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Forum THE LOUNGE Bunny Theory About Hearing – What do you think?

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    • Elrohwen
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        Ok, I’m seriously starting to wonder if Otto has any idea what I’m saying to him. I work on training every night, just silly things, and he really loves it, but he cannot for the life of him figure out how to do a trick when I give a voice command. After doing everything I can think of, I’m wondering if bunnies just aren’t wired to understand words we say very well.

        Think about it – dogs are social animals and live in groups, just like bunnies. Unlike bunnies, dogs are more vocal. As a prey animal, I would imagine a wild group of rabbits would communicate almost entirely through body language and other means, rather than make a noise and risk being exposed.

        So with this in mind, I’m wondering if bunnies just don’t really care about the specific words we say in the same way a dog would, but instead respond more to our body language and basic tone of voice. It doesn’t seem to be about his drive to please … sometimes it just seems like his brain cannot make the connection that a certain word should be followed by a certain action. He knows I want him to do something, so he tries everything he knows. Sometimes he does the right action after the right word and gets rewarded, but it seems like this is happening randomly. If I give a hand command, he does the right action every time.

        I’ve heard of bunnies being able to understand many words, but I just can’t see that Otto understands a single word I say, though he’s very responsive to body language and sometimes sounds (if I tap the ground, he comes running, but I can try to teach him “Otto, come” til I’m blue in the face and he doesn’t even ackowledge me until I tap the floor).

        Has anyone else noticed this? Has anyone noticed the opposite? I’m very curious about this now, but there doesn’t seem to be a lot of research like there is for dogs.


      • MarkBun
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          In this case, rabbits are a lot like cats. They’ll respond to the command or word if it is in their benefit and they feel like it. Otherwise, they just feign deafness.


        • Elrohwen
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            Oh, I definitely agree with you there, MarkBun! Otto’s no different and if he’s not interested in participating, he definitely doesn’t. I think rabbits might even be better at ignoring their people than cats are

            But what about when Otto really wants to do the right thing, but just can’t seem to do the right thing when I say the right word? He’s clearly trying to please, so I don’t get why specific words seem to have no effect on him.


          • wendyzski
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              Well, bunnies aren’t usually vocal critters – they communicate among themselves using body language so it would make sense that they are more used to it.  That doesn’t mean that smart ones can’t figure out how their large pink naked companions communicate, but it’s less hard-wired.

              Have you checked out The Language of Lagomorphs site?  It has a lot of good info on bunny body language and how to “talk back” to them.


            • Elrohwen
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                I love that site! I learned a ton about his body language by reading that site. I’ve tried to “talk back” but I haven’t had much luck – he just looks at me like I’m a nutter.

                And I definitely believe there are smart cookies out there who can figure out human language … and maybe it’ll just take Otto longer to get it. But watching him struggle definitely makes me think it’s just not very hardwired. I try to stop the chatter and use more body language, because it seems like that’s what he’s responding to more than anything else.

                I guess dogs have also evolved for centuries to be able to understand people – obviously the ones who understood humans the best were the ones that were allowed to breed. So it could also be that buns are closer to wild animals (kind of like cats) and they don’t have the years of evolving to figure out what us crazy people are trying to tell them.


              • MirBear
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                  did you try doing a hand command while saying the word? that helped when i taught my dog.. when we got him he only knew hnd commands.. so as we said the word we’d do the hand command at the same time and now he responds to words!


                • Monkeybun
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                    Monkey knows the word “Dinner.” I ask her if she wants her dinner every day, and she starts dancing and jumping and trying to climb the out of the pen until I bring it to her.


                  • Elrohwen
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                      MirBear, thanks for the tip, but yep, I’ve been doing hand command plus voice command for a while, but as soon as I drop the hand command he just randomly tries things to see if he’s doing the right one. It’s so funny to watch! But I feel bad because I know he’s not quite getting it.

                      Lol, Monkeybun, that’s adorable. I would love to see that in action! Otto doesn’t even understand food words 🙁 But he does understand the sound of his food bin opening! Haha.


                    • Cassi&Charlie
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                        Hehehe, my Charlie is the same, he responds to visual commands but as soon as I try words, he just randomly does tricks he thinks will get him treats.
                        Sometimes I think he just gets over excited at the thought of food. I can ask him if he wants dinner forever with no response, but as soon as he hears the fridge opening or the crinkle of a bag, happy dance time commences. He just likes to ignore me and keep me in my rightful place…as his bunny slave.


                      • Elrohwen
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                          Lol, Cassie&Charlie. I’m glad to see someone has a bun just like mine!

                          I still haven’t ruled out bunny mind-manipulation as the reason Otto doesn’t respond 😛 Maybe he’s the one training me!


                        • MimzMum
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                            Well, they have to respond to some sounds, because otherwise the book I bought on clicker training will be just another dust catcher at my place. (The only bun who doesn’t like the sound of the clicker is Fiver, he will thump at the noise it makes.)
                            Mimz is finally deeming me worthy enough of at least a glance and request for a nose rub when I call his name, but that’s about all I’m good for.
                            Pip is a love bun, and will come to see if you have treat in hand if you so much as pass by her habitat…so she doesn’t count.
                            Fiver loves to be sung to and when my daughter reads aloud he’ll curl up next to her and listen. It’s the cutest thing!

                            So don’t give up hope…Otto may yet surprise you! Although I agree with you and Mark that bunnies are more likely (like cats) to have YOU trained in a day rather than the other way around. ^_^


                          • Elrohwen
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                              Clicking definitely works for me, Mimzmum! I love it. Though it seems like anything more specific than a click is just noise to Otto. Well, unless the noise is related to treats of some kind. Go figure

                              And Otto’s definitely come out of his shell lately, I just get frustrated for him that he can’t seem to piece together word = command. I’ve mostly given up and just do hand commands now and he seems to like that much better  I keep saying the voice command, but he just doesn’t seem to get it. He does, however, respond better than any cat I’ve ever met  So I give him points for that! He can ignore me with the best of them, but if pellets are involved, he’ll jump to the moon.

                              ETA: FIver curling up next to your daughter while she reads is absolutely one of the cutest things I’ve ever heard!


                            • bunnytowne
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                                rofl Cotton is scared of the clicker.  I haven’t tried Ruby.    You know  I did tell cotton to circle and kept moving the treat around him in a circle but he wouldn’t do it.   I thought maybe he thinks I am trying to tease him with the treat.  

                                Later on  he spun in a circle a couple of times    weird.   He hasn’t done it since.  

                                Me thinks this is more like selective hearing.    Sort of like children and husbands

                                I tried bunny language once as far as binky’ing to see what Cotton would do.  Scared him.    rofl…


                              • Elrohwen
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                                  BT, I tried binkying yesterday and Otto ran over to me so fast to see what I was doing. He looked very concerned for my sanity I think. Lol


                                • Frankz
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                                    Posted By Elrohwen on 12/10/2009 11:51 AM

                                    . . .So with this in mind, I’m wondering if bunnies just don’t really care about the specific words we say. . .

                                    LOL ^^

                                     

                                    I think you’re right. Sunny follows my finger for a treat, and follows physical, but if I say a voice command, I swear it would be the perfect time for some crickets outside!

                                     

                                    Like you said, to risk being found out by a hunter, they’re prolly quiet and use body language. (Besides random grunts )


                                  • Sage Cat
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                                      My to do know their names. Althugh they sometimes ignor me when I call their names.

                                      There are some sounds I make that they almost always respond too. But, these tend to be food orented.


                                    • Balefulregards
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                                        I know for sure that Coco hear me opening her kibble – Two rooms away. She is sitting at the edge of the door watching me in the evening, then starts to half binky from joy.
                                        She is much more responsive to voice requests. She also comes over when I tap the floor with my fingers for a nose rub.

                                        Jackson? Oy. Who knows what rabbit world he is living in? There is a reason I call him my Forrest Gump bunny.


                                      • Elrohwen
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                                          It’s interesting that so many people have similar experiences with buns ignoring words, but responding to visuals and other noises. As a prey animal I’m sure they’re very in tune to environmental noises (craisin bag, anyone?) but not so in tune to noises from animals they’re communicating with (unless those noises are simple grunts, etc). There’s clearly also a little selective hearing going on 😉 Maybe my theory isn’t so crazy after all.


                                        • Hedi
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                                            My oldest Carrera seems to understand very well and the times she chooses not to understand/or follow commands she will typically shake her head almost like shes saying no. She is a very smart bunny who loves to mess w/ us.

                                            Now Hoopie, who we swear thinks he is a cat follows commands very very well. But he does have those times where he wants to hang out in the potty box and just ignores us. I tell him to come w/out body language and he comes. He answers to his name.

                                            I think they are smarter than we give them credit and just choose what to do and what not to do. With the exception of my Cooper who I swear is the dumbest rabbit ever. But I think he was abused poor little guy. So sweet but never answers when I call, doesnt even notice when I feed him! But he loves to give kisses. lol


                                          • MimzMum
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                                              Posted By Sage Cat on 12/11/2009 08:42 AM

                                              There are some sounds I make that they almost always respond too. But, these tend to be food orented.

                                               

                                              Oh for goodness sake, how could I have forgotten! *forehead slap* Thanks, Sage!

                                              There IS one word my bunnies NEVER miss….

                                              “COOKIE”

                                              Usually brings on a rush for the door that would scare any concert-goer who’s tried to get up to the barricade when their favorite band starts playing. I’m lucky bunnies aren’t the size of elephants, because trampled wouldn’t even begin to cover it.

                                               

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                                          Forum THE LOUNGE Bunny Theory About Hearing – What do you think?