Bringing a puppy home

[BeardyBun]

Has anyone had experience with bringing a puppy home to bunnies?

I have two amazing lionheads who are free range of the house. I love them both so much…but we really a dog too :/ next yeAr we will be moving to a house with a yard and feel like we are finally at a place to bring a dog into our lives. We want to get a standard poodle puppy.

I just feel really bad for my bunnies and scared for them too. I feel guilty to be bringing a dangerous creature into their space, and also guilty that I wouldn’t be able to provide them with their free range lifestyle anymore (they would have to be confined to a room…possibly locked lol I think poodles are really smart and can figure out how to open doors).

If we were to do this, we wouldn’t introduce the pup to the bunnies until the doggie had some obedience training of course, and under supervision only. But I’m nervous that there would always be tension in the house like…me worrying that my buns are safe from the dog

Can anyone share their experience with me on bringing a baby puppy into a house with bunnies? Are there any characteristics I can look for in a puppy to determine if it has a low prey drive? Does anyone have any experience with standard poodles and buns?

Thanks so much in advance for your advice!

[Megabunny]

Sorry I don’t know about poodles. My first two dogs just accepted every critter that came around, whether a newborn chinchilla or an orphaned bird or a bunny. My newest dog just eventually learned they were part of the family. He actually came in contact quite by mistake with our rabbit and I’m lucky he didn’t try to eat Charlie, who was too mean to get eaten anyway. All you can do is your best. Maybe a dog trainer at a kennel would have some insight into particular breeds, but I think dogs do pretty much learn who is part of the family. If your buns are stressed, they’ll start marking their territory, but it wouldn’t be the worst life to have just a room to run in if that’s what it comes down to. I’d almost be more worried about a puppy that’s wanting to play being rough with the bunnies. Maybe you can get him good and exercised before his meetings with the bunnies and definitely keep him on a leash in the beginning. That’s all I can think of. Enjoy them all!!

[Frodo Baggins]

This will be a long response, sorry:

Introducing any new animal takes time and space. 

Sometimes the younger the better but older animals can work really well too. Most rescues and shelters can let you know if a dog has coexisted peacefully with cats/rabbits or other animals before adopting. Getting puppies is always a risk. On one hand they are young and you can mold them with training and socializing but you never know what their personalities are/will be like.

If you are set on a poodle do your research and talk to breeders or rescues. All reputable breeders should be able to tell you and show you the parents and know what their personalities are like. Breed rescues may also be able to give you info. But remember: Poodles are hunting dogs. They are water fowl dogs but not many people know that, so take that into account. They are very very smart but can be very excitable and energetic dogs. Any dog you get work with a trainer/and or a behaviorist to help you.

I have a lion head as well. He is my one and only rabbit and before him I knew nothing about rabbits. However I have worked with animals since I was 18. Specifically an animal caregiver at a no kill shelter so I am always around dogs and cats. My roommate brought Frodo home from work when his original owner abandoned him.

He came to live in an apartment with 3 older dogs in the spring/summer of 2012. One rat terrier (5 at the time), a hound/shepherd mix (1 1/2 at the time) and a pit bull (round 4 years at the time). 

Let me preface this by saying that from the first moment this rabbit entered our house he had absolutely no fear of anything. He was not neutered at the time and honestly was very dominant and aggressive. (he is still very dominant but not as aggressive) But he has never shown any fear towards the dogs.

When it came to intros with the dogs my roommate and I went at Frodo’s pace. Knowing our dogs we were confidant that the only one that would give us any trouble was Lola the pitty. We were right.

We introduced Frodo to my rat terrier first. Parker was muzzled and leashed. Frodo had free reign of the room. Once Parker realized he could not chase/or bite the bunny he was fine. Within 3 days he could be in my room no muzzle or leash round Frodo. (My dog has always been afraid of Frodo, the biggest problem between those two was that Frodo would deliberately kick Parker out of his bed and I had to be very careful Frodo never hurt him because Parker would not stop the behavior).

Riley the 60 pound hound was introduced on leash as well. However she has no prey drive whatsoever so we never had to muzzle her. Frodo went right up to her and started climbing. Riley was leashed up every time they were introduced for about a week before she could be in my room with Frodo supervised with no problem.She still gets very confused because Frodo won’t play with her when she play bows to him.

Lola was the biggest issue. She has the highest prey drive of our 3 dogs. Frodo loves Lola, even though she wanted to eat him the first year plus we had him. She is an example of the time it can take to introduce animals. Until Frodo got his own room about a year after we got him, Lola could not be around frodo without a muzzle and/or leash. Anytime she got excited Frodo would be her first objection. When he got his own room she could see him move around and he could come up to her but she could not get to him which helped desensitize her. Before we moved in june 2014 Lola could be in Frodo’s room without leash or muzzle supervised with no problem. She tried often to play with him. Now he has a pen but not his own room. Riley and Parker are still perfectly fine with Frodo. Lola will never be trusted unsupervised but if she is calm and it is just her she can be out of her cage when Frodo is out.

We recently added an unexpected 4th dog (a 7 pound Chihuahua/terrier mix) to the pack. She is a brat. She is not allowed unsupervised with Frodo because she will go up and bite him. Than Frodo turns and looks at her and she runs screaming. It’s hilarious. Scooby will never be okay with Frodo unsupervised or really at all. She is alternately to confident in going after him but not scared enough to stop. She is the only dog that has ever bitten the rabbit. (let it be known she has never broken skin just gotten mouthfuls of fur because she can fit her muzzle through the cage bars) We put a stop to that quickly, Frodo had no qaulms about hurting scooby so we were careful. 

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I brought home an adult dog. Was untrained and super high prey drive. In my opinion that was more difficult. Puppies can get out of hand but you can pick them up. I wouldn’t fret too much! Plus you have so much time to think and research and plan!

I would pick up books now on clicker training and dog training-Karen Pryor, Jean Donaldson and Sophia Yin are amazing behaviourists-especially I love Jean Donaldson her books are informative and funny and she’s all about the positive training.

Anyways-learn as much as you can about training now. And you could even start getting your bunnies ready-play videos of barking dogs, restrict them sometimes to one room for a little bit of time etc.

When you buy your house, you can home shop with the plan in mind-if the bunnies will have some of the house, their own room or free range on one floor etc.

And you don’t have to wait until the pup is way old or super trained. Dewormed, two sets of shots, you can start letting them see each other and do the stunt double thing-towels or toys swapped between the bunnies and puppy can let them get familiar with each others scents so there is no space invasion needed.

Your bunnies can and will adjust (mine are totally fearless) and both of my dogs (I adopted a second adult dog in August) are fine too. They are both herding dogs with high prey drives, but know how to act appropriately (and really who wouldn’t if you get tiny little treats from the rabbits!!)

[Author]

Messages