best dog breeds for rabbit people

[daniiwicked]

was looking for other peoples opinions on dog breeds that are good to have around rabbits. we are looking to add a dog to our family when we get moved and settled.

 

[ladysown]

livestock guardian dogs that are raised to think of the rabbits as "theirs" to mind.

Any dog that can be trained to leave them be.

 

[jaxmarblebuns]

A well trained one.

Breed isn't that important, training is what needs to be focused on. If your can get a dog that has already been with/behaves well with small animals or a puppy so that it doesn't have "pre-set" bad habits that would be easiest, but any dog can work. It really all depends on how much training you are able to put in.

 

[Skai]

A well trained one.

Breed isn't that important, training is what needs to be focused on. If your can get a dog that has already been with/behaves well with small animals or a puppy so that it doesn't have "pre-set" bad habits that would be easiest, but any dog can work. It really all depends on how much training you are able to put in.

Years ago I had three Dobermans, all raised from pups and certainly not herding type dogs, but they decided on their own that the rabbits and chickens were their responsibility and I never lost a single one to predators. Or to one of them.

 

[user 8761]

Where we live the dog market is saturated with LGD’s that, if the two we have is any indication, are garbage. I personally will never be getting a ‘livestock guardian’ breed again, and cannot recommend anyone else do so either. I agree with the other comments, any pup you get young that is trained to not chomp your buns is the right dog. Even and older dog of the right temperament can learn, my Shep mix dog of 6yrs leaned that sheep, goats, rabbits & a cat are not snacks after we became farmers, but he was already a very good dog to start.

 

[Cotton Rabbitry]

Our pug is totally disinterested in the rabbits and our Pitty allowed rabbits to crawl all over him, However, the chickens he was sure were for chasing up to the day he passed. So I would say get a 2-month-old pup of your preferred breed and raise it alongside of that which you want protected and reinforce to the pup what is and isn't proper behavior.

 

[RabbitDad]

was looking for other peoples opinions on dog breeds that are good to have around rabbits. we are looking to add a dog to our family when we get moved and settled.

Once upon a time we had a Golden Retriever. That dog loved everybody and any critter we introduced her to.
A baby squirrel we rescued. Ferrets, a cockatoo, cats... anything.
She was with us almost 20 years too. What a great dog.

 

[RabbitDad]

One of our German Shepherds brought me our first rabbit. He would constantly chase wild rabbits until they would stop, then he'd sadly walk away.
After we adopted the one he caught, now all the dogs and our cat is almost afraid of it! Maybe not afraid, just extremely cautious & won't go near it.
I don't know what happened when I wasn't looking but the rabbit is the boss now.
In general I think any dog could be trained to be compatible but some, like a Golden Retriever would naturally care for them.
Don't write off Pit Bulls either over their false reputation. When they haven't been abused, they are quite loving & family oriented.
I saw one a guy had in the feed store recently. I swear the dog was smiling as she went around greeting people she didn't even know. Nobody could resist petting her either. It pretty much boils down to how they are treated.

 

[judymac]

Our Golden Retriever cross would gently catch our escaped rabbits for us, we just had to point out which one we wanted caught. He would carefully catch it and bring it back to us with never so much as a scratch on it, live and well.

If someone would call us in a panic that their livestock had been attacked by a dog, it was invariably a German Shepherd or Collie cross that was the culprit. They loved the chase, would catch and kill or maim the prey, and then move on to the next fun chase. You've seen dogs grab and shake their favorite toy--looks cute until the 'toy' is a pet, and the quick shake breaks the neck.

Not saying all Shepherds or Collies are bad, after all, they are trained to work with livestock--but untrained crosses may still have the urge to chase the animals, but not know what to do when they caught them. After all, other breeds are bred to catch and destroy 'varmits'. A breed with the 'follow animal' instinct crossed with the 'kill it' instinct can be a bad combination.

 

[RabbitDad]

Our Golden Retriever cross would gently catch our escaped rabbits for us, we just had to point out which one we wanted caught. He would carefully catch it and bring it back to us with never so much as a scratch on it, live and well.

If someone would call us in a panic that their livestock had been attacked by a dog, it was invariably a German Shepherd or Collie cross that was the culprit. They loved the chase, would catch and kill or maim the prey, and then move on to the next fun chase. You've seen dogs grab and shake their favorite toy--looks cute until the 'toy' is a pet, and the quick shake breaks the neck.

Not saying all Shepherds or Collies are bad, after all, they are trained to work with livestock--but untrained crosses may still have the urge to chase the animals, but not know what to do when they caught them. After all, other breeds are bred to catch and destroy 'varmits'. A breed with the 'follow animal' instinct crossed with the 'kill it' instinct can be a bad combination.

I have to agree with this 100%
Our Golden Retriever was the perfect mother for anything we introduced to her.
Of our four current German Shepherds, only one isn't interested in the chase game.
They don't seem to be interested in hurting or killing anything, it's the thrill of the chase that interests them.
Some of the wild cotton tails have figured that out & sneak away quietly. Most of the time, the rabbits are long gone before the dogs even notice. Other times, if they don't move, the dogs run right by.

 

[Blessed with pets]

I personally adore my Holland lop rabbits and my two Great Pyrenees dogs. They do really good not trying to get in their cage or anything. I still wouldn’t let the rabbits run free with them cause they have the tendency to wanna play with them and the rabbits think they are getting chased so it’s just more harm then good but if I’m holding the rabbits or they are in a fence/ cage they do just fine and if a rabbit were to escape I wouldn’t have to worry about them chasing them down and or killing them like some dogs like huskies and German shepherds have the tendency to do. But remember all dogs are different and you could end up with a rabbit aggressive Pyrenees or a rabbit friendly husky it’s jus a dog to dog basis

 

[Rabbit Tree Farm]

I 100% agree that treatment is the largest component...with the caveat that not all people are dog trainers. Not all people have the time and consistency to put into making the dog they need. I feel its important to understand that training a dog requires the commitment to be with that dog almost constantly in the first year, and maybe 2. With that said, if it isnt possible for you, make it easy on yourself and choose a breed with the natural proclivities you need and a lower prey drive. Please don't choose a beagle

I personally had a blue heeler/border collie for 15 years. Everyone said you can't have chickens free ranging with a heeler. He was 2 when i started my flock. He had been known to kill kittens. Well, i caught him one day with a chick in his mouth, and i got it away from him and scolded him harshly, and as always used the word "mine". It was the first and last time he ever went after one...to the point he would give his house over to them and lay in the rain.

He passed before i got my rabbits but I've no doubt he'd have been the same.

Now i have a gsd×Pyrenees and she has a high prey drive but no kill drive. Even small wild things she will not kill on purpose. She will catch loose chickens for us by using her forelegs to gently pin the birds wings down to the ground and hold it till i get there to take it. I never taught her that, but we've been constant companions since i got her at 7 weeks and I've always been clear about 'yours' and 'mine'. I have tried to get her to catch the mice in my house but she just thinks theyre friends

 

[eco2pia]

I vote for training too. The best dog is a pup, and you raise them with rabbits.

I have the WORST dog for this short of perhaps a terrier breed. He is a belgian malinois and his prey drive is insane. But I raised him with a cat indoors. He regards OUR cat as family. Any other cat is food. I managed this by monitoring him closely from the time he was 8 weeks old, and if he so much as LOOKED at the cat I was up in his face, communicating in every way I knew how that it was completely unacceptable. The cat can eat out of his bowl, sleep on his bed, bite his face, and he will not react--he looks at me with misery sometimes, lol, but that is all. He wags his tail at the cat and is mostly tolerant these days. He understood the assignment.

Your best bet is to choose a dog breed that is on the gentle side to begin with, pick the calmest, least reactive pup out of the litter, and start bringing your rabbits out around him from day one, always when you have time to supervise, and have a means of stopping tragedy from occurring. Be willing to say "no" hard enough to terrify the daylights out of your sweet little angel puppy, because later it will be life and death.

For my dog that meant I was willing to pull him off his feet and onto his back if he showed aggression of any kind toward the cat, I kept him leashed in the house sometimes. I still don't leave him uncrated around the cat if I am away, but at this point I don't think I have to worry anymore. I am more worried about my furniture.

He killed a chicken a month or two ago--one got out and walked right in front of him and it was over immediately. I did not work hard enough there. I am a decent trainer, but this is not a simple task. You are right to be cautious, but with determination and vigilance you can prevail with any dog.

 

[brittanyf]

I'm deciding how to introduce my rabbits to my dogs. They chase my cat but she hates them more. I've seen my putt bust theough the front door to protect her from a neighbor dog so I'm hoping that's a good sign. I've taught them to be careful with the bearded dragons so I think there's good hope there.

 

[TamiPac]

I'm deciding how to introduce my rabbits to my dogs. They chase my cat but she hates them more. I've seen my putt bust theough the front door to protect her from a neighbor dog so I'm hoping that's a good sign. I've taught them to be careful with the bearded dragons so I think there's good hope there.

In my personal experience , as soon as the dogs see that you are viewing the rabbit as a member of the family they will as well. I introduced the species to my dogs with a rabbit siting on my lap facing butt end to the dog so they could get a sniff and the rabbit didn't have a fit of fright. That was all it took. My dogs also obey the command "leave it" so I'm not worried about chasing.

 

[brittanyf]

In my personal experience , as soon as the dogs see that you are viewing the rabbit as a member of the family they will as well. I introduced the species to my dogs with a rabbit siting on my lap facing butt end to the dog so they could get a sniff and the rabbit didn't have a fit of fright. That was all it took. My dogs also obey the command "leave it" so I'm not worried about chasing.

Oh thanks. That's the only part I was worried about... the rabbit's fear. I'll do

 

[Rabbit Warren Man]

In my personal experience , as soon as the dogs see that you are viewing the rabbit as a member of the family they will as well. I introduced the species to my dogs with a rabbit siting on my lap facing butt end to the dog so they could get a sniff and the rabbit didn't have a fit of fright. That was all it took. My dogs also obey the command "leave it" so I'm not worried about chasing.

That’s all it takes is working with your dogs. When I am culling the rabbits and put them on the ground my dogs won’t touch them. They also won’t go after live domestic rabbits either. I do feed whole rabbits to my dogs.

 

[Skai]

I've had dogs, big dogs, my whole life and a variety of breeds. I consider myself a "dog person" and pretty good at training. I really think that dogs, like people, are born with different personalities and different degrees of intelligence. You can sometimes train a dog to do something against his natural instincts but it's really, really hard, takes a lot of time and still may not produce a result that you can trust 100%.

I have currently, a two-year old Blue Heeler/Pyrenees mix. He's loyal, affectionate, a great watch dog, horribly stubborn and the worst dog I could ever have chosen to be around chickens or rabbits. He will growl at the chickens and stalk them along their fence line. If he comes into the rabbit house with me he'll go under the cages and try to nip at their feet. He becomes so focused on them I've had to turn the hose on him to get him to even notice I'm talking to him. His body language leaves no doubt he would kill if he had a chance. Nothing I have done has made the slightest difference in his understanding they are not prey.

On the other hand, I had an Australian Shepherd that was the sweetest dog I've ever had. He was friends with all the animals. Goats, horses, other dogs, cats, chickens, rabbits. He once brought me a wild baby bunny that he took away from my coon hound. He was holding the bunny in his mouth behind his teeth with his mouth open so he wouldn't hurt it. He brought it to the barn where I was working and then sat and whined until I noticed that he was trying to get my attention. When I held my hands out he dropped the bunny into my hands uninjured. It was his nature and there was no way I could have turned that dog into a hunter, and he wasn't a good watch dog either. By the way, that coon hound was a natural hunter but was so incredibly stupid she was untrainable.

I've had a Pit Bull that wouldn't harm a fly, in fact he wouldn't eat meat unless it was cooked! I've had Dobermans that were perfect farm dogs and protected my free range chickens with their lives. I have accepted that l will never have the perfect dog so I make adjustments for them because I loved them all. My chickens will never be completely free-range with my current dog.

 

[Skai]

livestock guardian dogs that are raised to think of the rabbits as "theirs" to mind.

Any dog that can be trained to leave them be.

My LGD was 3 months old when we got him and raised with the rabbits. He does think they are his. His dinner, that is.

 

[ladysown]

My LGD was 3 months old when we got him and raised with the rabbits. He does think they are his. His dinner, that is.

How did you train him? Lgd need to be trained too.