Need Advice- Got a new Dog

[SmokeysMomMom]

I have a five year old rabbit and we got a King Charles Cavelier Spaniel. I need some advice on how to handle this. I would never let the rabbit lose with the dog. My rabbit is my life. It is causing a lot of tension in my house as well. Am I a bad person for getting a dog. I am just a little emotional now. Any links or any advice? Thanks a bunch. xx

 

[jcottonl02]

Not at all!!!

Rabbits and dogs can make wonderful companions. However, as dogs are predators in the wild, and rabbits are prey, I wouldn't leave them unsupervised together.

I have 6 yorkshire terriers, and my two rabbits get along amazingly with them. I don't leave them unsupervised just 'because', but I think if I did (I never would leave a natural predator with a natural prey just to clarify), they would be absolutely fine.

This is just how I find them if I go to grab a drink etc. or if I'm watching tv n I turn around lol.


I would start by introducing them for a few minutes- let them sniff eachother. Have treats ready to reward calm behaviour. I would keep hold of your dog, rather than keep hold of your bun- your bun needs to feel like it can run away whenever it wants to. Your dog might get all excited and bat the bun or something, to try and initiate a game, but you don't want that to happen, especially while your bun isn't comfortable with your dog.

Keep giving them a few minutes together a few times a day. Keep calm yourself, and reward them with pats and treats.

Good luck

 

[dainerra]

Also, don't be nervous and yanking the bunny back away from the dog. The dog will pick up on your emotions and possibly mis-interpret it to mean that the bunny is something to be afraid of. Is it a puppy or an older dog?

do a search for "introducing a baby to a dog" it's a lot of the same ideas. I would keep the dog onleash, let him check the bunny, but correct any rough behavior with a "no, gentle" and reward him for being nice. When you have bunny out to play, let the super yummy treats flow! hot dog pieces are always good - something that he only gets when bunny is around.
Let them explore each other, but stop any chasing immediately with the leash and say "no chase" and give a treat as soon as he looks at you.

It is true that some dogs will NEVER get along with small animals, but that doesn't make you a bad person for getting a dog. It just means that you will have to closely supervise all of their interactions 100%. It could be as simple as keeping the dog on a leash when the bunny is out and about.

 

[SmokeysMomMom]

Our dog was our friends and we bought him off of them. We dog sat for them but put the rabbit in my daughters room when we had him over for a week while they were away or on day trips. He is five months old and the rabbit is inside all the time. I know the dog keeps going into the room where the rabbit is and I don't know if that is good or bad. The rabbit is in the cage.I am a nervous wreck and my husband is not letting me get a gate and I promised him I would have to but now after reading all the info on dogs and rabbits I brought up a gate and now it there is tension in the house. Sorry for going on and on. Just a nervous wreck here. By the way, the dog is in the kennel when we are out and when we go to sleep.

 

[SmokeysMomMom]

The dog is five months old.

 

[dainerra]

let him sniff the bunny through the cage a bit, if he is just curious. a lot will depend on the rabbit as well - some are just never comfortable with a dog being around.

your nervousness, though, will make any situation worse. If the dog has been checking out the bunny on his own that is a good sign. It's natural for him to be curious. Unless he's climbing the furniture to try to get to the cage, it doesn't really mean a lot
Fear can also be picked up by the bunny, making it more likely that she will run away, making her more enticing to the dog. Calm and assertive.

 

[jcottonl02]

Yes- calm assertive is def the way to go (Caeser ).

Also, as your dog is only 5 months, he is still young and learning. Get him used to the bun when he and the bun are both young and they are much more likely to get along.

 

[elrohwen]

Just go slow with the new dog. Try to make all interactions positive. So, if your dog gets over excited near the bunny cage, just keep him further away from the cage where he can be calm. Move them closer together only when both dog and bunny are totally calm about it. You dog is young and may want to play with the bunny, so keeping him on leash is important.

Cavs are sweet dogs and don't usually have a strong hunting drive, so I think there's a great chance that you'll be able to let them out together.

 

[SmokeysMomMom]

I guess I was worried because our rabbit Smokey is five and a half years old and worry about her having a heart attack.

 

[hartleybun]

jcottonl02 wrote:

Yes- calm assertive is def the way to go (Caeser ).

caeser fan here too! i have mum and daughter chocolate lab who live quite happily withthe bunnies. 5 months is still relatively young and i'd recommend some basic dog training. it will help your confidence to be in control of the dogcheck out some ofcesar's books - he hascoveredthis sort of thing.

as others have said dont leave the dog alone with the bunny - supervision is required as each can give out the wrong signals.

good luck - you are the pack leader not the dog:bunnydance:

 

[elrohwen]

I agree with the others that you definitely need to stay calm if your animals are going to stay calm. If you keep your puppy on a leash and your bunny in his cage, you'll be in control of all interactions. If either animal seems to be nervous or excited, just turn around and walk the dog away. No need to be nervous! I highly doubt your bunny would have a heart attack just from seeing the dog, especially if your dog isn't allowed to bark and jump all over the cage.

 

[jcottonl02]

Why would she have a heart attack? If rabbits are incredibly scared etc. then it is possible for them to die of fright, but i wouldn't imagine introducing a puppy to the family would inspire such an extreme reaction.

It's good that you have concerns, but rabbits, cats, dogs etc. can get on very well. Millions of people have two out of the three, and many people (like me) have numerous numbers of all three with absolutely no problem.
The cats curl up asleep with the dogs, the rabbits nuzzle the dogs, the dogs cry if they can't reach the cats through the stairgate because they want to nuzzle them etc.
My rabbits willingly approach and snuggle, sniff etc. the cats and the dogs

I understand because she is slightly older, it may be more of an extreme change for her, but 5 and a half years old isn't particularly old for a rabbit, and there should be every possibility they will get along fine.

However, as elrowen said, some dogs and rabbits just won't get on- the dog might always want to play rough with the rabbit, or the rabbit might be aggressive towards the dog on every meeting.

 

[jcottonl02]

Numerous numbers? My mum would be ashamed of my english....... lol

 

[Mrs. PBJ]

The best command you can teach your dog besides come is leave it.

That is me and phoenix best training tool.

Put a toy treat anything on the ground when he goes for it say leave it. As soon as he leaves it you say good and give him a treat that you have in your other hand. Not the one on the ground.

This can save him from running up on people messing with bunny. Hurting a child in the off chance you get in that situation.

My dog and Storm got on fine before I got my cat now they are separated because I have to keep boss away from the buns.

 

[JadeIcing]

With the right training dogs and bunnies can be the best of friends.

I think that training with a dog is great way to bond with them.

 

[Luluznewz]

Well I'd say the first thing you have to do is calm down. Its a stressful situation, not not something that is worth losing control over.

The first thing you should get in your head is that the rabbit is going to be fine. You can know this because you can make sure to stay in control of the dog. Get the dog on a leash, put the rabbit in a cage, and walk into the room.

My parents have three huge dogs and all of them have hunting instincts, but when the rabbit is in the cage they COMPLETELY ignore it.

Just go slowly. Teach your dog the "leave it" command. This will be useful for non rabbit related training and its something the dog should know anyway.

Once the dog completely ignores the rabbit in the cage you can keep the dog on a leash and let the rabbit out. Its best to have someone help you so they can pick the rabbit up (calmly) if necessary. Just go slow. If you do a google search on the topic you will get some really good information.

 

[SmokeysMomMom]

This is my problem though. We have the rabbit in the living room/computer room (the front room of the house). When we are home, we let the puppy run around the house freely. So it is impossible to take him out on a leash to show him the rabbit. There is no gate or door to block the dog from getting to the rabbits cage. My husband told me if we get the dog, there will be no gates and I told him okay. That I would try to get them to know each other. Then after we got the dog, I got all nervous and told him maybe we do need a gate. He said NO! So there has been a lot of tension in the house. I don't want to put her in the dark basement either.

 

[elrohwen]

Is there somewhere you could temporarily move the bunny that's behind closed doors? Maybe a spare bedroom? Or a den?

How did the puppy react when he met the bunny? And how did the bunny react? You may not have a problem with them interacting through the cage bars with the puppy not on the leash, then you can slowly work up to having them meet without the cage.

 

[dainerra]

just let the dog run around with the leash on. I tether all new dogs to me the first bit anyway - prevents potty accidents and makes housetraining faster!

Just snap a leash on the dog and walk him up to the cage. The longer you wait, the more anxious you are, the greater the chances it will go badly. He already knows the rabbit is there, just start introducing them.

 

[mistyjr]

hartleybun wrote:

jcottonl02 wrote:

Yes- calm assertive is def the way to go (Caeser ).

caeser fan here too! i have mum and daughter chocolate lab who live quite happily withthe bunnies. 5 months is still relatively young and i'd recommend some basic dog training. it will help your confidence to be in control of the dogcheck out some ofcesar's books - he hascoveredthis sort of thing.

as others have said dont leave the dog alone with the bunny - supervision is required as each can give out the wrong signals.

good luck - you are the pack leader not the dog:bunnydance:

I love watching Caeser! This is also a good way to watch and read hes book... Also training the dog is a good way too! You need to have the dog get used to of the rabbits or the dog will be afraid of it..