Agility course training?

[whitelop]

So, today I watched videos of bunnies doing agility courses. OMG! That is the cutest thing I have ever seen in my life! I couldn't believe how high they could jump and how awesome it was to watch! I used to ride horses and did some jumping in my day, but I had never seen rabbits doing it!

Is my bunny to old to learn? Shes 3 and a mini lop. Shes pretty active, but doesn't jump over anything really. haha.
How would I go about training her to do something like that? I mean, probably not to compete or anything like that, but just something she and I could do together.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

There really is no upper age limit as long as the rabbit is healthy. Korr started when he was almost 4 and is still going strong. He does have days when he is not as in the mood for it, but other times he still races around and jumps high, he is 7 now. He was not too impressed the first time I tried with him, but once he figured it out there was not stopping him.

Start with a low jump, a couple inches maximum. Have a pole set up so that it will fall if she were to knock it off, you can rest it on some DVD cases or books to start with. Put her in front of the jump and use your hands (never use your feet or other objects to get your rabbit to move) to direct her to go over the jump. Many rabbits respond to a light touch on their bum or sides to get them to move forward. Once she goes over, give her lots of praise. Keep getting her to go over until she understands that you want her to go over the jump when you put her in front of it. Once she understands the concept, you can increase the height. Don't go too high at first, she needs to understand more and get used to jumping first. It is a good idea to have a few jumps set up in a row so she can get used to jumping more than one jump rather than just one and stopping.

It is a good idea to use a harness when training. If there are any clubs in your area and you wanted to compete, you would need a harness for safety. A leash can be used as well, but I feel it is better to focus on off leash work and only use a leash if needed. A leash should only really be used for safety (you are in an area that you rabbit could run off) and should not be used to pull the rabbit around. An H style harness is best as it is safe and not too bulky on the rabbit.

Most rabbits learn quickly, but since you are also learning it may take a bit longer. Don't get too discouraged if she doesn't pick it up right away, try again and keep trying. Lots of praise and encouragement go a long way.

 

[katherine at sacred stories]

Kate--I think this is very interesting. I was introduced to it by your avatar and then started looking for information about it. I'm not interested in formal competing but I think rabbits would love learning to do it and it would be great exercise for them. I might explore it with Harvey and Halo.

 

[whitelop]

Thanks so much Kate! That is great advice, I might try it tomorrow! Hopefully she'll like doing it and it can be something fun for her.

 

[katherine at sacred stories]

:bunnydance::bunnydance::bunnydance:

Have fun, Morgan! Hope you let us know how it goes

 

[littl3red]

I'm actually doing this for my high school exit project, it's going to be fun. I'm still working on designing the course and everything but I'm really excited. When people ask what I'm doing for my exit project and I tell them they're like "Rabbits are smart enough to learn that?..." Um, yes, my rabbit is a little genius. :biggrin:

 

[katherine at sacred stories]

:clapping::yahoo::clapping:

Yea!!! They really ARE little geniuses, aren't they?

 

[BabyRue]

I am really looking forward to doing this with Rue. I need to get him a new harness because the one I had was a POS lol. Velcro harness + Bunny = Escaping Bun

Rue Boo actually does it on his own. He used to hang out under our kitchen table and jump over the little cross pole thingie under the chairs when he was playing. So I am thinking when he recovers from his neuter I might try it with him some more.

You need to take videos of your bun learning!!

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

BabyRue wrote:

I am really looking forward to doing this with Rue. I need to get him a new harness because the one I had was a POS lol. Velcro harness + Bunny = Escaping Bun

Go to Walmart and get a cat harness. They have H style ones. The kitten or small size will fit most rabbits, I think they are about $6-8. Most pet stores will have something, some have rabbit ones that are the same as the cat ones but the sizing might be a tad different.
I do agree that the velcro ones are bad. They get clogged with fur, so don't work well and it's hard to get them tight enough each time.

 

[BabyRue]

I don't know what made me buy the velcro jacket one with the elastic leash. It was a waste of money. I mean heck id never buy a velcro halter and elastic lead line for my horse :rollseyes

 

[whitelop]

No agility training today, it was a busy day for me. But I did introduce the harness to my bun. She's never been in a harness or anything so she was a little hesitant. So I read to her and let her sniff the harness and get used to seeing it. I put it around her neck and wrapped it around her but didn't hook it. Then I took it off. She wasn't too hip on it, but she didn't protest too much. So I'll keep working on the harness tomorrow and maybe try for some jumping later in the day, once she's had the harness on for a while.

Oh, and she really likes the book The Help. She flopped at my feet while I was reading. hahah how cute.

 

[MiserySmith]

I started doing some jumping with Pappy at home a while ago. I made a jump with a box and the rockband drum legs haha. I got him to go over it by just following me over, and then he kind of figured it out.
He didn't seem to enjoy it very much, just did it because he got pats after.. but I may try again and see.