Bunnies Bonding With Dogs

[Nadezhda]

My brother is probably getting a dog from one of his lady coworkers. Daddy dog was a purebred German Shepherd, and Mommy Dog was 1/2 German Shepherd, half Wolf. This little puppy favours the wolf side, and has short hair, which is why my mummie with her allergies will leven consider it. Now, tomorrow mom is going to go down and look at the puppy (last one left) and decide if they'll get it. Probably will.

My brother wants the dog to live in the basement with him, but I think it'll end up being an entire-house dog, and I also think I'm going to be the one to end up taking care of it. Teh sigh, but I could use the nudge of a dog with a leash in it's mouth to get me out on walks.

Now, I haven't gotten a bunny yet. My plan is to keep it in my room, litter train, and then let the fuzzbun worm it's way into mom's heart to let it be an entire house bun. The vet still needs to find a bunny for me, so I'm still in the process of moving my room around for optimal running space and cage view, bunny proofing, and getting good bunny-conductive habits (like closing my door when I go out, closing the toilet lid of my mini-bathroom)

Now, I wonder if the fact that the dog is leaning heavily on it's 1/4 wolf side, will it be more prone to wanting to eat the bun?

 

[Pipp]

Don't think short hair makes any difference with allergies, does it?

And certainly don't take my word for it, but if the dog's a young puppy and grows up with the bunny, it should be easier, no?

Dogs and bunnies always scare me, but so many seem to get on so well, hard to say. Probably depends on the individual dog andindividualbunny.

Hopefully those with experience will weigh in. Good luck with it!



sas and pipp :bunnydance:

 

[Just Jack]

I've also wondered about the whole bonding process of dogs with bunnies. Or bunnies with other animals for that matter (today on Animal Planet I saw a bunny and deer that had bonded).

It would seem to me that having an adult bunny bonding with a puppy would be the ideal situation. However I've had a recent reminder with my gf's cousin's puppy how rough and bitey puppies are. Even if the puppy is just playing, I doubt it would be very productive to the bonding experience for the little dog to try and chew on the bunny.

So how do people bond their dogs with their buns?

 

[bunnytopia]

i have an allergy to dogs no matter what length hair they have as it is not actually the hair that im allergic to, its the skin, but each person with allergies suffer for different reasons.

As for bonding with a dog i have no idea as my allergies prevent me having one!

 

[mskoala]

I'm not sure about the wolf part. But we have an adult bun and we got a puppy about a year and a half ago. Our vet recommended not keeping them together too much b/c it may be too stressful on grace. Plus, when sammy "plays" with Grace she tires to squash her with her paw (thump!) and bats her around like a hockey puck. Not so good. So, we tend to keep them seperate.

good luck!

 

[peapoo_bunny]

our dog is part wolf, and hes just fine with the bunny as long as your out there with him.but if your not with him he would eat her probably.. also our basset hound and gordon setter get along great with the bunny..and so does our pit bull looking mix..

heres aa thread about dogs and bunnies

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=11097&forum_id=1&page=1

 

[Nadezhda]

Thanks for the info!

I just found out that it isn't part German Shepherd, it's part Huskie. Huskies are dumb dogs with strong hunting instincts. *rolls eyes*

I have a feeling that my bun, when he/she comes, will be a my room bun, and the dog will be an outside/basement doggie.

 

[Bassetluv]

My suggestion would be to treat the dog as a dog; i.e., no matter what the parentage may be, dogs do have instincts that have to be respected. My dog is suspected to be part Husky...though I have had so many people approach and ask where I got the Dingo! Others have suggested she is actually an Australian cattle dog, which were interbred with Dingoes in Australia...she looks very much like an Aussie cattle dog with her cranial structure, etc. At any rate, whatever she is, she definitely carries the canine instinct of hunting/killing animals. So with Kaya I was extremely hesitant to introduce her to my first rabbit, Rufus. When I did, she would stand outside of his cage, literally drooling...she would have loved nothing better than to make him a quick snack. However, she is also a highly intelligent dog, and she does understand when something is not allowed (with the exception of the garbage can and food left on the kitchen counter ). So after a few sessions of allowing her to meet Rufus, I found she understood completely, and after a few weeks I could trust her completely to be alone with him in the backyard. Then when I got Raph (and more recently, Anna), it only took once to get her to realize she is not allowed to harm them. However, with my sister's dog...a little sheltie mix named Lassie...I would never leave her in the same room with my rabbits, ever. She would terrorize them to no end. No matter how much she is shown, she ignores. So she is not allowed anywhere near the rabbits.

A week ago I was sitting at my computer and Kaya was lying on the sofa behind me. I heard her growling (not unusual for her, she growls at everything) and when I turned around got the surprise of my life. Anna...who was new to the household and quite flighty, was sitting on top of Kaya's back and would not move. The look on Kaya's face was precious...it was an 'Mom, pleeeeze help me' pathetic stare. Now this was coming from a dog who would not hesitate to attack a rabbit (or any other animal) that was not a member of the household.

Having said that, there are times when I absolutely would not trust Kaya with the rabbits. If there is food lying around - a bone of hers, or some sort of treat - then the rabbits are not allowed near her. She is not to be trusted in that situation. And this is my point...every dog is individual, no matter the heritage. My dog is not the type that would typically be trusted around rabbits...yet she will go out in the backyard with the rabbits, wag her tail, drop to her knees and try to play with them. Yet around food, all bets are off. You need to get to know the dog as an individual, learn just what boundaries they will and will not heed, and even then, proceed with caution. Dogs will let you know just how far they can be trusted, if you know how to read them - learn their 'talk'...their body language - and if you're not sure, don't take chances.

(Sorry, I didn't mean to make this such a long post...:?)

 

[proxima centauri]

My shih tzu puppy likes my two bunnies. A little too much. When I have a bunny on me, he'll leave everything and jump on me to be with the rabbits. He likes to lick them, and unfortunatly, chew on their ears. I try to make them used to each others, but rabbits are delicate and they don't like rough love... and the clumsy dog doesn't know its strength.

He loves the bunnies.

The two bunnies are either indifferent to him, or they go away as they don't like the heavy tongue licks.

They're halfway between indifferent and annoyed

 

[jordiwes]

Bassetluv wrote:

Anna...who was new to the household and quite flighty, was sitting on top of Kaya's back and would not move. The look on Kaya's face was precious...it was an 'Mom, pleeeeze help me' pathetic stare. Now this was coming from a dog who would not hesitate to attack a rabbit (or any other animal) that was not a member of the household.

Thanks, this made me laugh!

 

[Maureen Las]

I had a german shepherd -beagle mix who lived in total harmony with a free-roam in door bunny. I also have an older greyhound who turns his nose up at anything to do with the buns(ignores them). When I wanted another dog,however, I had some difficulty as I have 6 bunnies now. I brought a dog from a shelter in Michigan allthe way to Wi because I was told that the dog got along with other animals. She turned out to be a wonderful dog with an intense prey drive towards every animal I owned other than my dogs. I had to find another home for her. Then I started to research breeds and decided that herding breeds may be the answer. I now have a blue-heeler/cattledog mix that is great with the buns but I also think that collies would tend to have less prey drive. When it really comes down to it it is different for every dog, its background etc. and doesn't always depend on the breed. I hope that your bun and dog accidentally make a good connection.

 

[Nadezhda]

My main problem is that the puppy is coming to live with us by the end of the week, whereas I am bunnyless, and not sure when a new bun will come into my life. If I have to I will harass the vet to get a bunbun.

I would love to be able to introduce the puppy to an adult rabbit, but I live in a small town, and know of no other bunny owners. Bah. Ya'll will hear about bun-dog dates once I get a bun and start up a bunblog : D

 

[aurora369]

You should contact "Small Animal Rescue of BC" They've got tons of buns that need homes, and maybe some sort of bunny transport can be worked out.

Their website is: http://www.smallanimalrescue.org/

You could probably get an adult bunny who has been around dogs before. I dealt with Lisa when I was rescueing some buns, she was very helpful.

Good luck,

--Dawn

 

[Nadezhda]

Thankyou for the website! I will look through there, and if my vet doesn't find a bunny locally, I will see if I can convince my mother to let me adopt from this site. The problem is distance. I live in a place called Terrace, and the most of the population lives down closer to the border with the states.

I'll putter around in that site, though!

 

[Nadezhda]

I tried to bring the topic up with mom, and she went on a rant about how she's no spending any money, blablahblah, how's the bunny going ot get here, blahblahblah, noone is going to bring the bunny down here without payment, blahblahblah cranky.

 

[aurora369]

I think you should contact them anyways, and let them know your mom's concerns, and perhaps they can come up with a solution.

It may not be possible, but it would be nice if somehow it was made possible.

Good luck,
--Dawn

 

[naturestee]

Save your money, girl! They have pairs!!!:inlove:

 

[Nadezhda]

After much horrible coughing, constant sneezing, and a snifflily nose, I managed to convince mom, in my frog-croaky voice, to let me send in an adoption form with all her 'cost concerns'

Being sick with the cold-from-hell has some uses : D I'm going to fill out and email in now!

 

[aurora369]

Thats awesome to hear!! I hope it goes somewhere!! What kind of bunny would you like to get, ideally?

--Dawn

 

[peapoo_bunny]

:colors: Whatever the new bun is just make sure we get some pictures if possible!!!