Bunnies and Dogs???

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

 A friend of mine just bought a chihuahua puppy and it’s very friendly and calm…She wants to bring him over and we were thinking of seeing how the bunnies got on with him…The bunnies although dwarves are actually larger then the puppy; They have played with cat before and aren’t frightened of anything really…Do you think it’s ok to have them around a dog? I wouldn’t want them catching something and getting sick just because as a ‘crazy animal lover’ i think its cute….

[Cadbury]

I’m not sure of any diseases that can be passed from dogs to bunnies – I would mostly be concerned about any injuries that could occur when they play together.  I have a golden retriever who loves my bunny and vice versa – they play through the gate of Cadbury’s pen.  However, I’ve been terrified to let them loose together – not because I think the dog will attack, more because I’m afraid the bunny will get stepped on!  I guess that’s not as much of a concern if your bunnies are bigger than the dog, but I would still be cautious of sharp dog teeth!  Good luck!

[LittlePuffyTail]

I think it can be okay but it depends on the dog and the rabbit. Stormy is terrified of Mom’s shih-tzu. I would never let a bunny be around a dog that would bark at it and try to play aggressively, obviously. If it’s a little stress-ball bunny like Stormy I don’t think it would ever be okay to put him with a dog. But maybe if the puppy is smaller than the rabbits and can be taught to play nice I would consider letting them meet. I know that you have to use caution when putting any terrier breed with a rabbit as it is their natural instinct to chase small animals. This is why I will never get the Yorkie I want

As far as I know rabbits can’t catch dog diseases but watch out for fleas!

[babybunsmum]

when i introduced bogart to baby bun, she didn’t seem to care one way or the other.  the dog on the other hand was crazy excited.  thats his nature for everything.  exhuberant.  so what i did was have sessions where i’d open the rabbit room door while i literally laid on top of my dog (he was 65lbs at the time) and talk to him to calm him down.  bit by bit he was less excited and eventually it got to the point where baby would come over & sniff him, and then when i could just hold the dog’s collar while they sniffed each other.  finally it got to the point where the dog thought the bunny was dull (except for the scooby snacks of course!) and i could trust not having to have a hand on him all the time around her.  it took a long time (3 or 4 months maybe) and i think it went well because i could tell baby was not freaked out in the least.

[Beka27]

i would worry that it would stress the girls out.  but you know them and their personality, so it’s up to you.  and even tho the dog is calm, he may react differently seeing the bunnies.  of course, if you do it, just make sure you guys are both ready to spring into action if you need to.

[BinkyBunny]

Regarding health issues, I don’t know of anything common and serious enough to worry about.  I will ask around more though.   The worry comes with just their temperment more than their health.  When it comes to introducing it’s best to just go slow.  A bunny may even attack a dog, or try to dominate, and the dog can snap back.     But it really all depends on the dog and the bunny so here is a House Rabbit Society good article about how to introduce them: http://www.rabbit.org/journal/1/dogs.html

 

 Babybunsmom – What a hilarious picture I have in my mind.  You did an excellent job of calming Bogart down, because the video I saw of Bogart gently, ever so gently, trying to sneak that piece of newpaper from your bunny –  I would have never guessed Bogart was excitable.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Sounds great-thanks for all the advice everyone!! I am meeting “Santos” on Sunday so I can see what he is like first, and then I will think about it more…I know they wouldn’t be stressed out by it, they are pretty ‘tough buns’…I just don’t want them to be sick or hurt at all…Thanks for the article!! I will send it to my friend too so we are all ready for this!! I think depending on his personality we might wait until he is full grown and not puppyish before introducing them? Any thoughts on that?

[Sarita]

I don’t have any personal experience with dogs.

One of my vets told a story about a client who had a rabbit and a dauchsund (sp?) that always got along well according to the client until the dauchsund snapped one day and skinned the rabbit (I know it’s not a pretty story but it is a true one) and these are small dogs.

But I also have friends who have dogs that get on fine with the rabbits – of course they would never ever leave the dogs and rabbits unsupervised under any circumstances.

The lady who runs the sanctuary I help at has 4 dogs and they know to respect the rabbits.

But I do think it depends on the dog and the rabbit.

[Sarita]

Here’s another good article:

http://www.wisconsinhrs.org/Articles/Bunnies%20and%20Dogs.htm

I don’t think I would introduce a puppy and a rabbit though – puppies are too hyper and might stress the poor rabbit out.

[cocobear]

The smell of a dog is enough to make my rabbits have a complete freak out, yet I have 5 cats who are all terrorized by one of my rabbits.

[charlie82]

Posted By LittlePuffyTail on 01/04/2008 10:42 AM
I think it can be okay but it depends on the dog and the rabbit. Stormy is terrified of Mom’s shih-tzu. I would never let a bunny be around a dog that would bark at it and try to play aggressively, obviously. If it’s a little stress-ball bunny like Stormy I don’t think it would ever be okay to put him with a dog. But maybe if the puppy is smaller than the rabbits and can be taught to play nice I would consider letting them meet. I know that you have to use caution when putting any terrier breed with a rabbit as it is their natural instinct to chase small animals. This is why I will never get the Yorkie I want

As far as I know rabbits can’t catch dog diseases but watch out for fleas!

Hi, I have a Yorkshire terrier and he gets on great with the bunnies. The bunnies were here first so the dog was given boundaries and rules from day one. As he was a puppy he had to be kept on a lead whenever he was around the rabbits. If he tried to chase/play with them then I would correct him, make him sit and anytime he seemed fixated on them I would distract him with a toy. It took over a month before I could trust him enough to have him off the lead and it also took that long for the rabbits to become so used to him that they weren’t bothered about him being around and they usually lie together.

However, personally I would never leave a dog alone with a rabbit so care must always be taken to ensure this doesn’t happen, even if you think you can trust the dog. Even our cat who is best buddies with the buns will never be locked in the room with them. He might decide to play rough and hit out at them if they try to boss him around so I don’t take the chance

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