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mneiman1

mneiman1

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Good day,
My wife has been wanting a rabbit now for 2 years but I keep telling her we own two huskies and they will likely spook the rabbits or end up harming them. One of the huskies has killed a wild rabbit in the past. :(

However, we have now moved into a house which we have an empty room we don't use. My wife is thinking we could house the rabbits in this empty room away from the dogs. We would always have the door closed so the rabbits would never see the dogs and we would secure the door by putting a gate in front of it. I know rabbits are pretty social animals so if we were to do this we would get two rabbits and make sure we spent at least 1-2 hours with the rabbits to ensure they are being socialized. Also, I take the dogs to work with me so on the days the dogs are at work with me and my wife is at home she could take the rabbits outside etc.

Is this at all a smart idea or is this dumb as we own two huskies and one has killed a rabbit in the past? I think this plan could work but I just want to see other opinions from an outside view.

Thank you in advance for your input.
 
Whether this can work totally depends on the individual dogs and how well they obey. This may sound like a pat answer, but allow me to explain...

It is not at all unusual for dogs to get along with rabbits. Nor is it unheard of (clearly) for them to attack rabbits. However, keeping rabbits indoors is what makes the difference. Once a rabbit is introduced into the home, it becomes part of the 'family pack.'

This is where the training comes in. Dogs can learn that any household pet is indeed part of the family. It is up to us to train the dog as to the proper hierarchy of each member. Obviously, the humans should be the alpha. But when there are dogs and rabbits in the household, we have to teach our dogs that they are not alpha over the rabbits.

This can be done with many dogs -- but not with all. It truly does depend on how much inherent traits the individual dog must overcome.

I know you mentioned that one of your dogs has killed a wild rabbit. I would submit that this isn't necessarily an indication that he can't be trained. One of our dogs will chase any rabbit he sees in our yard. He has always done this and still does this. However, he is perfectly fine with every pet rabbit we have had indoors because he understands that the indoor rabbits are part of the family pack.

I have a section on my rabbit website where I explain in detail the process I have used with each dog and with each rabbit. Perhaps by reading it over, you will be better able to consider whether or not you think this could work with your dogs.

Here is that link.

I'll attach a couple photos separately....
 
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I have my rabbits with my dogs, I think especially if your gonna have a speedster room for them it would be fine.
 
We have to very large Great Danes and our five bunnies have their own bedroom so no problem. 40 plus years ago I had a Doberman that would chase birds in the backyard and even ate 2 that I know of , but our Cockatiels could land on her and get rides around the house. Most dogs are trainable, but we keep ours separate because of their size--I got my foot stepped on when our big boy was running past me outside and lost my toenail.
 
Definitely not impossible!

Most dogs are indeed capable of learning some amount of impulse control around small fuzzies. Nordic breeds can be fairly stubborn in nature though (as well as having high prey drive), so don't feel disappointed or angry with them if training proves to be unfeasible. They're dogs after all! Everything Blue eyes posted was excellent.

If you aren't confident, enlist the help of a professional dog trainer. Worst thing that could happen is that the dogs and bunnies will never be allowed to interact, no big deal! Lots of pet owners are able to run a peaceful household with animals who are rivals through strict management techniques and rules.

No matter how well trained a dog becomes though, be vigilant and never trust them with the rabbits unsupervised. Because prey drive can show up at any given time.
 
I agree. Rabbits and dogs, when properly introduced, can become best buddies. My rabbit does not like other rabbits at all, but she likes several cats and dogs we have introduced her to in a controlled setting (beyond paying very close attention for any signs of stress and utilizing positive reinforcement to reward friendly behaviors, the initial meeting point was in a neutral area that none of the animals felt that this location was 'their territory'...IMHO, this really helps with initiating the new relationships because now no one feels like they need to 'defend' their territory from a stranger.)

I was very relieved after the initial bonding was successful because, since she does not like other rabbits, she needed some animal buddies to socialize and play with and I was unsure how she would act at first. With one cat in particular, she likes to literally flop down onto the cat and the cat is always really happy when she gets to hang out with bunny.
 
Keeping the rabbits in a separate closed room is possible, that's what I do. Though I agree dogs can get along with rabbits, huskies are NOT most dogs. They have a very strong hunting instinct and are not as reliable as a shepherd breed to obey orders. They have a tendancy to kill small animals, from rabbits to kitten and I've heard of numerous accidents involving the breed and small furries. I myself have a big nordic dog, and even though I had the rabbits before I had him I never coud get them together because the dog becomes crazy whenever he sees the rabbits and you can't do anything to stop him. I'm not even sure he wants to kill them, but he's so excitable I think he could harm them without even meaning to.
Beside, playing meet and greet with a dog is really stressful for the rabbits.
Whether you succeed in making dogs and rabbits get along or not, you will need a separate room you can close for when you're not here. A rabbit should never be left with a potential predator without supervision even if they are best friends. I also have seen countless people whose dog or cat suddenly killed their 'friend' after months or years of a perfect relationship. The truth is different species don't always communicate well and a game of tag can make the nicest dog forget that he wasn't hunting for real... a good shake is enough to kill most rabbits.
So, you can probably keep rabbits, just be careful. I have a baby gate and then a door in front of the rabbits' room. Whenever I'm here, I just close the baby gate so the rabbits can see and hear outside of their room but whenever I leave the house I close the door as well to make sure the dog doesn't jump or terrorize the rabbits by trying to get to them.
 
Thanks guys for your input!

We went ahead and got a rabbit. We have no plans to introduce them as our huskies have very high prey drive. The rabbit currently has his own room. To keep him save we have a baby gate in front of the door, then the door closed, and then a bay gate inside the room.

Rabbit is doing well. He was a bit nervous the first night but he is doing well now!
 
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