puppies and Bunnies

[new1bunny]

I was just wondering since I have a boxer that is almost 4 mos old if it is too late to introduce him to the bunny. I mean he is still young and good hearted and all, but there is always that chance. Do you think these 2 can get along with each other if raised together.

[mossling]

you would have to watch them 24/7. boxers are high energy dogs, who play with their feet. all it would take is one miss placed foot to do serious damage to a little bunny. it’s *not* too late, it’s never too late, you just have to be diligent, supervise constantly, and know your animals well enough to read their body language and intervene before there is a problem.  i would actually be more nervous introing a puppy (especially a boxer puppy) than an older dog.

this is river, my 4 year old american bulldog mix. she had never seen a rabbit before we brought rue home, but i knew she was trustworthy with small animals. i still NEVER leave them alone together.

[Michelle&Lolli]

As Mossling said, you just have to watch all the animals. Naturally, if a dog keeps wanting to go after the bunny, you can’t keep putting them together. But there are lots people on the boards who have both dogs and rabbits who can be around each other without a problem. But….you have to keep watching them.

[new1bunny]

oh I agree to never leave them alone and all, there is one more thing though. He has 1/4 or less of pit in him. I had the bunny on the floor in a box beside me here and when he noticed it, he was really interested. So I moved the bunny away from him and he went crazy looking around trying to find the bunny. finally he forgot about it. but I can’t really tell if it was something new and he wanted to check it out, or if he wanted to eat it. I will keep you posted on how they do together. I hope I can trust him (the dog). His name is Blaze by the way.

[Sonn]

I have 5 indoor dogs and 2 buns. One of my dogs is 1/2 pit and is the most gentle out of all of my dogs with my rabbits. It takes time and training for some dogs. It took almost a year for my youngest dog to realize he couldn’t play with Pacey like he does dogs.

There are also the dogs that can not ever be in the same room as the rabbits I have one of those as well. She is a very jealous dog and will not hesitate to snap at either rabbit so when the rabbits are out she is in one part of the house and they are in another.

[mossling]

sweety, the dog in the post above, the american bulldog mix, is an american bulldog/PIT mix. that doesn’t matter much. pits are good dogs. while some are drivey, most are trustworthy around other (non-canine) animals, with proper introductions. the behavior you described sounds a lot like a curious, interested puppy. before working on serious intros between puppy and bunny, i suggest you work on a good, strong foundation in obedience. sit, stay, down, leave it, easy, off, come, ect. these are all really important commands that will make your dog safer to have around your bunny. i would recommend keeping your puppy leashed around the rabbit, so you have more control. use a gentle tug and an “ah ah ah” type noise to correct inappropriate behavior, and use lots of praise and food rewards to encourage the behaviors you want, like sniffing gently, laying calmly, ect. i would leave the rabbit in its cage when the dog is around for a while, just so the puppy can get use to the sights and smells and sounds. don’t rush in to the out of cage intros, let the novelty wear off first.

i hope that made some sense, i just kinda wrote things as they came to mind, so forgive me if it’s a little jumbled!

[new1bunny]

I agree pitts are good and all. I have had a few. they have a bad rep here though cause to many people like to fight them (not me). It is just that the boxer part of him is to take down big game animals till the hunter arrives, and then you have a little pitt in there as well. But he does get along with our outside cat just fine. I think they just need to get to know one another. please see my newest post for updates on all this.

[Sam and Lady's Human]

I’d be really careful, I love boxers, but I’ve yet to meet one that knows where his feet are.

[new1bunny]

yeah, they are a bit dumb but very good with kids, and will protect them. so they are pretty good dogs if you have kids.

[Boysclub]

i have a 20 month old english mastiff, Galli, and a 15 month old great dane, Harlii. my great dane is fine with the buns, he doesnt really care about them and he is the same with my cats. my mastiff on the other hand is a MAJOR threat to both my cats and my buns so he isnt allowed to be awnywhere near either of them. and the same goes for my dogs and my 2 horses, my great dane looses his head when he sees my horses but my mastiff doesnt seem to mind them. and oddly enough, my yonger horse, a rising 4yr TB doesnt like cats!!! lol

even though right now my living stuation has my dogs seperate from both my cats and my rabbits and my rabbits serperate from my cats as well, which they get along great!!! but once i move the end of june, my cats and my rabbits will be in the same living space, mind you the buns with have their own room!! (im sooo excited)

i really dont think it matters solely on the breed but a lot on the dog itself.

[new1bunny]

it is funny that you would mention a horse, because I had one that was 21 and an English and American mix. around here, if you have a bulldog it has to be tied up at all times or in a pen. so he was on a 20ft runner that was staked in the ground, so he had more than enough room, but he did not like my horse. she was a retired show horse, QH. anyway at night she would walk around the house. since she was old and had a lot of problem it took her about 30 mins to do it. but when she came around, we knew it cause the dog would start up barking. kept us up all night.
The funny part though is that she would get close to him and he would try to nip and when he did, she would kick him right in the face. and it is funny cause he never got hurt, it just knocked him back and shake it off and try again. he was a very smart dog, but dumb when it came to the horse.

[Monkeybun]

I wouldn’t trust a puppy that is untrained near a bunny at all. You can’t predict what they will do.

[new1bunny]

He is trained a bit. He would be trained all the way by now, but I am so busy with my school and plants and all that I don’t get to get that much training in. He does know what no, and out, and stop means.

[Joyfull_music]

My dog is a 4 year old boxer/lab and he has a super high chase drive, but is fine with our bunny. He does like to chase her sometimes, but I never let him pounce or paw at her. And in all honestly, she does not seem to mind the chasing. She actually antagonizes him sometimes.

As someone said, boxers are very “pawsy”. Mine will paw at everything. You just need to be careful when he is around your bun. You can also help teach them to not paw so much. I did with my dog and he mostly does it out of impulse now, but it is not nearly as bad as he used to be. (Giving my husband a black eye!)

Another great thing to teach your dog is a “leave it” command. It can literally be a life saver.

[brittbritt]

I have an almost ten year old boxer/lab(was a stray that came up so not positive), a four year old smaller mix dog and a cat. I had guinea pigs first and was able to see how they all react to them. My larger dog is actually scared to death of the guinea pigs and he is scared of our rabbit Gabby too. My smaller dog is real curious of her and they lay on the couch together. My cat is scared of Gabby too. Gabby thinks she is a bunny and follows her around when she can so excited to see her.

Even though they are doing good in the same household I will not leave Gabby alone with the three of them unless I can supervise them all. Years ago when I was a child we had a pet rabbit named Daisy who was free range during the day and a sweetheart. I accidentally stepped on her and she attacked me viciously. I was probably around four years old and she took me to the ground and tore up my arms and legs. I am more worried about what Gabby would do to my other animals than the other way around.

[new1bunny]

Right now he likes to sit there and bark at my bunny.

[Joyfull_music]

Leash him around the bunny and give corrections when he barks, and rewards for being calm around your bunny.

(aspiring trainer)

[LoveChaCha]

I would not let him bark at your rabbit. It may give your rabbit a heart attack, or worse, kill it.

[Elrohwen]

I would absolutely start with the puppy on a leash and the bun in a cage and go from there. If the puppy is extremely interested or barking, move back to a safer distance and wait for the dog to calm down – you should not let him bark. Walk him away until he can be calm. Show him that he can only be near the bunny when he’s calm. From there you can move to the bunny lose, or being held by someone, and the dog still on a leash. I wouldn’t let the dog off the leash with the bun for a very long time – as a puppy he might understand not to attack the bunny, but he might not understand not to play with the bunny – one pounce could be deadly. As your dog gets older and mellows out, you will probably be able to allow them supervised time together off leash if you train him correctly and he has the right temperament.

[new1bunny]

I am really good at training animals and all, when he barks I do stop him and let him know that is wrong. The barking does nothing to the bunny however. Dandela is just so easy going, I guess she don’t care. But I on the other hand do care, so I am working on that.

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