Training Update

[MyBabyBunnies]

Well as some of you may have already readthatI'm moving in about a year and my rabbits wont have runsfor a while so I decided to attempt leash training, much like you wouldwith a dog. I started my modified training today.

What I did may seem like baby steps to you all but it was a huge stepin their training. I started by letting them run with the harness toget that energy out. Then I attached the leash. I said "come" and gavea small tug on the leash, the second they stepped forward, I releasedthe pressure and rewarded with a treat. If they backed up, I kept thepressure applied and moved the treat closer so they could smell it and9/10 times they moved for the treat and forgot about fighting the leash.

Mocha was all for fighting the leash, he did what he could to get awayby backing up, despite pressure being applied from the front. I spent along time with him only to end up getting him to move one whole stepwith all feet in my direction. As soon as I got him to move that onestep closer to me, I gave him big rewards and stopped. I also found outhe responds best to food and pats both when being given as a reward,not one or the other.

Spice is by far the easier to train, that may be because as long as hecan smell his favorite (Kaytee pellets, oats, yogurt drops) he willmove forward. I put the harness on and attached the leash. I put atreat in front of his nose and applied slight pressure until he movedall the way to my hand (barely an inch, but it was a start) then Irewarded with releasing pressure, giving food, and petting him. I didthis and every single time he went forward and not back. In the end(only like 5 or 10 minutes but I was so proud I decided to stop on agood note)I got him to move about a foot forward, I was soproud! It's going so well with him, more than I could ever haveexpected and it's making me more optimistic that this may actually work!

I just thought everyone would like a training update.



[align=center]Laura[/align]

 

[Carolyn]

Excellent and very interesting news, Laura!

Thanks for sharing it. You seem to have a way with trainingthem, and in time and with patience, I'm sure you'll make greatprogress.

Mocha's such a stubborn little guy, I love him so much. Hejust has to have it his way being the one who makes thedecisions. He's such a lovable little stinker.Spice is so much more easy going. He's an angel.

Do keep us informed of your progress. You're smart to startnow rather than wait until 2 weeks before you move.

Keep us posted. I'll be very interested to see how the boys respond.



-Carolyn

 

[Stephanie]

I'd like to train my rabbits on a leash too. Wetried Chompers a while back and he DID NOT LIKE IT. He really freakedout and ran like crazy around the apartment. I didn't want him hurtinghimself, so gave up.

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

You can sure see the different personalities inrabbits when you try to train! Spice is an angel and Mocha will fightyou for all it's worth!

I know that training anything will take a long time to do, so I figuredeven if they train super fast, I can still take them for walks in thepark (which I'm afraid to do right now because they run like nuts fromthe leash) to keep them on track in remembering what I expect. Plus Ifigure that in a year, they will be angels to walk! If I can train themthat is.

Rabbits are just as smart as dogs and if you can train a dog, you can train a rabbit to do it, too.

For now I'm not taking them into any new territory. It's extremely hardto train a rabbit when all it wants to do is check out itssurroundings. So, I am simply training them in their runs when theyknow the area like the back of their paw. I figure when they got goodin there, I can take them out of the runs into the rest of my backyard(which they rarely get to go out in) and slowly work up from thereuntil I can take them to the park. Of course, I'm not expecting them tobe as good in new territory as they are intheir runs, I justwant to teach them that they are supposed to move in the direction thetug on the leash came from. If I canteach themthat,I'll be extremely pleased!

Okay, I'll stop boring everyone. My posts just keep getting longer and longer!

P.S.- It's official, I post way too much!

 

[Carolyn]

You Do Not post too much, Laura. Yourposts are fun, informative, and helpful. Please do not feelthat you're a bother because you're far from it.

Here's something to strive for!http://www.kaninhop.dk/uk/When you get to the site, go to "Rabbit Hopping"

-Carolyn

 

[Carolyn]

Laura,

Be sure to check out the video.



-Carolyn

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Trust me Carolyn! I'd love to do that with myboys!I love watching dog agility and would love to do butcan't since I don't have a dog, and that site is pretty much similar toagility except with rabbits. But even if I could train them that well,there are no competitions here. :XI love to compete.

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Laura,

Wouldn't it be awesome to get your little boys todo that? The video cracked me up because the guy looks likehe's having a bit of a time keeping up with the rabbit. TooCute! I wonder if there's a book out there about how to trainfor Rabbit Hopping events in the UK.



-Carolyn

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I really wonder how you train a rabbit to dothat. :shock:I mean I'm sure I could do it my own way, butthat rabbit seemed to LOVE it. I so wish they had competitions here! Itwould be a motivator to train my rabbits like that and keep going.

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Laura,

Here's even better photos. http://rhoa--amrpomeranians.tripod.com/kaninhop/id1.html

And here's how to start the training. http://rhoa--amrpomeranians.tripod.com/kaninhop/id4.html

-Carolyn

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

You know Carolyn, what amazes me most is that some are without harnesses. :shock:

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

I do have to disagree with the training site abit. They say by using food you are training to rabbit to sit and eat.I use food and I'm simply training my rabbit to obey pressure on theleash and it works. But other than that, I may just try that!

 

[Elf Mommy]

I think Elf is abit on the large size of rabbits to be doing that kind of exercise. Itsure looks like a lot of fun though!

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Get a smaller rabbit. Or borrow Mochaand we can compete! lmao, if you borrowed Mocha, there's no way one ofmy bunnies wouldn't win! lol.

 

[Elf Mommy]

hehe You're on! Anddon't tempt me with another rabbit, I won a bet with the hubby theother day, and he said I could have another pet if I won LOL (and, no,I couldn't take your Mocha, as gorgeous as he is)

 

[MyBabyBunnies]

Okay well my first attempt at training didn't goso well. It makes sense though, the while time I was trying to get themto follow me when they were following my hand. So the second I standup, they ignore me.

I tried another approach-- teaching my boys that there is food in myshoes. I wore a pair of sandals and simply tucked raspberry leavesunder my toe and between the shoe. I figure that my foot is more atrabbit height and by putting food in it, perhaps they will learn towatch my foot. Well it worked good with Mocha but ever since Iattempted that training on the site that Carolyn posted (I suggest onlytrying that only ona bunny that isn't shy and nervous if youare planning on it.), he's terrified of me behind him and of theharness. Instead of putting the harness on, I just put food in my shoeand made him follow me around freely. It worked and tomorrow I'm simplygoing to put the harness on and let it stay on for an hour so he learnsit's not always a bad thing.

I'm praying this works, I just need to figure out how to control themwhen they try to run way to far ahead. I pull and they fight and I'mterrified one is somehow going to slip out.

Until another day,

Laura

 

[Carolyn]

You're doing great, Laura! :dude:

As they say, 'Rome wasn't built in a day'. The fact that you got some reaction is very encouraging!

Smart thinking on how you adjusted the sessions to fit what works for you with your boys.

Very Very Cool! Thanks for teaching us as you go along. I enjoyed that note very much.



-Carolyn