What are good dog breeds for rabbits?

[SDShorty]

I have 2 buns and 2 guinea pigs, they are my babies, but I have desired to adopt a pup for a very long time. I would like to adopt a larger breed dog (or medium to large) but I'd like to first research what breeds of dogs would have the better temperament to get along with small animals. I know that no matter the breed it will take a lot of training and of course constant supervision. Would any of you have any advice or maybe some websites that can help me research something like this?

 

[jamesedwardwaller]

one is prey,.one is predator,.oddly enough sometimes one respects the other,..i understand you donot want to set yourself up for a disaster,.it may not necessarily be the breed of dog,.others will answer your thread and you are already heads up on supervision,..our two house rabbits weigh about 10pounds each,and their little buddies two kittens are now about 10 mon.old,.once in a while the cat will swat at the rabbit,(supervision)-it is kinda scarey knowing the cat is now the same weight and is only trying to play with the rabbit,but we keep watching,..sincerely james waller

 

[Bunnymom,K]

What breed of dog do you like? Are you planning on getting a mixed breed or purebred and if a purebred are you rescuing or going through a responsible breeder? Keep in mind what the original purpose of the dog was when choosing- for example a terrier breed is much more difficult to train to be good with bunnies because they have a very strong instinct to kill anything small.

Any breed of dog however can be taught to accept a small animal- rabbits included as family and therefore "off the menu". It takes time, patience and consistency.

I currently have two dogs- Laila is a boxer (a breed that has a strong prey drive) that we got when she was 7 mos old, she is a notorious rabbit killer- however I have worked very hard with her and she now understands the house rules- if I bring it in the house it is family and to be protected, it it's outside and loose it's free game. She has come to love the bunnies in the house- however I would never leave her with a rabbit unsupervised. We also have Viktor- he's a rescued heeler/husky/? mix and he is still learning that the bunnies in the house are family not toys.


My avatar is a picture of Laila with two of my angora bunnies sitting on her.
This is Viktor pushing Torvald away from his bone. Torvald had jumped into the chair to check it out. Husky and Heeler type of dogs are known to not be good with small animals- it's all in the training and socialization.

and this is Laila with our mini lop Cerridwyn and her kits when we bred her.

 

[Flash]

If your looking for a good temperment in a dog I would go with a Labrador Retriever. They are sweet dogs and very smart and get along with anything. My Lab was terrific with kids and even helped a few get over the fear of dogs because they got bit at a very young age. I know of a Beagle that gets along with a bunny, so it depends on the dog, & supervision.

 

[slavetoabunny]

I've heard from friends with bunnies that Labs get along very well with the buns. Golden Labs seem to do exceptionally well. No personal experience though.

 

[CKGS]

A German Shepherd Dog(well bred) can be WONDERFUL. I have had 3 in my lifetime and have never had a problem with them and my small pets. In fact I couldn't have asked for any dog to be better with the little furry and feathered babies I've had the pleasure to foster or own.

 

[jewelwillow]

I have 2 golden retrievers that are fine with my bunnies. The dogs were here first, but have always been outside pets. When I got my first rabbit, she was an inside rabbit. Initially I let the dogs inside, and put her in an inside cage, so they could interact safely. When they started ignoring her in the cage, I let them out together under close supervision. Then I could start to leave them alone together. It only took a few weeks before they would all sit together in the kitchen and ignore each other. I never had even one moment that I thought the dogs would hurt the rabbit. The younger dog was interested in the movements (as something to play with, not as prey) but with a stern be nice, and a hand on the head, he never tried to go for the rabbit, he'd just lie down and sniff her with his tail wagging, waiting for her to come and visit with him.

With my 2 new rabbits, I got them as adults, and I can let the dogs in with them, and they've never shown one iota of interest in them. I was more worried that the rabbits would be scared of them, but the first time they met, the dog was too busy wagging his tail to even notice they were there, and the rabbits didn't even run. When the dog clocked one across the face with his tail, the rabbit retreated a bit, but didn't even run into its cage. The rabbits will come up and sniff the dogs and put their paws up on them, and the dogs just ignore them.

Golden retrievers will retrieve more than chase and kill. They'll get more enjoyment out of bringing you say the rabbits toy to show off to you than the rabbit itself. Mine wouldn't dream of chasing a bird, but if there's a dead one in the street, they want to pick it up and give it to you. They're really placid, and you can pretty much do anything to them and it won't annoy them, as long as they have someone to acknowledge them- they're always desperate to please. They are also very intelligent, so easy to train. They're like a big teddy bear. The only drawback is the hair (I love long haired dogs) They do shed a bit, but if you brush them weekly it's not that bad.

 

[kherrmann3]

My parent's West Highland Terrier is terrified of my 3-pound rabbit... When they first got Brody (dog), he ran up to my rabbit (Toby) with an over-excited puppy nose and got whacked in the face by furious little bunny feet. Brody has been terrified of Toby ever since! (Not that I would trust them alone when I go to visit, though).

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

When it comes down to it,you can't tell which dog is good for a rabbit based on it's breed

Labs, which are hunting dogs, can get along well with rabbits. Some can't.

It really depends on what age your dog is at when you get it, and if it's past experience with small animals/rabbits, etc.

Some older dogs won't harm the rabbit, even if they've never been around it before; and others will.

The best thing to look for is temperment, mainly in any situation and around anything living, etc. You want a dog that is sweet and kind to other living things.

Kristi- My last dog was an Aussie Cattle Dogmixand she was fine with our rabbits; so was my older sister's do who was an Aussie Shep. My dog would let the babies climb all over her and she didn't care.

So, once again it doesn't depend on the breed really

Emily

 

[DazyDaizee]

I would suggest adopting a dog from the shelter with a known history of getting along well with other animals, or being a very passive animal. Alternatively, foster some dogs, and adopt the one that fits.

I STRONGLY discourage terriers, though most terriers are smaller and you're looking for a larger dog. Training is crucial. ANY dog is a threat to a rabbit, especially a larger dog, as a simple nip can cause serious harm.

I personally, have experience with rabbits and a fox terrier and a medium (35lb) mixed breed. The terrier is my parents' dog. She has never harmed a rabbit, but WILL chase them, and paws at them when their loose. She has a serious prey drive, and though she's not necessarily aggressive with them, she could easily hurt them in an attempt to chase or play with them. She's 11.5yrs now and has not lost any of this motivation.
My mixed breed is VERY territorial of the bedroom, and though she seems to like the rabbits and is gentle with them out of the room, if they come into the room, she's lunged and aggressively gone after them. VERY scary. And hard to train her out of this.

I petsit, also. Out of 3 shih tzus, never a problem, what so ever. They were indifferent and never aggressive toward the rabbits. A cockapoo (cocker spaniel/poodle mix) NO issues, great match. A 16 year old terrier mix.. big problems. The dog couldn't be kept near the rabbits and would bark constantly when he saw them even from afar. At 16 years old.. crazy. And a chihuahua mix.. great with the rabbits. I've also had a pom/papillon mix around them with no issue. These are all smaller breeds though.

Of course, as you know, temperament and breed alone will NOT determine how well they get along. Lots of training and raising a younger dog around the rabbits may help. Keep in mind that the best intentioned dog can easily kill a rabbit even when trying to play. I fight with myself about this, too, because I am a dog person. I will always have a dog. But it is work a lot of work and stress to keep dogs and rabbits in the same home.

 

[Sweetie]

I have been looking around for a dog breed that would be good with small rabbits. I would look at the tempermant, some dogs are calm while others are hyper. The minpin is a really hyper dog and probably will not be good with rabbits.

Getting the dog young would be the best that way you can socialize the dog and rabbit and they can get along and live together. If you get an adult dog you want to get one that is really good with small animals one that has been socialized with rabbits and lived with rabbits.

 

[CKGS]

Mostly as someone said before it depends on the dogs' personality. I had a min pin that was wonderful with the rabbits. I wouldn't call them hyper dogs at all. I've seen hyper.

 

[Maureen Las]

I befriended a dog rescue groupwho used to go to Petco every weekend with dogs when I was bringing shelter rabbits there . I got to know the people fairly well and even took a rabbit from one of the women whose son wasn't paying attention to him (Joey)

WhenI wanted to adopt a dog they allowed me to take the dog home for the afternoon to 'test' out the dog's prey drive. This was an ideal situation and howI got my namesake Angie

I also know that collies tend to be good with rabbits and some of the herding breeds..
but it is true that it is not the breed but the dog's temperament.

 

[Sweetie]

If you get the minpin young and train it then it won't be hyper, but if you get it when it is older then they will be hyper. They have high energy. My mom had a minpin that was hyper, jumping and running around all the time.

 

[myLoki]

My chihuahuas do wonderfully with my rabbits. My rabbits are bigger and heavier than them so they have a healthy respect for them.


t.

 

[CKGS]

I guess what each defines as 'hyper' varies. I will agree to disagree with the min pin breed advice. Just keep in mind that min pins come from terrier breeds. They tend to be active, bright animals and not for the faint at heart. There are sooo many dog breeds to choose from and to be honest I could almost guarantee that in any breed there will be a few that could live with smaller pets quite well. Temperment is the biggest issue. Labs are great though and such big softies. I love their sweet personalities.

 

[CKGS]

double post

 

[okiron]

Hyper depends on exercise too. A lot of people don't take small dogs like mini pins and chihuahuas for walks like they should. Neutering/spaying them helps too.

As others have said, it'll depend on the dog and yourself.

 

[fuzz16]

like everyone else is stating, every dog is different when it comes to hyper level and prey drives and self control. and easily trainable dog would be good, one without high prey drive or not bred to hunt and kill.borzois and big breeds like that wouldnt be best. but i have an australian shepard/german shepard mix who does good. and a lab great dane puppy who does great ignoring them for her first time around rabbits.
if you can it would be nice to experiment, and i dont know your situation but older dogs-as in not puppys-have more self control when it comes to following instincts, but a puppy can be trained to with some proper discipline

 

[CKGS]

Excellent advice Fuzz. Too many times people think older dogs are harder to train but in all reality- give me an older dog anyday! Puppies are adorable but don't have much, if any, self control. Many breeds have the potential to be good with other pets.