How to make dogs and rabbits get along?

marblicious · Dec 19, 2007

I'm tailof2rabbits/lisa/MissingMocha. For some reason, I keep forgetting my passwords.:huh So very sorry, mods/admin. I've tried resetting and it doesn't quite work for me. No biggie on my part though, especially since it's my fault. If you'd like, please feel free to delete the other accounts.
Marbles turned 2 last December 14! :rabbithop

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The husband and I adopted a puppy. She's about 4 months old. She was found almost 2 months ago on the street, abused and abandoned. Her left eye is partially blind. She's terribly sweet and affectionate. We've been trying to bond them. Or at least be able to keep them in the same room without Marbles stomping or running off to the corner and playing dead.

Lucy loves Marbles already but Marbles, my sweet little boy, stomps at her which scares her and makes her bark halfheartedly. And that just scares him even more. We really want them to get along because we've already fallen in love with the puppy and don't want to have to give her up. (Marbles will always come first, of course. He is loved beyond all reason and logic. His word is law around these parts.)

Has anyone ever gotten a dog and a rabbit to be friends? We're not talking snuggle buddies necessarily. I will never let them run free together unsupervised. Marbles has the run of the bedroom. Lucy stays downstairs in the living room/dining area. I've already read the House Rabbit Society article on this. Does anyone have any more stories and tips to share?

Flashy · Dec 19, 2007

Welcome back

Maybe the mods might merge all your accounts, so all your stuff is together.

As for puppy and bunny. Like with any pairing, they need to be bonded properly, and there is always the chance that one won't like the other. Marbles might never accept Lucy, even if Lucy accepts Marbles.

Well, Marbles obviously isn't comfortable yet. Did you take the early stages very slowly?

My mum once went to her friends how and came home smelling of dog, and one of my guys just cowered in the corner and wouldn't move, the more she did it, the more relaxed he got with it.

Is it worth going back to basics? Keeping them apart, putting a bowl, or toy, or whatever in Marble's cage to get him used to the smell. And gradually increase that, then maybe let them in the room together, but not so they can get to each other. Make sure Marbles feels safe wherever he is. If you can, maybe put the dog in aLucy crate so that Marbles is in total control, and do this a few times a day, extending the time, etc, then maybe have Lucy out the crate, but being held so she can't go anywhere, and again, let Marbles explore at his own pace. Only go onto the next stage when it is clear that he feels safe and comfortable with what you are doing. If you take it too fast then you might have to go back to the beginning and start again.

I know a good few people with dogs and buns who can co-exist together. I have a catand buns, and some of my buns love him and he loves them. Actually, he wants to love them all, but some attack him, so it could be that Marbles is not a dog lover.

Another avenue to look at might be to adopt a bunny friend for Marbles(I read about Mocha, and I'm sorry for your loss) that has come from a home with dogs, and who feels safe with dogs because if that bun can be bonded to Marbles and feel safe with the dog, Marbles might gain more confidence with the dog and it might bring him out of his shell.

Good luck with whatever you do

marblicious · Dec 19, 2007

With a recent post here that I just read about someone being so irresponsible with her rabbits (sorry, but it's true), I feel like I have to write disclaimers now. Just trust me when I say that Marbles is the happiest, most cared for bunny this side of the world.

I should also mention that Marbles ran around the room sniffing the floor where the dog was, and he binkied. He has binkied 6 times over the last two days while sniffing the dog smell. He's also flopped three times by the door since we've introduced them. (They've met three times. All times I was feeding Marbles treats and petting him, while the husband was praising Lucy the dog for being so friendly.) He also has (veeery slowly) walked up close enough to sniff her nose already.

Jeff and I considered getting another rabbit, but it was really hard losing Mocha. It's still really hard dealing with it, and I don't think we're ready for another right now. There aren't any rabbit shelters here either.

Flashy · Dec 19, 2007

Honey, I know what post you are talking about, and yes, that is being irresponsible, but bringing another animal into the home isn't irresponsible. Loads of pet owners bring in another animal. You are doing your best to find a way for them to live together, happily, you have no intention of replacing one with another, and you are dedicated owners (I know that from your Rainbow Bridge thread about your beautiful Mocha).

It sounds like things are going better than how you made them sound, lol.

It might be that Marbles is playing or flirting with Lucy, or just enjoying her company, but that Lucy doesn't understand because she doesn't speak 'rabbit' and Marbles doesn't speak 'dog'.

Three meetings isn't much at all, and it sounds far more positive than I imagined it was going. Try to persevere, but maybe try it only for short bursts, several times a day, maybe.

marblicious · Dec 19, 2007

Flashy wrote:

Welcome back Maybe the mods might merge all your accounts, so all your stuff is together.

As for puppy and bunny. Like with any pairing, they need to be bonded properly, and there is always the chance that one won't like the other. Marbles might never accept Lucy, even if Lucy accepts Marbles.

Well, Marbles obviously isn't comfortable yet. Did you take the early stages very slowly?

My mum once went to her friends how and came home smelling of dog, and one of my guys just cowered in the corner and wouldn't move, the more she did it, the more relaxed he got with it.

Is it worth going back to basics? Keeping them apart, putting a bowl, or toy, or whatever in Marble's cage to get him used to the smell. And gradually increase that, then maybe let them in the room together, but not so they can get to each other. Make sure Marbles feels safe wherever he is. If you can, maybe put the dog in aLucy crate so that Marbles is in total control, and do this a few times a day, extending the time, etc, then maybe have Lucy out the crate, but being held so she can't go anywhere, and again, let Marbles explore at his own pace. Only go onto the next stage when it is clear that he feels safe and comfortable with what you are doing. If you take it too fast then you might have to go back to the beginning and start again.

I know a good few people with dogs and buns who can co-exist together. I have a catand buns, and some of my buns love him and he loves them. Actually, he wants to love them all, but some attack him, so it could be that Marbles is not a dog lover.

Another avenue to look at might be to adopt a bunny friend for Marbles (I read about Mocha, and I'm sorry for your loss) that has come from a home with dogs, and who feels safe with dogs because if that bun can be bonded to Marbles and feel safe with the dog, Marbles might gain more confidence with the dog and it might bring him out of his shell.

Good luck with whatever you do

Hi, Flashy. We're taking baby steps. He sniffs my skin intently, smelling Lucy off it. He's very curious. I think he's interested; he just doesn't know what to make of her yet. The stomping thing happened only once, during their first meeting. It hasn't happened since. I just need to get him to relax around her. We're letting them meet once or twice a day, while I'm giving Marbles treats. I'm considering putting one of her chew toys in Marbles' cage but I don't want him to feel like she's taking over his home. I think I'll let him sniff one of her toys though, during his dinner. Thanks.

marblicious · Dec 19, 2007

Flashy wrote:

Honey, I know what post you are talking about, and yes, that is being irresponsible, but bringing another animal into the home isn't irresponsible. Loads of pet owners bring in another animal. You are doing your best to find a way for them to live together, happily, you have no intention of replacing one with another, and you are dedicated owners (I know that from your Rainbow Bridge thread about your beautiful Mocha).

It sounds like things are going better than how you made them sound, lol.

It might be that Marbles is playing or flirting with Lucy, or just enjoying her company, but that Lucy doesn't understand because she doesn't speak 'rabbit' and Marbles doesn't speak 'dog'.

Three meetings isn't much at all, and it sounds far more positive than I imagined it was going. Try to persevere, but maybe try it only for short bursts, several times a day, maybe.

Thanks for the kind words, Flashy. I've been feeling a bit of a heel for asking Marbles to accept a dog. I just really felt bad for Lucy, and wanted to give her a loving home, too. She was in such bad shape when they found her, and she would whenever they tried to pick her up.

I'm a little all over the place. To clarify: when he was binkying, she wasn't in the room anymore. Marbles always stays in his cage when they meet so he'll feel safe. I let him out when Lucy left the room and he went up to the place where she sat and smelled it. The only time they've come close to touching was when Marbles met her nose through the cage bars, but he pulled away after a second or two.