Dogsitting not going well

[Samicles]

So over a spur of the moment type of thing, I’m babysitting my dad’s dog for the night because my dad is gonna be stuck at work till morning. The dog, Lucky, is old, he mostly just sleeps and is VERY mild tempered. So when I agreed to babysit I knew the dog wouldn’t be a problem, but since Nimmy (my rabbit) has never been around another animal before I had no idea how he would react. And oh boy he’s terrified. I feel terrible.

Nimmy spends 99% of his time in my room, so I have him in my room (door is closed) and the dog is in the living room sleeping. But when Lucky first arrived he of course wondered around because it’s a new space and he’s curious. I kept him out of my room but Nimmy was able to smell and hear him and he was horrified and stomped a bunch.

So in an attempt to calm Nimmy I opened my bedroom door (but blocked it off with NIC cubes) so he and the dog can sniff each other but not actually touch each other. That made things worse.

Well now it’s been about a half hour, Nimmy has calmed down a bit, but he’s scared of just about any noise and is stomping. I feel bad and I’m not sure what to do. Is there anything I can do to calm him down? I’m sitting with him, petting him occasionally. Again, the dog is in the living room sleeping, so it’s not like he is trying to go after Nimmy at all.

Lucky is leaving in the morning at 10 (about 14 hours). So quick responses with quick remedies are much appreciated.

[LBJ10]

I would just leave Nimmy alone. The dog will be gone in the morning and that will be the end of it. Once Nimmy realizes the dog is gone, he will eventually go back to normal.

[Samicles]

He’s calmed down quite a bit. But if he hears the dog or thinks he hears the dog, he stomps and gets freaked out again. So I’m just spending time with Nimmy, petting him and trying to keep him distracted which seems to be working. He’s spending a lot of time on my bed, I think he feels safer here than on the ground.

I’ve also blocked off my door to hopefully keep Nimmy from smelling the dog, not sure if that’s working.

Now, overnight I’ve let Nimmy roam while I sleep. But not sure if I should do that tonight as well, or lock him in his cage. I have my bedroom door locked to ensure that the dog can’t get in or Nimmy can’t get out so safety isn’t an issue. I’m just wondering what would be best for Nimmy? I’m trying to keep his stress levels down to a minimum.

[BB & Tiny]

Mine can smell a skunk outside or sense a raccoon LONG before I do. I can always tell because Josephine freaks out !

The only issue I can see with free roam during the night is if the bunny is by the door and the dog begins sniffing under the door. I suppose you’d just wake to thumping though.

[Samicles]

Okay well everything went smoothly other than Nimmy being scared. The dog left this morning, and Nimmy had an empty, quiet house all day to calm down and relax in. Now that I’m back home he’s got a delicious salad with cilantro, celery and carrots, tomorrow him and I will be splitting a fruit salad. He’s chill and totally back to normal now.

The dog sitting adventure was a one and done sort of thing. Thanks for the feedback, guys!

[Author]

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