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Dogs and rabbits

Shel

Warren Scout
We are thinking about getting a retired greyhound, but we want to make sure it will be OK with the rabbits. The dog will be older (2-5 years old) and our rabbits live in sheds outdoors with aviary panel runs. They do get some free range time on the lawn too. Any tips on how to introduce them to each other? We might be trying one out for the weekend, next week.
 
Wouldn't they be harder to introduce? They're trained to chase whatever it is around the track to get them to run, so they might think they're supposed to chase the rabbit?
 
Wouldn't they be harder to introduce? They're trained to chase whatever it is around the track to get them to run, so they might think they're supposed to chase the rabbit?

The lady at the kennels said they are generally too lazy to chase. Many get on with cats and rabbits. She had experience of getting them together with cats - just not rabbits. :roll: Which is why i hoping a rabbit owner here might have some experience.
 
I would not recommend a greyhound with rabbits as thats what they are trained to do is chase and if its an ex-racer its going to want to chase.
The only reason im saying this is i had an ex-racer who was no longer good enough to race but she was still very fast when she was let off the lead if she spotted something she was off:)
 
I work in a rescue and we would never rehome a retired greyhound to a home with a cat or other small furries, or even a small dog because of the chase instinct.

However if the dog pays no attention to the rabbits whilst they are in their runs then you may be OK so long as the dog never has access to them when they are free range, which could be risky for your buns as accidents do happen (like someone forgets to close the door properly etc)

If he is very interested in them whilst they are in their runs then I wouldn't even consider it as chances are he might never leave them alone.

Difficult as I hate to think the dog could miss out on a good home, and I love greyhounds:love:
 
I work in a rescue and we would never rehome a retired greyhound to a home with a cat or other small furries, or even a small dog because of the chase instinct.

However if the dog pays no attention to the rabbits whilst they are in their runs then you may be OK so long as the dog never has access to them when they are free range, which could be risky for your buns as accidents do happen (like someone forgets to close the door properly etc)

If he is very interested in them whilst they are in their runs then I wouldn't even consider it as chances are he might never leave them alone.

Difficult as I hate to think the dog could miss out on a good home, and I love greyhounds:love:

I am thinking like you. If he is not interested in them when they are in there runs we can probably live with that - there is a park just over the road so the garden time would be minimal. When free range in the garden I would never let the dog have access. Greyhounds in every other way are the perfect dog for us in terms of character etc. I think we will just have to try it out in a very controlled way. I have read several articles about some greyhounds being fine with rabbits so I am hoping.
At the end of the day though the rabbits come first - we were honest about that with the kennel owner too so hopefully she will help us a find a dog who is suitable.
 
We have had some fabulous greyhounds through the rescue, and many that have lived with cats etc before with no problem, but they weren't ex-racers.

I have three dogs and went to adopt them with the proviso that they got on with the rabbits as I always have my rabbits free range when I'm at home and used the test above to see how they reacted.

I'm lucky that all 3 of my dogs are very tolerant of everything and have very little interest in the bunnies apart from giving them an occasional kiss and eating their poop:lol:

I really hope that when he visits he is totally uninterested, and if they're sitting still he probably will be - he'll need to see them moving quickly to be able to get an idea of his level of interest.

You sound like you know completely what you're doing - I really hope it works out.
 
Could you be 100% certain that the greyhound doesn't escape whilst the bunnies are out? Sometimes they can slip past you in a doorway. Can you be certain?

Personally, I wouldn't risk it.
 
Could you be 100% certain that the greyhound doesn't escape whilst the bunnies are out? Sometimes they can slip past you in a doorway. Can you be certain?

Personally, I wouldn't risk it.

we have the same problem with my brothers staff, he's a chaser. But he's obidient enough to listen, and told to sit, and stay whenever anyone goes outside, and the rabbits are out free range :). They NEVER come into contact with each other, but Gerrard (the staff) can see them from inside, and we know how precautionary we have to be.
 
Just walk the dog on his lead when your bunnies are safely in their runs but visible and see how he reacts. You'll know straight away if he's going to be safe or a liability. He might just look and not be that bothered as a lot of even ex-racing greyhounds aren't interested unless the animal is a few yards away and running. If he goes ballistic he's not worth the risk.

I've known a couple of retired greyhounds that I'd trust a lot more than my stuffed toy looking shar-pei who can't walk past the bunny kennel without whittering at them.
 
i think any type of dog can be taught to leave its family members alone..

growing up we had a dog who used to go crazy at cats... soon as she had one as a family member she was different... still chased cats she didnt know tho :shock:

ralph has been taught not to acknowledge the chipmunks or rabbits no matter how fast they move but he still trys to chase my moms cats when im not looking :roll:

as long as they are not ever left alone i really think any combination of species can get along as long as the human has ultimate say on how they behave :D
 
I have an oldie lurcher, half greyhound, half collie. He used to live at my o/h's parents years ago and they would never let him near their cats - convinced he'd hurt them.

When he came to live with me eight yrs ago we took in a rescue kitten shortly afterwards and have never had any probs at all - there are now 3 cats and the doggie is bullied by them all :lol:

When Daisy arrived 3 weeks ago my o/h was convinced dog and bunny could never be in the same room cos his chase instinct would kick in, but no probs at all so far. He ignores Daisy completely (but obviously we're very careful with them together).

So, with proper precautions and testing the particular dog's interest in the rabbits in their runs as suggested, you may get lucky and find a perfect match.
 
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