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Dogs and Rabbits?

BevBunny said:
I have two house rabbits and two cats. They all get on fantastically, I've had house bunnies for 10 years or so, and only recently got the cats - they'll be 1 yr old in a week. We deliberately got kittens so that they would grow up being used to the bunnies and learn from the start how they should act with them. We introduced them v gradually, and very sensibly, and now they're friends. They snuggle together, infact one bunny and one cat are currently sat in the bunnies cardboard box, both fast asleep. If either felt threatened then that just wouldn't happen. The cats lick the bunnies, and they often drink out of the water bowls together.

I think if introductions are done right then different species can get on harmoniously, although it does also depend on the personalities or breed of the cat/dog. For me the bunnies comes first as they've been here the longest, but I know them well enough to know if they are even the tiniest bit scared.
I love your cat and bunny photos.:love:

In our house we have the same but with the dogs:D.

It shows the importance of having well socialised animals, and how harmoniously they can live alongside each other.

I can bring any animal into our house and the dogs are brilliant i.e. I often bring home orphaned kittens that need hand rearing etc.

My dogs are fab with the rabbits and they all free range in the garden together all the time. Spike (dog) and Oscar (housebun) have a lovely relationship.Oscar will rush to greet Spike and vice versa.
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I have a staffy cross and they all get along fine.
The buns when they were inside and now pearl use her as a step on the sofa to get through the bannister.Then jump back through straight onto her :roll:

In fact the day the 5 went to live outside she was whining for them :(
 
Aww i'm glad to here so many success stories here :) And it's good to know I don't need to worry too much about the breed of dog. I one day want a house full of animals that all get along...I can dream :p:lol:
 
If you search the forums you will also find some horror stories of rabbits being killed by dogs and some close calls.

ps animals aren't Pokemon, you don't "gotta catch 'em all"
 
Well, I have a dog with my rabbits. They all live in the house. The buns have their own room which they are shut in when we are not here. I did have Ludo from a puppy though and already had the buns. Faline used to box him. :lol:

He does try and chase/play with Faline a bit, but I don't let him. You have to remember that different breeds have different instincts ingrained, all though all dogs have a high chase instinct. I would not have a rescue terrier or hunting breed such as a lurcher with rabbits, just my own personal experience with them having a high drive and you never know what a rescue's previous experience was.
 
And you'll find many more stories of dogs and rabbits getting along. accidents do happen but if you do everything you can to prevent an accident it should never happen.
 
I have a terrier and two bunnies, I'd never leave my bunnies free range with the dog unsupervised because I have had a close call when Mae escaped the run and Dotty (my dog) went after her, I cant work out if dotty was helping or trying to hunt but either way she never hurt Mae.
Infact I can sit with Mae on my knee eating and the dog lay next to me and the dog barely pays attention!
But like I said I would never leave them free range unattened because every dog has a chase instinct.

I have no qualms leaving the bunnies in the run and the dog in the garden unattened because she doesnt pester them and my run is secure.

We had the dog first (she is 3 now) and then got rabbits. We dont know anything about Dotty's history.
Dogs. Cats and Rabbits CAN get on.

Although my cats are scared of the bunnies :lol:
 
Nicola1 said:
there's some great advice on this in books such as the House Rabbit Handbook :wave: I personally would never leave a dog or cat unsupervised with rabbits but that's just me, I dont have a dog or cat at the minute so I guess I can never say never really
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This. I'm not saying you can't have both prey and predator species living side by side by I would NEVER leave them unsupervised together. No matter how well you think you know your cat or dog, you can never fully override basic instincts that can kick in out of nowhere at any time. Personally I think dogs are far more of a risk than cats, unless bunny is very tiny. We had dogs, cats and rabbits when I was growing up but they were never left together unsupervised no matter how gentle and dopey our Pointer or cats were around the rabbits.
 
Despite the fact that Gemma (Dog) and Beatrice adored each other I NEVER EVER left them together unsupervised.

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I would not say that if you have Rabbits you should not have a Dog. But IMO you should not take the unnecessary risk of leaving them alone together. Also, each case will be unique and there will be some dogs who cannot be around Rabbits and some Rabbits who will be terrified of the presence of a Dog.
 
I would not say that if you have Rabbits you should not have a Dog. But IMO you should not take the unnecessary risk of leaving them alone together. Also, each case will be unique and there will be some dogs who cannot be around Rabbits and some Rabbits who will be terrified of the presence of a Dog.
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^^^^^^ I second this! :) No point looking at the negatives of owning both a dog & bun, as long as you are sensible then why not! :)
 
I have always had dogs and rabbits
but will underline what some have already said
NEVER leave your rabbits unsupervised with your dogs..however soft your dog is
You can never know if the dog is having an off day, feeling unwell, or just maybe gets a bit grumpy with age..and if the rabbit moves suddenly on jumps on dog it could just be enough to make the dog snap
Anyone who leaves their rabbits alone with a dog is playing Russian roulette with the bunnies life

Also a word on cats..same applies really..although a small cat may not be able to kill a large rabbit we have heard of several sad stories this year where a cat has bitten a rabbit..once in play..and the wounds became badly infected, cat bites are full of nasty bacteria ..in two cases the rabbits died:cry:..so be very careful about your bunnies playing with your cats
 
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honeybunny said:
Also a word on cats..same applies really..although a small cat may not be able to kill a large rabbit we have heard of several sad stories this years where a cat has bitten a rabbits..once in play..and the wounds became badly infected, cat bites are full of nasty bacteria ..in two cases the rabbits died:cry:..so be very careful about your bunnies playing with your cats
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Yes I have to be carefull not to let one of my cats be around when my bunnies are free ranging because she swipes if they touch her, thankfully she never gets her claws out but its not worth the risk especially as she is getting more and more grumpy the older she gets
 
Lovely seeing everyone pictures of the cats, dogs and rabbits.

I have 4 cocker spaniels, 3 cats and one bunny and we all manage fine - however the only ones that are left alone with Honey (bunny) are the cats. None of the cats have any interest in harming Honey and frequently found in her hutch sleeping.

The dogs are more interested in Honey's food than anything else, but I would never leave them unattended with her as they all have quite a strong chase instinct being gundogs an'all :) even if they are just playing.

Rabbits were here first and have their own area in the garden as do the cats so that they all have some peace from nosy spaniels.
 
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More proof it can work... though these two grew up together being only about two months apart in age. To be honest Mr Fluff was always able to put Ali in her place (typical labrador, the only thing she'd try was to steal his pellets... and he'd box her and then she'd give up) In the later years you'd find them snuggled together on either side of the stairgate when you came in from work. I have better pictures somewhere...

Think it depends in the personality of the dog and the rabbit though- even though Ali was incredibly gentle I don't think any of my younger rabbits would tolerate even her in the same way Mr Fluff did. And at 13 I wouldn't introduce the Fluffster to a new dog either.
 
honeybunny said:
I have always had dogs and rabbits
but will underline what some have already said
NEVER leave your rabbits unsupervised with your dogs..however soft your dog is
You can never know if the dog is having an off day, feeling unwell, or just maybe gets a bit grumpy with age..and if the rabbit moves suddenly on jumps on dog it could just be enough to make the dog snap
Anyone who leaves their rabbits alone with a dog is playing Russian roulette with the bunnies life

Also a word on cats..same applies really..although a small cat may not be able to kill a large rabbit we have heard of several sad stories this year where a cat has bitten a rabbit..once in play..and the wounds became badly infected, cat bites are full of nasty bacteria ..in two cases the rabbits died:cry:..so be very careful about your bunnies playing with your cats
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Couldn't agree more.

I know of one rabbit who was injured by the family's new kitten that was allowed to play with bunny. A claw injury to the eye resulted in bun losing the eye. Cats have retractable claws but they won't always retract them in play, and many have strong hunting instincts that they use in play.
 
You should never put your rabbits at risk, so if you are choosing a dog, I think you should look at adult dogs as you know what you are getting with an adult and you should select a dog based upon its ability to live in the same household as your rabbits, if you are not experienced in selecting dogs then you should find a qualified dog trainer who can help with the selection process. Then you would need to train the dog, you should be able to stop your dog in its tracks no matter what, for its own safety as well as the safety of others. Not all dogs chase. Would seizure alert dogs be able to stay with people having seizures alone if there was any risk? Dogs have killed people having seizures yet an organisation places dogs with people to assist them prior to, during and after a seizure. This is because dogs are not all the same and some dogs will not be a risk at all.

If you have a puppy it may be ok but it might not, you are taking a risk and may end up with problems.

Never leave a dog alone with small animals and never leave a dog alone with children
 
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Even if you are with them all the time, I don't see how you could react quickly enough to stop the dog killing the rabbit. They have very strong jaws and could kill with one bite.
 
You'll likely be able to tell by their body language. Unless it happens so fast you couldn't stop the dog in time. But if you do own a dog you don't have to let them interact. You can block off a room in the house for the rabbit or keep the rabbit or the dog outside.
 
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