Dog Problems - Rabbits VERY scared!

[Paulo]

I have my bunnies for about 3 weeks now, and Ijustrescued a puppy, a boxer, 10 weeks old, and Im not 100%if the boxer just wants to play with my bunnies or if we wants to eatthem :shock: She will start barking sooo loud, and thebunnies will really get scared. If any of you have any experiencebonding dogs with bunnies please reply, can I leave the boxer to sleep,eat, and drink water at the same room as the bunnies? ( of coursebunnies will be inside their cages ) Please help!

 

[Jenniblu]

Uhm, I wouldn't leave the puppy with the rabbitseven if they were in a cage. You need to first start withbasic obedience with the puppy - come, stay, sit,down.

 

[ayglnu13]

Here are some websites about dogs and rabbits becoming friends

http://www.tampabayhrs.org/success_stories_dogs_and_rabbits.htm

http://www.rabbit.org/journal/1/dogs.html

But then there are posts where the dog doesnt do so well with the rabbits....

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=6648&forum_id=1

http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=2808&forum_id=1


I really really really wouldn’t let the boxer in the same room as thebunnies. I had a neighbor whose dog would bark at the bunnies and oneday the dog scared the rabbit so bad it broke its back. Unless you areholding the dog on a leash in the bunnies room I wouldn’t let him havefree range of the bunny cages. Though I would start working with thedog, you should get the dog used to the bunnies first before trustingthe dog in the same room as the bunnies

~Amy

 

[ayglnu13]

Jenniblu wrote:

You need to first start with basic obedience with the puppy - come, stay, sit, down.

I agree completely

~Amy

 

[lyndsy]

Hi,

I've got a keeshond, so boy do I know about barking! LMBO!

My dog Daytona, is just over a year old, and in March we brought hometwo bunnies. Not knowing how Daytona was going to act, we decided tointroduce him to the rabbits on a leash. That way if something does gowrong, YOU'VE got control! I also got Daytona to lay down, and had apocket FULL of treats!

It also helps to teach your dog a couple commands. Like "no bark" or"quiet", and "leave it". When Daytona is upstairs it's now known as the"no bark zone" and he knows if he needs to bark, he goes downstairs!

As far as the dog and the rabbits being in the same room, Daytona asgreat as he is, and he is awesome with our bunnies, I ALWAYS have thierroom(s) locked off. I use baby gates. He gets his bunny time when I cansupervise them.

I hope i've been of some help,

Lyndsy

 

[Bramble Briar86]

If you have any training questions/concerns...PM me and i will give you my email or we can talk through PM.

Ellie

 

[Carolyn]

Hi Paulo,

If rabbits are subjected to continual stress and fear, their heartbeats so fast and furiously that they become at high risk of having aheart attack.

Also, stress really takes a hit on their immune system and they becomevulnerable to other physical ailments, such as GI Stasis, that canbecome fatal very quickly if not caught and treated right away.

-Carolyn

 

[Paulo]

Thanks for the help! But my boxer justcries soo much! she truly wants to go and look or play or whatever withthe rabbits, all she does is cry until I let her in the room to see thebunnies, then she keeps putting her claw in my buns cage to try totouch them or whatever lol... When my boxer cries, should I get herinside with the bunnies or do I have to keep her away from them ?

P.S. She keeps eating my bunnies poo poo, is this normal, or at least ok ?

 

Paulo A dog will bea dog , untill you have traindit to behave ( IE: clawing at the cage) which is a nonobtw, your going to have toeither keep them seperate or giveup either the rabbits or thedog ,, Boxers are hyper from thestart and from what you havesaid it isnt going to be long beforethe dog sends one if notall into a heartattack , lettingthat dog bark at and claw atthe cage is not healthy for therabbits. But its your discisionyou do what you feel is right .

 

[bluebird]

No,I have seen dogs get rabbit cagesopen,rabbits have fragile bones anyway all they need is to getfrightened and break there leg or neck.bluebird

 

[Paulo]

Ohh, so does any one here have a dog, that gets along with bunnies ? or did you have to teach the dog ?

 

[Jenniblu]

My dog is a male German Shepard and gets alongwith all my other animals - cats, rabbit, rat, and chicks. Hehas been obedience trained and all introductions of any new animalshave been supervised. The new animal is in a cage and the dogin the down position. I gave him lots of treats and praisedhim when he showed the proper behavior toward the newanimal.

He knows that the other animals are not toys and he is not to play withthem of chase them. Dogs are social animals and can learn tolive with other animals as members of their "pack" - with you as theleader of the pack.

 

[LindseyandKen]

Paulo wrote:

Ohh, so does any one here have a dog, that gets along withbunnies ? or did you have to teach the dog ?

My dog is a border collie cross. When I let the bunnies into theyard for playtime, she stays out and plays with them. There may be 8 orso at a time out and she will lie there and let them jump on her andsniff her. I didn't do anything other than supervise her with them andsay 'No' sternly if she got too close or too eager/excited.

She used to be very eager and used to lick them and seem as if she wasgoing to eat them, but again, a stern word and supervision, and shelearned to stay calm. Lots of exposure with me there soonwore the novelty of the rabbits off for my dog. I don't believe in'training' a dog as such, as I'd rather they were natural, (toilet andsafety training is all i do, so she's not a big listener, but she doesleave the buns alone!) Now the bunnies all swarm her and she's thescared one!

Now she is left alone with them sometimes when they're out in the yard;she's no problem at all. The cat, however, is a different matter, andlooks at them with 'tea-time!' in her eyes.....lol.

 

[Lindsey]

My black lab and bunnies are best friends! I letthem all play outside together sometimes and my dog will chase thebunnies, catch up to them and just sort of stick his muzzle in thierface (without opening his mouth of course) and they'll chase him back!It's too funny and causes a lot of binkies! XD



(so I think your situation can be handled with patience, good luck to you!)

 

[dajeti2]

I have a dog we raised since he wasdumped at three weeks old. He and Apollo grew up together. They playedall the time. I actually trusted him with Apollo. That is untiltwofour ago. The dog was in the living room and Apollo camein the living room to get a treat from mom. Noah attacked. Thank God myhusband was so close and able to grab the dog.

Apollo wasnn't hurt but it scared all of us terriblyApollo included. I Don't think I will ever trust a dog around myrabbits ever again. He never gave any warning. He attacked for noreason. I think if you do allow the dog around them you need to beEXTREMELY cautious and ever vigilant.

Tina

 

[Carolyn]

gypsy wrote:

?Paulo? A dog will be a? dog.? Until you? have trained? itto?behave (i.e., clawing at the? cage)??which is a "No No"? by the way.You're going to have to? either? keep them seperate or give up? eitherthe rabbits or the dog.

Boxers?are hyper from the?start. From? what you? have?said, it isn'tgoing to be long?before the?dog sends? one -- if?not all,?into a?heartattack.?

Letting that? dog?bark at and claw at the? cage is?not healthy for the?rabbits.

But it's?your?decision. You do?what you feel is? right .

* * * * *

Follow this advice, and you won't be sorry.


-Carolyn

 

[CMiska]

My pit bull was raised around my buns but shewas 5 mths old when I got them, so I wasnt sure, and since we havedecided to breed my doe I dont let her around them to much, but she hastaken to my new Dutch and acts like its mother. She cleanshim and lays there, but I am still leery so I wont let her alone withthe baby. As to the barking, it can cause the rabbit to havea heart attack. The advice you received on this site wasgreat advice.

 

[Rowena]

Just be careful. I wouldnt leave the dog near the bunnies when your not there to supervise. I have a story for you..

Granted this wasnt that young of a pup, but she was still a puppy.

We had a rottie female, she was about 14 months old when I got my lastbunny. She was so interested in the bun and when Id let the bunny outto play she wanted to play too. But rotties and bunnies arent quite agood mix, esp. a young rambunctious one. She never bothered the bunny'scage and we were always careful to keep the dog in another room when weleft. One day, we had to leave in a hurry and I totally forgot to putthe dog up.

She broke my bunny's cage and the bunny got out. I came home to find mylittle Chloe dead Abby *the dog* didnt hurt her on purpose. No bloodor anything. But as I said, the bigger dog with the bunny didnt mixwell. This was a couple years ago, and I hadnt had the bunny very long.We were working with Abby to be easy around the bunny. The cage the bunwas in was a wooden framed one with wire on the inside. She just pushedthe wire off the wood. I felt just awful, cuz it was my fault the dogwasnt locked out of the room the bunny was in.

Its taken me awhile to decide to get another bunny. My daughter reallywanted one, and I love them, and we have gotten rid of Abby. She gotover to the neighbors and killed one of her bunnies. Her and anotherdog of ours.

I talked with dog people about it, and they said thats one of theharder things to deal with with dogs. That dogs are hunters, eventhough domesticated, and it takes a lot of work to teach a dog to notwant to play or hurt the bunny. They said its esp. bad with bunnies.

My small dog Rowena *hence my s/n* LOVES anything like that. She wouldget in the play area with the bunny and let the bunny nibble on her furand she would hold the bunny down with a paw and lick it lol.

So just be real careful with the pup and the buns

Virginia

 

[cuddlexoverload]

... my puppy barks and whines and wags his tailat the pigs and buns... and i want him near me when im in there, butwhen he starts barking he has to leave. Never leave them alonetogether, and if they are near eachother always watch and if they getto close or start barking, say no, and show them the door..

 

[Paulo]

Thanks for the help! My boxer seems to begetting alotbetter with my bunnies, and my bunnies arentscared anymore, I thought she was tryin to eat my bunns, but it turnsout she just wants to play with them and lick them, but still,I only let her see the bunnies freely when Im near by,reading some of these stories really shocked me :shock: