Growling (honking?)

[elrohwen]

It sounds like an ok way to hold him to me. I hold my bun however he'll let me As long as the back and chest are supported I think you're good. Different bunnies like to be held different ways so whatever works. My bun likes to kick out, so holding him in a way that his feet aren't pressed against me is good. If his back feet are against my chest, he just sees it as a launching pad.

Tonyshuman, I loved your post! For what it's worth, I don't think those methods are effective with dogs either, since they're really not pack animals the way wolves are, but I think you hit the nail on the head. Dominating with rabbits often makes them more scared. It might work once in a while to get them to do something they don't like, but in the long term it's just going to make for a scared and disgruntled rabbit.

Funnybunny, have you thought about training him to do tricks or anything? It might be a way to have good positive time with him where he doesn't need to be touched or anything. If you ever watch Supernanny, it's like how she makes the parents do fun things with their kids instead of just disciplining them all the time. Sometimes you need to make up fun ways to interact with your animal that the bun will also think is fun. You could limit treats to only the times when you're working on tricks, then no treats for the rest of the day.

 

[hoofbeats23]

Both of my buns are pretty docile, but I usually tell my husband to leave them alone if they go into their little hidey holes, but of course he picks them up anyways, so now when ever he enters the room they run and hide! I consider that their 'safe place'... still working on teaching my husband that concept.

Also on the growling issue. my new bunny cadberry is SOOOO noisey! but NEVER agressively. He honks when he sleeps, it sounds like he's snoring. also he honks when I have to turn him upside down for his medicine, he hates being on his back. but it's not an angry growl, it's like a 'mom this is really uncomfortable for me' sad honk. Will get some video soon, so you guys can see/hear him. really cute when he 'snores' Also my bunny hazel who has NEVER made any noise, did give me a mean growl the other day (medicine time) it was really quiet and quick and he kind of shook his head at me. I continued to give him the medicine to let him know that he wasn't allowed to intimidate me, that doesn't work on mommy

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Thanks, guys.

Good news: Gus has growled only once today!

When I hold Gus, I don't hold him on his back. He won't tolerate that at all! The vet once tried to trance him, but that didn't go over very well.

I had been teaching him some tricks, but I haven't spent much time on it lately. I'd like to teach him rabbit hopping. Now that spring is here, maybe it's time to start focusing on that?

Thanks again!

Rue

 

[elrohwen]

Yay! That's so great that he only growled once! Was it random? Or was it something specific that somebody did around him?

 

[jcottonl02]

funnybunnymummy wrote:

Thanks, guys.

Good news: Gus has growled only once today!

When I hold Gus, I don't hold him on his back. He won't tolerate that at all! The vet once tried to trance him, but that didn't go over very well.

I had been teaching him some tricks, but I haven't spent much time on it lately. I'd like to teach him rabbit hopping. Now that spring is here, maybe it's time to start focusing on that?

Thanks again!

Rue

Benji hates being turned on his back too- it's funny really because he is such an easy bunny to handle in every way, toenail clipping, tooth checks etc. yet the only thing he will NOT tolerate, is being turned on his back. So I don't do it.

Pippin on the other hand, it seems to calm him when he's on his back, so when I carry him it is always like cradling a baby- he doesn't kick or scrabble etc, so I can carry him easily, quickly and safely, with as little stress to him as possible.

I think the rabbit training thing might be quite an inspired idea. Training obviously encourages obedience etc. which will in turn hopefully curtail any aggressive behaviour towards you etc.

Good luck with it!

Jen

 

[elrohwen]

Jcotton, I've also noticed that training inspires a lot of trust. It gives the bunny a way to interact with you that is only positive. It was really cool to see the change in my aloof bunny after I started training him.

 

[jcottonl02]

elrohwen wrote:

Jcotton, I've also noticed that training inspires a lot of trust. It gives the bunny a way to interact with you that is only positive. It was really cool to see the change in my aloof bunny after I started training him.

True. That's definately a good thing to do for a bit of a rebellious bunny, and it was a great suggestion.

How did you go about training your bun ? Did he respond well immediately or did it take quite a lot of time and patience?

 

[elrohwen]

I use clicker training (I like www.clickerbunny.com for tips). It took him maybe 1-2 weeks to really get what the clicker was for, but I only worked with him for maybe 5-10 minutes max. Now that he understands it, he can often learn a new simple trick in just one day. And it really helped him come out of his shell too. It could be a coincidence related to his age (going from teenager to adult) but he because much more friendly and trusting after we started clicker training.

Things like "stand up" or "spin" are pretty easy to train with or without a clicker, and buns find them fun. Otto will spin around and around until I give him a treat

 

[jcottonl02]

elrohwen wrote:

I use clicker training (I like http://www.clickerbunny.com for tips). It took him maybe 1-2 weeks to really get what the clicker was for, but I only worked with him for maybe 5-10 minutes max. Now that he understands it, he can often learn a new simple trick in just one day. And it really helped him come out of his shell too. It could be a coincidence related to his age (going from teenager to adult) but he because much more friendly and trusting after we started clicker training.

Things like "stand up" or "spin" are pretty easy to train with or without a clicker, and buns find them fun. Otto will spin around and around until I give him a treat

Wow! I want to try it!!!

We used clicker training with our dogs- it was really effective! I didn't realise you could use the same technique with rabbits, but then again why not?
One of our dogs just didn't get it, bless his adorable little heart. He always had so much fun at training, but he was probably the worst one of the group. He can sit, and that is it. But he was just so happy that I found it utterly adorable.

We tried for a few more months, and while all our other dogs were sitting, rolling over, staying, twirling etc. all he could do was sit. But then spectacularly, he taught himself a trick, kinda.
When he gets incredibley excited or happy, he stands on his two hind legs and waves his paws about in the air. So whenever we saw him do this, we rewarded him, and now he's totally trained to do it. We call it 'wave', and all we have to do is say 'Rolo, wave' and he'll do it so happily.

And that was good enough for us!!! Bless his little heart. As long as he can sit (so by the side of the road etc.), and as long as he always obeys the few commands he knows, that is still great for his obedience etc.

 

[elrohwen]

Aww, that's such a cute story! My bun isn't much different. He's certainly not the brightest bulb, but he really enjoys training. He's good at standing up and spinning, so whenever I have a treat he'll try both, one after the other, to see if it gets him a treat. Haha.

His favorite trick it touching a target. I throw a tupperware lid on the ground and he runs to it and touches it. He has so much fun.

I've also been using it to get him better with being picked up and having his feet touched. I'm taking it slow, and he hasn't gotten that far with it, but I try to throw that stuff in between the tricks.

I think it's such a great thing to do with nervous or aggressive bunnies.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

It's only been a couple days, but already he's become much less growly. I had to pick him up three times today (he was hopping up on something he shouldn't have been and wouldn't hop down) and he didn't growl at me once!

The other day, he growled at mewhen I was trying to get him to spin for a treat. He seemed to think a half spin should have been good enough and growled at me when I wouldn't give it to him.

After reading through the clicker training info, though, I think that sounds like the most effective way to train Gus. We've been trying to train him by luring him with treats, but I don't think it's the most effective way of training. When he doesn't get the treat when he seems to think he should, he gets growly or gives us the bunny butt.

Where do you get a clicker from? And how much does one cost?

Thanks!

Rue

 

[funnybunnymummy]

OMG! Okay, so I thought I'd try some clicker training using a pen and a few rabbit pellets for treats. D'you know, we only worked at it for about half-an-hour and he's already learned to "touch" a plastic lid on the floor! :shock:I can't believe it! Even hubby was impressed!

Anyway, we'll see if he still remembers how to "touch" in the morning!

What a clever bunny! :bunnydance:

Rue

 

[jcottonl02]

Lol hahah brilliant!!!!!! Keep at it!

Haha I love what you said about Gus thinking that half a spin was quite good enough for a treat. Lol

Jen

 

[elrohwen]

Love the touch training! It's super easy to train and bunnies really seem to "get it" quickly. And hopefully you can use it to get him to go places he doesn't want to go.

You can get clickers really cheaply at pretty much any pet store, but a clicky pen is just as effective! It's not so much the specific sound as it is a consistent sound. You could even say "good" in place of the click if you wanted. You just need a sound that you can use every time so that he equates that sound with getting a treat.

Did you "load" the clicker yet? Loading is the first step, where you click and treat with no tricks, so they get the idea of it. He might not totally equate click with treat at first, but as you train more he'll get it eventually and training will speed up a lot.

Though even with the clicker, you'll probably still need to lure him through the spin. It's not a natural movement for rabbits, so it's unlikely he'll do it on his own enough that you can reward it spontaneously. But if he understands the clicker, he might understand what you're asking for faster. The spin did take me a few weeks to train - it's hard to go from luring to them doing it on their own, so be patient with it. But you can now use your target object to lead him around, instead of food, which might work for you.

So cute that he growled at you when you wouldn't give him a treat. Lol. What a demanding little guy!

I'm glad he's less growly!

 

[tonyshuman]

I think I'll try the clicker! I have my guys trained that a kissy noise means=treat, but I tend to save that for when I want them to come to me or at bedtime when I give the treats. The noise sets Frida all a grunting, though, since she feels she needs to assert herself or Benjamin will get her share of the treats! Not a reality, since he's sweet and gentle, especially compared to her!

 

[elrohwen]

Clicker training is great! I never did it with my dogs growing up, but now that I've tried it I love it. You do have to read up on it first - a lot of people just point the clicker at their pet and wonder why the pet isn't doing a trick. Lol. My husband did that for a while until I trained him how to use it correctly. You've gotta get your timing down, but once you do it's awesome.

I really like the i-Click. It's a type of clicker that allows you to hold it in different positions to click. So I can put it in my palm and click with any of my fingers while holding pellets with my index and thumb. Regular clickers have to be held a certain way and clicked with only your thumb, so you don't really have a hand free between treats and the clicker.

 

[funnybunnymummy]

I started him out by placing a pellet on the floor, then clicking as soon as he took the treat. We did this with probably 15-20 treats before I started seeing him respond to the click. Once he was doing that, I got a plastic lid, placed it on the floor, and waited for him to sniff it. As soon as he did (it didn't take long!), I clicked and gave him a treat. Did this a few times, then started saying "touch!" everytime he touched the lid. Once he started getting the idea (again, this really didn't take him long),I started saying "touch!" and waiting for him to touch the lid before I gave him the treat.

I couldn't believe how quickly he picked it up!

And this morning, he remembered! I thought for sure we'd have to start over at the beginning, but I placed the lid on the floor in front of me, called him over (the one thing he'll do without clicker training! ) and said "touch!" He sniffed all over me, then stopped, looked at me a moment, then hopped to the lid and touched it with his nose!

I'm SO pleased!

I upped the ante too, and got my son to hold the lid about a foot off the floor in his hand. Gus figured it out right away, touched it with his nose before I even said "touch!" Clever bun! :biggrin2:

Oh, and I watched a few of the videos on the website you linked and noticed the woman sometimes just clicked her tongue instead of using a clicker. So maybe I'll try that (frees up both hands!) along with my pen until I find myself a good clicker.

Thanks so much for suggesting this! I already feel like our bond has improved! :bunnydance:

Rue

 

[elrohwen]

Wow, you're a clicker pro! And Gus sounds like a smart little guy. Maybe he was just craving some more mental stimulation.

Awesome job! I can't wait to hear what other things he learns!

 

[funnybunnymummy]

Aw, thanks! It's really not as complicated as I first thought it would be! And Gus really seems to respond to it!

I can't wait to teach him rabbit hopping now! I just know he'll have so much fun!

Thanks again!

Rue

 

[elrohwen]

I really isn't hard at all, I think a lot of people just have a misunderstanding of how it's supposed to work. Once you know the basic idea, it makes a ton of sense and isn't that hard to do.

I've been thinking of teaching my bun to jump too! Is Gus a good jumper? My guy is not - I know he *can* but he chooses not to, so it might be fun to get him going over some low jumps and build his confidence. I'll have to build myself a jump if I want to do it.