Mutt and Bunny

[adele]

My sister (who is a bit of a nervous type) has just adopted a beautiful happy healthy apparently well adjusted lab x border collie about 8 months old. Everything is going great, just the usual puppy stuff... there is also a bunny in the family. DS is worried about the dog eating the bunny. The bunny is curious and apparently fearless and does not avoid the dog at all. They dog doesn't lunge to get at the bunny but naturally wants to interact with it. So far they have coped by keeping the two apart and making the dog sit and watch the bunny if they are both in the same room.

My feeling is that she should buy a muzzel and train the dog to wear it. Then just let the two interact and see how it goes. Once the dog has shown that she's not going to eat the rabbit then they can stop using the muzzel. Eventually the two are going to have to learn to live together.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Dd you think an 8 month old puppy should ever be trusted with a bunny?

[Barb Wright]

I'll go out on a limb and say that since the pup is still young that it will interact with the bunny just fine as long as the bunny doesn't run, at least in the beginning. Once the pup gets to know the bunny they will probably become best buds and the pup will not react as if the bunny is prey if it does go hippity-hop. If your DS is committed to this relationship she does need to let the two interact soon as the longer she keeps the two apart the more stress is developed, at least on the part of the dog. The muzzle is an okay idea, but I'd be more worried about the pup pawing at the bunny then trying to eat it.

JMO Well, that should say "just my guess"

[adele]

Thanks Barb.

I should say that DS isn't really afraid of her eating eathing the bunny... she's worried that she'll just get excited and bite or shake it. The word "eating" was my unfortunate choice of words.

[Cindy]

There's not a chance in the world I'd trust our dogs with a bunny. The only thing I've ever seen them do with bunnies is retrieve them by the neck and drop them on the deck (except for our old dogs who used to eat the babies!). Unfortunately they are usually babies so they don't survive the "relocation" effort.