doggies and buns

We've a small bossy bun who thinks she owns our house. Recently we've ben considering getting a little dog. We would keep them in seperate rooms - basically doggy= kitchen+ garden, bun = everywhere else.We know Misty's going to be put out, but we don't want her to be really unhappy. Is there any way of introducing a doggy that's not too traumatic?

It is a very tricky one and would have to be done gradually. Can you get a rescue pup and then if things aren't working out you have a sort of trial period and, heaven forbid, you could return it.

ideally you would want the bun to get on with the pup, so as you say, small as possible.

Rabbits can happily live with dogs in some circumstances, I know a few people on here have successfully managed it.

yes, it'll definitely be the rescue centre, but I was looking at a dog rather than a pup, my reasoning being that they'd have a good idea of it's temperament and if it was passive rather than aggressive. I'm looking out for a quiet dog. Would a pup be better?

My mum has had plenty of dogs and rabbits that all get along just fine, and cats too. I think they know that the rabbit is part of the 'family', and treat it differently to a wild rabbit they might encounter.

The rabbit she has at the moment though is very stroppy and attacks the dogs, who run away from her and sometimes sit on a bench in the garden to keep out of her way. My mum doesn't leave this rabbit alone with them unsupervised though, as the worry is that one day instead of running away from the rabbit when she bites them, the dogs might retaliate and obviously they could do a lot more damage to the rabbit than she can to them.

All of the other rabbits she's had though have got on really well with the dogs (more so than with the cats, who generally just ignore the rabbit), and one used to run up and down the garden with the dog when he barked or squeaked his sqeaky toy at people when he heard their voices outside the garden.

I have three rabbits (one indoor, two outdoor), three cats and a puppy!

I can 100% trust my cats and indoor rabbit to run around and play together. The rabbit is litter trained, so he is perfect!!

However, our puppy is a 16 week old jack russell cross - he is fine with the cats but because Peter(indoor rabbit) is so small I never let the dog and rabbit run around in the same room. The pup licks Peter through his cage and Peter doesnt mind - but I still dont trust the pup!

We got a pup rather than a rescue dog because we wanted to know the dogs full background - having a rescue you cannot always guarantee this. Our pup was already living with cats and a rabbit, so he had been introduced to small animals from a young age.

Therefore, I think it is possible to have a dog or even dogs with a rabbit, but you just need to be careful!

I have had rabbits longer than my dog, so when I got my dog she was introcduced to the rabbits and guinea-pigs so has grown up with them, so I'd say a puppy would be better as they are growing up with them.
But why do you just want the dog in the kitchen and the garden? I'd be more worried that, that is only where you are going to keep the dog rather than the fact of the dog and rabbit getting along as brought up in a proper way they will get on fine

Hi, thanks for your comments,folks. Good to know buns and dogs can coexist. Sorry, Samantha M, you misunderstood me there: I meant that when I have to go out of the house or leave them unsupervised for a while they would be seperated.
Of course I hope they get along enough to share the house when I'm there.

Hi,i have 5 rabbits and two dogs one of which is a staffordshire bull.Three of the rabbits were adults when i got them and all are fine with the dogs ,they quite happily lie together and spend time in the garden together although they are not left alone when i am not there as you never know! I would find it a pain if i had to have seperate areas for each pet and think its better if they get used to each other but i think that it depends on the dogs temprement really :roll: Good luck with whatever you decide,i am sure it will be ok x

mistyrabbit said:

Hi, thanks for your comments,folks. Good to know buns and dogs can coexist. Sorry, Samantha M, you misunderstood me there: I meant that when I have to go out of the house or leave them unsupervised for a while they would be seperated.
Of course I hope they get along enough to share the house when I'm there.

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oh ok, sorry yh i did misunderstand you yeah. I didnt realise you leave the rabbit out all the time, couldnt do that with mine lol, so assumed you was talking about all the time not just when you was out. Sorry

We have only recently got our 2 dutch bunnies. In our house, we already have a black labrador (8 years old), 2 cats and 2 tortoises.

We let the buns settle in for a week, and then introduced them to the cats. The cats were quite interested in them and followed them around our backyard. Once the rabbits were a bit more confident, they started to chase the cats!

Then we introduced KeeJ, the black lab. He was quite interested in them, as he does chase wild rabbits and squirrels. But now, after 2-3 weeks of him laying in the backyard whilst they run round, he has lost interest in them.

It will work, whether you get a puppy or an older dog. Obvioulsy, if you get a puppy, they will just want to play with your rabbit. You will have to factor in the breed of dog you go for as well - terriers, gundogs (in general) and greyhounds will be harder to establish a relationship between the 2 (even though we have a gundog, so it can work!).

Ok, folks, deep breath, here goes! The reason I'm up at 5am is I can't sleep because my new rescue pup is coming today. He's a scruffy little crossbreed and doesn't seem to be aggressive. They did a 'cat test' at the centre for me and he didn't seem too bothered by the cat, so I'm hoping he'll have the same reaction to Misty.
We're going to keep him in the study, which has always been off limits to Misty, as her arch-enemies, the guinea pigs, dwell there. For the first few days he won't be allowed in her space at all, and we'll gradually introduce them.
I have a 2 week grace period to see if he works out. I hope so. He's a dote.
Thanks everyone for your advice. Now here goes! I've everything crossed here! :wave:

One week on and doggy settling in nicely. Rabbit is very interested and goes into his room every morning to say hello. Doggy just wags a tail. If doggy wags anything more rabbit runs away. Doggy doesn't follow.

Rabbit (Misty) doesn't seem upset: however I took it very slowly, first leaving on the floor the hoodie I had worn when visiting Jimmy so she'd get his scent. On his first day in his new home she didn't see him at all. On his second day she got a glimpse of him through the door. Her curiosity got the better of her and soon she was peeping in and gazing at him. He's not allowed into the kitchen, which is her room, but she can go into his room. She almost touched his nose this morning.

By the way, I'd know if she was upset: there are no protest-poos! I once moved the guineapigs cage into the kitchen for a couple of hours and she pooed all over the place for a full six weeks in protest!:roll:

We were careful with our choice of dog - he's a puppy, about 10 weeks old, from a rescue centre. We explained what we wanted and they showed us Jimmy. He is a terrier/daschund cross so the daxie bit keeps him quiet and very laid back. We're very happy with him and it seems like it will work very well, Of course we still won't be leaving them alone together - there is a terrier in the mix! Thanks to you all for your help - I really didn't think I'd be able to have a doggy with my spoilt bun. Little Jimmy is a lovely addition to our lives.