Dogs & Rabbits

[Albert]

Does anyone else find that their rabbits are unfazed by their dogs? Ours take no notice at all of them and I would have thought they would react badly with a potential predator so close. Or are we just lucky?

Our border collie spends hours watching them

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

I would say that the dog watching them for so long is not good

 

[Albert]

I would say that the dog watching them for so long is not good

I should have been more specific. She's a border collie she doesn't stay still for more than 2 minutes, she'll spend hours moving between rabbit tractors and chickens to make sure there in place.

 

[Mariah's Meadows]

I, too, have a herding dog who loves to check up on the buns. The rabbits who I got as adults rather than raising, were very skeptical and skittish at first. Eventually, they mellowed out and learned that this predator does not consider them his prey. Even the rabbit that was neglected for 5 years with hardly no human interaction and absolutely no interaction with other animals is now comfortable with him. The rabbits I've raised alongside with my does have absolutely no fear of him, but I make sure to expose them to each other daily when the kits are around 5 days old. I also expose them to my small dog (who is usually smaller than the rabbits). It really helps that my dogs are well-trained. Herding dogs are excellent, in my opinion, to have around your rabbits. My boy helps herd them back to their enclosures when I have the rabbits loose in the yard, so it is very helpful to have them not be in a constantly panicked state. Whenever I have bunnies inside, they get playtime with the dogs as well. For a lot more than 2 minutes! As long as the rabbits are not fearful and the dog is not aggressive, there really shouldn't be an issue with having a dog watching them for a long time.

 

[Albert]

My boy helps herd them back to their enclosures when I have the rabbits loose in the yard.

The one time we had an escapee, she was excellent at gently herding her back to us.

 

[RabbitsOfTheCreek]

My dog just nudged their butts to make them poop so he could eat it

 

[MuddyFarms]

I have not had a dog around my rabbits much yet since they are in cages in a small barn- not much room for a dog right now! However, I have had two herding dog mixes around our poultry for over 12 years, as well as a two retrievers.

Herder 1 started out a bit crazy and we had to teach him how to behave around the chickens. He went from going after the chickens if they flew to being totally trustworthy and helpful around them. They learned very well to trust him, and never minded him going around and through their midst. He was a calm, controlled, precise type of dog, unless a squirrel got the best of him. He even learned to bark at birds of prey in the sky so we would be aware of them and could put the chickens away or watch them for safety! He really enjoyed that job and did well with it.

We then got Retriever 1 that had little training and was pretty energetic and fast-moving. We had her for part of the same time as Herder 1. She never bothered the chickens, but the chickens never seemed to trust her the same as Herder 1. She seemed too quick-moving for their liking, although they were never too upset by her. They just totally relaxed around Herder 1, but wanted to keep an eye on Retriever 1.

Next was retriever 2, a puppy. We worked with her to help her learn to be with the chickens and not chase them. That was actually pretty easy for her to learn. Then she would just hang out, exploring their yard and playing with the ducks now and then. The chickens didn't really mind her much, but didn't relax quite as much as with Herder 1.

Next was Herder 2. He just fit right in and had no issues with the chickens or turkeys. This was a new flock that had no experience with dogs, too. I expected him to be harder to have around the flock, but he is great. He has the same smooth, controlled behavior that the chickens liked about Herder 1. He is high energy, but calm and not an issue at all around the birds.

I have always thought it so interesting how animals like this learn to be around each other and trust each other. Farmers have had dogs herding and protecting all kinds of animals and I think certain breeds/dispositions seem to cause the animals they are around to relax more than others naturally. It's a good thing for a farmer and his animals to have a good dog around!

 

[LatchawBriarPatch]

My neighbors fence is next to my bunny housing area. They have anywhere between 2-4 big barking dogs out there. It took a while for my rabbits to calm down once I got them, and the barking still effects them. They can't see the dogs. But they don't act as afraid anymore. I'm nervous how it will effect them while pregnant.

 

[northernnevadahollandlops]

We had a similar situation, but have neighbors with dogs on all sides. Do your bunnies have covered places to hide? I also found that if the dogs can't see the bunnies through the fence it helped lessen the barking. Of course they can still smell them, but one dog drove himself crazy watching them through the cracks. So I put up some thin plywood to block his view. My does still built nests and kindled normally. I moved them for the winter and have noticed my one doe who is very skittish calmed down so much. I didn't realize how much the barking affected her until I saw her in a place she feels safer.

 

[LatchawBriarPatch]

The dogs seem to ignore the rabbits, people not so much. They can't see them. Yes, the rabbits can hide. I try to not take them out and handle them when one of the dogs is going to town. Good to hear they do well with pregnancy and kindling. Gives me some hope. Thanks!

 

[arachyd]

We've always had coon hounds. They think an appropriate happy greeting for both humans and other pets is a happy, loud, window-rattling bellow delivered as close as possible to the face. The rabbits I raised pretty much ignored them because they knew them. A rabbit that wasn't raised with them took a while to get used to the dogs. Humans took longer, lol.