My bunnies are terrified of my puppy ):

[Deedee45]

Hello everyone!

I hope you’re all doing well and staying safe.

I created an account here because I have some issues with my bunnies and I thought it was best to have advice here.

I have two rabbits. One is 2 years old, and was a rescue. He’s very small and shy, and we think he might have been beaten before we rescued him as he is missing an eye. This makes him very skittish so I am always careful to not spook him, but he’s comfortable enough to know he’s safe. My other bunny is 1 year old and twice the size of my other bun. He’s very adventurous, not shy at all, and a bit of a grump, but still very nice.

Yesterday, I got a doberman puppy that is the sweetest girl. She’s very calm and sleepy. When I first came home and put her in a seperate room to come say hello to my bunnies, my one year old didn’t flinch or care, but as soon as my two year old smelt my fingers he got very spooked and ran away. I let my family take care of the dog, washed my hands, and spent time with the buns. The small one still was skittish, but eventually he came up to sit next to my head and chill.

The next morning, I put my puppy in her crate while she was sleepy, and went to get the big bunny considering he didn’t seem to mind the smell. I let him see the puppy inside the crate, the dog stayed calm, sniffed, and didn’t care much, but my bun freaked out and ran away. I put him away and gave my buns a few treats to calm them down.

I am worried that considering my “chill” bun got very freaked when seeing her, my other bun which is way more fragile could have a heart attack or some other big reaction.

I’d love any experience sharing and/or advice to make sure my buns stay well, Thank you in advance!

Dee

[Bam]

Congratulations on your new puppy!

First of all, my advice would be to go veery slow. Dont introduce the dog and buns directly yet. Keep washing your hands before handling the buns after handling the pup. There is no way to stop the rabbits from picking up the dog’s scent, so if you let this happen slowly and gradually, the buns will most likely adapt. I had a dog when I found my first rabbit. We did the introduction very slowly, over a few weeks.

Here is an old thread about getting a puppy when you have buns. The posts by UroborusElite are very useful:

https://binkybunny.com/forums/topic/experiences-with-getting-a-puppy-when-you-already-have-a-rabbitae/

 

[Deedee45]

Thank you so much for the reply Bam!

I will go check the link out right away. I’m reassured to hear you did the interraction over a few weeks as I was worried if our pup stayed too long without seeing them there would be “what are you doing in my house” reactions. I will go slower and post updates when I see ameliorations.

Have a great day and thanks again! (:

[Bam]

Both the buns and the dog will know of each other’s presence, because both species have a far, far more acute sense of smell than humans. Since the dog is a pup, she’ll likely more or less just accept the situation as it is. That’s how dogs have come to be man’s best friend, going back sth like 40 000 years or so -dogs accept what the hoomin says is ok for them to accept.

Your rabbits are however adults, snd thus less intellectually malleable. Your buns might have had bad experiences with dogs before they came to you, or they might just react instinctively to the presence of a (perceived) predator. Rabbits are very good at adapting, though. It might take some time, but eventually they will become desensitised to the presence of your dog.

My dog was a German Shepherd, a dog that falls in the same category as a Dobermann. Those type dogs are highly dependent on their owners and have a profound will to please.

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

It is normal for bunnies to be scared of rabbits, they are prey animals. Just take it slow and it would most likely turn out great. My first bunny had no fear of anything, she wanted to be friends with the dog. My other rabbits though was like hell no. He know though is ok with the dog after some time, it just takes time.

[Deedee45]

Both of you thank you so much for the fast answers!

I’m already seeing some amelioration on my buns side. The small one is still skittish, but he seems to be getting used to the smell and this morning he grabbed the treats out of my hand which he didn’t do when we got the pup.

Thanks again for the help I will take it slow with them

Dee

[Bam]

Oh, so great that you are seeing improvement already! ☺

 

[Cinnimon&Ollie]

Awesome!

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