been? i know she got a job but i haven’t seen her for a long time!

[BunnyLiz]

My dogs were first. i started with visits through a baby gate and when that went well i moved to one dog at a time in the same room being hold, with hammer having playtime. now i am down to one at a time in the room with the occasional ”Molly.. sit.. Calm yourself” lol. one dog is still in the holding process though.. the other doesnt care and doesnt seem to notice hammer.. molly(older beagle puppy) is great! the groom each other sometimes : ) We have two beagles and one mutt. beagles are small/medium, my mutt is a med. dog. Hope this helps but i think its just the effort you put in and the personality of the dog

[BinkyBunny]

Regarding Babybunsmum – I’ll email her and see if she has time to reply to this discussion.

[KatnipCrzy]

  We had both of our dogs first before the rabbit.  We have 2 Australian Shepherds- Skye and Molson.  They get along well- although I don’t let the rabbit have free run of the whole house- I am afraid they would hurt her on the stairs.  If you even start to ask “Do you wanna go outside?”- they fly down the stairs to the sliding door.  And Skye weighs about 45lbs and Molson about 52 lbs. 

  When I clean Cotton’s cage and the NIC pen that she always has access to- I let her out and she hops around the room and the dogs will either nose her bottom looking for tasty poops, lick her or ignore her- hoping to get tasty poops from litterbox.  (The door where we let the dogs out is in this room- so they would not run her over to get to the door- they are already by it).  In fact, usually when the dogs run to the door- Cotton’s enclosure faces the stairs- she usually darts towards the dogs- as she knows that one of us will be following to let the dogs out- and she begs for pets on her hind feet.

  When we have her on the couch at night watching TV- the dogs ignore her except for the poop watching- they check about every 5 minutes for any stray poops on the blanket we use on the couch with the bunny.  i jokingly say that I will name my next dog, Dyson- after the vacuum cleaner.

  So it really depends on the personality of the dogs and the bunny.  Cotton is quite a dominant bunny- she will nip the cats if they do not groom her- and if they get on the couch she seeks them out to get the grooming and then to give the disapproving nip.  Once my husband was playing with her plastic slinky on the couch and she was sitting next to him on the arm of the couch- she growled at him and then completely froze- staring him down while she was only about 4 inches away.  He was a little scared and made me get her to move and not look like she wanted to pounce on him.  He was to nervous too move and she wasn’t willing to move.

  I can’t clean her cage with my hands- I have to use a vacuum or broom otherwise she grunts and stomps her front feet- and even though I know she is gonna do it- it scares me every time.  I keep telling myself that I should not have watched the Monty Python Killer Bunny clip…LOL- it is so cheesy it is funny.  But who knew a cute fluffy bunny really COULD be scary?  That is what is so ironic.

EDIT- link for video- https://binkybunny.com/GALLERIES/Videos/VideoPlayer/tabid/130/VideoId/39/Holy-Grail-Killer-Bunny-From-Youtube.aspx

  But yet she will sit with me on the couch for hours (sometimes up to 3 hours) cuddling and giving kisses at nighttime.

 

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[Kokaneeandkahlua]

BEKA!! That’s so exciting-even if it’s not for a while!!

I wouldn’t go with any terrier breed as it’s a characteristic for them to hunt animals and I’ve heard of them going after small pets. I ditto the labs/retrievers…Despite their purpose (retrieving) they do well with other pets, they are excellent family dogs, very very social and obediant and loving!! Of course I’d recommend a mixed breed from a shelter but you could go for something with lab/retriever in it.

You have a clicker right? Clicker training your dog produces amazing results too! Awww I want you to get your puppy now!!

[Beka27]

haha! i know K&K! BUT… my house is way too small, so it would be after i’m done with school and we move somewhere else. PLUS where we live now is wooded and there’s an awful flea problem outside. so it’s a no-go now. my parents have an Aus. Sheperd mix, she’s a rowdy dog, it might just be her tho. i was thinking a sheperd might be good b/c they might try to herd the bunnies… lol. i’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s thoughts on the subject.

o…r i can get a flemish and tell my husband it’s one of those “designer puppy breeds”…

that eats greens and hay…

and hops.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

ROTFL That’s a good thought!! Hehhehe

[Sage Cat]

One thing y’all have to realize about  “retrievers/sport/hunt dogs” such as Labs & Golden’s is they they retrieve animals – typically birds – that have been killed – not live animals! They DON’T go after a live animal.

A lot of small dogs were actually trained to go down into rabbit holes and kill rabbits – such as Terriers & Dashounds (sp?) – which is why they are not recommended to have around rabbits.

I too hope to someday have another dog – or three

I have noticed a lot of people mention how well their big dogs get along with their bunny’s. I remember a friend when I was very young who had a bun & a great Dane – the bunny would ride on the Great Danes back.

My Husky’s were very protective of my cats. I think they would have gotten along very well with rabbits.

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[Beka27]

no! i didn’t realize that about retrievers! thanks for clearing it up Sage! learn something new everyday!

[babybunsmum]

Very exciting Beka! Here are some of my experiences…

do they get along (always with supervision, of course)?

Yes. I actually think they see each other as ‘objects’ since the buns tend to use bogart as a jungle gym and bogart is always just checking for ‘bunny berries’

what breed(s) is the dog?

Bogart is a mutt of undetermined heritage. The best guess is border collie / german Shepard with possibly some type of hound since he’s an avid sniffer.

what size is the dog?

He’s 65lbs… big guy.

who came first, the bunny or the dog?

I had 2 buns when I adopted bogart.

what general age was the dog (puppy/ adult/ senior) when introduced to the bunny?

He was 6 months old when I adopted him & full of beans.

any special precautions you took to ensure that the home was suitable for both the bunny and dog?

My buns were in their own bedroom and so initially I closed their room right off & only visited with them without the dog. I would do bonding sessions with the dog & buns by opening the door and holding the dog down -at first literally laying on top of him! I could tell right away that bogart was just excited & curious since he wasn’t growling or barking. And I would just let him watch the buns and give the buns opportunity to hop upto him. They would sniff & watch each other. Eventually bogart got enough used to them that he knew if he moved too fast they would run away from him so he was very careful around them out of plain curiosity.

has having a dog affected the care, routine, exercise of your bunny?

Hmmm… not really. They never roamed-free when I wasn’t home anyways, and as long as I’m home they are supervised since the dog is always following me around. Some times having 3 pets to look after I think the dog ends up wanting more attention & affection now that I’m working out of the house again but I love coming home to my furbabies & never mind showering them with lovin!

how do they interact, ignore each other, actively play, cuddle, groom?

Baby bun obsessively grooms bogart’s head and when she has finally had enough she loves to go into bunny-loaf position about an inch from his head. Very cute. Pinky will also settle down within 1 or 2 feet of where the dog’s lying. She doesn’t try to groom him since she was spayed but she will use him as a bridge or stepping stool without a second thought. She has also been know to ‘bunny 500’ through his legs much to his confusion. Bogart is such a good boy… if he has had enough grooming he will slowly get up & walk away but usually he just puts up with any attention he gets. I have noticed that he ‘chases’ pinky from time to time. She’s a really active gal & I think bogart wants to play. I do have to be careful when pinky is out roaming. If I see him follow her at our walk pace (normally he’d just casually stroll about the house) I call his attention away so that it doesn’t escalate.

 

[babybunsmum]

just got home & read thru the whole thread… BB it’s so funny that you remembered my vid of bogart & baby!   here’s another example of how they get along…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytOB6Dc8ric

[BUNNYFOOFOO823]

my husband and I have two retired Greyhound at home, so you can imagine our concerns when we brought Bunny home.

When I was about 12 years old my grandmother gave me my first Rabbit as a gift, I have ALWAYS loved rabbits (my nickname is Bunny). Well that rabbit was a Netherlands Dwarf named Peter and I had a 4years old Labrador named Happy, a few weeks into having Peter he escaped from his hutch outdoors and Happy killed him

It was not a pleasant experience and has left me forever terrified of leaving Bunnies out of my sight. Happy was a “happy” dog, she was great with children and with our two small house cats that we had, she never seemed interested in interacting with the Rabbit and we almost assumed she regarded it to be a cat. We never thought we would have a problem with her and the Rabbit, how sad to have been mistaken.

I no longer live in my childhood home which was a rather large 5 bedroom home with both a front yard and back yard, i live in a 1bedroom 800sq ft apt in California.

We never ever let Bunny loose in the same room as the Dogs. If she is in our bedroom the dogs are locked out and in the living room and vice versa.
While the Greyhounds dont seem to be interested in TigerLily at all, I can’t go through another heartbreak so I rather not risk poor buns life.

In my opinion domesticated Animals are never 100% tame, they all exhibit feral behavior from time to time and its best to not risk another animals life.

[MarkBun]

Like Sage Cat said, you need to see what the breed was bred for as they will instinctually want to do it. Retrievers and setters are a better choice as they ‘fetch’ things – they do not hunt them. Collies and other ‘herding’ dogs are sort of in between. Although they won’t normally attack a rabbit, they may chase it, trying to herd it and corral it. Your smaller breeds that were bred for ratting and rabbit hunting (such as beagles and terriers) will probably try to kill it.   The best breed probably is one that was made just for show although I don’t know what they are.

One way to test a dog, and it isn’t a perfect test by any means, is to play with it with a toy. Doesn’t even need to be a stuffed animal, it could be a piece of rope. If you let go of the toy and the first thing the dog does is shake its head from side to side violently – you got a rabbit killer. They do that to snap the neck of their prey.

There are, of course, always exceptions to the rules and much older dogs tend to be a lot more mellow.

[BunnyLiz]

While beagles ARE bred to hunt rabbits I wouldnt say they would kill your rabbit. I have two beagle puppies and they are interested in Hammer but have never hurt him or come close to being violent. One actually went rabbit hunting a few times (completely against my wishes, i cant stop my moms bf from taking her hunting) but she still is very loving with Hammer. maybe im just lucky but both beagle puppys have groomed and been groomed even. I will never leave them alone, so please dont anyone worry, but ive never been fearful of a fight breaking out. I think she knows the difference between outside buns and inside buns, plus she isnt told to go hunt my rabbit, so we have never had a problem.

[JD]

do they get along (always with supervision, of course)?

what breed(s) is the dog?

what size is the dog?

who came first, the bunny or the dog?

what general age was the dog (puppy/ adult/ senior) when introduced to the bunny?

any special precautions you took to ensure that the home was suitable for both the bunny and dog?

has having a dog affected the care, routine, exercise of your bunny?

how do they interact, ignore each other, actively play, cuddle, groom?

 

We have two dogs, a 5 year old 75 lb terrier/shepard mix & 40 lb Brittney Spaniel. The dogs came before the rabbits but I have always had chinchillas/kittens and misc. other small critters around so from day 1 i’ve been VERY stern about their behavior towards these other animals. I taught them to sit and not paw at them (my terrier loves to touch everyone so this took a bit of patience) The terrier was introduced to the buns when he was a few years old the brittney was only a few months old.  The pups are really curious about the buns and come over to their cages all the times…eat the hay off the floor as the buns drop it…stick their head in the cage when i open the door etc. 

 

The terrier’s (Reggie) fave thing to do is come over and help me groom them while they are in my lap and i brush them. He is adorably gentle with them but SLOBBERS ALL OVER THEM!!!! It’s cute, but i doubt they’re thrilled about the drinch bath!  Last night as i was brushing Andy (newly adopted lionhead) my brittney (sebastien) hopped up on the other side of the couch and seemed to ignore Andy.  But Andy started raising up on his hind legs like he was curious about his doggy brother and hopped over to him. This was the most contact that they have really had so far so I was observing really closely….but my brittney continued to ignore Andy while he proceeded to climb on top of Sebastien!!! It was SOOO cute! He sat on top of my brittney and crawled around on him and my pup just looked over his shoulder at him like “hey man! do you mind…i’m trying to watch som tv here..”  so i was really proud of both of them.

Since Reggie is such a large dog I try to mostly let them interact while the bun is higher up than reggie bc i’m paranoid about him stepping on the bun, but he really is a great dog around small critters. I was worried about the brittney bc he’s a sport dog and all but they’re also an extremely gentle & sensitive breed and surprisingly this gentleness has been exhibited towards our other pets as well. —but…i’ve seen how he chases birds in the back yard so i try to keep the play in a smaller area of the house where they don’t get too wound up potentially leading to a chase as i think that would rightfully freak out the buns.

As far as dogs affecting the routine of my rabbit care: I would say that generally when I want to let the buns have free run I let my dogs have free run of the back yard during that time (1-2 hrs). However, something else that i’ve recently discovered that works beautiful is using puppygates/baby gates to block off say the kitchen or the dining room or even the living room and let the buns have part of the house and the dogs stay in another part while i can stay close by giving slightly less supervision while i surf the net/watch tv/talk on the phone/chores, etc. That has worked well….but you have to make sure you set up the gates well…..Andy’s clever sometimes.

 

Aside from the dogs….I can vouch for the fact that my lop and my chinchilla are quite good friends as well 🙂 They chase and give lil happy flip kicks, etc.

Hope some of this is helpful 😀

[ScooterandAnnette]

I’m sure that Scooter will contribute some more as well, but here’s my reply:

The bunnies and our dog seem to get along fine.  We’re not entirely sure what the dog thinks of the bunnies, but we’re pretty sure the bunnies think of the dog as “that big stupid hairy bunny”

Our dog is a Husky mix, we’re thinking possibly mixed either with Eskimo Dog or Samoyed.  She’s a medium size (around 35 pounds) and was around 4 when we got her.

In our case we had 4 of the bunnies first, got the dog, and then got another 2. 

The biggest thing for us is that we made sure to muzzle the dog for the first probably 2 months whenever we’d let the bunnies out.  We kept her in the room and let the interact, but it really didn’t seem like she had much interest in them.  She’d sniff at them, they’d hop on/over her (well some of the would, some stayed pretty clear of her).  They don’t really interact much actually, they pretty much ignore each other.  Dakota has been more interested in Reno now that she’s separated from the others and recovering from her surgery.  Dakota will come over to the cage and touch noses with her, sniffed at her a bit when they were both out, but that’s about it.    Right now Reno is still out and lounging in the livingroom, and Dakota is lounging across the room.

When we were thinking about getting Dakota we actually took Bailey to the shelter to see how she reacted to him.   We sat in the interview room with Bailey, she came over and sniffed him and then walked away – she just had too many other things to be interested in.

My mother’s dog, on the other hand, would VERY much like to get at the bunnies  She’ll pace outside their cage and whine and whine for an hour.

– Annette

[BinkyBunny]

OMG… That second video….SOOOO funny! Poor Bogart.

[Author]

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