Signs of stress in a rabbit

So Friday morning we brought home our newly adopted puppy. Because the puppy is timid of just about everything. We are doing a "two week shut down". The one thing that really holds the puppy's attention is Jack. Obviously we are redirecting her attention as much as possible but I'm not sure how much it is stressing Jack out. When the puppy goes up to Jack's cage he will go up to the puppy and sniff her. He then hops back and forth in his cage. Depending on the time of day Jack may even be eating when the puppy goes over there. I am sure the puppy stresses him out but I'm not sure how to tell. There is no thumping or being completely still. What are some other signs of stress in rabbits besides those two. I am sure it helps that the puppy does not chase Jack and is definitely more interested in Jack's toys than Jack himself.

Can't you put the rabbit's cage in a room where the dog doesn't go? I wouldn't let my dog get that close - I put the rabbits in a room with a baby gate at the entrance so they can see each other but that's about it. Is your rabbit laying down completely when the dog is there? Washing himself? He needs to be able to do his normal rabbit things without the dog throwing off his groove all the time ^^. You can generally tell if the rabbit is relaxed by looking at the ears and the nose. If the nose is moving a lot / quickly and that the ears are often standing and doing the satellish dish thing your rabbit is on alert. But if you are sure your rabbit is stressed, he probably is and it's better to separate. Also, be very careful with letting those two interact and, just in case, NEVER leave them together when you are not in the room. It only takes one second of the dog deciding to play 'shake the fluffy creature' to kill a rabbit.

Putting the rabbit in another room is not an option at the moment. The dog and rabbit are NEVER left alone together. The only time the are able to interact is when Jack is in his cage. Gabby (the puppy) mostly tries to chew on the toys that hang in Jack's cage. She really likes the gourd pieces that hang on his toys. It does seem that Gabby has a very low prey drive which is good but I still don't want her harassing Jack. When Gabby is trying to chew on Jack's toys Jack has been seen getting on his hind legs and sniffing Gabby. He also washes himself, eats his hay or play with his wicker balls. The only time I have ever seen he ears do the satellite thing is when I am vacuuming. He doesn't like the vacuum neither do my birds.

A rabbit that is nervous will usually hold very still and on alert, sometimes pancake themselves to the ground(to 'hide'), or dart for safety. Their respirations will increase, their nostrils may flair, their nose movement can increase or even stop, their ears may be up and alert or flat back, and their eyes will also usually go really wide or may shut altogether. So the response varies depending on how nervous or scared the rabbit is.

If your rabbit is sniffing the dog, washing himself, eating, and playing, then I would take those as signs he's not all that concerned about the dog. But like aki mentioned and you also seem to be aware of, caution should always be used whenever a predator animal and prey animal are allowed to be near each other. Also keep in mind that not only can a dog do damage, but a threatened rabbit can as well. They can inflict pretty nasty bite wounds if they are feeling territorial and aggressive. Not that your bun will, it's just something that can happen and good to be aware of.

I agree that from your description, your bunny is not acting stressed, just curious. Allowing Gabby and Jack to interact while Jack is in his cage is just fine -- ideal actually, in my opinion. This is even when you can correct behavior if needed -- for example, if Gabby tries to bark or whine at Jack. That is not acceptable and Gabby can be taught as much.

I'll see if I can find a photo of when we first got our puppy. My only warning would be to watch out for that time when the puppy starts chewing on everything. In a puppy's world, they would normally play rough with their puppymates (chewing on ears, etc). Gabby's new "puppymate" (in his eyes) is the rabbit. Those pin-sharp puppy teeth can cause damage to bunny's delicate skin. I had to separate them during that time.