Not sure quite where to post this, so it's here.
We have a jack russell/whippet cross. She is VERY interested in rabbits in the abstract - on walks if she sees one running in the distance she'll chase - but it is all about the chase. Once when walking we stumbled across a bun by accident. It froze, she gave it a sniff then walked on by. I imagine when the buns arrive she'll be desperately interested for a week or so, and it might be tedious having to accompany her on all loo breaks as she'll have to pass the run to get to her toilet spot, but then they'll just become furniture.
This is the theory.
In a perfect world, I'd like to be able to have dog and buns running loose together under supervision. When I was little my dog used to adore my guinea pigs and vice versa - the piggies would follow the dog like she was the leader, and they'd curl up and snooze in the sun. So I know it's possible for dogs to cosy up with furries - anyone got any practical tips on how we achieve this without risking the buns? We're obviously a good few months away from it now but I have this lovely vision of the end of summer, all of us pottering about on the yard and decking, boy kicking his ball, buns and dog sunbathing...
My worry is that the whippetness in Lola - the dog - makes her drawn to sudden movements. Even if the buns were her friend when they move slowly, that flash of white tail in the distance might prove her undoing.
This is possibly a very unrealistic dream.
And kind of related. We have a really big section of yard, patio and decking that's totally dog proof - no toxic plants, no way to dig out, plenty of shade and different heights to explore. This basically makes it rabbit-proof too - and rabbit heaven. But will the rabbits feel comfortable exploring it if it smells of dog, even if the dog's not out there with them? It does include the dog's toilet area - she's fastidiously clean and only goes in one are about the size of 4 patio slabs. We keep this very clean though because of our son.
Dee
We have a jack russell/whippet cross. She is VERY interested in rabbits in the abstract - on walks if she sees one running in the distance she'll chase - but it is all about the chase. Once when walking we stumbled across a bun by accident. It froze, she gave it a sniff then walked on by. I imagine when the buns arrive she'll be desperately interested for a week or so, and it might be tedious having to accompany her on all loo breaks as she'll have to pass the run to get to her toilet spot, but then they'll just become furniture.
This is the theory.
In a perfect world, I'd like to be able to have dog and buns running loose together under supervision. When I was little my dog used to adore my guinea pigs and vice versa - the piggies would follow the dog like she was the leader, and they'd curl up and snooze in the sun. So I know it's possible for dogs to cosy up with furries - anyone got any practical tips on how we achieve this without risking the buns? We're obviously a good few months away from it now but I have this lovely vision of the end of summer, all of us pottering about on the yard and decking, boy kicking his ball, buns and dog sunbathing...
My worry is that the whippetness in Lola - the dog - makes her drawn to sudden movements. Even if the buns were her friend when they move slowly, that flash of white tail in the distance might prove her undoing.
This is possibly a very unrealistic dream.
And kind of related. We have a really big section of yard, patio and decking that's totally dog proof - no toxic plants, no way to dig out, plenty of shade and different heights to explore. This basically makes it rabbit-proof too - and rabbit heaven. But will the rabbits feel comfortable exploring it if it smells of dog, even if the dog's not out there with them? It does include the dog's toilet area - she's fastidiously clean and only goes in one are about the size of 4 patio slabs. We keep this very clean though because of our son.
Dee
