Moving in with a doggy!

[MissPinUp]

My boyfriend and I are moving in together this month.  I’ve been reading up on this, but I’d like any kind of advice fellow bunny owners can give.  He’s got a 25 pound pomeranian poodle mix, he looks more like a standard poodle than pom.  He’s a sweet dog, but very excitable.  He’s a huge shiver and you know what dog.  My bun, Lucy, is kind of a bully, so I’m honestly a little more worried for the dog haha.  Right now, she’s pretty much got full reign of the upstairs in my parents’ house.  She’s always in my room, when I’m not there she has an xpen that she sleeps in.  It’s a biiiiig one bedroom, but I’d like for her to have full reign, as she’s litter trained and such.  Is this a good/bad idea?  Should I maybe put a baby gate up in the bedroom to separate them?  Has anyone had success with this in the past?  Help  

[RabbitPam]

Hi,
I don’t have a dog, but I do know that a dog and bunny in the room together must be supervised at all times. Despite the bunny’s personality, it is not safe for the bun. I don’t know if your breed of dog is a hunter or not, but if not, then your chances are much better that they will learn to get along, but it is a slow process. Think in terms of setting up your living space where the bunny is absolutely safe from the dog when you are not there. A closable room where bunny’s cage is can work well. Free run of the house for play time while the dog is playing outside also is fine. But they have to have a good relationship to be in a room together, and that takes time and training. Others here are experienced with that and can advise you more.

There are numerous members who have companionable dogs and bunnies, but it largely depends on the animals. Bogart (dog) and Pinky met, but he was already socialized with Baby so he was gentle with a new bun. Mikey (dog) is Kokanee&Kahlua’s fairly new dog, and he’s learned to be good with her 4 bunnies, so she is a forum leader I would consult for this process. I will send an alert to ask her to reply to you.

Congrats on your expanding family, by the way.

[Andi]

I have a dog & bunny household, but I also have an amazing 70lbs GSD/B. Collie/G. Lab cross who LOVES animals (just not dogs lol). She has sorta a sense with them and they just know she’s their friend. (http://thewhizz.weebly.com/ this is her dedicated site) Whizz has been used as a rabbit rescue dog for ferral bunny caprtures, and even with all this i do not leave her unsupervised with them. She is a dog, and well i don’t want to ever have regrets if something happend.

Slow intro’s with the dog and bunny are a great start, everyone having their own area. If you have a bossy bunny you’ll probably not have to worry about her becoming frightened. it’s more the dog being overly excited when bad things happen, so just take your time, let the dog watch the bunny play, but make sure to not let him get over excited about seeing her.

Good luck with the into!

[Deleted User]

Posted By MissPinUp on 04/14/2010 05:30 PM

He’s got a 25 pound pomeranian poodle mix,  very excitable. (…)  My bun, Lucy, is kind of a bully, (…) got full reign of the upstairs in my parents’ house.   when I’m not there she has an xpen that she sleeps in.   Is this a good/bad idea?

 

You will need to have sessions with dog and rabbit. It will take time but if dog and rabbit live in the same household I think it’s desirable to socialize them. You really need to be able to ‘read the dog’s mind’. If the dog has had simple obedience training before, you will have a good start. Introduce them, in a safe set-up, i.e. bunny in a pet taxi for dog to sniff and get used to this over a few sessions, then you can hold Lucy, the rabbit, on your lap for a few sessions and let the dog sniff her close-up. someone will need to be there with you in case the dog decides to go nuts. You can work your way up to sessions with Lucy moving about in a small area and the dog securely under control on a leash, possibly a head harness to give extra control. watch for paw swipes. Even once the dog is calm with the rabbit around, be aware that dynamics change as soon as the space is larger and Lucy can get up to speed, that’s what will put the dog into chasing mode. Depending on the dog it may take a few weeks or even months.

 

[Lis]

My family and I have had a mix of results with dog/bunny relationships.

When I was a child, my grandmother’s dog had to be confined whenever Pumpkin was out, and there was nothing that could be done (then again, Mickey was a terrier mix, and hunting was an instinct).

Currently, the dynamic in my house is that Stormy inhabits the (furnished) basement, while Starsky (a 75 lb collie) lives on the upper floors. When Stormy is brought upstairs, Starsky is respectful of him, and knows what a thump means and backs off. We basically monitored the two of them when together for about two months, and saw that they had no issues, aside from Starsky’s respectful fear of Stormy.

Stormy is upstairs right now, and about half an hour ago, I gave Starsky a bone, and he tried to take it into the living room, but Stormy blocked him and Starsky sulked off, looking defeated. Watching a 2 lb rabbit bossing around a big dog is highly amusing.

[Kiley Rose]

When my mom first got her shiba-inu/chi mix a few months ago, the dog was so interested in the rabbits and would actually play with my younger one. I’d take Nixie out into the living room and Gracie (the dog) would run and touch noses with her then they would both dart in opposite directions, and repeat. It was cute.
After about a month it’s like they don’t even see eachother. Gracie just likes to sneak in and eat their food (which I think has made her gain some weight too!) But I always leave a baby gate up when I leave the house even if the buns are in their cages, just to be safe.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

It took about 2-3 months before I allowed my dog direct contact with the bunnies so plan on keeping them seperate for a while, while you work on training with the dog and desensitizing them both.

I’d allow both to smell each other -that’s big in the animal world. So perhaps allow the bunny and the dog a blanky and then switch them-like you’d do when introducing two bunnies together.

Alongside this you’ll want to work with the dog-get your bf on board with this. You want commands down pat: sit, stay, down, no/stop, and gentle. Gentle is something you’ll work on with a stuffed animal-you’ll ask the dog to just give kisses (‘just kisses!’) or ‘gentle’ etc-basically you’ll sing song these commands to your dog, while rewarding the dog for behaving very gently with the toy. This toy you’ll call ‘the bunny’ or what have you, and the dog cannot pick it up in his mouth or carry it or play roughly with it. He can lick and lay down next to it. Work on these commands around the toy until the dog is reliable (work in different environments too! like outside or in a park). NEVER let the dog rip up that toy.

Now introduce them-perhaps have the rabbit in a carrier or securely in your arms, allow the dog to smell the rabbit-give your ‘gentle’ commands. Keep meetings for a few seconds then build up time. You should watch what both are doing and judge how you proceed (ie. letting them meet with the dog on a leash, through a gate or free in a room). Always keep control of your dog.

You can also do side by side training of the rabbit-with a ‘stop’ or ‘no’ command if you think the rabbit will bite the dog-but if the dog is sufficiently trained, and reliable and gentle-you can likely just work with that. Hope that helps!! It does take work-a lot of work, but I can now leave my dog with my bunnies unsupervised, and my dog takes his ‘bunny watching’ duties seriously. Even though he’s VERY excitable (makes lab’s look like couch potatos) and very prey-drivey (I won’t tell you what he’s caught just on walks) -he’s GREAT with the rabbits. I’d say he’s the least likely candidate to get along with bunnies but we did it

[MissPinUp]

Thanks so much!!!

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