I am getting a 6 wk old Jack Russell dog and have a rabbit with free-run of garden. Do I keep them well apart?

Question

The rabbit has free run of the garden and comes into the house. iIhave been given different views by different people on whether to introduce them. One says introduce them when puppy is young and everything will be ok, others say it is a jack russells instinct to attack rabbits so keep them apart. What do I do?

Answer 1

how funny. i think that if the dog grows with the rabbit around it's ok. they'll become friends.

Answer 2

How can it be a Jack Russells instinct when he is so young, they need to be trained like you teach a baby new tricks and they learn. I think cause the dog is so young its best to let them roam together, that way they can be treated the same, cause if you think about it if you treat the rabbit better than the dog he/she could get jealous and then decide it will have the rabbit. So I say let them get together, best thing to do is just keep an close eye on them for a few days to see how they adapt to the surroundings and being with each other. When I was younger I had an Border Collie and an Poodle ok calmer dogs but my rabbit was house trained and had free roam of the house and garden, its only cause the dogs were puppies when they were introduced to my rabbit. I hope this answer helps. Gary

Answer 3

Jack Russells were bred for rabitting, so these could hardly be a less compatible pair of pets! However familiar and even friendly the puppy becomes with the rabbit, in the end the predatory instinct will out. The rabbit will know this and feel constant fear and an urge to escape. If you are committed to the dog, be kind to the rabbit and find it another home.

Answer 4

I have owned a Jack Russell. The safest thing for the rabbit is to keep it AWAY from the JR. Jr's were bred to hunt small fury creatures, like the rabbit. It is instinct to hunt and chase them. Ours went after our 4 week old pup, which was about the size of a rabbit. If you do have them near each other close supervision is a must.

Answer 5

Wow you might have your work cut out. In New Zealand Jack Russell's love Rabbits. However the attention they give to Rabbits is not reciprocated. Jack Russells are phenomenal Rabbit hunters. Given the predator/prey relationship you may actually find your rabbit may be the one that causes the most problems. It may well decide to attack the puppy ( attack being the best part of defence). Suggest you introduce them slowly and always under supervision, especially if your rabbit is an adult male. May be feed them at the same time, next to each other. With patience you may see a good relationship developing. I have a large Curly Coat retriever who believes cats only exist for chasing............ all cats except our Maine coon. They grew up together and the Maine Coon, if he gets into a fight with another cat, brings his opponent home for the dog to deal with.

Answer 6

Firstly, do not get a 6 weeks old puppy. Puppies should be with their miothers until they are 8 weeks old. Secondly, do not leave him with the rabbit. Terriers are bred to kill small animals. No matter how much training he gets he will still get the urge to chase and possibly kill the rabbit. Traits are bred into dogs, hence no matter how much of a pet a border collie is, even kept in a city home, he will still want to herd things, labradors retrieve things, greyhounds will run. I have had terriers here in the past, brought up from day one when I fostered rescue females with pups. They were introduced to my poultry from the start yet every one at some stage in its life, would chase and maul a chicken. Now, I refuse to have a terrier on my property. They are simply not safe with small animals. If you like excitable yappy dogs who love to dig holes, are always on the go and have a strong urge to kill small animals, then by all means, get a terrier. If not, consider a different breed. The rescue kennels in this country are full of unwanted jack russells of all ages which were got by people who thought that because they were small, they would be easy to look after, when in fact they need more excersize than a large lurcher or greyhound does and have a stronger urge to kill things.

Answer 7

People who say that it is a Jack Russel's instinct to attack rabbits are absolutely right! my 9 week old puppy chased our rabbit, even after we spent a lot of time trying to introduce them. She is till not used to the rabbits, even after a few years.

Answer 8

These are the type of problems that make researching the breed you get invaluable. What you're describing are very typical JRT behaviors. Add to that fact that it sounds like he's home all day and bored and you're just increasing the problem. Instead of writing here in an attempt to find an answer, you ought to sign up for a dog training class where YOU can learn to train your dog and pick up some tips on how to keep him occupied and happy when he's to be alone so many hours per day.

Answer 9

Jack Russels will chase anything that moves. Pen up the Rabbit or Kennel the Dog. That's pretty much yyour choice!

Answer 10

If you raise the pup WITH the rabbit and correct him for any aggressive actions (nipping, pouncing, etc), then the JR may be ok with the rabbit when he grows up. There is no 100% guarantee, but the odds are that he will see that particular rabbit as a packmate and brother.

If you keep them separate now, you will have to separate them forever or the JR will see the rabbit as prey and kill it at his first opportunity.

Answer 11

I have a 6 month old jack russell and he is such a softy.

If you introduce them now they should get along just fine. But any sign of the pups tail not wagging get him away from the rabbit or you will be having a certain soup for dinner if you get my drift!!!