Another Dog / Rabbit Post>>

[Luluznewz]

Hey everyone.

My sister found an older terrier (supposed terrier) / chihuahua mix. He isn't exactly a spring chicken, and has a injured hind leg that is unlikely to ever heal fully. He really needs a home, and I would like to have a little dog.

I've had dogs all my life, except I haven't lived with one full time since I left for college. I visit my parents regularly to see the family dogs. They are very large breeds and young, so they do not get along with the rabbits.

Do you think this little chihuahua might do better? Apparently hes actually smaller than Zeppelin and the same size as Lulu. I know size doesnt mean everything, but I feel that it might help. Also, he is older.

Obviously only them meeting will tell, but from that info do you guys think it could work? Does anyone have a chihuahua type dog that gets along with rabbits? Also, i've never attempted to train my dogs to leave the rabbits alone because they are simply way way too large and stubborn to ever be trusted. Has anyone actually trained their dog to where they could be loose in a room together? Obviously they would be supervised.

 

[Krissa]

My dog is laying next to my rabbit cleaning his ears right now. She is a 4 year old Aussie. I got the dog before the rabbit.

I think it is all about the personality of the dog. I trust my dog, I know her. I also trust my cats, I know them. Before I got my rabbit I thought about everyone's personality carefully and decided it would work. I also planned for what would happen if it didn't work - where the cage would have to be.

I know that it will be difficult for you since you don't know the dog. His breed mix is against him, terriers can be dangerous to small animals - but, you never know, he may be the sweetest thing ever to the rabbit.

I would let the dog see the rabbit and look for signs of aggression or 'hunting.' I had to teach my male cat not to stalk the rabbit with a squirt bottle. Can you get the dog to focus back on you.

Something to consider - if it happens that you cannot trust the new dog how will it affect your rabbit's life? Will they have less out of cage time? Will you have to move the cage?

 

[Sweetie]

Always supervise this dog and your rabbit when they are together. Never leave them alone together as bad things can and do happen. When I had Sweetie at my mom's in 2008 during the snow storm we had, I kept an eye on all the dogs and cats when they were around her especially when she was out of the carrier hopping around for a few minutes. I would not fully trust any predator animal to be alone with my rabbits.

If they are introduced slowly they should be alright with each other.

 

[Sweetie]

Krissa wrote:

My dog is laying next to my rabbit cleaning his ears right now. She is a 4 year old Aussie. I got the dog before the rabbit.

I think it is all about the personality of the dog. I trust my dog, I know her. I also trust my cats, I know them. Before I got my rabbit I thought about everyone's personality carefully and decided it would work. I also planned for what would happen if it didn't work - where the cage would have to be.

I know that it will be difficult for you since you don't know the dog. His breed mix is against him, terriers can be dangerous to small animals - but, you never know, he may be the sweetest thing ever to the rabbit.

I would let the dog see the rabbit and look for signs of aggression or 'hunting.' I had to teach my male cat not to stalk the rabbit with a squirt bottle. Can you get the dog to focus back on you.

Something to consider - if it happens that you cannot trust the new dog how will it affect your rabbit's life? Will they have less out of cage time? Will you have to move the cage?

I agree that it is all about personality but I must ask a question. Do you always supervise your dog and rabbit when they are together? I am just wondering.

 

[JadeIcing]

It depends on the dog. I trust mine 100% and she is a pom.

 

[MiniLopHop]

I have two cats and do not supervise during the day. Andre will jump into Becky's play pen if the gate is shut. The two of them love to play so I don't fret about it. When the rabbit was not feeling well after her spay the cat would lick her face gently. We had another cat previously who has since passed, that I would not let even meet the rabbit because of the prey drive was too strong to be trusted.

 

[Krissa]

To answer the earlier question:

I only have the rabbit out when I am home and in that part of the house. He is in my study and I spend a lot of time in there so I am always present. It is a predator/prey relationship so one can never trust it 100% - I would hate to lose my rabbit because I wasn't supervising.

I also don't let me dog outside in the yard alone - even to use the restroom. I'm a bit paranoid though :biggrin2:

Zander the rabbit did spend one morning unsupervised out of his cage with the 3 cats and dog. I went to church and forgot to close the cage door! When I got home my dog was running over to me and then back to the bedroom whining - she was 'telling' on Zander who was under the bed shredding my bed frame. No one was hurt, but I did not enjoy bunny teeth on my wooden bed frame.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

I agree with the depends on the dog. We had a Doberman more than thirty years ago that loved to chase anything that moved, but would not bother any of our other pets. She was one of the smartest dogs I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.

 

[Krissa]

I would like to add that I trust my dog not to hurt the rabbit INTENTIONALLY. Arwen is a very robust player and she can get rough with the cats. While the cats can handle rough play, rabbits cannot.

Arwen knows she is only allowed to give kisses to the rabbit and if she comes into the room acting crazy she is sent out and put in a down-stay until she calms down some. She caught on quickly that if she wants to see the rabbit she has to calm down. To train the calm state of mind I used a clicker and help from my husband. He supervised the rabbit and I trained the dog. It was easier to focus on reinforcing calm behavior in the dog when I didn't have to worry about the rabbit.

I would click for things like soft eyes, no staring, looking at me, laying down and general relaxing.

If anyone wants to learn more about clicker training for a calm dog Control Unleashed is a great book on the subject.

 

[mistyjr]

My pug dog and our house bunny is out together all the time. She doesn't even brother the rabbit to much. Just sniffs him but thats about all.

 

[Sweetie]

Thank you Krissa. I guess I was just a bit paranoid also. I love my rabbits also and would not trust any dag or cat to be alone with them either.

 

[Krissa]

On the same note - I also picked a giant breed rabbit. He is almost larger than my big male cat. He looks less like a kitty snack.

 

[elrohwen]

I know of a lot of dogs who are trustworthy around rabbits off leash. I still wouldn't leave them alone unsupervised, but I don't think you'll have a problem with them getting along if the dog is old and mellow.

 

[Dragonrain]

Depends on the dog. Don't underestimate the chi just because he's little. Little dogs, and even older dogs, can have strong prey drives or maybe might not be use to being around other animals. I agree 100% with everyone else who said it depends on the dog.

I have a papillon who was raised from 9 weeks old with the rabbits, and I trust him 100% with them. Heck, sometimes I think he thinks he is a rabbit. I still do not, however, leave him with my rabbits or any other small animals unsupervised. Accidents can always happen, even with the most well meaning dogs.

 

[tamsin]

There can be issues the other way around too, sometimes a bunny will treat a dog/cat as an invader and attack them. If you've seen bunny fight, you'll know how aggressive a angry bun can get!

I know of a one off incident where a giant rabbit killed a cat that invaded it's garden, must have just caught the wrong spot with it's teeth, and several where a cats required stitches.

So, it can depend as much on the rabbits personality as the dog/cat.

 

[Luluznewz]

So the dog (Freddie) and the rabbits briefly met. He's staying with my parents so they have time to get to know each other. Unfortunately he didn't just totally ignore them like I hope. He sniffed the cage and wagged his tail was was definitely interested. It wasn't aggressive necessarily... I dunno, it seemed a bit too interested to me though.

So obviously they would NEVER be alone together. To be honest I dont think they would ever even be free together. I'm just not sure i'd trust any dog that seems to have even a glimpse of prey drive. Has anyone ever trained a dog that initially seemed 'too interested' to leave them alone?

 

[Krissa]

My dog as a puppy was 'too interested' with my first rabbits. When I got Zander she was much older so that helped.

Also don't mistake excitement for a prey drive. When we got Zander as a baby my dog was overly excited - thats just how she is. But as she saw the rabbit daily through the cage bars the excitement lessened. So overtime the dog may see the rabbit as just another object in the house. You have to be consistent with the dog as to what is acceptable.

I would still sign up for an obedience class with your dog - not one of the classes at a pet store but one at a dog club. You learn how your dog 'thinks' in obedience class, how he reacts and what his limits are. You also learn the most important commands and how to use them properly - come, stay and leave it. Leave it is the most important command in my mind, not just for the safety of your rabbit but also if you drop prescription medicine on the ground or if a skunk walks through your campsite (my dog has a good leave it) :biggrin2:

Another thing I did for my husband is we sit down when I get a new pet and write down our expectations for obedience. We decided our dog was allowed on the furnatiture, had to use the potty on command, would not be allowed to jump on strangers, can not bark crazy at the door etc.

I would sit down and decide how you want the dog to behave around the rabbit. Do you want him to lay down the whole time, can he sniff the rabbit? Is he allowed to bark or whine? Decide this first so you can be consistent in rewarding the dog for good behavior, the training will be much faster.

Ultimately its what you are comfortable with, it seems you are going to err on the side of caution which is good.

 

[AmberNBuns]

My 2 cents:

I would work first on my relationship with the dog. Once I have established my dominance and the dog respects me and is completely loyal and obedient, only then would I try to let him meet the rabbit.

It only takes a dog a split second to let instinct take over and bite-shake-kill. Even if it is just a chi, it still has teeth that are designed to do lethal damage.

I am not just some doubter though. This comes from someone who has successfully bonded a rabbit and dog.

I have a 3 pound Netherland dwarf and a 70 pound pit bull mix. And I trust my dog with my rabbit's life. But I know the only reason she didn't kill him when she first met him is because she knew that we told her no. And we knew that she obeys us. ALWAYS.

If you can put a steak on the coffee table, tell your dog he can't have it, go to bed, and wake up to reward your dog with the steak he wanted so badly all night but didn't eat [true story]... then you know your dog won't hurt your rabbit

And now when the house is chilly, my bunny cuddles up with my dog on her pillow

@Krissa: That is some excellent advice! Deciding beforehand what the rules are would be the only way for two people to enforce them consistently. The only things my dog ever does that we don't want her to do are the things that we were not consistent in training her for. She barks at the door because as a puppy we teased her with the doorbell. Now when she barks at the door we know it is our fault. She begs at the table because we fed her from the table. That is our fault. But she always obeys when we tell her to stop. We just have to tell her to stop EVERY time we eat or get a visitor. lol. The things we were consistent on - no problem. She doesn't ever go in the kitchen, she never goes into the street, no jumping on people, etc...

So you certainly want to make sure you have clearly defined what your dog is allowed to do around the rabbit, and always supervise them together so you can completely enforce the rules without missing an opportunity for correction or praise. Then when you know the dog is absolutely certain of the rules and respects you enough to obey them unfailingly, you will have a safe pair.

Cheers!

 

[Krissa]

AmberNBuns wrote:

My 2 cents:

I would work first on my relationship with the dog.

Couldn't have said it better!