Bunny Dressage

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Oh wow, how awesome!

I was so surprised to get to the bottom of the article and read that Animal Rights Activists are condemning the sport because they use leashes. I can see the possibility of there being some bad apples who are too rough with the leashes, but without them every rabbit except the one currently jumping would have to be kept in a kennel.

It's really cool to watch the video and see how much fun the rabbits have doing the jumps, too. That would be really neat to try!
 
If it is like cat agility you can be disqualified for pulling on leashes or punishing in any way. As far as I can tell for both cats and rabbits you can only use positive reinforcement. That is one of the things I like about it. :)
 
I do rabbit agility. It is more similar to horse show jumping than dressage, but even more like dog agility (at least what we do).
Our club does not require leashes as we do have the course fenced in, so it is not really an issue of the rabbit goes off the course. Handlers can use a leash if they want to or of their rabbit needs one. The leash is more to keep them on course and focused rather than to correct them or guide them. Other groups tend to not have the same fencing that we do and their courses can be set up a big different, so they do use leashes to keep the rabbits from running off. In our club, we also use mats for the course and most of the rabbits stay on the mats.
We do require harnesses for the rabbits. These give us something to grab if needed (like if 2 rabbits get a bit too close) and give a bit more control at the start and stop of the course. As many rabbit people can attest, a rabbit who does not want to be caught is very hard to catch. The harnesses just help keep the rabbits safe, prevent mating and make catching them a bit easier.

As for training, we don't use treats or other similar rewards. The rabbits mostly do it becasue they have fun and want to do it along with some praise. Some rabbits are pulling on the harness as they want to run the course which can be hard when you have to wait for the race to start. Some will keep going around the course again and again because they just love to do it.
You really can't force the rabbits to do it. If they don't want to, they won't do it. Some do take a bit longer to really get it, but most will do it if given enough time and practise. We have really only ever have 1 rabbit that did not want to do it and she would even do it a bit if she was in the mood.
 
Do the rabbits have to run the course in a specific order the way dogs do in dog agility?

That's really cool that you guys have the fences so the rabbits can't go all willy nilly, but can still run the course without the leash and at their own pace.

It would be really cool to let Michiko try it. She gets some pretty good air!
 
[align=center]I wish I had the equipment to do this with my buns <3
I love how at 0:28, the bun stands to be picked up by his owner <3
 
Yurusumaji wrote:
Do the rabbits have to run the course in a specific order the way dogs do in dog agility?

That's really cool that you guys have the fences so the rabbits can't go all willy nilly, but can still run the course without the leash and at their own pace.

It would be really cool to let Michiko try it. She gets some pretty good air!
Click to expand...
For us, the course is set out and the rabbits can choose which way they want to go (the course is a square), but have to keep going that way. Some groups have a course that is more like dog agility but just with jumps and they do have to go in that order. There are penalties for missing an obstacle as well as knocking over a pole.

Actually, the fences are more for keeping kids off the course than the rabbits. If we don't have fences, there are literally kids crawling all over the mats when we are trying to run the rabbits. The parents of these kids don't seem to care much either. That the fence helps keep the rabbits in is just a bonus.

You can build some jumps or use some safe stuff in your house to try it yourself.
 
Korr_and_Sophie wrote:
Yurusumaji wrote:
Do the rabbits have to run the course in a specific order the way dogs do in dog agility?

That's really cool that you guys have the fences so the rabbits can't go all willy nilly, but can still run the course without the leash and at their own pace.

It would be really cool to let Michiko try it. She gets some pretty good air!
Click to expand...
For us, the course is set out and the rabbits can choose which way they want to go (the course is a square), but have to keep going that way. Some groups have a course that is more like dog agility but just with jumps and they do have to go in that order. There are penalties for missing an obstacle as well as knocking over a pole.

Actually, the fences are more for keeping kids off the course than the rabbits. If we don't have fences, there are literally kids crawling all over the mats when we are trying to run the rabbits. The parents of these kids don't seem to care much either. That the fence helps keep the rabbits in is just a bonus.

You can build some jumps or use some safe stuff in your house to try it yourself.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the info.

I was reading an article that said E-Lops shouldn't run the courses because of their ears. :( Do you think it would be dangerous for Michiko to run these courses? She jumps and binkies all over the house without any issues, but I realize this is pretty much a different animal altogether.

The thing about kids makes sense, lol! Parents these days are much too keen to let their kids do whatever they please. At least something good came of it.
 
I wonder if there would be a way to make a bag attached to the harness to gently restrain the ears while running so they don't get caught on any of the jumps? Obviously you wouldn't want to pull, but fold them down the rabbit's back.

I worry about my mini lop's ears which are not even close to as large. So far we are still learning the clicker training basics so no serious jumps.
 
Maybe try a hair elastic and put his ears behind his neck? I don't know if it would work or not. You would not want it tight, just so that they aren't falling down when he jumps.
You could do low jumps, but keep in mind that he will probably knock them off with the ears. You could also do a fixed jump that is no more than 4" tall so he can't hurt himself.
I don't think it is an issue of him doing it, but him being able to do it well without hurting himself. They also say that angoras shouldn't do it, but I do it with my giant angora. We are inside most of the time and I don't push her and try to keep her coat shorter so she doesn't get hot. While she isn't the best, she can still do it and have fun.
 
I just love seeing other people who are doing it too, the bunnies always look like they're having so much fun, I know mine sure do :) I actually tend to not use a leash, though, because two of mine are so darned fast that I just slow them down because I can't move fast enough to keep up! The buns just love it!

Kate is right, it is closer to dog agility and show jumping then dressage. Dressage is more about the gaits of a horse, lateral movements, listening to commands, etc. then obstacles and such. The rabbits do things at their own pace. Sure, you can try commands but generally their so wrapped up in what they are doing that they don't really listen XD
 
I am so thrilled with all these responses. It's so cool that two of you do it! They really do just look like they are having the time of their lives. My Jeffrey would be a prime candidate for this, I think. When he was inside, he treated my dining toom table and chairs like his own personal obstacle course and would literally spend hours going over and under and around and around.

The pictures are too cute for words, because you can see that they are actually having a wonderful time.
 
I've got a bunny that does this as well- and yes, it's more associated with show jumping than dressage (The person who wrote the article probably doesn't know the difference, but there aren't any jumps in dressage at all...dressage is more like dancing on horseback, lol.)

Mini Lops should have no difficulties with their ears getting in the way while jumping - it's mainly the Elops that would have a hard time jumping because of their ears. They'd be more likely to rack up faults because their ears could easily knock down a pole, and they could also step on them and trip, etc.

Emily
 
That looks like a lot of fun for the people and especially the rabbits. You can tell the rabbits are having a lot of fun. I don't think Tiberius would be a good candidate though, he's not very springy LOL
 
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