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Dog to go with rabbit.........

Jemma&Theo

Jemma&Theo

Mama Doe
Me and OH are considering getting a dog...

I would like one that wont eat Earl.

Any suggestions....

Im thinking a king charles cavalier as they are a little docile and small wont cause him any damage...........

ideas?
 
We have a whippet x lab, and she is fab with all my buns.

We were very careful when we introduced them, so that she wouldn't be jealous. And spent a lot of time with her so she knew what was expected from her.

Having said that, we still don't leave her alone with the buns.
 
I personally think the breed is irrelevant. It's all in the training ;)

If you're going for a pup, training them to leave the buns is easy (IMO). If you're going for a rescue dog, it may be more challenging, but still possible and very worthwhile.

Good luck
 
All dogs can be a threat to some degree and will aways have to be supervised when around your bunny, but I have to say that a breed that isn't intended for any purpose other than to be a companion animal would be the best. I'm suggesting you avoid breeds with stronger hunting/herding instincts, etc. Also, I think a less 'yippy' breed would be less stressful for buns to live with.
I have a pug and he is wonderful with the buns, but of course no matter the breed, all dogs can be different. The flat face (silly as it sounds) makes it tough for him to give a bite, too!
However, with flat-faced breeds (brachycephalics) you have to be prepared for certain health risks. They don't do well with very cold or hot temps and can seize and die when overheated. This is due to the inability to cool themselves properly because of the brachycephalic condition. They don't tolerate normal amounts of exercise well, and they often cannot swim. A life vest solves that problem though!
Of course, all breeds can have breed specific issues!
Do as much research as you can before you start meeting prospective pets. You don't want to fall in love with a dog that would be the wrong match! :wave:
 
I have four Cavaliers! I trust them with the rabbits and guinea pigs, I don't leave them alone together but I let the dogs give the rabbits kisses. :) They're such sweet dogs and can easily be trained to get along with smallies. Especially if they grow up with them.

I'd avoid terriers and hounds in general, just in case, cos they've more of a hunting instinct.

But be careful with any dog really.

If you get a puppy it might be easier to train them to like the rabbit, but they also might be a little hyper and might like chewing bunny ears.

If you get an adult dog, just introduce them very slowly and carefully and don't leave them alone together, unless you're 100% sure they'll be ok, cos dogs are still predators and bunnies are prey.
 
yeah we were thinking of getting a rescue dog (18months plus) so not too boisterous....

Not sure if its something we could do as there is someone in the house 60% of the time... and we would need a dog that we could leave in the house / garden whilst we are out for up to 8 hours (which would happen only once - twice a week) .

Hence why I was thinking of a smaller dog that would have companionship with a bunny so they didnt get lonely.

Its something that we are 'thinking' about and would research heavily before committing...

my nan has a king charles cavalier (well 2 of them) and she ''cant be bothered'' with them any more- apparently..

Was thinking of 'trialling' the male of the two- for maybe a day- to see how we get on.
 
we had a whippet/lab/staffy and he was fine with the buns but I did try to avoid letting them out in large spaces together in case them running and binkying was too much for him!

I'm looking to get a dog next year too and it's tough finding a breed which suits in every respect but, like others have said, you should be ok if training from a puppy and if looking for an adult dog in a rescue you can find one which is listed as small pet friendly.
 
we had a old english sheepdog and a jack russel cross both were absolute diamonds with the buns! :wave:
 
A rescue dog or an aunties rehome :lol: sounds like a fab idea.

We are in a similar position thinking about having a dog but weighing up what would work best with Rabbits and Children! We love Greyhounds and keep coming back to them.

I agree that a terrier would be least favourite with rabbits. We have 3 friends with Schnauzers, 1 is not to be trusted with buns and is banned - she's been to the house but barks at the patio door cos she can see the buns, another who was bought up with 7 kids and 5 guinea pigs was tried in the garden on a lead, he was uninterested in the rabbits so was allowed off and he continued to ignore them, the 3rd schnauzer I wouldn't trust with my kids she's rather nervous sadly.

Many rescues cat test and I think this gives an idea as to a dogs reaction to rabbits and of course for the rescues that place dogs in foster homes they may already have met pet rabbits and they'll be able to tell you how they react.

Good luck.
 
I think it depends on the individual dog, rather than the breed. A dog needs to be trained in order for it to know how you expect him/her to behave. The Dogs Trust are good at matching dogs with families.
 
Jemma&Theo said:
see i thought breed was important.... because terriers and jack russells etc were bred for the sole purpose of killing- and they still use them today to catch rats etc...
Click to expand...
I think breed does have some bearing, but not as much as people think.

One dog I ruled out quite early (if I end up going to a breeder) was a Manchester terrier, because even though I absolutely adore them they would be difficult to train due to their particularly high prey instinct for rabbits. However, if I happened to see one in a rescue that was listed as small animal friendly the breed wouldn't put me off.
In other words, I wouldn't want to make life difficult for myself, my buns and the dog by choosing a breed which is less 'appropriate' than another....but the personality of a dog comes first.
not sure if I've made one iota of sense there!
 
my friend has a chiwawa (can't be bothered looking up the correct spelling). It plays with our rats on a Sunday and has never looked like attacking them but then my friend did buy her as a pup and brought her up around her own rats.
 
I have a papillon and a rough and border Collie and the are all great with the rabbit.Most of my rabbits have snuggled up against the papillion one time or other .I think they all think she is one of them
 
I have a staffy cross (not sure what she is crossed with possibly a whippet or something similar)
All my rabbits love her and she does them,they rule her in fact poor thing!
 
my sister had a cavillier and she was a nightmare with her rabbits. and she snores like a fog horn! she is cute tho :love:
 
I'd agree its more to do with training than the breed, although you would have to possibly work harder on training a sight hound not to want to chase the bun than other types of dogs (I know there are exceptions to this, I used to have one)
 
I think trialling that dog sounds a good idea! Then you can get a feel for dog ownership too.

I'm a firm believer any dog can be trained, I've done the so called impossible with my greyhounds, they are perfect bunny watchers, if next doors cat comes near the run they chase him a away. But I wouldn't recommend sighthounds unless you are willing to put effort in! Generally Cavaliers, Retrievers etc are quite easy.
 
I have a collie x gsd who is fantastic with them and a collie x sighthound who is learning but on the whole is very good. Would never trust them alone but they are fine with them. Only problem I have is when I'm ushering them into the shed after free ranging both dogs have to go in or they feel the need to assist with me rounding them up, which is less than helpful! :lol::lol:
 
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