Bunnymom,K wrote:
I OWN all that live in my home. My dog knows it and respects it. It's all about your attitude.
Own or lead? I think it has far more to do with knowing/understanding your animals and training than it does attitude.
I have to agree and disagree. I do not agree that it takes attitude or a certain type of 'dominance' or being 'leader' or 'alpha' over all your pets. I've had to rehabilitate so many dogs because of people training them with this mindset that it's heartbreaking. I hate the use of the words 'dominance' and 'alpha' for this reason. I'm all about positive reinforcement. That said, it REALLY strongly depends on your dogs/rabbits.
A dog raised from a puppy with a bunny/bunnies that has virtually no prey drive is far different than introducing an adult dog to a bunny later on, particularly if you don't know what type of drive your dog has. It definitely comes down to training, particularly desensitizing and counter conditioning when it comes to rabbits - training the dog not to chase, bother or harass the rabbits while they hop around or while they're in their presence, but rather, to lay down, sit, or walk away. Coming to sit with you is the best reaction to teach. It's basically teaching a wanted behavior in place of an unwanted behavior. Teaching the dog that coming to you is more rewarding than chasing the bunny.
I've desensitized my Beagle to my bunny, but I'm taking it extremely slowly and NEVER, EVER, will ANY of my pets ever be loose together under any circumstances. I would rather not risk it at all, because it really does only take ONE time. I've had a cat suddenly attack my dog, out of nowhere, when my dog wasn't even in the same room as him, and this was a cat that was raised with him for several years. I've also had dogs suddenly go after smaller animals that they never had before. It takes ONE moment, it takes ONE thing that you may not even notice, for things to turn around in an instant. In the case of dogs or cats, REALLY, REALLLLLYYY knowing canine and feline behavior REALLY helps. Knowing signs of stress helps too - and these can be as simple as lip licking, whale eyes, crumpled whisker beds, etc.