Bunny + Dog?

[WallsOfGab]

Hi! So I just want to say ahead of time that yes, they’re supervised together. Like, I don’t even look at my phone while they’re together.

I have a 12 week old French Lop (Pavus) with a ton of energy and a Yorkie (who has the rest of the house, Pavus has my bedroom). Pavus is about the same size as the Yorkie if that matters. Pavus isn’t neutered yet.

So, I was looking everywhere and I didn’t see anything about this behaviour? I googled behaviour and other people’s experiences with rabbits and dogs together and usually they’re not all that… great? However none of those scenarios described what’s going on here and I honestly just want to make sure that it’s okay for them to continue to be together. Here’s the rundown:

Pavus doesn’t hide or run from the Yorkie. The Yorkie play-bows, Pavus will binky and follow the Yorkie (not circle, just follow). They’ll run from one end of the room to the next, the Yorkie will initiate it and Pavus will follow. He’ll run, jump into a slide to put his head under the dog from the side and he’ll sit there until the Yorkie moves to the end of the room again to play bow. Sometimes he’ll look scary, like a charge where he’ll run and jump with his mouth open… stop just short and groom the dog. And then binky away and wait for the dog to move again. 

And they both seem to… enjoy it? No screaming, no injuries, no hiding, no running away. Some honking when super excited but that’s the extent of it. And when both want to rest, they both respect it and Pavus will still sprawl out all relaxed.

Does anyone know if it’s okay behaviour? I’ve looked everywhere and I’m seeing nothing like this. I didn’t see any dominance or mating thing going on at all. No aggression as far as I can tell.

Thank you!

[Mikey]

Two of my bunnies love to play chase. Sometimes theyll look terrifying while chasing back and forth, and Ill break it up only to be starred at by them wondering why I stopped their play If everyone is happy, I wouldnt worry about it

[sarahthegemini]

Sounds like they’re enjoying themselves!

[Hazel]

Posted By WallsOfGab on 5/19/2017 8:58 PM

Sometimes he’ll look scary, like a charge where he’ll run and jump with his mouth open… stop just short and groom the dog.

This is aggression, rabbits don’t “play bite” like dogs do, if they charge at you with their teeth bared, they’re serious. So I would say in those situations your bun is getting annoyed and telling your dog to back off. Other than that, I don’t notice any problematic behaviors from what you’ve described. But it’s important to keep in mind that even though we mostly look at binkying as a sign of happiness, it’s really practice for when a rabbit finds itself in a serious situation (like most playful behaviors are). Rabbits “binky” when they fight, it’s a way to avoid the opponents attacks and has nothing to do with expressing happiness. So be sure that your rabbit is actually relaxed when it does this around the dog, rather than agitated and trying to avoid his mock attacks. Keep an eye on your buns tail, if it’s up, he’s getting miffed.

I know there are lots of different opinions on this matter, and it’s up to each individual owner to handle this as they see fit. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend allowing rabbits and predatory pets to play, and I don’t allow it with my own pets. They don’t speak the same language, they play and behave drastically different from each other, and I think there’s way too much potential for misunderstandings and accidents/injuries. My cats and rabbit are allowed to hang out together, in fact one of our cats and our bun are pretty much joined at the hip. But I do make sure the cats understand that the bun is neither a toy nor a playmate and they know that once they set foot in the rabbit’s room, they better be on their best behavior.

[WallsOfGab]

Thank you everyone <3

I’ll keep a look out for the tail! I’ll give it one more go, watch the tail, and take it from there.There are so many different stories regarding this so it’s been really hard to figure out what’s-what. And from other people’s stories with their dogs, my situation hasn’t been a “dog chases rabbit” kind of thing. They both look at each other like lost lovers from behind the gate.

One more thing though:
” So be sure that your rabbit is actually relaxed when it does this around the dog, rather than agitated and trying to avoid his mock attacks.”
The dog doesn’t actually do mock attacks like he would with our other dog. 😮 He does play bow, and then he just runs to the opposite end of the room and play bows. No mouthing, no batting with his paws. Just run run run STOP… waits for the bunny to catch up. Run run run STOP… waits for the bunny to catch up.
So I wonder if in that context it sounds a little better? Like the dog isn’t treating the rabbit like our other dog, the cat, or even a toy. He’s treating Pavus like he’s fragile almost.

But yeah. Thank you! One more good look at what’s happening and I’ll take it from there.

[Author]

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