Introducing dog and rabbit

[Xtina22]

I’m looking for any feedback or advice on introducing a dog and rabbit from those who have done it.

I am a big dog person (trainer actually!) but don’t currently have a pup. I got Norman a month ago and given that he is a very bold, outgoing bun I have high hopes that he can become friends with a dog if we add one to the family.

My plan right now is to try and introduce him to my mom’s dog. She is 10 years old, so not too rambunctious, and well trained. I know she is good with cats but she has never met a bun.

For the first “intro” I am going to put a babygate at the top of my stairs. The dog will be upstairs and the rabbit down, so he can choose to come up to the gate and see her if he wants. That will also let me see how they react to one another safely.  I’m hoping to do that a few times until I feel they are both fine with one another, then put the dog on leash and let Norman approach her if he wants and go from there. If I see any sign of prey drive/aggression in the dog I’ll call it off.

Does that seem like a good way to start? I’m nervous about this and want Norman to have good experiences with dogs so we can eventually get one (by the way, I plan to ensure I get a breed that generally has a very low prey drive).

[Dface]

Im not sure why you are planning to introduce him to a different dog? Do you live with your moms dog?
If the rabbit and the dog arent going to be living together this seems like an exercise in stress

Similar to the way rabbits trust humans they know and are often flighty around new people-rabbits learn their “friends”. Its an instinct that keeps them alive.

In terms of introducing smell is the largest thing rabbits need to overcome. So giving them access to the smell of the dog in a safe place let them get used to it before they meet face to face. This stopped my rabbits going into a melt down when the dog finally did appear.

Even shy rabbits can learn to live with dogs, one of my rabbits was attacked by a dog before I got her and her fear of them is very high, but she’s happy enough around my dog(though I assume she will always be wary)

[Xtina22]

Thanks for the insight and the hope

Yes my moms dog is here quite a bit. In particular she house sits for me when I am away and the dog stays here. If they do get along she would also come over most days and let Norman out to play

[Bam]

I think that a bun that gets used to one dog will have an easier time to get used to other dogs. A ten year old well trained dog sounds pretty much ideal.

I introduced my dog and first bun when the dog was 3 and the bun had just been found in the woods. The bun actually had to ride home in her crate (dog got to ride in the back seat). That crate was of course soaked with the dog’s scent. Bun did fine though. He might have been used to dogs for all I know.

My 2nd bun was young when I found him and had been living feral for a while. He was never fearful of my dog. He wasn’t a fearful type bun. By then my dog was so very used to living with a bun that she was barely interested in him.

I think your method of introduction sounds good. Buns are different from dogs in that buns are far less interested in following commands and they as a rule have very little will to please. So you have a better chance of controlling the dog by teaching it the rabbit is a family member. Most dogs can live happily with cats, but they’ll still chase cats they don’t know. The same goes for buns, a dog will still want to chase wild buns.

Most important imo is to make sure the rabbit can always, if it chooses to, at any time, get away from the dog and go to a place that’s actually safe, meaning a hiding spot where the dog has no access. If the dog is an experienced hunter with a high prey drive it’d still catch the rabbit, but you know dogs so I’m sure your judgement will be sound.

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