Dogs and rabbits? A few questions

[Sam_]

or if you can't meet the owners, try to bring some things that smell like rabbit. used litter, pillows, etc to the shelter

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

I'm talking about getting to meet the dog and the owners in person to see if the owners were abusive of the dog or the dog is mean. then eventually visit them with the bunny in a carrier to see how the dog will react.

Ah okay. I suppose you mean on like a pet revoking website or from a Breeder? I still need to weigh out the pros and cons of each option and see which one will be best. Thank you

 

[Sam_]

directly from the owners or from the shelter.

 

[Fuz]

Fully agree with @Diane R. In my opinion, you will be adding a stressor to your rabbits life, and this is never a good idea.

 

[Blue eyes]

With dogs and rabbits I think it's really important to know that each individual rabbit and each individual dog will have it's own unique temperament and that combination is what is going to matter most. Some matches would be a bad or even fatal idea.

I do not agree that a dog is automatically a stress factor for every rabbit. It depends on the individual rabbit.

This may be antecdotal, but it makes my point:

We had a rabbit from a rescue and a Newfoundland dog. The two were kept separate. I found another rescue rabbit to bond with my rabbit. The rabbits got along immediately. The 2nd night the rabbits were together (in a NIC cage downstairs) the new rabbit broke out of the cage.

I came downstairs in the morning horrified to see the cage door open, knowing our Newfoundland slept downstairs as well. My original rabbit was still in the cage and I began looking for the escaped rabbit. I finally glanced at our dog and saw the rabbit snuggled up beside the dog. That was when I discovered how rabbits (some) and dogs (some) can get along. This rabbit would seek the dog out and lay beside him. He would groom the dog and lay snuggled together. Clearly and without question, this rabbit was not stressed by the dog in the least. (Notice in photo the rabbit with back legs outstretched -- a sign of complete ease.)

One must be careful and considerate with deciding what dog (or whether to) to have with what rabbit.

 

[Stellalopbunny]

Okay so after several (almost 10) years of nicely asking my mum for a dog, she has finally said yes, and is giving me a plan of things that I need to do before I can get this dog, but all of it can be completed in about 6 months - which is pretty soon in my opinion (a good thing, I guess). We are now financially stable and can afford three pets and all that stuff.
The breed of dog that myself - and my family, have always wanted, often isn’t all too rabbit friendly, unfortunately. A German shepherd.
I want to go to a rescue to get whatever dog we get so I know that there is a high possibility that it won’t be that breed. and of course, the main thing in my head is that it needs to be rabbit friendly because of my house bunnies.

I have a few questions for any rabbit & dog owners:

1. Is a puppy better over an adult so that they can get used to each other from a young age?
2. What is the chance of a German shepherd being rabbit friendly?
3. Are there any specific things to think about when getting a dog when I have rabbits? Such as any questions I should ask myself?
4. What *large* breed of dog is the most rabbit friendly in your opinion/experience?
5. Would a breeder or rescue be better in terms of knowing that the dog is rabbit friendly?
6. is there any specific questions I should ask the place where i get the dog to make sure it’ll be safe?

Edit: I do already have a dog, if you recall. But this new dog would be different because it will live with me (where the rabbits are) and not at my fathers house.

As a dog groomer, I can tell you you probably want to steer clear of a German Shepherd, specially a puppy, around bunnies. They can be amazing dogs of course with proper training and obedience training/socializing as with any dog, but I would stick to something (if having a dog with the bunnies is your only option) that has had experience living with cats and other small animals before, and is more mature. Something not too excitable. I'd also steer clear of terriers since that is what they were bred for, hunting small animals. A terrier will literally die to win a fight, so just overall be very, very, selective and careful with whatever dog you choose.

 

[Apollo’s Slave]

Fully agree with @Diane R. In my opinion, you will be adding a stressor to your rabbits life, and this is never a good idea.

Of course, I wouldn’t do anything to harm my rabbits or cause stress to them. Both my rabbits have been around dogs before and were completely okay, flopping, eating and Apollo even binkied. They were both in my room and the dog was downstairs. Apollo’s precious family had dogs and I’m not sure about Athena but she wasn’t afraid when my uncles dog came. I’m still trying to weigh out my options and of course, if having a dog will cause my rabbits to become stressed out, I wouldn’t one.

With dogs and rabbits I think it's really important to know that each individual rabbit and each individual dog will have it's own unique temperament and that combination is what is going to matter most. Some matches would be a bad or even fatal idea.

I do not agree that a dog is automatically a stress factor for every rabbit. It depends on the individual rabbit.

This may be antecdotal, but it makes my point:

We had a rabbit from a rescue and a Newfoundland dog. The two were kept separate. I found another rescue rabbit to bond with my rabbit. The rabbits got along immediately. The 2nd night the rabbits were together (in a NIC cage downstairs) the new rabbit broke out of the cage.

I came downstairs in the morning horrified to see the cage door open, knowing our Newfoundland slept downstairs as well. My original rabbit was still in the cage and I began looking for the escaped rabbit. I finally glanced at our dog and saw the rabbit snuggled up beside the dog. That was when I discovered how rabbits (some) and dogs (some) can get along. This rabbit would seek the dog out and lay beside him. He would groom the dog and lay snuggled together. Clearly and without question, this rabbit was not stressed by the dog in the least. (Notice in photo the rabbit with back legs outstretched -- a sign of complete ease.)

One must be careful and considerate with deciding what dog (or whether to) to have with what rabbit.

View attachment 51379

When it does come to choosing the dog, it’ll be a serious consideration and it’ll probably take a while to find a dog that is used to rabbits, but I’m fine with waiting, as long as my pets are kept safe.

As a dog groomer, I can tell you you probably want to steer clear of a German Shepherd, specially a puppy, around bunnies. They can be amazing dogs of course with proper training and obedience training/socializing as with any dog, but I would stick to something (if having a dog with the bunnies is your only option) that has had experience living with cats and other small animals before, and is more mature. Something not too excitable. I'd also steer clear of terriers since that is what they were bred for, hunting small animals. A terrier will literally die to win a fight, so just overall be very, very, selective and careful with whatever dog you choose.

Thank you. I’m not too choosy about the breed, I just want a large breed of dog who is rabbit friendly (a German shepherd is just a breed I’ve wanted since I was young, as my grandfather had three and I loved them). There’ll definitely be a lot of consideration when we go to choose the dog, I’m writing down some questions to ask the rescue when the time comes to make sure that the rabbits will be safe and preferably, I’d want to bring the rabbits once (or a few times) to see how they all react.

Thanks everyone, I have a lot to think about!