Bunny and Puppy

[LLP2937]

This weekend we brought home a 9 week old dachshund. Of course I was nervous because dachshunds are bred to hunt rabbits. However, I figured as such a young puppy, I could train her. We introduced her to my 6 month old male rabbit (New Zealand). He is neutered. I was scared because I didn’t want her to have instincts enough to attack him so we left him in his cage and allowed her to walk around it. However, I was very wrong about my assumption that my rabbit would be the calm one. He lunged at her from inside of his cage and stared her down. This caused me to scream so everyone was scared at that point so we left the room and left him alone after that. Did he do this because he was scared? Will he really attack her? He is 6 pounds and she is 3 so there is a scary size difference. I always let him out of his cage after work and I’m scared if they’re both out he will attack her. Should I try to gradually introduce them so he can be less aggressive?

[Wick & Fable]

Across species bonds, in my opinion, aren’t something you can create through a process. It needs to be a somewhat lucky combo of two personalities that get along. I recall a story that really stuck to me, of an owner who’s rabbit accidentally got out and their dogs chased after it, and the rabbit was not harmed, but did unfortunately pass due to the stress. On the other hand, I think of stories of cats and dogs befriending rabbits. Unlike bonding rabbits which can be relatively systematic, I think it’s much more unpredictable with other animals, especially when the initial impression seems to be attack. Whether it’s from fear or general aggression, that’s a significant initial reaction that may not foreshadow a good relationship. You can observe how things change in very secure, separated way, but also considering the puppy is very young and is going through hormonal changes, there’s a lot of factors that could lead to something dangerous.

I’m sorry I can’t be more optimistic.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[Taloan7]

I would be really leery of trying to force them to be pals too. Things can be going totally fine, but a certain action can trigger an aggressive response and rabbits are so fragile that any conflict could end badly. For example, my dogs and cats are completely indifferent to each other and get along fine, but if something startles one of the cats and they go running the dogs will give chase. They’ve just got this prey drive that’s impossible to completely eradicate. They’ve never hurt any of the cats, but I would never trust them with my bunny for that exact reason. Cats are tough and if pushed will give the dog a swat and the dog will back off.
On the other hand I do trust my cats with my bunny. My cats are old and super docile and we’ve fostered many kittens and guinea pigs over the years. I have a decade of evidence that they are not going to have any conflict. Training can only go so far, temperament has a lot to do with it and that’s something you don’t really know about a dog until it is an adult. Even other dogs will have conflict with puppies due to their unpredictable and playful nature. They want to play rough and have a lot of energy that other animals can find overwhelming.

[Bam]

You could try putting something (piece of fleece, toy etc) with the dog’scent on it into your bun’s cage -much like how you do pre-bonding between rabbits. Your puppy is so young now he will be able to accept the rabbit as a family member -but only if the rabbit doesn’t do anything to hurt or scare him. If his experience teaches him rabbits are horrible, that impression might stick. (That’s not necessarily super bad though, it can be good if a dog learns to avoid the house bunny). Anyway, in your case, I think the bun needs to be taught to accept the dog. The reaction from your rabbit is most likely sprung from fear -aggression very often comes from fear (fight or flight-response).

It is true as the others have said, that a dog has a strong instinct to pursue a moving target. I recently learned that the instinct to pursue and the instinct to kill are not located in the same areas of the brain, so pursuit doesn’t necessarily mean an intention to kill. But the stress of being chased can, as Wick points out, cause the rabbit to die of fright. A puppy dog doesn’t have a lot of impulse control, because its brain isn’t fully developed yet.

I have a dog and a rabbit, so it’s not an impossible combination. I did introductions slowly when I got my first rabbit, my dog were 3 years at that time so she wasn’t a puppy. Right now I’m in the midst of introducing a new rabbit in my home, an adult bun that’s not at all used to dogs.

[Author]

Messages